By Lauren Priest and Samantha Ruiz
Haugen Holdings was featured in a MuckRack case study for securing $6 million worth of organic media coverage for our client, Momentous Sports.
But how do you measure the value of a great headline, an influencer shoutout, or a viral TikTok? Unlike paid advertising, which comes with clear spend and ROI metrics, earned media is more complex but equally important. That’s where earned media value (EMV) comes in.
EMV helps marketers quantify the dollar value of organic exposure. In other words, what it would cost if you had to buy that attention. It’s a powerful metric that bridges PR, social media, and brand strategy.
At Haugen Holdings, we use EMV to evaluate the impact of press coverage and social campaigns.
EMV in Public Relations
In PR, earned media includes everything from feature stories and TV coverage to podcast interviews and online mentions. At Haugen Holdings, we track these using a consistent set of KPIs in our custom PR tracker, including:
- Cost Per Metric (CPM)
- Unique Visitors Per Month (UVM)
- Estimated Media Value (EMV)
To calculate EMV, we multiply the UVM of an outlet, sourced from Muck Rack, by the cost per thousand (CPM) rate. Industry-standard CPM is often set around $10, but this varies:
- Low CPM ($2 to $5): Broad reach outlets with low purchase intent
- Standard CPM ($10): General brand coverage
- High CPM ($15 to $30 or more): Niche outlets, targeted verticals, or high-converting audiences
For example, Haugen Holdings generated $1M in EMV for client Five Star Fans and $6M in EMV for client Momentous Sports.
Other PR tools for UVM and media tracking include Cision and Meltwater, which offer automated EMV calculations using their own CPM standards.
That said, no tool replaces strategic human judgment. Our team at Haugen Holdings layers in tone, messaging relevance, and client goals to produce a fuller picture of each placement’s true value.
EMV in Social Media
Measuring EMV on social media gets more nuanced. At its simplest, you might use follower count as a proxy for exposure, assuming one follower equals one potential view. But that’s just the starting point.
We track:
- The account that posted the content
- Follower count
- Post reach and engagement
- Mentions of our clients or partners
- Link clicks or affiliate usage (if applicable)
Many EMV formulas use a fixed CPM value to estimate the post value. For example, if a post gets 100,000 views, and you apply a $10 CPM, the EMV would be $1,000.
But advanced platforms go deeper, accounting for demographics, platform-specific CPM standards, and historical content performance.
Why Athletiverse’s AVI System Leads the Market
One standout platform in the space is the EMV tracking system developed by Dominyck Bullard, CEO at Athletiverse. It was originally designed for athlete influencers but is widely applicable across industries.
This AVI system analyzes real-time CPM benchmarks from social media ads on Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn, then calculates what each piece of content would cost to achieve the same exposure through paid media.
In a recent case study, the system analyzed just three days of Wimbledon’s Instagram content (138 posts) and found $4.13 million in hidden EMV, nearly $30,000 per post. Extrapolated across the full tournament, that’s $19.3 million in previously untracked brand value.
Bullard’s platform also helps marketers identify:
- Sponsor mentions driving measurable value
- Top-performing content formats to replicate
- Gaps in posting cadence or partner exposure
Other tools on the market include Sprout Social, HypeAuditor, Upfluence, Rootnote, and Hootsuite; however, the Athletiverse AVI system stands out by combining CPM data with demographic filters, cross-platform tracking, and sponsorship valuation.
Why EMV Matters
EMV isn’t just a vanity metric. It’s how PR and marketing teams:
- Justify media spend
- Price sponsorships
- Prove brand impact
- Audit content strategies
- Identify monetizable opportunities
In sports, for example, teams using this system are uncovering $70,000 or more in additional revenue from just one month of content, and raising their franchise valuations by millions.
But the principle applies far beyond sports. Brands, agencies, influencers, and startups alike can all benefit from EMV tracking to better understand the true value of their digital voice.
If you’re not measuring earned media value, you’re flying blind. And if you’re relying solely on CPM averages or surface metrics, you might be missing millions in value.
At Haugen Holdings, we use best-in-class tools and proven methodologies to calculate EMV across campaigns, from startup launches to global sponsorships. Whether you’re tracking PR mentions, influencer deals, or social engagement, we’ll help you measure what matters.
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