Earned Media Value (EMV): A Key to Unlocking Free Publicity
Earned media value, or EMV, is a metric that estimates the value of unpaid publicity for a brand. It measures the estimated dollar worth of all the publicity your brand gets, without paying for ads. EMV can be calculated by comparing it to the cost of running ads with the same reach and impact.
Why Your Team Should Know About EMV
Your team should know about EMV because it’s an indicator of brand trust, customer engagement, and marketing effectiveness. By tracking EMV, your team can:
* Build brand authority and trust
* Boost visibility and referrals
* Improve strategy and budget allocation
The Earned Media Value Formula
The basic EMV formula is:
* Total Impressions (including views from social media, press coverage, influencer mentions, and user-generated content)
* CPM for Paid Ads (looking at industry benchmarks or past campaigns to see how much brands typically pay per 1,000 impressions in your space)
* Multiply Impressions by CPM to get an estimated dollar value of what your earned media exposure would cost if it were paid advertising
Alternative Ways to Measure EMV
There are several alternative ways to measure EMV, including:
* Engagement-Based EMV Formula
* PR Value Formula
* Influencer EMV Formula
* UGC EMV Formula
Earned Media Value in Action
Let’s take a look at a made-up example of an EMV campaign:
* A marketing manager for an indoor rock climbing gym creates a viral campaign to attract new gym visitors. * The gym hosts a special event where a 10-year-old climber completes a challenging route meant for pros. * The video gains 1.5 million views, 75K likes, and 4K shares. * The marketing manager takes it to local news and a national sports magazine, and the story is picked up by fitness bloggers.
EMV Calculations
Using the formula: EMV = (Impressions × CPM) + (Engagements × CPE)
* Impressions Value: (1,500,000 ÷ 1,000) × 8 = 12,000
* Engagement Value: (75,000 + 4,000 + 800) × 0.40 = 31,120
* Total Earned Media Value: 12,000 + 31,120 = 43,120
3 Examples of Earned Media Value
Let’s take a look at a few brands that really know how to make the most of EMV:
* The Barbie movie campaign sparked organic buzz by creating an immersive and catchy campaign that dominated social media platforms. * Duolingo turned trends into attention by featuring its owl mascot in funny and relatable videos. * Semrush amplified its event reach organically by generating social media buzz and UGC content throughout the event.
Conclusion
Earned media value is a key to unlocking free publicity for your brand. By understanding EMV, your team can build brand authority and trust, boost visibility and referrals, and improve strategy and budget allocation. Don’t buy attention — earn it. Monitor the value of organic mentions, build relationships, and nurture them to compound into a long-term game. Get these things right, and media attention comes naturally.
