Measurement

Earned media value

EMV · PR value

Definition

Earned media value is a dollar assigned to coverage by pricing it like advertising or by a vendor black box. It is AVE’s cousin, sometimes with extra multipliers for “social amplification.” AMEC’s Principle 5 still applies: advertising equivalents are not the value of communication. Calling it EMV does not fix the math.

Some social vendors use EMV for unpaid posts. Ask for the formula. If they will not give it, do not put it on a board slide.

How it works

If a client demands a dollar, show cost of the program versus outcomes you actually wanted (pipeline, search, citations), not a fake rate-card total. If you must show EMV because a contract already requires it, show it as a vanity output next to real outcomes, never as ROI.

Worked example

Vendor EMV: $2.4M. Same clips: 8 referring domains, 1,400 referral sessions, 22% branded-search lift, two AI-citation gains on a prompt set. The second list is the decision kit. The first is a mood.

How it differs

AVE uses ad rate cards. EMV often uses a proprietary version of the same idea. Barcelona Principles reject both as the value of comms. Share of voice is a ratio without a fake dollar.

Common errors

Multipliers. Including paid. Comparing EMV to revenue as ROI.

Sources