Over the last few years, the rise of AI-powered search has sparked a new question for communications teams. Businesses are repeatedly asking how they can become cited in tools such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot or Perplexity.
It’s a reasonable question. Generative AI tools are increasingly becoming part of the research process, helping people gather information, compare suppliers and form opinions before they ever visit a website or speak to a salesperson.
The communications industry has experienced a similar shift before. When backlinks became an important factor in search visibility, many PR professionals underestimated the value of earned media in influencing online discovery. As a result, much of the conversation around authority, visibility and search became dominated by SEO.
Today, a similar debate is emerging around Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and AI Optimisation (AIO). Yet focusing on AI visibility alone risks distracting organisations from a more important objective: building credibility and visibility with the audiences they actually want to reach.
What we’re seeing so far is that the organisations appearing most consistently in AI-generated answers are not necessarily creating content specifically for AI.
More often, they are businesses that have spent years building credibility, sharing their expertise and earning recognition within their sectors. They have regularly been quoted by journalists and contributed informed opinions to industry discussions. They’ve published thought leadership, spoken at conferences and participated in professional communities.
In short, they are building authority in the places where their audiences already look for information. AI visibility is often the result of that authority rather than the reason for it.
PR has gained a second audience.
For decades, the purpose of PR was relatively straightforward.
Businesses used earned media, thought leadership and reputation-building activities to influence their stakeholders and potential customers. Journalists acted as intermediaries, helping organisations reach members of the public, investors and stakeholders through trusted, earned channels.
That dynamic remains as important as ever, especially as businesses are fighting an overwhelming volume of misinformation and disinformation.
What has changed is that the same information ecosystem is increasingly being analysed, interpreted and surfaced by AI systems.
As generative AI becomes part of everyday information discovery, a second audience has emerged.
Alongside journalists, customers and decision-makers, organisations are now creating content and earning visibility in environments that AI systems also observe and learn from.
This does not mean that AI works in the same way as traditional search.
Nor does it mean that appearing in a publication guarantees visibility in AI-generated responses.
However, it does highlight an important shift. The information that once existed primarily to inform people is now helping machines and algorithms understand organisations, topics and expertise. Simply put, the more places that human audiences can learn who you are and understand what you do, the more places there are for machines to do the same.
This is a prime example of how the long-term value of earned media is changing.
AI learns from authority footprints.
PR has always been seen as a way of shaping influence and building reputations, and to do so effectively, it’s always needed to be part of a sustained, consistent approach.
One thought leadership article is rarely enough to establish authority in the same way that a single award win, podcast appearance or media mention may not be enough on its own.
Instead, true reputational authority is built through accumulation.
A single footprint doesn’t tell us very much. It shows that someone was there. Multiple footprints begin to reveal a pattern.
The same applies to a business’s reputation. Every piece of earned media, thought leadership article, conference appearance, podcast interview or industry award contributes another footprint. Together, they create a body of evidence that helps audiences understand who you are, what you stand for and why your expertise matters.
It’s human nature to think about authority and reputational expertise in the same way. Most people do not trust an organisation based on a single article; trust develops through repeated exposure before we begin to believe what we read.
This is why organisations with established authority footprints often appear more visible across AI-generated responses.
If an organisation consistently appears in respected industry publications, contributes meaningful commentary, and participates in professional conversations, it leaves behind a trail of footprints that reinforces its expertise.
The larger and more consistent those footprints become, the easier it is for both people and AI systems to understand what that organisation is known for.
How PR builds your reputation, and how AI systems learn from this
Building a brand’s authority and expertise is rarely the result of a single communications tactic. Instead, it is built when multiple activities work together to reinforce expertise and credibility, layering work that builds on one another to create a solid foundation.
It begins with expert commentary.
Providing expert commentary remains one of the most powerful forms of earned media.
When journalists seek insight on emerging trends, regulatory changes, market developments or industry challenges, they are looking for credible voices that can help explain what is happening. Responding to media requests for commentary is a straightforward way to demonstrate your expertise and share your knowledge on a specific topic.
