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by The Notified Team on Nov 26, 2025 9:00:02 AM
Key Facts:
- AI search now delivers answers, not links, changing how brands earn trust and visibility online.
- Earned media plays a major role in AI-generated responses, with the majority of citations coming from credible, third-party sources.
- Clear, consistent and up-to-date content is now essential, as AI tools favor information that is easy to interpret, trustworthy and current.
Will your brand survive AI search?
That was the big question we explored during our recent webinar with Ragan Communications. Our panel discussed how PR, marketing and communications teams can improve visibility and trust as AI reshapes how content is discovered.
The session brought together:
- Sarah Evans - Partner & Head of PR, Zen Media
- Dan Lotzof - Chief Revenue Officer, Notified
- Ashley Wallace Jones - VP Integrated Marketing, PAN Communications
- Jon Minnick - Ragan Communications & PR Daily (Moderator)
What's Changing and Why It Matters for PR
AI has shifted search from “show links” to “give the answer.”
Lotzof explained that tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity now blend sources and deliver a single response, which means a brand might not get the click, but the content behind the scenes still shapes the answer.
With major news sites seeing up to 50% declines in traffic, the pressure is on communicators to produce content that is both human-friendly and machine-friendly.
“If your brand isn’t being cited by these large language models, you risk becoming invisible,” he said. “But early movers can shape how their brands appear in AI results.”
How Can Brands Build Credibility in AI Search Results
Credibility matters more than ever.
AI tools evaluate how accurate, consistent and trustworthy your information is. They also look for clarity in how information is presented - structured pages, clean headlines, clear facts and reliable signals that confirm you're the official source.
“The brands winning visibility are the ones creating clear, accurate and reliable content again and again,” said Wallace Jones.
She encouraged teams to start by cleaning up their digital footprint. “If your brand shows up inaccurately, it’s usually because you’re sending inconsistent signals,” she said. “Every page, profile and post must tell the same story.”
Why Earned Media Is Critical for AI Discoverability
Earned media has become one of the strongest ways AI models learn about your brand.
Every credible mention, interview or media placement reinforces your authority and gives AI more confidence in how it describes your company.
“Roughly 85% of content cited by AI engines comes from earned media,” Wallace Jones shared. “That means PR is feeding the algorithms that shape your brand’s reputation.”
Evans added, “Earned media isn’t just storytelling anymore - it’s how AI understands your brand. Every placement and link reinforces your credibility.”
How Can PR Teams Measure AI Visibility and Impact?
PR finally has KPIs that reflect its real influence.
New metrics show exactly how often a brand appears in AI answers and how content factors into user decisions.
Some of these include:
- Answer share
- Inclusion rate
- AI citations
Evans introduced the idea of “prompt intelligence” - understanding what people ask AI tools when they’re ready to make a decision.
“Prompt intelligence is the purest form of insight PR has ever had,” she said. “It tells you what people want and where your brand shows up in their decision-making.”
Lotzof added, “These metrics can finally link PR to revenue. If you can show that content is driving demos, pipeline and revenue, you’ve changed the conversation.”
What Makes Content AI Friendly?
“Structure matters most,” Wallace Jones said. “Use clear headlines, bullet points and clean pages. That’s how AI connects your content back to your brand.”
Lotzof shared that timing also influences visibility: “Press release citations peak around week three after publication. The best teams publish new content every two to three weeks to stay visible.”
For smaller teams, the advice was simple: integrate early. Don’t build silos. PR, marketing and sales should work together to align messaging and structure.
These habits help AI understand your brand faster and with less risk of confusion.
How Should Brands Prepare for AI Search Ethics and Accuracy?
With AI shaping public perception, accuracy has never been more important.
Evans encouraged teams to start auditing their content. “Sometimes, you’re the source of your own misinformation,” she said. “Outdated or inconsistent pages can mislead AI. Be your own fact-checker.”
She also suggested creating internal “brand proxies” - models trained on accurate company data to help maintain consistency in future content.
Wallace Evans added: “This isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about proving you’re credible and consistent everywhere your brand shows up.”
What's Next?
All three experts agreed: AI search era isn’t coming - it’s here.
Brands that adapt early will have a major advantage because AI will already know and trust their content.
Loztof summed it up: “This is our moment. The way people find information has changed forever - and PR leaders are in the driver’s seat.”
Click here to watch the full webinar on demand.
Watch On Demand
Discover more answer engine optimization (AEO) best practices.
About Notified
We are Notified, and your story goes here. As the only technology partner dedicated to both investor relations and public relations professionals, we help you control and amplify your corporate narrative. Our fully integrated PR and IR platforms streamline every step—whether it's reaching the right media, press release distribution, and measurement or designing new IR websites, managing investor days, earnings releases, and regulatory filings. Connecting both worlds, GlobeNewswire is one of the world's largest and most trusted newswire distribution networks, serving leading organizations for over 30 years. Together, we empower communicators to inform a better world.
Notified is an affiliate of Equiniti Group Limited (EQ)
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