Owned media is any media that comes straight from your business or that your business owns. Some examples are your website, your Facebook page, and your Instagram page.
It’s any type of content that comes directly from your business, as opposed to from external sources like reviews on your Yelp or Facebook page. Those are earned media, so-called because it’s publicity that you “earn.” It’s also not paid media, which is any marketing you pay for, also known as advertising.
Other examples of owned media are your blog or email newsletter, or even any YouTube or TikTok videos you post — virtually any content coming directly from your brand counts in the definition of owned media. Owned media channels are the ones you have the most control over and will be the most valuable in shaping your brand’s public narrative and reputation.
What’s so important about owned media? It drives free community engagement
When you think of some of the best brands today, like Duolingo or Glossier, what they have in common is a strong online presence and brand identity. Having a strong owned media strategy is the foundation. Your owned media channels are where you’ll post content from your brand and start building an online community.
That’s why it’s important: your owned media platforms are where people can find content and information directly from your business and interact with you.
The other reason owned media is important is that it’s the main way you can build your brand authority and voice through content marketing. For example, writing blogs about topics in your industry presents you as a reputable and trustworthy brand, whether your field is B2B software or pet grooming. It also helps you develop your unique brand voice.
For example, when you think of Duolingo as a brand, its unusual and off-kilter sense of humor always comes to mind, which is something it built through its social media channels. That’s an example of a good owned media strategy. It used social media to build a unique and instantly recognizable brand.
Finally, owned media is also the jumping off point for getting earned media, aka free publicity from other people. For example, publishing a blog post allows other people to comment on and reshare it with their network, earning you free publicity. Setting up a Google Business Profile or Yelp listing gives a gateway for customers to leave you five-star reviews and recommendations.
Publish common types of owned media to bring in followers, subscribers, and buyers
Creating owned media is a pretty straightforward process. You publish content through your owned media channels for your audience to engage with, whether that’s through the blogs on your website, the videos on your YouTube channel, or the posts on your Instagram profile. Publishing content like this allows audiences to learn more about your business and engage with it, which is fundamentally how owned media works.
Some of the most relevant owned media platforms today are websites and blogs, YouTube videos, social media, emails, press releases, webinars, Google Business Profiles, and other local listings.
All these channels work fundamentally the same way in how they promote your business, but as you may already know, the ecosystems of each are different. Reading a blog you found while searching on Google isn’t quite the same experience as watching a TikTok from a brand you follow.
That’s where the real trick is with owned media: With so many channels available, choosing the best ones for your business and target audience is important to making it work.
Websites and blogs
What they’re best for: Building brand authority
A blog is one of the most fundamental owned media channels because it gives your brand a proper “home” on the internet where audiences can find out about your business. They also help you rank higher on Google and build your authority.
And because your blog is completely yours, it’s also a way to express your brand identity and differentiate yourself from competitors.
However, a blog isn’t always the best fit for every business. Maintaining a blog takes consistent effort, for one, as you’ll need to publish fresh content regularly. It also requires content planning and audience research.
I would recommend publishing blogs if you’re ready to take your business to the next level and want to reach a wider audience, and if you already have a solid brand.
Blogs give you a space to build your brand authority and voice in your subject area. For example, a financial software company like GoHenry might publish blogs about financial management. (Source: GoHenry)
Pro tip: Build a good website that markets your brand and gives visitors a good experience. Place the most important information about your business first, make it easy to navigate, and include elements of your brand identity. Pick a good website and blogging platform that suits your business’s needs.
For example, WordPress has an easy-to-manage content management system, while Squarespace is all about eye-catching website designs. Check out our guide to the best blogging platforms for small businesses.
YouTube videos
What they’re best for: Educating audiences about your brand
YouTube videos are like blogs in video format. The difference is that audiences today increasingly prefer video over text when it comes to learning about brands.
The benefit of YouTube over other video platforms (like TikTok, for example) is that they allow more video formats, like product demos, interviews, and tutorials — all of which are useful ways to let your audience learn about your business’s product or service.
However, like blogs, producing videos for YouTube takes time and effort. But if you have a product or service that would benefit from showing rather than telling, for example, if you run a home repair service or own a hostel, YouTube can be worth investing in.
One of my favorite brands that does this well is the pet care brand Chewy — its YouTube channel has tons of informational content about pet care, from how to litter train a cat to DIY pet treats. It’s an excellent example of using an owned media channel to share valuable content about your subject area and make your brand more credible.
The pet care brand Chewy’s YouTube channel is an excellent example of owned media to educate audiences about your brand. (Source: Chewy via YouTube)
Social media platforms
What they’re best for: Keeping audiences engaged and building an active online community
Now we’re on the most accessible owned media channel and probably the most familiar to you: social media.
