Mediums

Pick a platform or channel

Introduction

Most businesses market in the same three places: social media, paid ads, and referrals. Their customers pass hundreds of other places every day. This worksheet lists 121 mediums. A medium is a place where your business can show up: a billboard, a podcast, a car park pillar, the back of a receipt. Use the list to spark ideas about where your next customer could meet you.

Overview

Time
30 to 45 minutes
People
1 to 4
Author
Authority Institute
Copyright
© 2026 Authority Institute c/o Authority Advisory Sdn Bhd

How to use it

This is a divergent thinking tool. Its job is to open up options, not to hand you one right answer. Read the list expecting most items to feel irrelevant at first. That is normal. Some ideas only look useful on the second pass, so keep going.

As you read each medium, do not ask “can I use this?” That question shuts ideas down. Ask “how can I use this?” instead. That question forces you to picture the medium carrying your business, and that picture is where new ideas come from.

Step-by-step guide

  1. 1

    Start from your market

    Decide who you want to reach before you open the list. A medium is only right if your specific customers actually use it.

  2. 2

    Sweep the full list

    Read all 121 items in one sitting. Mark every medium your customers touch in a normal week. Do not judge yet. Just mark.

  3. 3

    Shortlist

    Cut your marks down to five to ten mediums. Keep the ones where your customers spend the most time and your competitors show up the least.

  4. 4

    Score what is left

    Rate each shortlisted medium from 1 to 5 on three things: how many of your customers it reaches, what it costs, and how much work it takes to keep running. Be honest.

  5. 5

    Commit to two or three

    Pick two or three mediums and run them properly for at least three months. Two mediums done well beat ten done halfway.

The 121 Mediums

Showing 121 of 121

  1. 1Airplane (Wraps, Seat Pockets)
  2. 2Ambassador
  3. 3Associations
  4. 4Audio Platforms (Spotify, Sticher)
  5. 5Balloon (Hot Air, Kids, Car Doors)
  6. 6Barbershop & Salons
  7. 7Bathroom (Mirrors, Toothbrush Holders, Reusable Soap Bottles)
  8. 8Billboard
  9. 9Blog (Own)
  10. 10Blog (Third Party - Guest Blog)
  11. 11Book
  12. 12Bulletin Board
  13. 13Bunting
  14. 14Cabs, Taxis, Rideshares (Backseat/Passenger Seats)
  15. 15Calendar
  16. 16Car (Bumper Stickers, Decal)
  17. 17Car Park (Pillars, Charging Station, Boom Gate)
  18. 18Car Wash
  19. 19Catalogue
  20. 20Celebrity
  21. 21Changing Room
  22. 22Charging Stations
  23. 23Cinema (Theatre, Concert, Halls)
  24. 24Classified
  25. 25Clothing (Jacket, T-shirts, Caps)
  26. 26Columns in Publications (Magazine, Newspapers)
  27. 27Community Centres
  28. 28Community Circulars
  29. 29Community Engagement Platforms (Reddit, Quora)
  30. 30Cups (Mugs, take-away wraps, bottles)
  31. 31Database (Own)
  32. 32Database (Third Party)
  33. 33Directories
  34. 34Display Networks
  35. 35Documentary
  36. 36Door Hanger
  37. 37Door-To-Door
  38. 38Elevator/Lift (TV, Projector, Stickers, Signages)
  39. 39Email
  40. 40Environmental Groups (Social Causes)
  41. 41Escalator
  42. 42Event Directories (Eventbrite, Meetup, Peatix, LinkedIn Events)
  43. 43Events (Own)
  44. 44Events (Third Party)
  45. 45Exhibitions, Road Shows, Trade Shows
  46. 46Existing/Established Distribution Networks
  47. 47F&B Outlets (Display stands, tables, walls, banners, equipments)
  48. 48Fax
  49. 49Gas Tank (Tags, Stickers)
  50. 50Goodie Bag
  51. 51Google My Business
  52. 52Greeting Cards
  53. 53Gyms & Fitness Centres
  54. 54Helmets, Jackets
  55. 55Household Items (Photo Frames, Vases, Remote Control Holders)
  56. 56In-App
  57. 57In-Door Billboards (Static, Digital)
  58. 58In-Game
  59. 59In-Store/Retail
  60. 60In-Stream
  61. 61Influencer
  62. 62Interest Groups
  63. 63Keycard Envelope
  64. 64Kitchenwares (Cutleries, Cooking Utensils, Plates)
  65. 65Location-Based
  66. 66Lounges (Airports, Bus, Train)
  67. 67Malls (Indoor & Outdoor)
  68. 68Memberships
  69. 69Merchandise (Cups, Pens, Lanyard, Bags, Umbrella, Bottles)
  70. 70Message (WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS)
  71. 71Mobile Devices (Phone, Tablets, Apps, Casings)
  72. 72Money Envelopes (Ang Pows)
  73. 73Motorbike (Bicycle, Scooters)
  74. 74Movies, TV Series
  75. 75Name Card
  76. 76Name Card Directory
  77. 77Newsletter (Physical or Electronic)
  78. 78Newspaper
  79. 79On-The-Floor Projections
  80. 80Out-Of-Home (Benches, Walls, Interactive Devices)
  81. 81Packaging
  82. 82Petrol Station (Pump)
  83. 83Phone (Call, Voice Message)
  84. 84Podcasts (Own)
  85. 85Podcasts (Third Party)
  86. 86Point-Of-Sales
  87. 87Political Groups
  88. 88Pop-Up Stall/Stands
  89. 89Product Placement
  90. 90Public Transport (Bus, train)
  91. 91Public Transport Holding Areas (Bus stops, chairs)
  92. 92Radio
  93. 93Religious Groups
  94. 94Review Platforms (Yelp, Tripadvisor)
  95. 95Search Engines
  96. 96Shopping Directory
  97. 97Showroom
  98. 98Signature (email, letterheads)
  99. 99Signboard
  100. 100Snail Mail
  101. 101Social Causes
  102. 102Social Groups
  103. 103Social Media
  104. 104Social Media Comments/Forums
  105. 105Sport Centres
  106. 106Sporting Events
  107. 107Sunshades
  108. 108Table (Foodcourt, Eateries)
  109. 109Toilet
  110. 110Toll-Booth
  111. 111Toys
  112. 112Traffic Junctions
  113. 113Transaction Slips (Receipts)
  114. 114TV
  115. 115Video Platforms (Youtube)
  116. 116Voucher Booklets/Directory
  117. 117Waiting Room (Clinics, Centers, Education)
  118. 118Website (Own)
  119. 119Website (Third Party)
  120. 120Wifi Splash Screen
  121. 121Wraps & Wobblers