A guide to earned, paid, owned, and shared media for in house marketing professionals
Agribusiness is one of the most relationship-driven industries in the world. Farmers trust brands they have heard about for generations. Distributors rely on word-of-mouth. Retailers respond to data. Yet many agribusiness marketers still rely on a single channel and wonder why their message is not landing.
The answer almost always comes down to the media mix. Understanding the four pillars of modern media, known in the industry as the PESO model, is the starting point for any marketing strategy that actually grows. PESO stands for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media. The framework was developed by communications strategist Gini Dietrich and has become the standard for integrated media planning across industries. Think of it like rotating crops: each media type serves a different purpose, and together they build a stronger, more resilient presence in the market.
See how John Deere uses their media mix in their marketing
Earned Media
What It Is
Earned media is the coverage, mentions, and attention your brand receives without paying for placement. A feature story in Farm Journal, a segment on your local agricultural radio station, or a university extension agent recommending your product at a field day are all examples of earned media. It carries the most weight with farmers because it comes from a third party. Growers and buyers trust it far more than anything a brand says about itself.
Earned media also includes online reviews, word-of-mouth referrals at co-ops and grain elevators, and organic mentions on social platforms from farmers who actually use your product. In an industry where trust is the currency, earned media is the richest form of it.
Types of Earned Media in Agribusiness
- Trade press coverage – features and news mentions in publications like Farm Journal, Agri-Pulse, Farm Progress, and regional farm papers
- Podcast and radio features – guest spots on agricultural radio programs and farm-focused podcasts
- Awards and industry recognition – sustainability awards, innovation grants, and industry best-of lists
- University extension recommendations – agronomists citing your products at field days and in extension publications
- Farmer reviews and testimonials – unsolicited reviews on Google, dealer sites, and word-of-mouth at co-ops
How to Earn It
- Build relationships with ag journalists. Follow trade reporters, engage with their work, and pitch compelling data-driven stories rather than product announcements.
- Issue press releases with genuine news value. Yield performance data, sustainability milestones, and partnership announcements get picked up. A generic product launch rarely does.
- Host demo events and field days. Invite journalists, extension agents, and agronomists. Real-world results are the best story you can tell.
- Win awards and promote them. Apply for sustainability awards, innovation grants, and industry recognitions. Third-party validation multiplies your credibility.
- Deliver genuinely excellent results. The best PR strategy is a product or service that makes farmers’ lives better. Satisfied customers talk.
Paid Media
What It Is
Paid media is any placement you pay for. In agribusiness, the options have expanded significantly in recent years. Print advertising in farm magazines and local newspapers still matters, particularly for reaching established operators. But digital paid media now allows agribusiness brands to target farmers by geography, crop-related interests, and behavioral signals. The specific targeting options vary by platform and are updated regularly, so it is worth verifying current capabilities directly in each platform’s ad manager before planning a campaign.
The goal of paid media is not to spend the most. It is to spend at the right time, in the right channel, in front of the right audience. A well-placed digital ad targeting farmers in your key geography during planting season can outperform a broad trade magazine placement that reaches a less focused audience.
Types of Paid Media in Agribusiness
- Broadcast and cable TV – local TV and rural cable channels during farm news programming
- Digital and social ads – Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube ads targeted by geography, interests, and ag-related behaviors
- Trade publication ads – print and digital placements in Fastline Catalogue, Farm Progress, Agri-Pulse, DTN/Progressive Farmer, and state farm bureau publications
- Search engine marketing – Google Ads targeting agribusiness keywords relevant to your product category
- Farm radio sponsorships – sponsored segments and spots on rural stations with loyal morning audiences
- Programmatic and re-targeting ads – data-driven placements that reach prospects across websites after they visit your content
How to Get the Most From Paid
- Define your audience before your creative. Know whether you are reaching row-crop farmers, livestock producers, ag retailers, or food processors. Each requires different messaging and channels.
- Match your spend to the agricultural calendar. Pre-plant messaging in late winter and early spring, harvest-ready content in late summer. Time your budget to when farmers are actively making decisions.
- Do not overlook rural radio. AM/FM farm radio still commands strong loyalty in rural markets. Sponsoring market reports or ag news segments builds lasting brand association.
