Earned-media value overstates impact by 4–7x

Earned-media value overstates impact by 4–7x

Reported EMV vs incremental rev
EMV claimed ████████ $100k
Measured lift ██ $16k
(EMV = earned-media value, modeled ad-equivalent of organic mentions. n=29 brand programs, holdout-tested)

Myth: EMV proves your creator program paid off. Correction: EMV applies a paid CPM to free reach and counts impressions you'd have gotten anyway, with no holdout — it measures attention, not lift.

So what: report EMV as a reach proxy only; defend budget with incrementality, not multiples.

Benchmark: incremental revenue runs 14%–24% of headline EMV.