Anna Sonnenberg is a seasoned B2B SaaS writer. She specializes in strategic product-led content for martech, sales automation, and productivity platforms.
Email far surpasses other marketing channels for ROI. Even in 2024, every dollar you spend on email marketing can generate an average return of $36.
But you won’t see that kind of ROI if no one signs up for your list, reads your emails, or takes you up on your offers.
So, how can you make this channel work for your business? Start by tracking relevant key performance indicators (KPIs).
Paid media is any marketing channel where you pay to put your message in front of an audience: search ads, paid social, display, video, sponsored content, podcasts and influencer posts. It is one of three media types in the paid, owned and earned model. Owned media is what you control, such as your website and email list. Earned media is attention you get for free, such as press coverage, reviews and word of mouth. Paid media is the fastest of the three to switch on and scale, and the first to stop when the budget does.
| Paid media channel | Typical pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Search ads (Google, Microsoft) | Cost per click | Capturing existing demand from people searching for a solution |
| Paid social (LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, X) | Cost per thousand impressions or per click | Reaching defined audiences and creating demand |
| Display and programmatic | Cost per thousand impressions | Retargeting and broad awareness |
| Video (YouTube, connected TV) | Cost per view or per thousand impressions | Explaining a product and building brand memory |
| Sponsorships, podcasts, newsletters | Flat fee per placement | Borrowing the trust of an audience your buyers already follow |
| Influencer and creator content | Flat fee or revenue share | Credibility with niche audiences |
For B2B, the question is less which channel and more which job: search captures demand that already exists, while social, video and sponsorships create it. Most B2B teams over-invest in the first and under-invest in the second. For a hands-on approach, see our guide to AI workflows for paid marketing and compare the best paid social courses.
How do you speed up the process of building brand awareness, converting customers, and driving website traffic?
Paid media amplifies marketing campaigns and accelerates results—so you can reach marketing goals faster.
It’s a key element of any digital strategy. Yet it’s also a broad category with a long list of channels, formats, and tactics.