Glossary

What is earned media in AI search?

Definition

Earned media is coverage of your business that you do not pay for or publish yourself. Examples include press articles, reviews, forum threads and places in "best of" lists. In AI search it matters because engines often cite these outside sites when they decide which brands to name.

Key points

Earned media is coverage you neither pay for nor own, such as press, reviews and forum threads.
AI engines that search the web often cite outside sites, so earned media shapes which brands they name.
Earned media tracking in AI search means recording which outside sites the engines cite in your topic.

Also known as earned coverage, third-party coverage

What does it mean in practice?

Earned media refers to coverage of your business that someone else chose to publish. A local paper writes about a new branch. A customer leaves a review. A trade body lists you as a member. A blogger puts you in a list of the best firms in your area.

None of these are paid for, and none sit on your own site. That is what sets them apart from adverts and from your own pages.

Why does it matter for AI search?

AI engines that search the web build their answers from the pages they find, and they often cite those pages. Many of them are not brand websites. They are reviews, directories, forums, news articles and "best of" lists. Our guide on how AI engines choose sources explains why.

So a brand that is often written about on those sites has more chances to be named. A brand that is missing from them may be left out, even when its own site is strong.

How do you track it?

Earned media tracking in AI search means recording which outside sites the engines cite for your buyers' questions, then grouping them by type. In axgeo.ai, AI citation tracking does this. It sorts the sites cited in ChatGPT and Perplexity answers by type, such as news, review site, directory or community forum. It also sorts each page by kind, such as a "best of" list or a comparison.

The prompt gaps screen goes a step further. It lists the sites cited in answers that name a competitor and not you. Those are often the best places to earn a mention.

These terms are closely linked to earned media.

Citation, a source an AI engine links to in its answer.
Source domain, a website the engines cite in your topic.
Brand mention, when an answer names your business.

Common questions

What is the difference between earned, owned and paid media?

Owned media is what you publish yourself, such as your website. Paid media is advertising. Earned media is coverage other people choose to give you, such as an article, a review or a place in a list.

How do I track earned media in AI search?

Run the questions your buyers ask across the AI engines and record which sites each answer cites. Group those sites by type, such as news, review sites, directories and online forums. axgeo.ai does this in AI citation tracking, and shows the sites cited in answers that name a competitor and not you.

Reviewed 2 November 2026

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