Why You Need Paid Media to Enhance Your Earned Media Strategy

Public affairs professionals know how difficult it can be to earn media. Getting news coverage and placing op-eds for your organization takes a lot of work, thoughtful research, deep relationships and great timing. And it’s one of ROKK’s specialties! 

Once you’ve done the work, it’s critical you don’t stop there. Your story is out there, but can you guarantee your audience will see it? 

Each day, news organizations publish thousands of articles, X users post 500 million times and 720,000 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube. Dozens of successful newsletters and podcasts outline the top stories of the day to help industry leaders begin to narrow down the information they should care about.

In today’s media landscape, even the most well-informed, well-connected thought leaders need a nudge toward the information that’s most relevant to them. 

That’s where paid media comes in.   

Paid Media Drives Awareness

Americans spend over five hours a day on their phones on average, but the average visit to news sites is under two minutes. In the age of AI search, clicks to websites, including news publications, are down drastically, with varying studies showing a 20-80% decrease in clicks. 

Rather than relying on your audience to find your earned article through searches, clips or via scrolling news or social media sites, put it in front of them. Paid media does this in several ways. 

Among many options, display and native ads can be ideal for recommending the piece to engaged readers who are already visiting top news sites. Paid social, while driving fewer organic clicks to news articles in recent years, accounts for over a billion news site referrals a month and drives awareness on the platforms where Americans spend about half of their screen time. And podcast and newsletter sponsorships can ensure your message reaches those growing audiences who are seeking relevant news every day. 

Don’t miss the opportunity. When your team puts in the work to get earned media placements, ensuring viewership is the next step.

Paid Media Can Be Narrowly Tailored to Your Audience

Paid ads don’t just guarantee impressions on a headline. They can be tailored to reach exactly the right audience for your message. Audience insights on paid tools allow advertisers to narrow targeting by geography, demographics, interests, keywords and more. 

With your earned media piece, whether you are looking to ensure broad reach among a consumer audience or get in front of a narrow set of industry thought leaders, paid ads help you find the right people. 

Paid Media Helps You Meet the Moment

When your earned media piece is hot off the press, that’s a moment you’ll want to take advantage of. Whether you’re launching a coalition, encouraging action from Congress or supporting a public relations reputation campaign, timing matters. 

With thousands of articles published every day, the organic reach of a piece is limited by sheer volume. With paid support, your piece can reach your audience as soon as it’s published and for as long as it’s relevant. 

Consider the amount of media you consume, the articles you read and the rate at which news comes across your desk every day. Your audience sees that much information and does their best to stay informed too. Paid media can be the nudge they need to engage with the information most important to you. 

Get Started

Ready to reach your audience with earned and paid media? ROKK’s full-service team builds integrated communications programs for some of the most influential companies, associations, coalitions and nonprofits in the world and maximizes their impact. Contact our team to get started.