We talk to marketers and communicators every day who excitedly tell us they’re big fans of the PESO Model© and how transformative it has been for them. These conversations make my heart happy. It’s weird to think a chapter in Spin Sucks (the book) got us here a decade later.
At the same time, it’s a little disheartening because 99% say they choose tactics from each media type and proudly call it the PESO Model.
While we absolutely encourage people to use the framework, doing a little bit of everything—some content, a few media placements, social posts, maybe a boost here or there—does not the PESO Model make. If those efforts aren’t connected, it’s completely missing the point.
The PESO Model isn’t a checklist of channels—it’s a strategic and scientific framework. We’ve spent a crazy amount of time ensuring that when you implement it, it can be replicated and scaled and will work for you while you sleep.
That’s why the real power comes not from using paid, earned, shared, and owned media in isolation, but from integrating them so each one reinforces the others. That’s when 1 + 1 becomes more than 2.
Integration turns your work into momentum. It creates a multiplier effect that accelerates awareness, builds authority, drives action, and delivers results your executive team can see.
Integration Is the Strategy
Let’s be crystal clear: The PESO Model isn’t about doing a little of everything. It’s about building something bigger than any one piece could deliver on its own.
Choosing tactics from each media type without connecting them is like building a house with bricks without mortar. Sure, you technically used the materials, but there’s no structure. No strength. No strategy.
The PESO Model was designed to change that. It’s a framework for integration built to ensure that every channel supports the others and every tactic ladders up to something greater: trust, visibility, credibility, and growth.
That means your content should fuel your media relations. Earned placements should be extended through shared and amplified through paid. Social content should point back to resources you control. Paid media should amplify what’s already resonating, not try to rescue underperforming content.
When you start thinking about how each element can strengthen the others, you shift from campaign coordination to actual strategic orchestration. That’s where the results multiply—and where you start to see the PESO Model not just as a framework for communication, but as a force multiplier for your entire marketing effort.
Everything else rests on this foundation. Integration isn’t just one step of the process—it’s the strategy that holds it all together.
The Multiplier Effect of the PESO Model
When integration is done right, the PESO Model doesn’t just add value—it multiplies it.
In a siloed program, each media type delivers results independently. Maybe your blog drives some organic traffic. Your media relations efforts land a few placements. Your social channels get decent engagement. And your paid media brings in some clicks. Each tactic earns its keep—but the sum total is still linear.
That’s 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4.
Now imagine those same tactics, but strategically connected. Your blog becomes the foundation for earned media pitches and contributed content. Those articles include backlinks that boost SEO and drive referral traffic. Your social channels promote the blog and the earned media, driving engagement and signaling relevance to search engines—both traditional and generative AI. And your paid dollars are used to amplify what’s already working, targeting new audiences with proven content.
Instead of working side by side, every channel now strengthens the others. That’s 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24.
Same building blocks. Completely different outcome.
This is the multiplier effect of PESO Model integration. It’s why integrated programs generate momentum while siloed ones struggle to scale. And it’s why leaders who’ve embraced this approach consistently report more efficient budgets, shorter decision journeys, and far greater clarity on what’s working.
Integration doesn’t require more budget. It requires better strategy. That’s the promise—and the power—of the PESO Model when it’s implemented correctly.
PESO Model Integration in Action
Let’s bring this to life with a simple scenario—a mini campaign of sorts.
Let’s say your organization publishes a new research report. In a parallel execution model—the kind most teams default to—each group checks their box. The content team uploads the report and optimizes it for search. The PR team sends out a news release. The social team posts a link with a few graphics. The media team boosts the top post. And then… they move on.
Each piece might perform fine on its own. But nothing is reinforcing anything else. There’s no shared rhythm. No handoffs. No amplification. Just a series of isolated moments.
Now let’s look at the integrated version:
- Owned media starts things off with a deep, engaging landing page that houses the report and blog content that teases out key findings.
- The earned team builds on this, pitching contributed articles or interviews that link back to the owned content, adding credibility and driving qualified traffic.
- The shared team brings it to life on social, translating findings into platform-native posts: quote graphics, video summaries, polls, and expert Q&As. All roads lead back to the hub.
- And paid doesn’t just boost for the sake of it—it amplifies what’s organically working, retargets engaged visitors, and fuels conversions with smart, segmented promotion.
Each team knows their role, but more importantly, they know the bigger picture. They’re not just launching tactics—they’re building momentum.
This is where the PESO Model shifts from a list of channels to a growth engine. That one research report becomes dozens of pieces of content. One message becomes multiple touchpoints. And one campaign becomes a sustained, strategic presence across every phase of the customer journey.
That’s the difference between execution and integration, and it’s why this model works harder than any one media type alone.
Where the PESO Model Overlaps
While full PESO Model integration is the goal, you can easily start with pairs to make it less overwhelming at first. This is where the media types overlap, or where two media types work together intentionally.
These intersections are where strategy becomes synergy and where even small adjustments can unlock major results.
