PESO is a media model strategy that stands for Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media. Over a decade ago media channels used to be thought of in siloed ways:

• Paid media was the primary focus of advertising
• Earned media was the primary focus of PR
• Shared and owned media were the primary focus of … no one

But today, there is (and should be) little distinction between media types.

When Gini Dietrich first introduced the PESO Model^®, she changed how communicators think about integration, uniting paid, earned, shared and owned media into one measurable strategy. The foundation remains solid, but the media landscape has continued to evolve.

The history of the PESO Model^®

Though this idea of converging media was not new at the time, Gini Dietrich’s 2014 book Spin Sucks coined the term PESO to include shared media (and, you know, because “PESO” is catchy). In this book, Gini established a solid framework for implementing and embracing this model that has become widespread in the industry. This diagram gives a high-level look at how each channel works on its own, and with each other.

Source: Spin Sucks

The Spin Sucks PESO Model^® was updated as of January 2, 2026.

The PESO Model^® in 2026

As we move into 2026, visibility isn’t just about earning placements. It’s about making sure your brand’s stories are discoverable, credible and visible across both human and AI-driven search.

How the landscape has changed:

• AI is reshaping discovery.
  Search is now conversational, social feeds are algorithm-driven, and LLMs pull insights and answers directly from trusted sources.
• Content must be structured and authoritative.
  PR and marketing teams must create content that is clear, trustworthy and optimized for human readers and AI systems.
• PESO still works — but specialization matters.
  No single professional needs to master every channel. Success comes from the combined strengths of copywriters, SEO experts, paid media strategists and social media specialists.
• Alignment is everything.
  Every asset should be created with a full PESO mindset so all channels reinforce one another and build long-term visibility.

The key is alignment: Ensuring every piece of content is created with a full PESO mindset so that all channels work together to build lasting visibility and impact.

Owned Media

Though paid media comes first in PESO, owned media comes first in the process (but Gini acknowledges that OESP isn’t a good term to brand this model).

What is owned media?

Owned media includes all content your business creates and controls, published on your website or other owned channels.

Examples include:

• Blog posts
• eBooks and white papers
• Resource pages, FAQs, guides and landing pages
• Any brand-created assets published on your domain
• Videos and podcasts

Want to learn more about how videos fit as owned media?

Read here: How to Distribute Your Branded Video Content with the PESO Model

These assets serve as the foundation that makes all of your paid, earned and shared channels work. You can’t launch a campaign without telling a story or sharing a message. Today, that story also fuels AI-driven visibility. Owned content is what search engines and large language models learn from to determine whether your brand is trustworthy, relevant and authoritative.

Consumer behavior reinforces its importance:

• 61% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free, digital-first buying experience — Gartner, 2025
• 32% of consumers use social media for product research (up from 27% in 2023) — McKinsey “State of the Consumer” Report, 2025
• 66% of consumers use search engines for product research — Capital One Shopping Consumer Behavior Data, 2025

With AI summarizing information across the web, your owned media increasingly becomes the first impression your brand makes — for humans and machines.

Build strong owned media (2026-ready)

To develop owned content that fuels PESO performance and AI-driven discoverability:

• Start with a documented content strategy, including audience insights, priority topics, keywords and the role each asset will play across PESO channels.
• Create content designed for multi-channel reuse — articles, videos, social clips, FAQs, data points and resource pages that can fuel paid, earned and shared distribution.
• Structure your content for AI-readiness, using clear headlines, clean formatting, expert-backed information and authoritative sources.
• Build a mix of internal and external support, whether through internal creators, freelancers, agencies or a blend of the three.
• Measure performance holistically, considering human engagement, search rankings and AI-surfaced visibility signals.

Owned media = controlled media

Owned media is often referred to as controlled media because brands have full control over:

• Messaging
• Tone
• Accuracy
• Brand alignment
• Thought leadership positioning

Here are some examples of controlled media we’ve seen and loved: 10 Examples of Controlled Media: Take Charge of Your Brand’s Story.

Shared media

Shared media has evolved significantly over the past decade, becoming one of the most influential components of the PESO Model^®. While it builds on your owned content, shared media lives on platforms you don’t control — which means algorithms, engagement and community behavior play a major role in your visibility.

