PR's New Job: Get your Clients Into AI Search Results

Generative AI now pulls from named, trusted sources and often shows the links. ChatGPT, Gemini, and others don’t generate content and responses in a vacuum; they look to reputable reporting and trusted online sources. 

That shift toward deeper research and sourcing is speeding up. OpenAI has struck licensing deals with major publishers (Financial Times, News Corp, Axios). These agreements allow AI tools to quote and attribute media content within responses. TL;DR: If a credible outlet covers your news, quotes your executive as an expert, or reports on your brand, you’re more likely to be included when someone asks AI a question about your space. 

The New Distribution Reality

Distribution is also changing. Google’s AI Overview appears on a meaningful share of queries. When a summary answers the question, people click less. In that world, the sources the AI cites become the new “above the fold.” If your brand isn’t one of them, you risk becoming invisible. 

Five Ways to Win AI Citations

So, what can you do today to become included in the queries of tomorrow? 

• Win coverage where AI looks: Make a short list of outlets your category’s AI results tend to cite. Prioritize securing coverage in those outlets. 
• Publish clean facts on your site: Put a public facts page in your newsroom with plain, dated basics (what you do, team size, funding, customers) and keep those numbers consistent everywhere.
• Tighten your brand footprint: Ensure company and exec details match across Wikipedia, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, and any other critical social channels for your business. Consistency reduces ambiguity, which increases the likelihood AI will cite you.   
• Lead with real numbers: Replace vague lines with specifics (what changed, by how much, for whom, over what dates, and how you measured).
  
  
  • Vague: We have millions of users
  • Specific: 1.2M monthly active users (July 2025), +22% YoY; app analytics
• Measure your AI visibility: Do a few quick searches in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and PErplexity. Note which outlets get cited. Adjust pitch targets and content formats to align with what shows up.

The AI Citation Opportunity

PR has always been about building credibility. Now it also decides whether your story shows up in AI searches. It's never been more important for brands to earn coverage in authoritative places, keep their facts clean and consistent, and make themselves the easiest brand to verify and cite.

Ready for your brand to appear in AI-generated responses? Reach out.