Earned media value is one of those phrases thrown around in the marketing world. However, unlike a lot of marketing jargon, EMV can actually help your business grow. This factor is used in influencer marketing, and can often be found as a selling point in high-quality influencer marketing platforms. 

Earned media value can also help you quantify and measure your brand visibility. In this article, we’ll go over earned media value’s definition, why it’s important, and how you can calculate and increase it. So let’s get into it.

What Is Earned Media Value?

In one sentence, earned media value (EMV) is the quantified worth of all the exposure your brand gets through unpaid channels. If that didn’t help you grasp EMV’s meaning then don’t worry, there’s an easier explanation.

Every time you do any brand advertising process, you’re paying a certain amount out of your budget. When it comes to influencer marketing, sometimes you end up with free promotions due to famous consumers enjoying your product. The value of that free promotion is EMV.

So in answer to, what is EMV, we could say it’s an estimate of how much you would have had to pay in advertising to get the same level of exposure from organic mentions and shares. From an IG story mentioning your brand, to being name-dropped in a BuzzFeed quiz, anything that brings you publicity for free can be calculated in your earned media value. Basically, EMV is the dollar value of publicity you haven’t paid for. 

Why Is Earned Media Value Important?

Organic buzz can give your brand a significantly better reputation, especially in comparison with paid media mentions. If you can manage to promote your brand through elements like share of voice, you’re much more likely to get a loyal consumer base.

By measuring EMV, brands can see beyond numbers and look into how well influencers have really performed. For example, tracking EMV helps identify which influencers or campaigns are driving the most awareness and credibility, not just metrics like followers.

More importantly, how to calculate EMV can help you strategize your marketing more successfully. The metric offers a holistic view of marketing impact by helping in organic reach and brand sentiment.

How to Calculate Earned Media Value

Learning how to measure earned media value is very important, but also very easy. There are two different formulas for calculating EMV. Let’s start with the most common one.

(Total impressions / 1,000) × CPM

CPM stands for cost per mille, which is the dollar value of how much it costs to reach 1,000 people. For example, if an earned post got 100k impressions and you use a CPM of $10, the EMV would be $(100,000/1,000) × $10 = $1000. This approach treats earned views as if you’d paid for them.

The other way to calculate earned media value takes engagement as the main value to be calculated. You have to first set a value per like, comment, or share, and then multiply by the number of those actions. Let’s say you’re trying to calculate the earned media value Instagram offers, you have to do this:

(likes × value_per_like) + (comments × value_per_comment) + ((impressions/1000) × value_per_1000impressions)

If you’re wondering where that value comes from, well it depends on your own business. There are set industry standards, but no one number works for everyone. You need to calculate how much each like, or reaching out to 1k consumers, is worth to you.

Note: EMV can be calculated per CPM (cost per mille), CPE (cost per engagement), or even CPC (cost per click). Make sure to remain consistent, regardless of which earned media value formula you use. What can really make or break your analysis is the consistency. 

How to Increase Earned Media Value

So you’ve managed to calculate your EMV and it’s lower than you liked, it’s time to learn how to increase it. Since the point of earned media value is not paying for it, there is no way to directly increase this factor. Instead, you need to create a space that allows for more EMV. Let’s see how that can be done.

1. Create Shareable Content

While you can’t directly pay influencers to share your content, you can instead create shareable content that goes viral on the internet. The more engaging and timely your content, the more likely it is to be shared organically.

Capitalize on trends, utilize influencer giveaways, and create content with stories behind it. While any form of content has the potential to go viral, you’re giving yourself significantly better chances by moving creatively.

2. Leverage Influencer Marketing Platforms

Making use of a platform to reach out to influencers can give your brand a better reputation online. While collaborating with influencers is paid media rather than EMV, it can increase your earned media value by putting your brand out there.

