The PESO Model is a communications framework created by Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks. It brings paid, earned, shared, and owned media into one plan instead of treating a press release, advertisement, social post, and website article as unrelated tasks. The four labels are useful for assigning ownership and measurement; they do not imply that every campaign must spend equally in every category.
What each part means
01
Paid
Distribution purchased from an advertising or sponsorship provider: search ads, sponsored placements, paid social amplification, or a clearly labeled partnership. The buyer controls budget and targeting, while disclosure rules still apply.
02
Earned
Independent attention such as a journalist's original report or interview. The organization can offer information and access but does not control the outlet's editorial decision, wording, or publication date.
03
Shared
Conversation and redistribution on social or community platforms. The organization may start a discussion, but replies, reshares, and moderation involve other people and platform rules.
04
Owned
Channels the organization operates, such as its site, newsletter, help center, or resource library. Ownership provides editorial control but does not guarantee that the intended audience will arrive or trust the message.
Put the channels in a useful order
Start with one audience need and a factual story or resource. Publish a durable owned page that answers the core question and can be corrected later. Offer genuinely newsworthy material to relevant journalists without treating coverage as guaranteed. Share the published work where a community already discusses the subject, and use paid promotion when it helps reach a clearly defined audience.
A product launch might have a technical explainer on the company site, an independent review or interview, discussion with users, and a labeled ad driving visitors to the explainer. The four activities reinforce one another only if their claims and dates are consistent. If an ad says a feature is available while the support page says it is planned, the integrated campaign creates confusion rather than trust.
Avoid common category mistakes
A paid advertorial remains paid even if it is hosted on a news site. A company's own press release is owned or distributed content; coverage produced independently by a newsroom is earned. A social post on a platform account is shared-channel activity, though the organization wrote it. These distinctions matter for budget reporting and for honest disclosure to readers.
Do not count one syndicated press release as dozens of independent endorsements without reviewing whether each placement contains original editorial work. Likewise, a large view count is not the same as audience understanding or purchase intent. Record distribution and audience response separately so a report does not overstate the outcome.
Measure the plan
Set one objective, baseline, time window, and a few measures for each stage. Track paid spend and qualified visits, earned coverage quality and message accuracy, shared conversation and useful responses, and owned-page engagement or inquiries. AMEC's evaluation framework distinguishes outputs from audience response and organizational impact, a helpful check against reporting only placements.
The PESO Model name and framework belong to its creator. Use the original Spin Sucks explanation when training a team, then adapt the planning worksheet to your audience and constraints. A small organization may emphasize owned and earned work with modest paid amplification; a large campaign may coordinate all four, but neither arrangement succeeds merely because the boxes are filled.