Media & Advertising vocabulary for IELTS

News, social media, marketing and influence. 20 words with definitions and example sentences, useful for Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 3.

mainstream media noun

large, established news organisations

Trust in mainstream media has declined.

social media platform noun

an online service for sharing content

Each social media platform targets a different age group.

influencer noun

a person paid to promote products online

Influencers must label sponsored posts.

sensationalism noun

exaggerating stories to attract attention

Sensationalism undermines serious journalism.

censorship noun

suppression of information considered unacceptable

Online censorship varies widely between countries.

target audience noun

the group a message is aimed at

Toy adverts have children as their target audience.

persuasive adjective

good at convincing people

Advertising uses persuasive techniques to create desire.

consumer noun

a person who buys goods or services

Consumers are increasingly concerned about ethics.

brand loyalty noun

the tendency to keep buying one brand

Celebrity endorsements build brand loyalty.

fake news noun

deliberately false news stories

Fake news spreads faster than corrections.

press freedom noun

the right to report without government control

Press freedom is essential to democracy.

coverage noun

the reporting of an event

The election received extensive media coverage.

materialistic adjective

valuing possessions above other things

Advertising may make children more materialistic.

impressionable adjective

easily influenced

Young children are highly impressionable.

clickbait noun

online content designed to attract clicks

Clickbait headlines often mislead readers.

broadcast verb

to transmit on television or radio

The final was broadcast to over a billion viewers.

echo chamber noun

an environment where only similar views are heard

Algorithms can trap users in echo chambers.

endorsement noun

public support or approval of a product

Sports stars earn millions from endorsements.

unbiased adjective

fair and not influenced by opinion

Public broadcasters aim to provide unbiased reporting.

go viral phrasal verb

to spread rapidly online

The video went viral within hours.