I’ll admit, I’ve been a bit skeptical about how AI is changing the work of PR and communications professionals. We know there is an impact, but is it a positive one?
If public relations practitioners are leaning on generative AI to do their writing (and hence their thinking), can that be a good thing? When every piece of content sounds the same, are we making any strides in our work to help B2B clients stand out from their competitors?
But, there’s more to leveraging AI in public relations than using it to write.
Recently, I had two conversations that changed my perspective on the use of AI in PR. This insight can help companies execute their public relations programs more effectively.
Unlocking the Power of Public Relations in an AI-Driven Search Landscape
In an exchange with Christopher Penn, the co-founder of Trust Insights, he pointed out something that those in PR need to consider: the role of AI-based search and how our work in helping companies show up everywhere online has a real impact on discoverability.
Penn’s point was that as more people search using platforms like Perplexity, the need for companies to appear everywhere increases. And, who better to help businesses show up online than public relations professionals?
“If you care about AI understanding your business and recommending you, then your biggest investment should be in public relations,” says Penn here.
Shortly after, I read something Andy Crestodina, co-founder of Orbit Media, wrote about AI-based search. I invited him on PR Explored to talk with me more about this.
Crestodina supports the theory that if you want to show up in this new era of search, you need to train the AI to recommend your content and brand. How do you do that? By following the same approach that has always worked – taking advantage of every opportunity to get yourself and your brand out there.
Yes, that means leveraging media opportunities outside the Wall Street Journal. If the local business journal writes about your company, it can be as valuable for AI-based search as appearing in a top-tier media outlet.
How PR Can Help Companies Show Up Everywhere
So, given that, what can B2B companies do to show up everywhere in this new age of AI-based search?
1) Value every earned media opportunity, even if it falls outside top-tier outlets: We know that being covered in a multitude of outlets helps companies show up in search. That isn’t new.
But, working in B2B PR, we know that clients can sometimes downplay the importance of what they deem opportunities with “lesser” media outlets. AI-based search means that every chance to appear in a news article, on a podcast, in a blog post, or on a webinar matters.
For example, trade publications are an ideal place to show up. “Trade publications are FILLED with topically related content that, when ingested in a language model at the document level, will be associated with the brands and names in the placement,” Penn says.
Penn also pointed out that when a company is covered by a publication that doesn’t have a paywall, it’s easier for AI to access the information. Often, trade media content isn’t gated. (Hear more from Penn in my interview here on PR Explored.)
Further, review your media list to ensure it includes industry association newsletters, analysts and other influencers in your space. They all produce digital content, as well.
2) Don’t sleep on LinkedIn: For B2B companies, LinkedIn is more vital than ever. While we know brands and their executives and thought leaders should actively post and engage on the platform, there’s now another reason to focus on it.
Google now features an AI-generated response when a user searches along with a source panel of relevant links. LinkedIn is one of the top five most frequently linked domains, according to an analysis by SE Ranking.
“PR pros should also stop thinking of LinkedIn as the last resort for failed bylines,” says Sally Slater, EVP, head of innovation at The Bliss Group, in this PR Week article. “In some cases, publishing a byline as a LinkedIn article should be the first choice. If you want to appear in the source panel for, say, top healthcare trends in 2024, a LinkedIn article may be the way to go.”
In addition, Crestodina mentioned that you should allow AI bots to access your LinkedIn content. (There’s a setting you can adjust to turn that off.) Just as you want your site crawled for SEO purposes, you want your LinkedIn posts to be included in AI training data.
“If you’re a marketer, you want all the information about your brand to be ingested by AI and to be in the AI knowledge sources and training data,” Crestodina says.
3) Visual search is gaining traction: Visual search allows someone to use an image—like a photo or drawing—to look for information on search engines. Google launched a feature called Circle to Search on Android earlier this year.
This means companies should also prioritize visual content in the form of high-quality images and videos.
While we’ve known that visual content helps a company stand out, visual search makes it an even higher priority.
4) Owned media (= content) still matters: We know that content that sounds the same as everyone else’s doesn’t help a company stand out. In that way, writing original content that features true thought leadership should continue to be a priority.
Who better to lead this charge than public relations professionals who are often strong writers, some with journalism degrees, and understand how to create compelling content?
“All the fancy SEO optimization in the world can’t make up for unoriginal, poorly written content. That’s why navigating this new world of search should really be the purview of PR pros,” says Slater.
“For marketers and brands, a flood of garbage content is an opportunity,” Crestodina says. “The response is obvious: differentiate with quality. Create things that AI can’t easily create.” He talks about eight ways to do that here.
One of the approaches Crestodina suggests is to produce a podcast with video (or vidcast, if you will). You can stream episodes live on YouTube and LinkedIn. Share those on social media. Then, you can turn the transcript into a blog post (and embed the video), which can also be shared. You’ll have more written, audio and video content to help you be found in search.
“AI bots can both read transcripts and extract the language from audio and video,” says Crestodina. “So make sure you have a video component in your content strategy and appear on every podcast you can. Speak your value proposition in simple language when the mic is on. That mini-elevator pitch will make its way into the AI training data.”
5) Check AI search engines to see where you rank: If you’re working on increasing your visibility as a thought leader in your space, I encourage you to check where you rank using a platform like Perplexity. Chatbot Arena is another one Penn recommends.
For example, I do this periodically for myself. 😬 I like seeing how I show up and which sources are driving that. Here’s a screenshot of my most recent Perplexity search:
You can use a prompt like, “Who is [executive]?” or “What is [executive] known for in [industry]?”
Choose to Be Found by Leveraging PR
What it comes down to is that you must make a choice – do you want to be found online? Or are you OK existing in obscurity?
We need to leverage every advantage we ethically can for our businesses. Since AI-based search is taking place whether or not you choose to participate in it, doing everything you can to help your company show up in results as often as possible is something to consider.
So, don’t turn down opportunities that come your way. Showing up online means participating when you’re invited, as well as proactively seeking out more opportunities to be included.
If you need more opportunities, turn to your PR resource. And, if you don’t have one, it’s a good time to invest in one.
Are you a B2B company that needs help standing out in search?
Learn more about my freelance PR consulting services here. Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here.
About the author: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, and author of B2B PR That Gets Results, an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.
100% of this blog post was written by me, the human.
Featured image is courtesy of Adobe Express.
