Public relations has become a key driver of AI visibility. Large language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini rely heavily on earned media coverage to decide which brands and experts to mention, and how to describe them. In this article, Chloe Hodson, PR Account Director at The Think Tank, explains how media relations influences AI visibility and outlines the steps PR teams need to take to adapt their approach.
PR’s job has always been managing reputations. Until now, that’s meant influencing credible third parties with the power to shape brand perception. However today, as well as journalists, analysts and other stakeholders, there’s a new aspect picking apart the coverage you earn: large language models (LLMs), which are capable of shaping your audience’s perceptions right from the outset.
For PR professionals, the situation raises important questions: What exactly is PR’s role in this ecosystem? How can it influence what AI says about your clients’ brands? And how should I adapt?
First impressions now happen inside an AI answer
Traditional online search still matters enormously, but increasingly, stakeholders form their first impression of your brand thanks to an AI answer.
That is, if AI platforms give them an impression at all. After all, it’s not a given that your brand will appear in an AI-generated citation. Being invisible to LLMs could have dire consequences.
Censuswide research found that more than half buyers form a negative opinion of a brand that doesn’t appear in AI responses, meaning that AI invisibility could actively damage perceptions of your brand before a human conversation has even started.
AI as a reputation engine
But how do LLMs decide what, if anything, to say about your brand?
In essence, they work as what we call a ‘reputation engine’. When asked about your category, they pull and synthesise from all across the web, weighing owned content, social signals, institutional sources and, heavily, earned media. They build an answer, decide who to mention, choose how to describe them and judge whether to trust them.
That synthesis is shaped by the same sources media relations has always worked hardest to influence. Crucially, trade publications, national press, industry bodies and high-authority titles are over-represented in AI citations. The work of earning credible third-party coverage is, in effect, a matter of feeding the model.
Why public relations earns a seat at the AI visibility table
AI visibility is built on several pillars. Technical foundations make your website readable to AI crawlers. Owned content tells AI what you say about yourself. Signal management keeps reviews, social and customer touchpoints joined up.
Then PR powers up brand awareness in the following ways:
- Third-party credibility from the sources AI trusts most. Media relations establishes a press footprint that informs the LLMs. In the case of B2B PR, this requires quality coverage in trade titles, broadsheets and industry publications. LLMs lean heavily on these when deciding who’s worth citing.
- Expert visibility. Bylines, commentary and quotes put your subject matter experts into the entity graph AI builds around your brand. Named experts carry weight and credibility. Their expertise becomes a recognisable signal.
- Narrative consistency. Press stories are uniquely placed to make sure the same narrative appears across dozens of credible outlets. Consistency reduces the risk of AI hallucinating or misrepresenting your brand.
What this means for PR teams
The principles of good media relations still apply. It’s just that the execution needs to shift to account for this new AI audience.
- Plan for coverage patterns, not just hits. Breadth and consistency across credible titles often does more for AI visibility than one big feature. LLMs look for patterns, not headlines.
- Brief for entities, not just messages. Names, roles, products, locations and context should appear explicitly and consistently in every piece. AI connects the dots between these entities.
- Lead with data and expertise. Proprietary research, original insight and named expert commentary deliver the strong authority that LLMs reward. PR teams should be commissioning and placing both, not just reacting to the news agenda.
PR’s role in the bigger picture
To recap, AI visibility is shaped by the technical health of a brand’s website and social channels, its owned content, managed signals, and earned credibility. Each of these factors contribute to the overall picture. When AI systems determine which brands, voices, and sources are credible enough to cite, PR’s unique role in building third-party validation, authority, and trust is often the signal weighted most heavily.
As AI’s reputation engine continuously scans, interprets and evaluates signals of trust and authority, PR is increasingly the force shaping what it hears, and who it chooses to recognise and cite.
