Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. It’s in everything. And it’s all that anyone seems to be talking about.
Many startups are focusing on how AI will make us more productive and efficient. Yet it’s likely they’re overlooking or perhaps completely unaware of the importance of public relations (PR) and specifically, earned media when it comes to AI search. AI is changing how people discover companies and various products by having its generative models prioritize news and press coverage from third-party outlets over investor decks, social media posts or company content.
Having worked in tech PR for more than 13 years, I can confidently say that earned media matters more than ever in the AI era. It’s the new search engine optimization (SEO). Here’s why.
The Power Of Earned Media
Earned media is publicity or exposure gained organically and through non-paid means such as news coverage, podcasts, online mentions or word of mouth. Many PR experts consider it much more credible and trustworthy for a business than paid media because it wasn’t bought. It feels more authentic and can garner attention, credibility and interaction.
In particular, press coverage is earned media’s golden ticket for AI search models. We’ve all read articles from prominent news publications about tech companies, their founders and their potential impact (and if you’re lucky, they’ll include a link to your website). The effects of these media articles are long lasting especially since backlinks, keywords, quotes and data all feed how the AI search engine works when it comes to queries.
Even press releases issued over the newswire that get syndicated and picked up by other news outlets are winning when it comes to AI search algorithms. That development comes after comms professionals tried to convince everyone for years that “the press release is dead.”
Earned media is incredibly relevant, and many startups, tech companies and even comms professionals didn’t see this transition coming. They prioritized owned channels like blogs, newsletters, influencer collaborations or paid strategies in order to have more control over the messaging. Media relations wasn’t the priority.
Let’s face it: These tech companies are now unprepared and at a disadvantage. With AI-powered search, earned media should be at the heart of every go-to-market playbook. The outdated approaches of digital marketing and SEO have to take a back seat. The simple fact of the matter is that AI search engines are looking for brand mentions on third-party news sites over your owned content.
AI Search Needs Quality, Authoritative Content
When you search most tech companies and startups, very little information comes up. Usually it’s only their website or one social media page. You’ll find very little press coverage on them, and likely no long-form interviews or data reports. Their digital media presence is non-existent, and they aren’t on anyone's radar.
Startups can no longer get away with ignoring earned media where AI is involved. They have to adapt to the new methods or they will get left behind and forgotten about altogether.
You can have the best product out there, but what happens if no one has heard of you or read anything publicly on a news site about who you are? Well, this is what you can expect: When a potential buyer or end user is searching for whatever your company actually provides, you won’t show up in an AI search response.
But do you know who will appear? Your competitor who has invested years of time and resources in getting earned media through PR to build up a resilient online presence. I recently ran into an old client of mine who said that the press articles we secured together a few years ago had completely outperformed and replaced his company’s current SEO and owned media tactics.
Media exposure is feeding the AI models. Quality earned media coverage from reputable sources will drive the most traffic in AI-powered search paradigms. Long gone are the days of pushing content out only on your blog and owned channels thinking it can compete with a third- party news outlet.
How to Get Started With Earned Media
Here are three steps that startups can make right now to get started with earned media.
3 Ways to Earn Media Opportunities
- Partner with an earned media agency or expert.
- Define your goals and target audience.
- Stick with it and test various messaging.
1. Partner With an Earned Media Agency or Expert
Align yourself with an earned media agency or specialist who has the experience and media relationships you’ll need. Too many startups think that they can do this themselves and pitch their own stories to the press. Don’t. Media outreach requires precision, skill and developing well-crafted and compelling narratives that resonate externally.
2. Define Your Goals and Target Audience
Earned media can help you to identify which news publications you should be targeting based on who your customer is, what their pain points are and the sources they read and engage with. Who are you really selling to? Understanding who your audience and target demographics are is crucial to setting yourself up for long term earned media success
3. Stick With It and Test Various Messaging
Earned media takes time. Results don’t just happen overnight. You have to test messaging and see what works and what doesn’t. No template will work for every business, which is why you have to try different themes and make sure what you are pitching is relevant and timely to current events. Your earned media partner knows how to tackle the difficult task of creating urgency and convincing a journalist on why they should stop what they’re doing and pay attention to the problem you’re solving, (i.e., earning it). It’s important to remain flexible and adapt in real-time to what editors are writing about or interested in.
Earned media is no longer “a nice to have.” It’s now become a necessity for startups. Having zero media exposure is only going to work against you when AI algorithms dictate what’s credible and trustworthy. You don’t want to get left behind. Now’s the time to level up and shed the old SEO tactics for the new AI-powered standards of search.
