Every Team Should Know Its Earned Media Value — Here’s Why

Most brands chase exposure. They pour money into ads and PR, hoping to buy attention. And yes—if your pockets run deep enough, that’ll work.

But what if you can’t outspend your competition?

Then you earn your mentions. You build buzz. You spark conversations that don’t come with an invoice.

That’s where Earned Media Value (EMV) steps in. And it’s not just your marketing team’s job—your whole team plays a role.

In this article, we’ll explore what EMV is, why it’s essential for every team member to understand it, how to calculate it, and real-world examples of brands leveraging EMV effectively.

What is Earned Media Value?

Earned Media Value (EMV) estimates the monetary worth of all the publicity your brand receives without paying for ads. It’s the value derived from media coverage, social media mentions, shares, and word-of-mouth.

EMV is typically calculated by comparing it to the cost of running ads with similar reach and impact. Essentially, it answers: how much would you have to spend on advertising to achieve the same level of attention?

Why Should Your Team Know Your Earned Media Value?

Earned media isn’t just a vanity metric. It indicates brand trust, customer engagement, and marketing effectiveness.

Builds Brand Authority and Trust

Earned media fosters trust between a brand and its audience. When a brand’s message comes from a third party, it feels more credible.

For example, Costco doesn’t spend on advertising. Instead, it relies heavily on earned media and word-of-mouth, leading to a brand value of $48.3 billion in 2024. Their high-quality products and commitment to value have bred brand loyalty, with numerous organic reviews and mentions online.

Boosts Visibility and Referrals

EMV allows your brand to spread naturally through shares, organic mentions, and referrals. For instance, 14.28% of Coca-Cola’s traffic comes from referrals alone. Facebook accounts for 51.23% of Coca-Cola’s total social media referrals, highlighting the impact of organic reach on brand visibility.

Smaller brands can also benefit. Mia Jozipović, content and marketing strategist for Siterice.hr, ran a study on service costs in Croatia. Sharing this data with media outlets led to extensive PR coverage—completely free.

Improves Strategy and Budget Allocation

Tracking EMV data helps understand what’s working and where to adjust. Olivia Tian, marketing and innovation manager at Raise 3D, shared how integrating media mentions into sales efforts led to a 30% increase in email response rates.

The Earned Media Value Formula

EMV helps brands assign a dollar amount to unpaid publicity. While there’s no single standard formula, a common approach is:

EMV = Impressions × CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions)

• Total Impressions: Views from social media, press coverage, influencer mentions, and user-generated content.
• CPM for Paid Ads: Industry benchmarks or past campaign data.

Alternative Ways to Measure EMV

1. Engagement-Based EMV Formula

Since impressions alone don’t show true impact:

EMV = (Impressions × CPM) + (Engagements × CPE)

• CPE (Cost per Engagement): Average cost of a like, share, or comment in paid media campaigns.

2. PR Value Formula

For press coverage:

EMV = Ad Rate per Column Inch × Total Coverage Inches

Multiply by a credibility factor (typically 2-5x).

3. Influencer EMV Formula

For influencer partnerships:

EMV = (Total Engagements × Influencer CPE) + (Total Video Views × Influencer CPV)

• CPE and CPV: Vary by industry and influencer tier.

Lisa Benson, marketing strategist at DeBella DeBall Designs, used a formula considering estimated advertising value, quality multiplier, and engagement rate to demonstrate that earned coverage delivered 3x the value of paid channels.

4. UGC EMV Formula

For user-generated content:

EMV = (Total Engagements × CPE) + (Total Impressions × CPM)

Natalia Lavrenenko, UGC manager at Rathly, emphasized testing different creators and encouraging customer participation to boost earned media.

Which EMV Formula Should You Use?

It depends on your brand’s goals:

• Social Media: Engagement-based EMV.
• PR and Press Coverage: AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency).
• Influencer Marketing: Engagement + view-based EMV.

While EMV isn’t a perfect science, tracking it helps brands understand the real impact of organic buzz. Choose a formula that aligns with your strategy and adjust as you gather more data.

Earned Media Value in Action

Let’s consider a hypothetical example of an EMV campaign:

Scenario: A marketing manager aims to attract new visitors to an indoor rock climbing gym. They host an event where a 10-year-old climber completes a challenging route meant for pros. A spectator records the moment and posts it on Instagram and TikTok, tagging the gym. The video gains:

• 1.5 million views
• 75K likes
• 4K shares
• 800 comments

The marketing manager shares the story with local news and a national sports magazine, leading to widespread coverage and further exposure.

EMV Calculations:

• CPM (Cost per 1,000 impressions): $8
• CPE (Cost per engagement): $0.40

1. Impressions Value:

(1,500,000 ÷ 1,000) × $8 = $12,000

2. Engagement Value:

(75,000 + 4,000 + 800) × $0.40 = $31,120

3. Total Earned Media Value:

$12,000 + $31,120 = $43,120

This means the final EMV accounts for $43,120 worth of exposure.

Why Does This Matter?

If the marketing manager chose paid ads to attract new leads and gain exposure, they would’ve needed a significant budget to reach the same audience. It’s unlikely the climbing gym would invest over $43K in paid ads in one month.

3 Examples of Earned Media Value

Now that we understand EMV and how to calculate it, let’s look at brands effectively leveraging it.

1. The Barbie Movie’s Organic Buzz

The 2023 Barbie movie campaign became a standout example of earned media success. Warner Bros created an immersive campaign, including the “Barbiecore” aesthetic that dominated social media platforms. Influencers and fans shared Barbie-inspired content, leading to extensive free publicity across various channels.

2. Duolingo’s Trend Engagement

Duolingo’s owl mascot transformed into Margot Robbie, aligning with the Barbie trend. Their creative content resulted in significant engagement, with media outlets and influencers amplifying their reach. Duolingo’s TikTok strategy showcases how humor and timely content can drive earned media.

3. Semrush’s Global Marketing Day

Semrush hosted a 24-hour online marketing conference, featuring experts from major brands. The event generated:

• Over 5 million people reached across all posts
• 2,700 tweets with #globalmarketingday
• 90,000 registrants
• 55,000+ leads

By inviting industry experts, Semrush ensured widespread sharing and established itself as a leader in digital marketing education.

Don’t Buy Attention — Earn It

Is it easier to get a mention when you pay? Yes. But is it more valuable? No.

Paid mentions can bring quick results or flop, but the real value lies in EMV. Every brand should aim for the long-term game—creating great content and smart promotion to naturally attract media and influencer attention.

Monitor the value of organic mentions. Use tools to track brand mentions, and always thank the media that features you.

Build those relationships. Earn that attention, nurture it, and watch it grow.

Ready to amplify your brand’s reach without overspending? At Engage Coders, we turn earned media metrics into real growth—strategically, creatively, and measurably.

Let’s build your next big breakthrough together.