Owned media includes channels you control fully, like your website, blog, email lists, and apps. These build long-term assets and don’t require ongoing ad spend.
Earned media covers organic exposure you’ve “earned” — like PR coverage, backlinks, social shares, influencer mentions, or user-generated content. This builds trust and authority.
Paid media includes any channel where you pay for placement: search ads, social ads, display, sponsored content, etc. It offers quick scale but stops when the budget does.
For example, a product launch might involve publishing a blog post (owned), promoting it with social ads (paid), and getting industry press coverage (earned).