- Test, measure, and optimize. Run A/B tests on your digital ads. Track cost per lead rather than cost per click. Cut what under-performs and reinvest in what works.
- Consider co-op advertising. Partner with dealers or retailers to share placement costs and add local credibility to your message.
Owned Media
What It Is
Owned media is every channel your brand controls outright. This includes your website, email newsletter, product catalog, YouTube channel, and podcast. You create the content, you own the audience relationship, and you are not dependent on a third-party platform’s algorithm to reach people. In agribusiness, owned media is especially valuable because it is where you can go deep with detail: agronomic guides, side-by-side trial data, how-to videos, and farm-specific decision tools all belong here.
Your website is the hub. Everything else, including paid ads, earned press, and social posts, should funnel traffic back to your owned properties where you can capture leads, build relationships, and convert interest into action.
Types of Owned Media in Agribusiness
- Website and blog – your SEO-optimized home base and the destination for all other marketing channels
- Email newsletter – direct access to your customer list, segmented by crop type, region, or buying stage
- YouTube channel – how-to guides, field demonstrations, agronomist interviews, and product tutorials
- Downloadable resources – agronomic guides, crop planning tools, white papers, and data-driven reports
- Product catalog and literature – digital and print specs, application guides, and comparison charts
How to Build Strong Owned Media
- Invest in agronomic content. Farmers want information that helps them make better decisions. Soil health guides, pest identification resources, and equipment comparisons are far more useful than product brochures.
- Optimize your website for search. Think about the questions farmers are actually searching for online. Write content that answers those questions clearly and completely.
- Build and protect your email list. Social platforms change. Your email list is an asset you own. Offer real value in exchange for sign-ups, such as early access to trial results, exclusive content, or market insights.
- Start a YouTube channel and stay consistent. Field day footage, equipment walk-arounds, and agronomist Q-and-A sessions perform well with agricultural audiences. Credibility matters more than production quality.
- Repurpose your content. One field day can become a blog post, a short video, an email, and several social posts. Build a content system rather than a series of one-off campaigns.
Shared Media
What It Is
Shared media, often called social media, is content that lives on platforms you do not own but where your brand can actively participate. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) are the primary channels in agribusiness. The key difference from other media types is that shared media is a two-way conversation. You publish content, but your audience responds, shares, and shapes the narrative alongside you.
In agriculture, Facebook remains the dominant platform, particularly in rural communities where farmer groups, co-op pages, and local ag news thrive. LinkedIn is increasingly important for B2B relationships with dealers, distributors, and food companies. Short-form video on Instagram Reels and TikTok is gaining ground with younger farmers and ag professionals in their 20s and 30s.
Types of Shared Media in Agribusiness
- Facebook and Groups – a leading platform in rural America with high-engagement farmer groups and community pages
- LinkedIn – important for B2B agribusiness, connecting with retailers, distributors, agronomists, and food company buyers
- Instagram and Reels – visual storytelling through harvest photography, field work, and short how-to video
- YouTube (shared component) – comments, community posts, and algorithm-driven discovery add a social dimension
- TikTok – growing with next-generation farmers; authentic farm-life content performs particularly well
How to Win at Shared Media
- Show the real farm. Authenticity performs on social platforms. Content featuring real people, real fields, and real challenges consistently outperforms polished corporate content.
- Engage rather than broadcast. Respond to comments. Join farmer Facebook groups and contribute value. Ask questions. Social media rewards participation, not just publication.
- Leverage your customers as creators. Ask satisfied growers to share their results. A farmer posting their yield data alongside your product is more persuasive than any ad you could run.
- Use hashtags and ag communities intentionally. Hashtags like #AgTwitter, #FarmLife, and #AgricultureProud connect your content to conversations already happening in the agricultural community.
- Prioritize consistency over perfection. Posting regularly every week outperforms a viral moment followed by months of silence. Algorithms and audiences both reward consistency.
