What is Paid Media? A Simple Guide
What Is Paid Media?
You’ve heard this before, but What Does Paid Media Mean? Exactly that…you pay for the media. Advertising is the most popular type of paid media, yet in this digital age, paid search results have become just as enticing. It’s basically any print, TV, radio or online ad about a brand. But sometimes consumers can have a hard time deciphering as there are a few different forms of media. Below we’ll break it down and explain the differences.
There are three types of media – paid, earned and owned.
Paid media refers to publicity gained through advertising, owned media refers to branding and earned media refers to publicity gained through promotional efforts and editorials written about your business that you didn’t pay for or create yourself.
Paid media in all of its many forms is advertising. A form of media that a brand pays for, creating and controlling the content, plus deciding where and when it will be seen. Brands pays media outlets, social media companies and other channels to use their platforms to advertise to their audience.
Examples Of Paid Media
Below are some Examples Of Paid Media or advertising:
Display Ads – online ads in the form of pop-ups, wallpaper, banner or video ads
Social Media Ads: social media ads that appear in-feed or promoted posts or listings, along with search result ads.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) – listings that appear at the top of search results
Offline Ads – these are all traditional forms of advertising including newspapers, magazines, billboards, flyers and postcards
Radio/Podcast Ads – short audio clips that are either played before the broadcast or a live read by the host during the program
Commercial/Video Ads – short commercials via live television or social media
Overall, paid media or advertising is another marketing tactic. It just depends on your business regarding whether it’s the right tactic for you. Earned Media or public relations is great for new businesses to build buzz organically and spread awareness through unbiased, credible journalists and news outlets. Consumers don’t know your brand yet so you need to create trust and allow them to read honest consumer depictions of your brand.
Paid Media or advertising works well for established brands. Brands that need to just give a reminder to consumers that they’re still around and it triggers them. For example, Pepsi. Everyone knows what it is, but it’s not always top of mind. A person could walk by an advertisement on a hot day and think, “a Pepsi sounds so good, I’m going to get some at the store.” They are already familiar with it, but needed that reminder to trigger a purchase. They already trust the brand and know they like it, they don’t need to be convinced.
Introduction to Bettie Bomb
Founded in 2005, Bettie Bomb is a Midwest Public Relations Agency based in Chicago offering a suite of services from trusted industry partners under one creative umbrella. PR, Marketing, Social Media and beyond…we work as an extension of your team, creating personalized campaigns, building awareness and telling your story when it matters most.
We are a female-owned public relations agency specializing in all things lifestyle: food, fashion, hospitality, retail, health & wellness, medical, consumer and philanthropy. Partners Rebecca Kussmann & Laura Collins work closely with businesses & organizations to target key audiences and generate exposure, all under the Bettie Bomb umbrella. Work one-on-one or have us build a team. We can be BIG and we can be small…that’s the beauty of it. Small, but mighty with the ability to grow. That’s us in a nutshell.