When you consistently comment on specific topics, you naturally develop an authoritative voice, and before you know it, your company spokesperson has built a reputation for expertise. The more you comment on media requests, the easier it is to create a visible trail of expertise across trusted sources, which will naturally strengthen an organisation’s overall authority footprint, making AI visibility more likely.
One reason this is so valuable is that expert commentary is often reactive. It usually asks contributors to demonstrate their expertise in real-world situations rather than carefully controlled marketing environments.
Thought leadership builds on that layer of expertise
If media commentary explains what is happening, then thought leadership explains why it matters.
There’s an ever-growing opportunity to contribute opinion pieces, bylined articles, reports, and original research, which give organisations the chance to offer their perspective rather than react to events.
This distinction is important because we are all overwhelmed by the volume of information we receive. A credible business does not report the news but can interpret it and share unique insights.
Strong thought leadership helps organisations demonstrate their depth of understanding, challenge assumptions and contribute meaningfully to professional conversations. If you can use original research and informed opinions to back up what you are saying and why, then that will become increasingly important as search and AI systems are more likely to reward trusted, original thinking.
Earned media coverage from third-party publications
Independent validation remains one of the strongest trust signals available.
If a respected publication chooses to feature an organisation, quote its leaders, or report on its achievements, it is naturally lending a higher level of credibility. That earned media is always valuable, whether it’s a mention in a local paper, a comment in a trade publication or attendance at a high-profile event.
This does not mean every piece of coverage carries equal weight. What matters is the cumulative effect of appearing across multiple trusted sources over time. Your reputation is built on everything you do, from your products and services to your support for your local community and charity initiatives, and your workplace activities. The more you can talk about the entirety of your business, the more you build a strong reputation as a trusted brand.
One earned media mention will show you can be visible, but regular mentions (across a variety of topics) will show you are demonstrating authority. If customers begin to recognise those signals, AI systems are increasingly likely to encounter them too.
It’s not just what you are talking about, it’s what you are involved in
To build a strong reputation, it’s not just about the articles you write and the media coverage you achieve. It’s about recognising that everything you are involved in builds another footprint for customers and AI systems to learn from.
For example, conference speaking opportunities, podcasts, webinars, professional associations, industry awards and research partnerships can all contribute to an organisation’s reputation. It’s proof that your expertise is recognised externally and it can often create additional opportunities for third-party references, discussions and citations.
The businesses that become recognised industry voices are often those that actively participate in their professional communities rather than simply broadcasting messages from their own platforms.
Why chasing AI visibility is the wrong strategy.
The growing influence of AI search has led some organisations to focus heavily on AI optimisation tactics. This is understandable, but it can also lead communications efforts in the wrong direction.
The strongest PR strategies have never started with algorithms; they’ve always started with audiences. After all, it’s your customers who buy your products and services, not the AI chat tools.
Instead of trying to optimise processes to reach AI search, organisations should think carefully about their customers. Where do they go for information? Which publications do they trust? Who influences purchasing decisions? Which events, communities and conversations matter most to them? What challenges are they trying to solve?
These questions remain far more important for business longevity than anticipating the preferences of AI systems.
In fact, organisations that focus too heavily on algorithm visibility risk neglecting the very activities that build genuine authority.
Your goal should not be to place content where AI systems might find it.
Your goal should be to place your expertise where your audiences are looking.
The reality is that most AI systems will be increasingly searching those same sources.
Conclusion
For years, PR professionals have described earned media as a trust-building exercise.
In the age of AI, that description feels more relevant than ever. Brands are not becoming visible in AI-generated answers because they optimise for algorithms. They become visible because they have earned recognition from journalists, industry peers, conference organisers, researchers and professional communities.
They’ve understood who their customers are and what they want and need, and, in doing so, they’ve pre-empted customer challenges and clearly demonstrated how their business is the solution.
The businesses most likely to thrive will not be the ones chasing AI visibility. They will be the ones consistently and quietly building authority. AI visibility is simply what happens when that authority becomes impossible to ignore. The future of PR is not about teaching AI who you are; it’s about becoming so well recognised within your industry that AI cannot help but notice.
