A Boynton Beach, Florida-based marketing agency is positioning earned media as an increasingly important customer-acquisition channel, arguing that independent editorial coverage can provide a form of credibility that paid advertising cannot easily replicate.

Good At Marketing, a Google Partner agency, says it has developed proprietary software designed to improve the odds of securing earned-media placements for its clients. The company has not disclosed how the technology works, saying the system is exclusive to its client base.

The strategy reflects a broader shift in how marketers evaluate visibility. Paid advertising provides predictable access to audiences, but earned coverage can create third-party validation that brands cannot directly purchase. Nielsen's global advertising research has repeatedly found strong consumer trust in recommendations and other forms of earned influence. Its 2021 study reported that 88% of respondents trusted recommendations from people they knew, while earlier Nielsen research found earned recommendations significantly ahead of many paid advertising formats.

Market Landscape

The distinction between paid and earned visibility is becoming more relevant as consumers use search engines, online publications and AI-powered assistants during buying research. Academic research published in Marketing Science describes large language model referrals as an emerging digital channel, although it notes that the channel remains relatively small and concentrated in informational use cases.

That creates an additional incentive for brands to build credible third-party references around their businesses. However, editorial coverage is fundamentally different from advertising: marketers can purchase placement in paid media but cannot guarantee that an independent journalist will consider a company sufficiently relevant to include in a story.

Good At Marketing says its software is designed around that challenge. According to the agency, clients can receive opportunities to contribute expertise to media stories, while the agency manages the underlying process. The company says its clients include law firms, home-service businesses and ecommerce brands, with placements extending into national business, marketing and trade publications.

Strategic Outlook

The agency's approach represents a convergence of public relations, content strategy and customer acquisition rather than a replacement for conventional advertising.

Its more significant proposition is the attempt to make earned-media activity measurable and repeatable through software. If the system can consistently identify relevant opportunities and increase successful placements, it could address one of the persistent limitations of traditional PR: significant effort with uncertain outcomes.

There is also a competitive question. Good At Marketing says the technology is proprietary and that the service is deliberately limited to avoid representing competing businesses in the same market. Those claims remain company assertions because the underlying technology and performance data have not been publicly disclosed.

For marketers, the strategic takeaway is less about abandoning advertising and more about combining paid reach with independent credibility. Earned coverage can strengthen brand authority, while advertising continues to provide control over audience, timing and message.

Top Insights

• Earned media offers third-party credibility that paid advertising cannot directly purchase.
• Proprietary technology could make media outreach more systematic, if performance claims are validated.
• AI-assisted shopping and discovery are creating new reasons for brands to build authoritative digital footprints.
• Customer acquisition strategies are increasingly combining paid, owned and earned channels.
• Exclusive agency models may reduce conflicts when multiple competitors target the same market.

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