Earned media used to mean landing a headline in a major news publication. Now, it’s more likely a mention from a TikTok news explainer or creator-led podcast. As audiences increasingly turn to social media for news — and LLMs challenge publishers’ distribution dominance — some brands are starting to earmark earned media dollars for news-adjacent creators.
Brands like Tropicana’s Naked Smoothie, NASCAR and even AI tech companies are looking to news-driven creators to play a larger role in their traditional earned media strategy. The power dynamics are, at times, changing from legacy media to creators with niche audiences.
“In a lot of ways, creators are almost becoming this new version of late night or morning shows,” said Mercedes Barba, director of public relations and business advisory at UnderCurrent talent management firm. Think news-adjacent creators — reacting to reality television, explaining movies and man-on-the-street interviews.
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