Putting It All Together
No single media type can carry an entire marketing strategy. The most successful agribusiness brands use all four PESO pillars in a coordinated mix, with each one reinforcing the others.
| Media Type | Who Controls It | Cost | Trust Level | Best Use in Agribusiness |
| Earned | Third parties | Low direct cost; high effort | Very High | Brand credibility, reaching new audiences |
| Paid | You (via platforms) | Varies; scalable | Moderate | Fast reach, seasonal campaigns, precise targeting |
| Owned | You, fully | Upfront investment | Moderate-High | Lead capture, education, long-term SEO |
| Shared | Shared with platforms | Low to moderate | Variable | Community building, customer advocacy |
Where to Start
You do not need to master all four media types at once. Start by taking stock of what you already have: your website, your social channels, any press coverage you have received. Find the biggest gap and close it with intention.
A single well-written blog post that earns a trade press mention, gets promoted through a paid ad, and is shared by a satisfied farmer on social media is the PESO model working exactly as it should. Agribusiness marketers who succeed are the ones who plant seeds across all four fields and tend them consistently, season after season.
Cited Sources and Further Reading
The following sources informed the frameworks and best practices in this article.
PESO Model and Integrated Media Strategy
- Dietrich, G. (2014). Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age. Que Publishing. Original source for the PESO model framework.
- Arment Dietrich, Inc. PESO Model overview and resources. spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model-communication
Agricultural Media and Audience Research
- Farm Journal Media. Audience and reach information. farmjournalmedia.com
- Agri-Pulse Communications. Editorial and readership information. agri-pulse.com
- Farm Progress / Informa Markets. Agricultural media network information. farmprogress.com
- DTN / Progressive Farmer. Agricultural news and market data platform. dtnpf.com
Digital and Social Media in Agriculture
- Pew Research Center. (2024). Social Media Use in Rural America. pewresearch.org
- Meta for Business. Advertising targeting options and policies. facebook.com/business/ads
- Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture. Farm marketing and communication resources. ag.purdue.edu/commercialag
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Farm demographics and technology adoption surveys. nass.usda.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PESO model in agribusiness marketing?
PESO stands for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media. It is a framework developed by communications strategist Gini Dietrich that helps marketers integrate all four types of media into a single, cohesive strategy. In agribusiness, this means combining trade advertising, press coverage, social media, and your website and email list into a well-rounded marketing approach that works together rather than in isolation.
What is the most effective media type for agribusiness brands?
There is no single best media type. The most effective agribusiness marketing strategies use all four PESO pillars together. Earned media tends to carry the highest trust with agricultural audiences. Owned media delivers the strongest long-term return because you control the relationship. Most brands benefit from starting with their owned media foundation and layering in the others from there.
Which social media platforms work best for agribusiness?
Facebook is the dominant platform for reaching farmers and rural audiences, particularly through community groups and local pages. LinkedIn is valuable for B2B relationships with distributors, retailers, and food company buyers. Instagram and TikTok are growing channels for reaching younger farmers and next-generation agricultural professionals. The right platform depends on who you are trying to reach.
How do I get press coverage for my agribusiness brand?
Earning press coverage starts with building genuine relationships with agricultural journalists and giving them stories worth telling. The most effective approaches include hosting field days, sharing yield trial results, issuing press releases tied to real milestones, applying for industry awards, and partnering with university extension programs. Trade press editors are looking for stories with agronomic or market significance, not product announcements.
How much should an agribusiness company spend on paid media?
Budgets vary widely depending on company size, geography, and sales cycle. A general benchmark used by many ag marketing professionals is to allocate five to ten percent of revenue to marketing, with paid media typically representing thirty to fifty percent of that total. More important than the total amount is timing. Concentrating spend around key decision windows, such as pre-planting in late winter and early spring, generally delivers a stronger return than spreading budget evenly throughout the year.
Why does owned media matter for agribusiness?
Owned media refers to channels your brand fully controls: your website, blog, email newsletter, YouTube channel, and downloadable resources. It matters because it is the only media type that is not subject to algorithm changes, platform policy shifts, or third-party gatekeepers. If a social platform changes its algorithm or a trade magazine folds, your owned media continues working. Building a strong owned media presence, particularly an engaged email list and a well-optimized website, is the most resilient long-term investment an agribusiness brand can make.
Is farm radio still worth investing in?
Yes. Agricultural radio remains a high-value channel in rural markets, particularly for reaching farmers during early morning routines and commutes. Farm radio listeners are active producers tuning in specifically for market prices, weather, and ag news. Sponsoring market report segments or weather updates on local rural stations places your brand in a trusted, content-relevant context that digital advertising alone rarely replicates.