You’ve probably already used social media to market your small business before, and it’s still the best channel for engaging audiences on a day-to-day basis and building an active community around your brand. It’s where you’d post memes and relatable content, for example, rather than educational content.
Above all, social media is where you’ll have direct and real-time interactions with your audience, more than in any other owned media channel. Social media gives you a direct line of contact with your audience and keeps your brand on their radars.
Social media is the most interactive owned media channel, and the best one for keeping audiences engaged and building an active audience community, like this example from the budget airline RyanAir on TikTok.
Email newsletters
What they’re best for: Strengthening relationships with your current audiences
My favorite thing about email newsletters (and other types of email marketing, but mostly email newsletters) is that they’re the most direct line for content to reach your audience.
Social media posts and blogs, for example, rely on algorithms to be discovered by audiences. But with emails, audiences specifically sign up to receive content directly from your brand.
This is why emails are often the best choice for building loyalty programs or giving exclusive members-only content. Rather than attracting new audiences, emails are a channel for strengthening your relationships with your current audience.
Emails are a direct line for your content to reach your audience without having to rely on algorithms. (Source: HR for Humans)
Press releases
What they’re best for: Getting earned media via press coverage
Press releases are a different type of owned media in that they have the specific intent of generating earned media via press coverage. However, they’re still a good way to get your business on the news and earn the credibility afforded by the press — and control the public narrative about your brand.
However, press releases are only relevant when you have a newsworthy story from your business, like a grand opening or an event, or even a crisis you successfully managed. And like I said, they’re not exactly a direct line to your audience — journalists still have some control over how your press release story will be disseminated.
Press releases are a form of owned media specifically for earning coverage from the press. (Source: EIN Presswire)
Webinars
What they’re best for: Building brand authority and converting captive audiences into high-quality leads
Webinars are one of the less common types of owned media, but they’re particularly valuable because they let you have real-time interactions with your audience members. In many ways, they’re the closest you can get to hosting a live, in-person event.
Webinars are also a good way to share your expertise and authority in your subject area to a captive audience who you can later convert into leads, especially if you’re in the tech or B2B industry.
But webinars aren’t for every business and can be tricky to get right. The content you share needs to be worth your audience’s time and attention. But when done right, webinars are an opportunity to offer your audience genuinely valuable content that they won’t find anywhere else and that positions you as an industry leader — and be a source of high-quality leads.
When done right, webinars are one of the best sources of high-quality leads. (Source: EdWebinars)
Google Business Profiles and other local listings
What they’re best for: Building local brand awareness and credibility
If you have a physical location, local listings like Google Business Profile, Yelp, and the Yellow Pages will be some of your biggest brand awareness boosters. That’s right — listing platforms like these are also owned media channels, and one of the easiest (and least expensive) to manage.
The most important part about listing platforms is that they give your business a place to list your name, address, and contact details on a reputable public platform. The Yellow Pages, for example, has been a trusted resource for people in the area to discover local establishments for decades.
They also provide a place for customers to leave reviews about your business, which is an important part of building your brand reputation. Customer reviews feel more authentic and trustworthy; up to three-quarters of younger consumers say reviews directly impact their purchase decisions.
Google Business Profiles and other local listings are a powerful owned media channel for businesses with a physical location. (Source: Google)
My 5 rules for implementing owned media into your marketing strategy
The thing about owned media is that it’s not just a single strategy that you set up and then abandon, but an ongoing and permanent part of your marketing strategy. You can’t market your business without it, especially in the digital age. No two owned media strategies are the same, either, because no two businesses are the same.
So there really is no single “correct” owned media strategy. It all comes down to choosing the best owned media channels where your business can most effectively meet and communicate with your audience.
1. Choose the few best owned media channels that work.
Your best owned media channels ultimately come down to your audience’s online habits and behaviors, as well as the nature of your business.
If you own a tech startup, for instance, building a website and publishing blogs will build the credibility you need and help you reach a wide audience. Meanwhile, a local repair shop will benefit more from local listings and social media marketing.
Rule number one of an owned media strategy: Find out which ones your target audience spends most of their time on and focus your efforts on those channels, instead of spreading yourself too thin.
2. Know your audience’s preferences and needs (and behaviors, pain points, etc.).
The second part of an effective owned media strategy is knowing as much as you can about your audience. You can’t communicate or market effectively to people you know nothing about.
Find out about your target audience’s online habits, interests, pain points, what they talk about most, and even their sense of humor. Spend time on the platforms they’re using to get a real sense of how they behave and communicate online and what topics they engage with most.
It also helps to build a customer persona, a profile with all the characteristics of your target audience, into an accessible document.
