If you want your business to stand out in the AI search era, earned media is a critical part of the strategy.
Third-party credibility through PR has always been important to build brand awareness, reach ideal audiences, elevate employee stories and share an executive’s thought leadership.
More than half of all Google searches end without a click, and search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity have seen up to 93% of search conversations end without a click. With fewer visitors getting information directly from your website, your messaging and unique story need to be accessible and easy for AI to read.
Where does AI get its information?
Journalism and earned media remain the foundation of AI search. More than a quarter of what is pulled in from AI is from a news story, with Axios and the Associated Press being two of the most-cited outlets across industries and search topics.
People aren’t just asking a question and moving on; they’re having conversations with AI. That means a one-and-done PR strategy won’t work if you want your expertise to consistently show up in search. By leveraging your earned media appearances through both your own and your company’s social media channels and repurposing the content in AI-optimized blogs, you can create a really impactful online ecosystem of consistent messaging.
AI also favors recency, with more than half of earned media citations being from sources published within the last year. That means the one interview you did years ago likely isn’t enough to stand out. It doesn’t take long for a published news story to populate in AI search. Citations can happen in real-time, once a story has been shared online.
Does paid media matter anymore?
Nearly all of what AI is citing is from non-paid sources.
We often remind clients, “Advertising is saying you’re good. PR is getting someone else to say you’re good.” This notion from businessman Jean-Louis Gassée applies to AI search in the same way. Organic and earned content are beating out paid content across search results.
Audiences have always been able to discern what’s paid media and what’s earned, and they’re becoming more critical in what they consume.
Consumers care more than ever about where they’re getting information, spending their money and who they’re supporting. They want to understand a company’s values, messaging and the people who are leading the organization. They’re no longer going to your website directly or taking action just from watching your advertising; they want to see the proof of third-party credibility.
There’s still a valuable time and place for paid strategies to accomplish specific goals, but AI is detecting and glossing over most of it.
How can you positively impact your AI search results?
The first step is to understand what AI is already pulling or not pulling from a search of yourself and your industry. Run an AI audit of yourself and your business to understand what’s already out there about you. Is it accurate? Is it relevant?
Test a few different prompts, both specific and generic, to see where you land in the results. Put yourself in a customer, business partner or potential employee’s shoes; what do they want to know about you and your brand? What are they going to be asking, and where do you want to be showing up in their search?
Keep in mind many are turning to AI search for quick information and reasoning. People seeking information don’t want to be overtly sold on a product or business. It’s about AI summarizing your trusted expertise in a way that allows them to come to a conclusion themselves.
A consistent presence is important for AI to find and circulate your thought leadership and brand message. Through owned content like website blogs and a strong social media presence, earned media remains a large part of how AI and LLMs are going to find you.
The bottom line is: Understand your message clearly, and share it often to ensure AI is surfacing the right information about you and your business.
Summary of why earned media is critical to your AI strategy
- AI is consistently pulling from journalistic sources and news sites to fulfill queries
- Recency wins: AI favors articles and stories posted within the last year
- Paid media isn’t dead, but AI isn’t reading it
- Start with an AI audit of yourself and your business to understand what’s out there
- Build a strategy to share consistent messaging through earned media
About the Author: Colette Peterson is the Director of Services, leading our team specializing in earned media and thought leadership for clients across industries.