Why the Future Isn't Earned vs Owned. It's Both.
A recent article from The State of Brand caught my attention. Not because I agreed with everything it said, but because it challenged one of the most widely shared points of view (mine included) in communications right now: that AI has somehow handed victory to PR because the majority of AI citations come from earned media.
As someone who has spent almost three decades championing the value of good joined up comms, should probably welcome that argument. If AI platforms favour editorial content and independent sources, surely that's good news for PR professionals.
But when you look beyond the headlines, a more interesting story emerges.
The conversation shouldn't be about whether earned media has won. It should be about how communications leaders create the right balance between earned, owned and community-driven influence.
It’s the balance, that matters. It's also why I've spent much of my career championing integrated communications rather than treating channels as separate disciplines – often to the disapproval of my team and clients – stay in your lane Rachel! The organisations that succeed are rarely those shouting loudest in one place. They're the ones telling a consistent story across multiple touchpoints, audiences and channels. But also having a clear brand comms strategy, brand values and behaviours that the who organisation understands and lives by!
The danger of a false choice
For years, many organisations have treated earned and owned media as separate disciplines.
Earned media built awareness and credibility.
Owned media supported marketing and conversion.
Social, thought leadership and content often sat somewhere in between.
This recent State of Brand article highlights that AI systems appear to draw information from a much broader ecosystem than traditional media alone. Reddit, Wikipedia, specialist publications, expert commentary and owned content all contribute to what AI platforms surface and cite. Also worth noting is that each AI platform will has or is developing their own approaches to assessing domain authority and how the index serving up content we receive. And so important to acknowledge that ne size and one AI Platform doesn’t fit or suit all. authority and trust. That's something communicators should be watching closely.
For me, though, the bigger lesson is not about AI. It's about communications.
Authority has never been built through a single article, campaign or channel. It's built through a series of contact points and signals that reinforce one another over time. That's the value of strong planning, audience insight and channel selection.
Earned media still matters. Massively.
None of this diminishes the importance of earned media. Independent endorsement remains one of the most powerful tools available to communications professionals. A feature in a respected high indexed trade publication, a national media interview, an analyst report or commentary from a credible third party builds trust in a way that self-published content simply can't.
People still place greater weight on what others say about you than what you say about yourself. That hasn't changed.
If anything, AI may increase the value of trusted editorial sources because they provide validation and context beyond a brand's own channels.
The challenge is that earned media alone is no longer enough.
Too many organisations still run activity in silos, with media relations, content, social and stakeholder engagement operating independently and as a very late afterthought.
In a world where reputation is increasingly built across multiple channels, joined-up planning has become more important than ever.
Where owned media comes into its own
Where earned media creates credibility, owned media creates depth.
Your website, insight hub, blog, executive LinkedIn presence, newsletter, reports and knowledge centres allow you to demonstrate expertise consistently, at scale and directly with the audiences that matter most. Unlike earned media, you control the timing, frequency and detail.
You decide which topics to own, champion and explore. Research referenced in the article suggests AI platforms increasingly reward expertise, consistency and topic authority over time rather than simply reacting to occasional spikes in attention. [thestateofbrand.com]
That's where owned content becomes particularly valuable. Not because organisations should publish more content, but because they should publish better content. Content that is useful, relevant, insightful and aligned to the topics they genuinely want to be known for.
The influence ecosystem is bigger than most communications plans
Perhaps the most important lesson from this debate is that influence now sits in more places than many communications strategies recognise.
Media coverage remains important.
But alongside:
Trade and specialist publications , Industry, newsletters , LinkedIn, Substack authors, Podcasts, Industry communities, Review platforms, Expert forums, Customer feedback channels, Analyst commentary and the ever evolving comms landscape
People increasingly discover information through multiple routes. AI platforms are simply reflecting that reality by drawing from a wide range of sources. For communications leaders, this means taking a broader view of influence.
The question is no longer simply: Where can we secure coverage?
It's: Where and how do our audiences form opinions?
Building a balanced communications strategy
In my view, the organisations best positioned for the future will be those that build connected communications programmes rather than isolated activities.
Every significant campaign should combine earned, owned and shared activity around the same strategic narrative.
A research launch shouldn't stop at media coverage.
It should also generate executive commentary, LinkedIn discussion, website content, stakeholder engagement, customer stories and thought leadership.
Each element has a different purpose.
Each reaches a different audience.
Together, they reinforce the same story.
Working this way improves both efficiency and effectiveness. It helps organisations align around key business priorities, ownable topics and meaningful moments rather than creating disconnected streams of activity. and that’s how reputations are built.
Through consistency. Through relevance. Through channels working together rather than competing for attention.
What should communications leaders do now?
Stop thinking in terms of earned versus owned. Start thinking in terms of influence ecosystems. Understand where stakeholders get information, not just where journalists publish it. Ensure every campaign leaves a lasting footprint through content, insight & expertise. Focus on quality, consistency and relevance rather than simply chasing volume.
The strongest reputations are rarely built through one big moment. They're built through the repeated demonstration of expertise, credibility and value over time.
The more I read about AI visibility, the more it reinforces something many of us in communications have believed for years. Reputation isn't built through advertising alone. Nor is it built through media relations alone.
It's built through a clear brand strategy, a strong sense of purpose, consistent communications and a balanced mix of trusted endorsement, useful content and expert voices.
The channels may evolve. The principles remain the same. The organisations that succeed won't be the ones chasing every new algorithm or acronym. They'll be the ones that understand how trust is created, maintained and reinforced across media, content, communities and conversations.
That's not a victory for earned media. Nor is it a victory for owned media.
It's a reminder that the most effective communications strategies have always been integrated.
Sources and Further Reading
This article was inspired by PR Didn't Win the AI Era. Reddit and Owned Media Did published by The State of Brand and informed by wider industry research from Muck Rack, Meltwater, Similarweb and Machine Relations exploring AI citations, authority signals and the evolving relationship between earned, owned and community-driven influence. [thestateofbrand.com], [thestateofbrand.com], [machinerelations.ai], [machinerelations.ai]
Rachel O'Connor is Founder of Force4Good, a strategic communications consultancy helping organisations build reputation, trust and influence through integrated communications, PR and brand strategy.