The PESO Model is an essential tool for public relations professionals in the digital age. It allows each media channel (paid, earned, shared, and owned) to work together as a single unit that strengthens each other.
Introduced by Gini Dietrich in her 2014 book Spin Sucks, this model shows how the four overlapping media types can work with each other to deliver greater value for a brand’s marketing budget. It is a framework for planning how to allocate paid, earned, shared, and owned media efforts to achieve a marketing goal.
Paid media is what consumers typically associate with traditional advertising. It includes print ads, TV commercials, and website banners. Using performance metrics like click-through rates or opt-ins, marketers can measure the effectiveness of a paid campaign.
Navigating the Evolving Landscape of PESO Model in the Digital Age
Earned media is publicity that companies or their clients generate through a variety of activities such as news stories, awards or positive customer reviews. Sharing this publicity online with a targeted audience is called social media marketing.
Shared media is content that companies or their clients produce and publish online but do not own themselves. This could include Instagram or Facebook Live sessions, LinkedIn comment threads, or podcasts.
Owned media is content that a business creates and controls itself, such as websites and blog posts. It could also include apps, email, and marketing communication collateral.
The PESO Model removes the traditional marketing silos, allowing businesses to build authentic consumer connections with consistent value on the audience’s terms. This approach builds authority, thought leadership, and trust that can lead to higher ROI over time.