{"id":118109,"date":"2026-11-12T15:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T15:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/paid-media\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T15:17:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T15:17:04","slug":"paid-media","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/paid-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Paid media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paid media is all the visibility a company buys to reach its audience: ads on search engines, social networks, websites, videos or sponsorships.<\/p>\n\n

It is also known as paid advertising<\/strong>. It is one of the three types in the owned, paid and earned media<\/a> model.<\/p>\n\n

The other two are owned media (your website, your email list) and earned media (press coverage, reviews, recommendations).<\/p>\n\n

What is paid media?<\/h2>\n\n

It’s the part of marketing where you pay a platform to show your message<\/strong> to people who don’t know you yet.<\/p>\n\n

You can pay per impression, per click or per result, depending on the channel.<\/p>\n\n

Its big advantage is speed. A well-built campaign can bring in visits the same day. Its big limitation is just as clear: when you stop paying, the reach ends<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

That’s why it works better as an accelerator than as a foundation. It attracts people; owned media makes sure they come back.<\/p>\n\n

Types of paid media<\/h2>\n\n

Paid channels differ in where the ad appears and how you’re charged. These are the most common:<\/p>\n\n

Type<\/th>Where it appears<\/th>How you usually pay<\/th>What it works best for<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Search engine advertising (SEM<\/a>)<\/td>Google or Bing results, Google Shopping<\/a><\/td>Per click (CPC)<\/td>Reaching people already searching for what you sell<\/td><\/tr>
Social media ads (social ads<\/a>)<\/td>Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn<\/td>Per thousand impressions (CPM<\/a>) or per click<\/td>Building awareness and generating demand<\/td><\/tr>
Display and programmatic<\/a><\/td>Banners on websites and apps<\/td>Per thousand impressions<\/td>Keeping your brand top of mind and retargeting<\/td><\/tr>
Video<\/td>YouTube, streaming platforms<\/td>Per view<\/td>Explaining a product or a brand<\/td><\/tr>
Influencers and sponsorships<\/td>Creator profiles, events, media outlets<\/td>Fixed price or commission<\/td>Reaching a community that already trusts them<\/td><\/tr>
Sponsored content<\/td>Paid articles in media outlets, branded content<\/a><\/td>Fixed price<\/td>Telling a story in more depth<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Collaborations with influencers<\/a> are paid media when there’s payment or a product in exchange. If the creator talks about you on their own initiative, it becomes earned media.<\/p>\n\n

\"Types<\/figure>\n\n

Paid media examples<\/h2>\n\n

Here are three simple cases of how a small business uses paid advertising:<\/p>\n\n