Let’s look at the six most powerful integration pairs and how they can work for you:
1. Owned + Earned
Owned media provides the substance—your expertise, research, or point of view. Earned media provides the credibility—third-party validation that positions you as a trusted source.
When your media coverage links back to your content, and your content builds on those media hits, you create a cycle that grows both visibility and domain authority.
Use this as an example: A thought leadership blog becomes the basis for a contributed article. That article includes a strategic backlink, which drives traffic and boosts search rankings. It’s pretty simple and it works every time.
2. Earned + Shared
Too often, media hits are posted once and forgotten. But when you translate that coverage into engaging social content—quote graphics, teaser videos, behind-the-scenes context—you extend its lifespan and deepen engagement.
Better yet, you show journalists, bloggers, and influencers that you’re driving traffic to their platform, not just taking credit.
Here is another example: A podcast interview gets broken into short clips for LinkedIn, used to spark discussion threads, and shared in Instagram Stories with pull quotes and polls. Again, super simple, but highly effective.
3. Shared + Paid
Organic social engagement is a powerful signal. Paid media can help you scale that success. Instead of boosting random posts, identify the content that’s already resonating, and amplify it to lookalike audiences.
This approach de-risks your ad spend and ensures you invest in what works.
For example, a TikTok explainer video with high engagement gets turned into a targeted paid campaign on Instagram and YouTube, driving traffic to a lead magnet on your website.
4. Paid + Owned
If you’ve created high-value content—like a report, guide, or webinar—don’t just hope people find it. Use paid promotion to get it in front of the right audience segments.
Combine this with retargeting and conversion-focused landing pages, and you’ve turned your content into a business driver.
For instance, a research study is promoted through LinkedIn ads targeting industry professionals, who are then retargeted with a follow-up CTA to schedule a consultation.
5. Owned + Shared
Your best owned content shouldn’t live in a vacuum. Break it into platform-native content that expands your reach and visibility.
The more consistent your content ecosystem, the better your odds of surfacing in traditional and AI-driven searches.
An example of this is writing a blog post that is adapted into a LinkedIn carousel, a Twitter (I refuse to call it X) thread, an Instagram Story, and a short-form video series.
6. Earned + Paid
You worked hard for that placement—don’t let it disappear after the publication date. Use paid media to extend its reach and get it in front of your most valuable audiences.
This not only improves ROI, but ensures your best validation moments aren’t wasted.
For instance, a high-profile mention in a top-tier outlet gets promoted via display ads targeting key decision-makers or buyers.
By identifying and activating these pairs, you move from parallel tactics to integrated strategy—without overhauling everything at once. And it’s far less overwhelming to do it this way than to try to overhaul your entire program or campaign.
Building Integrated PESO Model Workflows
Integration doesn’t happen on accident. It happens through intentional coordination, supported by workflows that ensure the right people, messages, and moments connect at the right time.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Start With the Owned Media Foundation
Every integrated effort begins with substance. That’s your owned media—whether it’s a research report, product launch, thought leadership blog, or customer story. This content anchors your messaging and provides the source material for everything else.
Trigger Strategic Handoffs
Once that content is ready:
- The earned team uses it as the basis for media outreach, contributed articles, or expert commentary.
- The shared team turns it into social-first content tailored to each platform—designed to engage and invite interaction.
- The paid team monitors what’s resonating and amplifies high-performing content to priority audiences.
Each team stays in their lane—but they’re on the same highway, heading in the same direction.
Develop Clear Handoff Protocols
Integration breaks down without alignment. That’s why you need clear answers to questions like:
- When is content considered “ready” for promotion?
- What performance signals should trigger paid amplification?
- Who owns the next step once a piece of content goes live?
- How will results be shared across teams?
Good content gets stuck in limbo or misfires without these protocols because one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing.
Anticipate and Address Friction Points
Even with the best intentions, silos, slow approvals, timing misfires, and unclear ownership can all derail integration. That’s why your workflow should include:
- Designated owners for cross-channel initiatives
- Shared timelines and collaboration tools
- Pre-aligned messaging and visuals
- Agreed-upon criteria for success
The more you remove ambiguity, the more momentum you create.
PESO Model Integration Changes the Game
Integration is not just a strategic ideal—it’s a logistical commitment. But when you get the workflows right, the PESO Model stops being a theory and becomes your most powerful execution engine.
If you’ve ever felt your work is undervalued or hard to explain, you’re not alone. Too often, brilliant work gets buried in disconnected tactics, siloed teams, and metrics that don’t matter to leadership.
Integration changes that.
When the PESO Model is used as designed—not as a checklist but as a strategic framework—you create programs that are more efficient, effective, and measurable.
You stop chasing one-off wins and start building sustained momentum.
You shift from being seen as order takers to being recognized as a growth engine inside your organization.
If you’re already using PESO Model elements, but your results feel flat—look to integration. It’s the single biggest unlock in the framework. And it’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what you’re already doing, better—together.
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