Why PR and social media are more critical than ever in the age of AI-driven search
As AI transforms how consumers access information, marketing and communications professionals face a seismic shift in how visibility, credibility and influence are earned. Gone are the days when climbing to the top of a Google search results page was the cornerstone of digital marketing strategy. Today, with AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s Search Generative Experience shaping the discovery journey, brands must rethink how they show up online and who’s shaping the story.
One truth has become clear: owning your narrative through PR and social media is no longer a luxury. It’s a necessity.
The decline of traditional search as the default discovery channel
Recent data from the HubSpot x Masters in Marketing report underscores this shift. Consumers, especially younger demographics, are increasingly turning to social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit as their first stop for product discovery. Not only are people using these channels to find new brands, but they’re also purchasing directly through them and skipping traditional search altogether.
In tandem, influencer opinions – whether from creators or journalists – play a decisive role in shaping purchase intent. SEO rankings are no longer defining public trust. It’s earned in the credibility of a feature in a top tier publication, the endorsement of a trusted Substack writer or the relatability of a TikTok creator showing a product in action.
This all paints a simple picture: if your brand isn’t part of the earned and owned conversation, you’re invisible to a growing segment of the public.
How PR and social media feed the AI machines
AI-generated answers aren’t just based on keywords and structured data. They are increasingly shaped by content drawn from across the open web. This includes trusted media outlets, social media channels, blogs, podcasts and community platforms where real conversations are happening.
That means your brand’s visibility in earned media, thought leadership on LinkedIn and mentions in authentic online discussions all contribute to the digital footprint AI tools learn from. Whether it’s a product endorsement in a journalist’s review, a leadership quote in an industry round-up or a recommendation shared by users in niche forums, each signal helps shape how AI models understand and summarise your brand.
In other words, your PR coverage, social media activity and broader presence in public discourse are increasingly influencing how your brand shows up in AI-powered search and summarisation tools.
The algorithm isn’t just crawling your website, it is ingesting what people are saying about you everywhere else, from Forbes to r/SmallBusiness. It’s no longer just about being found – it’s about being found in the right context. And (hallelujah!) the holy grail of a backlink no longer wields the power it once did.
Journalists as influencers – and influencers as journalists
The line between earned media and influencer marketing is blurring. Many traditional journalists now operate hybrid roles – contributing to major publications while growing personal brands through newsletters, social accounts and podcasts. Conversely, top-tier influencers are breaking exclusive stories, reviewing products with journalistic rigour and commanding levels of trust once reserved for editorial.
This convergence makes it even more important to think holistically. A strong PR strategy today must include building relationships not just with editors and producers, but with creators and thought leaders across platforms. These are the people who influence both public opinion and AI perception.
The case for owned channels
Owned media – your blog, newsletter and social pages – is the only space where your message isn’t mediated or interpreted through another voice. It’s your direct pipeline to your target audiences. In an era where AI engines scrape the web to generate results, the more original, high-quality, and up-to-date content you publish, the more “data points” you create for AI to use.
A consistent content cadence also signals activity and relevance, both of which impact how algorithms, AI or otherwise, rank your brand. But more than rankings, it’s about context. Are you showing up as a niche expert? A trending product? A company with thought leadership? These impressions are built gradually, post by post, thread by thread.
Five strategic recommendations for the AI era
- Integrate PR, social and community platforms into a unified strategy. Don’t silo them. A media story should be amplified across Instagram and discussed in relevant subreddits. Your thought leadership should live on LinkedIn, your blog and in r/Marketing.
- Invest in influencer relationships and community credibility. From TikTok creators to Reddit superfans, these voices matter to both your target audiences and to the algorithms shaping what those audiences see.
- Make your owned content useful, discoverable and narrative-driven. How-to articles, founder stories, AMA recaps and customer testimonials are all valuable inputs for generative AI.
- Monitor how AI tools are summarising your brand. Regularly check how ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and others “describe” you when asked. If it’s inaccurate, that’s a good indication you need to build stronger content signals.
- Think of visibility as a network, not a funnel. Being mentioned across media outlets, respected influencers, active subreddits and your own channels builds an ecosystem of credibility that AI (and humans) rely on.
PR, social and community as the new SEO
AI-driven search doesn’t render SEO irrelevant, but it does reframe it. Traditional keyword strategies and technical optimisation still matter but they’re no longer sufficient on their own.
In a world where trust is earned through digital storytelling, peer discussion and surfaced by intelligent algorithms, the stories others tell about you and the ones you tell yourself, are what shape your visibility. PR, social media and community engagement aren’t just part of the marketing mix anymore – they are the marketing mix.
Brands that understand this shift and respond with integrated, content-forward, multi-platform strategies will be the ones shaping the AI answers of tomorrow.
