Quick answer
The PESO Model organizes communication into paid, earned, shared and owned media. Paid buys distribution, earned depends on independent editorial or stakeholder attention, shared develops through network and community participation, and owned uses channels the organization manages directly. Build a PESO plan by defining one stakeholder outcome, assigning a distinct job to each media type, establishing a useful owned source, earning third-party relevance, enabling responsible sharing and using paid support where it adds reach or learning. Coordinate timing, claims, disclosure, rights and measurement. Do not count the same exposure four times or assume every campaign needs every quadrant.
What is the PESO Model?
PESO is an integrated communications model associated with Gini Dietrich and Spin Sucks. Its four categories are paid, earned, shared and owned media, connected around strategy rather than managed as independent publicity, content, social and advertising silos.
The categories describe control and distribution relationships, not content formats. A video can be owned on a brand site, shared by a community, embedded in earned coverage or placed as paid advertising. Classification depends on how the audience receives it.
Paid, earned, shared and owned explained
Paid media buys placement or distribution, including advertising, sponsorship and paid creator work. Earned media results from independent editorial or stakeholder decisions. Shared media develops through social networks, communities and partnerships. Owned media is published through channels the organization manages.
Each has limits. Paid offers reach and control but requires disclosure. Earned can add independent credibility but cannot be commanded. Shared creates participation but redistributes control. Owned supports depth and continuity but must earn attention.
Why the overlaps matter
The model's value appears at the handoffs. An owned research asset may earn coverage; accurate coverage may be discussed by a community; shared questions may improve the owned FAQ; paid media may distribute the most useful explanation to an underserved audience.
Overlap does not erase category differences. A paid influencer post remains paid even when widely shared, and an advertorial is not earned merely because it resembles journalism. Record the origin, control and material relationship.
A practical PESO planning framework
Start with the organizational and stakeholder outcome. Build the authoritative owned source, then identify where independent expertise or newsworthiness can earn attention, where communities can participate and where paid distribution fills a defined gap.
Map dependencies, timing and owners on one page. For every execution, specify audience, job, evidence, call to action, disclosure, destination, measure and fallback. Remove quadrants that add no useful role.
Outcome
Define the stakeholder change and organizational objective before selecting media.
- Whose outcome matters?
- What can communication influence?
Source
Create an owned evidence source that can support every other channel.
- Where is the full truth?
- Can claims be verified?
Orchestrate
Give paid, earned, shared and owned media distinct, coordinated roles.
- What unique job does each do?
- Where do handoffs occur?
Govern
Manage disclosure, editorial independence, permissions, moderation and brand risk.
- Is control visible?
- Are rights and responsibilities clear?
Evaluate
Deduplicate exposure and connect channel contribution to stakeholder outcomes.
- What changed?
- What role did each channel play?
Build the owned foundation
Owned media should hold the complete, updateable version of the story: evidence, methodology, useful detail, accessibility, contact routes and corrections. It gives reporters, communities, partners and paid audiences a reliable destination.
Ownership does not mean credibility is automatic. Name authors and evidence, distinguish reporting from opinion, show dates and conflicts, maintain links and make important information usable without surrendering personal data.
Use paid media with a specific job
Paid media can reach a precise audience, sequence information, test explanations or ensure access where organic distribution is weak. Define the gap it fills and the outcome expected; amplification is not a strategy by itself.
Keep sponsorship and material connections clear. Match claims to substantiation, preserve accessible landing experiences and prevent targeting from exploiting sensitive circumstances or excluding groups that need public information.
Worked example: an evidence-led public information launch
ClearWater stops duplicating one announcement and assigns each channel a role. The owned hub carries scientific depth, earned reporting provides independent scrutiny, shared sessions supply local context and paid media closes a geographic reach gap.
All channels return to one current evidence source. Measurement follows comprehension and confirmatory action rather than adding incompatible impression totals.
ClearWater is a fictional nonprofit publishing neighborhood water-testing results. Its draft plan copies the same announcement into ads, press emails, social posts and a blog, then adds all impressions together.
The objective is correct understanding of local results and increased use of free confirmatory testing among households in affected areas, not maximum national attention.
An accessible owned hub publishes methodology, uncertainty, neighborhood data, expert contacts, corrections and the exact steps residents can take.
Local reporters receive data and expert access; community organizations host shared Q&A; paid distribution reaches affected postcodes; every execution points to the evidence hub.
Sponsored placements and partner roles are disclosed. Journalists retain editorial independence, residents can correct contextual errors and moderation protects personal information.
ClearWater deduplicates reachable audiences, codes coverage accuracy, surveys comprehension and compares test-kit requests in phased paid areas with similar areas not yet promoted.
ClearWater is hypothetical. Health and environmental communication requires appropriate scientific, legal and local-authority review.
Measure an integrated PESO program
Create a common measurement architecture from objective to activities, outputs, outtakes, outcomes and impact. Channel measures such as placement quality, paid reach, community participation and owned engagement explain delivery but do not replace the stakeholder outcome.
Deduplicate exposure where possible and use consistent identity, campaign and referral conventions. For causal claims, phase distribution or randomize eligible paid support. Qualitative evidence can explain how channels reinforced or contradicted each other.
Common PESO failure modes
Four calendars labeled PESO are still four silos. Copying identical content ignores channel norms. Counting paid, earned, shared and owned impressions together inflates reach. Treating paid creator work as earned damages disclosure and trust.
A second failure is forcing every quadrant into every program. A focused media response may not need paid amplification; a service update may rely mainly on owned and shared channels. Integration means purposeful coordination, not mandatory completeness.
PESO Model checklist
Use this checklist to assess an integrated communication plan.
- One stakeholder outcome anchors the plan
- Owned evidence source is complete and current
- Each media type has a distinct job
- Channel handoffs and dependencies are mapped
- Earned strategy respects editorial independence
- Shared participation has moderation and escalation
- Paid activity fills a documented reach or learning gap
- Sponsorship and endorsements are disclosed
- Rights and permissions are recorded
- Exposure is deduplicated where possible
- Outcomes sit above channel activity metrics
- Corrections update every connected execution
PESO is not four boxes to fill. It is a way to coordinate control, credibility, participation and distribution around one useful result.
Frequently asked questions
What does PESO stand for?
PESO stands for paid, earned, shared and owned media.
Who developed the PESO Model?
The model is closely associated with communications practitioner and author Gini Dietrich, founder of Spin Sucks, and was popularized through her 2014 work.
Is influencer marketing paid or earned media?
Paid, gifted or contractually directed creator work is paid media and requires appropriate disclosure. Unsolicited independent discussion may be earned or shared depending on the context.
Does every campaign need all four PESO categories?
No. Use only the media types that perform a defined job for the audience and objective. Integration matters more than filling every quadrant.
How is PESO performance measured?
Use channel metrics to diagnose delivery, deduplicate reach and connect the combined program to stakeholder understanding, trust, behavior and organizational outcomes.
Sources and further reading
- Spin Sucks: The PESO Model ↗Originator-led explanation and development of the integrated model
- AMEC: Integrated Evaluation Framework ↗Framework for connecting communication activities to outcomes and impact
- Federal Trade Commission: Native Advertising Guide ↗Official guidance on recognizable advertising and clear disclosures
- PRSA: About Public Relations ↗Professional context for strategic communication and stakeholder relationships