The New Rules of PR: Why Content Influence is Critical in the Age of AI

The public relations landscape has undergone yet another seismic shift that most haven't fully grasped yet.

I was reading two incredible articles on this. One from my former boss and now mentor @Flavia Vigio [here] and one from Entrepreneur [here].

We've moved from an era where "discovery" was about visibility to one where consumer encounters with brands are increasingly filtered through the generative AI lense. These systems don't just search the web, they generate direct answers, often without users ever visiting your website or reading traditional media coverage directly.

So the fundamental change for me lies on: AI not only generates digestable answers, but creates "understanding" on topics, people and brands at a by product of filtered information.

So this takes me to the question I think PR professionals should be making: when someone asks an AI about my company, can it articulate the brand in a way that aligns with the intended positioning?

The AI Information Hierarchy

Understanding how large language models (LLMs) process and prioritize information is crucial for modern PR strategy. These systems don't treat all sources equally—they operate on a sophisticated hierarchy of trust and credibility. When Traditional SEO helped brands climb search rankings through keywords, backlinks, and metadata optimization, now GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on structuring content so it's usable and intelligible to LLMs. It's about optimizing for language generation, not just for visibility.

In other words, while at the bottom of this hierarchy sits obvious promotional content like marketing materials, and paid advertisements, and at the top is third-party editorial content from established, credible sources, what ends up mattering isn't how many times you've mentioned your brand, but how consistently and clearly it has been described across authoritative platforms, sources, and contexts.

This dynamic highlights the greater influence of independent news coverage compared to controlled corporate messaging. Company websites and official communications still provide foundational credibility and factual transparency, but earned media has reemerged as the leading force, reclaiming its central role after years of being overshadowed by the growth of social media.

As MuckRack showcased in their latest s study , more than 95% of links cited by AI are non-paid coverage. Citations fundamentally alter AI responses. When users ask AI queries implying recency, almost 50% of links cited are journalism. This pattern also changes when looking at objective versus subjective queries. Query types that are more centered on objective information tend to cite journalistic media most often, while subjective queries like advice or opinion-forming pieces cite other sources more frequently.

Interestingly, even AI models differ in their citation patterns. Claude cites Reuters 20x less frequently than Gemini does, and 50x less frequently than ChatGPT does, according to MuckRack's research.

PR: The Missing Link in AI Optimization

I believe Content Influence has now become the way.

Editorial coverage carries exponential weight because it provides the context and narrative depth that promotional material cannot. A well-placed feature story doesn't just mention your product, it explains why it matters, how it fits into industry trends, and what problems it solves.

The depth of context, compelling storytelling, and authentic narratives enable AI systems to deliver more nuanced and accurate insights about your company. These elements also act as a natural filter, aligning with AI’s inherent design to prioritize high-quality content over superficial or low-value information.

The earned nature of editorial coverage, requiring compelling stories and genuine narrative, is precisely why it signals credibility to AI systems. These barriers to entry create natural filters against low-quality content that AI systems are designed to resist.

AI as a New Stakeholder in PR Strategy

AI has now become a contextual influence in our PR campaigns and plans. Why? Because I can no longer envision a comprehensive PR strategy without understanding AI's perceptual infrastructure. The dimension of "how do I influence LLMs" has now entered our campaigns as a core consideration.

When narratively on the offensive, PR plans must now treat AI almost as another stakeholder. In defensive mode, such as during crisis situations, this carries even more incremental weight. A strategy that effectively occupies the hierarchy of AI influence is now essential for how reputation will shape the backbone of perception among our audiences.

The companies that build strategies around earning credibility across the expanded ecosystem of AI-trusted sources will find themselves with a significant competitive advantage.

In this new era, the old PR fundamentals haven't disappeared—they've been amplified.

Reputation as Brand Infrastructure

The rise of AI as an information intermediary has now fundamentally redefined reputation. It's no longer just (only) what people think it's become a data signal that machines use to determine whether your brand gets included in their responses at all. We need to be chosen for that answer.

When someone asks an AI for product recommendations or company information, we're now competing in a selection process where we cannot afford for the AI to lack confidence in explaining our offering with clarity and context. If it can't, we simply won't be included. This makes reputation a technical challenge dressed up in communication terms.

So redefining success requires treating reputation as brand infrastructure and developing reputation-forming strategies that align with GEO principles. This means:

• Ensuring clear, consistent representation across trusted sources — not just volume, but coherent messaging that builds patterns and recognition

• Using structured, natural language — eliminating PR jargon in favor of clear, conversational communication that AI systems can easily parse

• Diversifying editorial footprint — building presence across multiple credible sources rather than relying on a single publication type

• Aligning communication and marketing teams on GEO strategies — breaking down what a consistent brand articulation means

• Benchmarking AI models and tracking brand mentions — regularly monitoring what different AI systems actually say about your brand

• Understanding the timeline and qualitative implications of content influence — recognizing that today's editorial coverage shapes tomorrow's AI responses

The companies that thrive will be those that recognize this shift and commit to building authentic and centric credibility across the expanded ecosystem of sources that AI systems trust. In an AI-mediated world, you cannot (yetbuy visibility but you can earn intelligibility.