Our top recommendation for an influencer marketing platform is Ainfluencer. This platform creates a safe environment for brands and influencers to meet up, while offering unique features and an unseen-before price of zero dollars. Ainfluencer is completely free to use wit no hidden fees. Here are some of the features of this platform:

• Always Free: No subscriptions or platform fees, so every dollar goes toward your campaign.
• AI‑Driven Matching: Instantly connect with more than 5 million Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube creators who fit your niche.
• Escrow‑Protected Payments: Funds stay in escrow until the influencer’s work is delivered and approved.
• Direct Messaging: Negotiate terms and share briefs in a built‑in chat—no intermediaries.
• AI Video Translation: Auto‑translate influencer videos into multiple languages to expand global reach.
• Verified Audience Insights: See real demographic reports straight from each influencer’s account.
• E‑commerce Integrations: Sync Shopify today (and soon WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce) to launch product campaigns and track sales.
• Affiliate Toolkit: Issue custom links and discount codes, then monitor clicks and conversions in real time.
• AI Campaign Assistant: Receive data‑backed recommendations on format, timing, and creative style.
• Performance Analytics: Track engagement, reach, clicks, and ROI for every collaboration.
• Unlimited Campaigns & Invites: Run as many projects and send as many offers as you like—no caps.
• Smart Filters & Invites: Use advanced filters and AI suggestions to pinpoint ideal creators quickly.
• Collaboration History: Review past partnerships, content examples, payments, and ratings before you commit.
• Curated Lists & Ambassadors: Build, segment, and nurture long‑term influencer rosters in one dashboard.
• Optional Managed Plans: Let Ainfluencer’s in‑house team run campaigns for you—just set the budget.
• Verified Social Data: Unlike other platforms, Ainfluencer provides actual reports of audience demographics, engagement stats, and performance metrics directly from Instagram or TikTok.
• Built-In Influencer Outreach: Send invitations instantly through the platform—no need for cold emails—making it easier to connect and convert.

So what’s the holdup? Join Ainfluencer now and increase your EMV!

Give Ainfluencer a Try!

3. Engage Your Community

Encourage your fans and consumers to interact with your brand. Run contests for user-generated content (UGC), highlight customer testimonials, and engage in conversations. Posting about your brand can be a mutually beneficial experience, make sure to make it worth your audience’s time.

4. Repurpose Earned Content Into Owned Content

Be on the lookout for a useful mention of your brand. You can share any content made about your products, turning it from a fleeting moment to an amplified promotional opportunity. Sharing earned posts on your blog or social pages can attract even more views (and thus more EMV). 

5. Amplify Cross-Channel

On the resharing note, make sure to share content across multiple channels. For example, you can turn a YouTube review into IG stories, and TikTok posts can easily be made into Instagram reels. This can help you get the most value of earned media.

Earned media value influencer marketing can help you increase brand visibility without massive expenses. 

Conclusion

Earned media value is a powerful metric that translates your organic brand buzz into dollars. By understanding and tracking EMV, marketers and brand managers gain insight into the real impact of online marketing. 

Using influencer marketing platforms can help you increase your average earned media value by making influencer partnerships easier, cheaper, and more targeted. Ainfluencer can be of great assistance, at no cost at all.

FAQs

1. Is Measuring Earned Media Value Worth It?

It certainly can be. If you plan your marketing strategy around Facebook earned media value, or any other platform, you’ll have a good chance of reaching out to customers for no cost at all. 

2. What Is the Value of Earned Media Vs Paid Media?

Earned media can bring you authentic connections. Consumers don’t tend to trust paid advertising, meaning paid media may not get you the attention you want. For example, if a beauty influencer talks about your brand without being sponsored, it’s significantly more likely to convert into sales.

3. Is Earned Media Value the Same as ROI?

Not exactly. EMV estimates the value of exposure earned, while ROI measures actual returns (like sales or leads). EMV can support ROI by indicating how much free publicity a campaign generated, but you should also track direct outcomes (via affiliate links or conversion tracking) to measure ROI. Use EMV as one piece of the puzzle.