3. Publish content that centers your audience’s needs, interests, and problems.
Content is always at the center of every effective owned media strategy. Good content organically engages audiences and encourages them to return to your brand.
Using what you know about your audience’s preferences, pain points, and behaviors, publish content that will genuinely pique their interest and get them engaging with your brand.
Personally, this is both the most fun and the most challenging part. You have no limits on the type of content you can post, which means having a good content strategy and planning a content calendar are also important. Generate the content ideas and formats you’ll post, then plan them out strategically.
4. Use owned media to encourage earned media.
Remember the earned media I talked about earlier? One of the biggest underrated strengths of owned media is that it helps encourage earned media.
Earned media, aka free publicity about your brand, like user reviews, social media reposts, and user-generated content, makes your brand feel more authentic and relatable to audiences. The more content you post on your owned media channels, the more earned media it’ll encourage.
Find the media channel that reaches your audience best, figure out the content that genuinely engages them, and continue posting what works. And, interact with people who engage with your brand.
5. Stay attuned to your audience’s shifting preferences.
No owned media strategy is ever set in stone, because your audience’s preferences and habits change over time. That’s natural. What’s important is to stay attuned to your audience’s shifting needs and preferences.
For instance, fun, short-form videos might engage them now, but might not be as effective in a year or two. This can also mean changes in the tone of your language or the topics you post about. The point is to monitor your audience consistently so you can keep up with them and continue engaging them.
Getting started with owned media: The best tools
As you may already have gathered, an owned media strategy requires publishing a good amount of content on your owned media platforms. You’ll need good tools to do that effectively and efficiently. Some of my favorites I’ve found most helpful are WordPress, MailChimp, Later Social, NiceJob, and EIN Presswire.
 |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
All-in-one blogging and website-building platform for publishing blogs | Platform for building email lists and sending email campaigns | Social media content planning and scheduling for up to nine platforms | Platform for managing Google Business Profiles, BBB listings, and other local listings | Press release writing and distribution service to thousands of media outlets |
Two examples of owned media in action: Duolingo’s social media and Ivory & Deene’s blog
Let’s take a look at one of the best recent examples of an excellent owned media strategy: the language-learning app Duolingo. Today, Duolingo is known as one of the best brands on social media with an active following.
That’s mostly thanks to how it expertly uses social media as its primary media platform. It leverages social media’s two biggest strengths — short-form content and humor — to establish a distinct brand voice.
The other part that makes Duolingo’s social media strategy work, aside from posting audience-centric content, is that it consistently engages with its social media community. It’s one of the best examples of a brand truly understanding its audience and playing to the strengths of its owned media platform.
Duolingo uses social media as its owned media platform to build an active online community. (Source: @duolingo on X)
Another great example of owned media done well is the furniture brand Ivory & Deene’s blog on its website, which covers all things home decor and furniture, from interior design inspo to spring cleaning tips.
It’s an overall great blog due to its expansive topics, but also because it positions Ivory & Deene as a knowledgeable and credible brand in interior design.
Looking through its blog, even without reading all its posts, you get the sense that Ivory & Deene is an expert in all things furniture and home-making, making it feel more trustworthy and authoritative.
The blogs also encourage visitors to spend more time on the website, while helping it rank higher on Google. It’s another example of playing to the strengths of an owned media platform to build credibility.
Meanwhile, furniture brand Ivory & Deene publishes blogs on its website to build its authority and credibility as a brand. (Source: Ivory & Deene)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
One of the most common mistakes in an owned media strategy is marketing on too many owned media channels and spreading your brand out too thin, instead of focusing on the few best channels that work best.
Instead, focus on building a community where your audience is most engaged. Another common mistake is posting content that is neither relevant nor interesting to your audience.
Your owned media channels are your foremost way of interacting directly with your customers and audiences. Without owned media channels like your website and social media, your customers won’t have a way of engaging with your brand.
More particularly, it’s where you publish relevant and valuable content that keeps audiences interested in your brand.
No, owned media can’t stand in for paid media, or vice versa. They’re two different strategies that produce different outcomes. Owned media is primarily for long-term content marketing and brand building. Paid media, aka advertising media, is for getting in front of new audiences or driving clicks or conversions within a specific time, like a seasonal campaign.
Instead, use paid media to support your owned media and build a more well-rounded overall strategy. For example, use social media ads to get your blog posts in front of more people, or use YouTube ads to bring more people to your YouTube channel.
Bottom line
You can think of owned media as the source of all your marketing content and where your audience can hear from you directly. They’re your main touchpoints with your audience. There’s no denying owned media is fundamental to your marketing — it’s just a question of using it well and finding the best channels to reach your audience.
