The media isn’t what it used to be — and that has real implications for how organizations think about public relations.
Axios reports that as of October, more than 14,000 media jobs have been cut this year, including hundreds in public media. Newsrooms are smaller. Resources are tighter. And the earned media landscape is shrinking fast.
For communicators, that changes everything.
Earned Media Is No Longer a Reliable Strategy
When newsrooms contract, fewer reporters are available to cover your story. Fewer outlets are producing original reporting. And fewer opportunities exist to break through the noise.
Waiting for someone else to tell your story isn’t a strategy anymore.
The organizations that succeed now are the ones building their own audiences — directly, consistently, and with purpose.
The Old Model vs. The New Reality
The traditional model looked like this:
Earn coverage → Reach audience
But the modern model flips the equation:
Build audience → Drive message
Owned media channels — newsletters, podcasts, short-form video, LinkedIn posts — allow organizations to reach the right people, not just the most people. They provide a level of message control and consistency traditional PR can’t match in today’s environment.
Owned Media Is the New Advantage
Owned platforms let you:
• Define your message
• Tell your story without gatekeepers
• Reach audiences who choose to hear from you
• Communicate consistently, not reactively
• Build trust through repetition and clarity
This is how organizations build credibility today. Not by waiting to be featured — but by showing up with their own voice, over time, in ways that matter.
Your Audience Is Your Advantage
In a world where earned media is shrinking, owned media is the differentiator.
If you build your audience, you control your narrative.
And when you control the narrative, you drive results.
Northbound Strategy helps organizations build owned media systems that strengthen credibility, grow engaged audiences, and deliver communication that moves people.