What shared media includes:

• Social content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, Reddit, Pinterest and emerging micro-communities
• Engagement from your audience (comments, shares, tags, reactions)
• Creator collaborations and community-driven amplification
• Real-time interactions driven by platform algorithms

In many cases, owned, earned AND paid media can all turn into shared media if people find the content worth talking about and sharing with others. It’s a powerful way to spread awareness of your brand, gain new followers and even generate new customers.

Today’s shared media landscape

Brands must look beyond traditional platforms. TikTok, reels, shorts, Reddit communities and creator partnerships now play a pivotal role in shaping reach and relevance. Testing new formats and platforms is essential for understanding where your audience is most active and how your content performs.

Earned Media

Traditionally, earned media is a PR pitch sent to a journalist who may include the brand in a featured story or mention it in an article in some way, whether it’s a print or online publication. In this sense, earned media is all about relationship building.

What earned media includes today (and how it has evolved):

• Journalist and newsroom coverage across print and digital outlets
• Influencer, blogger and creator features driven by audience trust
• Podcast interviews and expert guest appearances
• Backlinks from high-authority websites that strengthen credibility
• Guest posts and contributed articles written for relevant publishers
• Mentions in niche online communities like Reddit, industry forums and curated newsletters
• Digital PR initiatives that earn placements through data, insights or storytelling

Together, these channels shape a brand’s authority — not just for audiences, but for search engines and AI systems determining which sources to trust.

Why earned media is challenging in 2026:

1. Journalists and creators are flooded with pitches, making it harder to stand out.
2. Many earned placements live behind paywalls, limiting accessibility.
3. Organic earned coverage takes time, consistency and strong storytelling.

It takes more time and energy to secure earned media, and even when you earn placements, they’re often locked behind a paywall. It’s why PR and marketing professionals are supplementing their outreach strategy with paid media solutions.

Want to learn more about how to overcome paywalls? Read 5 Ways to Overcome the Paywall in Media Relations.

Paid Media

Paid media has quickly become your best strategy for better targeting and control of who is seeing your content. It’s how you’ll get your owned content seen among the saturated online landscape — by putting it right in front of their faces.

Today, paid media isn’t just about visibility to humans. AI-driven algorithms now determine which content appears in feeds, search results and even generative overviews. Every paid impression helps signal relevance and authority to the systems shaping what people (and AI tools) see next.

Paid strategies now rely heavily on native advertising, which blends into the surrounding editorial environment and delivers your message in a format that feels organic to readers.

Read more to learn the difference between native advertising and sponsored content.

Core Native Advertising Formats

1. Content Syndication via Discovery Platforms

Platforms like Outbrain, Taboola and StackAdapt promote your content using thumbnails and headlines in “read more” or “recommended for you” sections.

Key advantages:

• High traffic at a lower cost
• Seamless placement within publisher environments
• Great for boosting visibility of owned content

2. Social Media Promotion

Promoted posts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and other platforms appear naturally within user feeds.

Key advantages:

• Highly refined audience targeting
• Ideal for A/B testing headlines, visuals and formats
• Flexible budget options
• Posts can continue generating reach through organic shares
• Strong signals for AI-driven recommendation engines

3. Sponsored Content (Branded Editorial)

Long-form branded articles or videos are published directly on a media outlet’s site — but are designed to look and read like the publisher’s own content.

Key advantages:

• Builds trust through high-quality storytelling
• Drives awareness, conversions and brand lift
• Has strong influence on AI-driven authority signals
• Provides value first, with minimal brand mentions

4. The Modern MAT Release

MAT releases distribute your branded article across a wide network of publisher sites through a syndication partner like Brandpoint.

Key advantages:

• Guaranteed placements across reputable publishers
• Ideal for large-scale awareness and evergreen content
• Sometimes picked up organically, generating earned media
• Extends reach across both human audiences and AI systems

Making it all come together

All four PESO channels work best when they reinforce one another. It starts with strong, useful owned content — the foundation that fuels your paid campaigns, earns media attention and drives engagement across shared platforms. When used together, PESO turns every placement into an opportunity for amplification, repurposing and long-term visibility.

And in 2026, this unified approach matters more than ever. Each asset you create doesn’t just reach people, but it also signals relevance and authority to search engines and AI systems. A well-executed PESO strategy ensures your brand’s story is discoverable, credible and consistently visible across every channel.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated for clarity and comprehensiveness.