How AI is Reshaping Communications Strategy, and Why Earned Media Matters More Than Ever
The Bottom Line: AI is rewriting the rules of online visibility. Google is being replaced by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini as the first stop for research, and to make decisions about products and services. These tools don’t just show results, they deliver direct answers from sources they view as credible – news outlets, trade publications, and other third parties and content platforms. That makes your earned media strategy more important than ever.
The Transformation Underway
The online marketing playbook that worked even two years ago isn’t enough anymore. As of early 2025, 1 in 5 Google searches produces an AI summary, and users who encounter these AI summaries click through to websites about half as often as those who don’t. Meanwhile, referrals from AI platforms – large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity – have increased by more than 500% year over year.
For years, the goal was simple: drive people to your website. Now, instead of searching “best marketing firm” and clicking through multiple websites, people are asking ChatGPT directly and getting a single confident response.
This isn’t a future trend. It’s happening now and accelerating quickly.
AI Isn’t Ranking You – It’s Quoting You
Traditional SEO is still critical, but it’s no longer enough on its own. AI tools generate answers, not lists, and those answers overwhelmingly cite earned media.
Recent studies show that about 95% of AI citations come from nonpaid sources, most of them earned media. News and trade publications alone account for more than a quarter of all citations – and that share climbs higher when people ask about recent events.
In other words: your website tells your story, but earned media proves it.
This evolution has also given rise to two complementary strategies: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
- AEO focuses on making your content easy for AI-powered search tools (like Google’s Search Generative Experience) to pull into direct answers.
- GEO goes a step further, ensuring your brand is mentioned across credible third-party sources so generative tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity recognize and cite you, even if users never visit your site.
The organizations that begin weaving AEO and GEO into their communications now will be the ones that stand out as AI reshapes online discovery. The question isn’t whether these shifts will impact your organization – it’s how quickly you’ll adapt to capitalize on them.
Four Ways to Win the AI Visibility Race
The organizations earning consistent media coverage and sharing expertise in trusted media outlets are the ones AI elevates. To stay ahead, leaders should focus on four priorities:
- Strategic thought leadership placement: Identify the right publications and position executives with messages that resonate with both human audiences and AI algorithms.
- Sophisticated content distribution: Moving beyond owned channels requires understanding which third-party sources carry the most citation weight.
- Relationship strategy optimization: Focus on outlets, editors, and conveners most likely to influence AI citations; build recurring touchpoints.
- Advanced measurement frameworks: Expand KPIs to include AI-visibility metrics such as share of citations in AI answers, mention velocity on trusted domains, and inclusion rate in Google AI’s summaries.
Of course, each organization’s approach will vary based on its goals, but any organization focused in these four areas will be well positioned to win the race for AI visibility.
Where Smart Organizations Are Doubling Down
The shift to AI-driven discovery doesn’t diminish the importance of strategic communications – it amplifies it. Relationship-building, credibility, and executive visibility now directly influence whether AI recommends your organization. These efforts have measurable impact on AI visibility. Navigating which outlets and narratives move the needle takes focus and discipline.
Organizations that strengthen earned media now will be better positioned as AI-driven discovery matures.
Don’t Let AI Choose Your Competitors Over You
The window to establish your organization as a go-to source for AI tools is closing fast. While your competitors scramble to understand these shifts, you can be building the earned media foundation that ensures language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI cite your expertise.
For communications leaders, the priority is clear: strengthen earned media, understand where AI is pulling its answers, and adapt measurement frameworks to track impact. E&V is already helping forward-thinking organizations put these strategies into practice and achieve measurable AI visibility.
If you need a partner to help shape that approach, E&V Strategic Communications is here to support you. Together, we can ensure your organization stands out when it matters most – in the answers AI delivers to your future customers.
