Paid media
Any audience reach a brand buys: TV and radio spots, out-of-home, print, search and social ads, sponsored content and paid creator posts. It is the only part of the paid, owned and earned trio you can switch on, scale and target on demand, which is why it carries most launches. Its effect fades soon after the spend stops, so it works best as steady reach that builds memory, not as an occasional burst.
Where it's used
Used in media planning to decide what reach the brand must buy versus what it gets from its own channels and from coverage. Good for launches, seasonal peaks and any message that has to reach people who do not follow the brand yet.
Example
Buying the reach the blog cannot give
Illustrative scenarioA B2B software firm has a blog with 4,000 readers a month, nearly all existing customers. To launch a new product to finance teams it books LinkedIn ads targeted at CFOs and a sponsored newsletter slot with a trade title. The paid reach brings 60,000 people who never visited the site. The blog then does the follow-up, but only because paid media got the first look.
