Value of Earned Media

Connecting with the media is an effective way to reach target publics and stakeholders.
Organizations value editorial coverage in various forms of media.
Media outlets seek newsworthy stories relevant to their audience and news agenda.
Traditional and social media are converging.
The 24-hour news cycle is replaced by ambient news, which is news in all forms and on multiple platforms at all times.
Public relations practitioners provide information to the media and promote their organizations through the media.
Journalists rely on media releases and story leads from PR colleagues.
Much media content originates from public relations activity.
The presentation focuses on relaying messages via the media, communicating messages to them, and the value of media coverage to organizations.

PESO: Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media.
- Paid Media: Advertising in all forms.
  - Traditional advertisements (TV, radio, newspaper).
  - Bus stop advertisements, billboards, product placement.
  - Advertorials, paid influencer/blogger posts, infotainment segments.
- Owned Media: Content produced and controlled by the organization.
  - Company website, social media pages.
  - In-house magazine, brochures, annual reports.
- Shared Media: Content shared by others, often on social media.
  - Campaigns using elements of paid, earned, and owned media.
- Earned Media: Free publicity achieved through proactive media relations.
  - Focus of the presentation and the course.
  - Includes newspaper/magazine articles, radio news items/interviews, TV news stories/interviews, unpaid lifestyle TV segments, organic social media posts/shares, and endorsements from high-profile social media identities or influencers without payment.
  - Objective of communication activity.

The role traverses all areas of the PESO model but traditionally focused on earned media. More recently, it has expanded into owned media.
The objective of media relations activity is to secure, prevent, or mitigate earned media coverage.
In crisis situations, the strategy might be to minimize negative media coverage.
The focus is on proactive earned media relations activity to achieve earned media coverage.

Earned media is uncontrolled, though it can be influenced. There is an element of risk.
It is highly valued for several reasons.
Bill Gates quote: "If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations."
Provides third-party endorsement, which is more credible than paid advertising. Example: A reputable car journalist reviewing a new vehicle.
Cost-effective: Getting a good news story can be less expensive than paying for advertising space.
Helps build an organization's reputation, brand, and profile.
Positions the organization as a spokesperson and industry leader.
Complements advertising and marketing activity.
Significant benefits to growing brand profile and reputation.

Media's influence on society and culture and how all sectors of society have adapted to use media.

A key concept within the study of mediatization, focusing on how the media are organized, processed, and transmitted.
Encompasses storytelling, audience targeting, newsroom cultures, and news values.
Media logics are now being used by other sectors of society to present information.
Society and media are intrinsically linked.
The media image (mediated reality) becomes more important than reality itself.
Social media influencers' reality is a mediated reality.
Media image is heavily curated and managed by media advisors in politics, influencing likability, public opinion, policy, and decision-making.
Understanding these concepts helps PR practitioners understand the media and why organizations use it to connect with publics and stakeholders.

A free and independent media is a hallmark of a democratic society.
Public opinion is influenced by:
- Personal experience, peers, interest groups, family.
- Influence of the media.
Agenda setting refers to how the media influences what issues we think about.
The media's choices about what to publish or broadcast influence not only what issues we think about but also our position on those issues.
Media gatekeepers (editors, news directors, producers) make decisions about what content to publish, considering the agenda of their media outlet, their objectives, the demographics of their audience, and the hot issues relevant to their community.
The choice of images, headlines, and positioning can all influence our interpretation of a particular story.
Achieving earned editorial coverage helps make your organization part of this agenda.

Public relations practitioners attempt to influence the media agenda through their media relations activities.
The way a media release is written, the way a story is pitched, the talent put up, what the spokesperson is wearing, and the location for the interview can all influence the agenda.
Newsmakers (politicians, authorities, sporting teams, celebrities) announce news on social media directly to their publics and stakeholders rather than through traditional media.
Press conferences are now watched in real-time on social media, challenging the media agenda.
Decision-makers and politicians are using this approach of announcing news on social media.

Whereas agenda setting focuses on what stories are covered, framing focuses on how an issue or event is covered.
It focuses on how a particular perspective on an issue is portrayed and how this influences the public agenda.
The media frames stories to suit their readership, viewers, and agenda.
Framing encompasses how a story is positioned, the angle that is taken, word and image selection, where the story appears, layout, and design.
The media is sometimes criticized for how they frame stories.
Domestic violence stories are often portrayed as isolated incidents rather than part of a systemic issue in Australian society.
Public relations practitioners frame stories to meet their organization's objectives and to meet the media's criteria of news.
Stories are framed to capitalize on current events or issues (special occasions, seasonal factors, news of the day).
Linking an organization's story with a bigger news story is an effective strategy.
Leveraging seasonal factors to highlight an issue and draw attention to the organization's services (e.g., Beyond Blue using Christmas to highlight mental health issues resulting from COVID).