If PR was ever an optional extra – and I would argue the potential for crises means it wasn’t – that has all changed recently with the widespread use of AI and the growth of “conversational search”.

You will have noticed that when you carry out a Google search, more often than not it now provides an AI overview which answers your query.

Meanwhile, increasing numbers of people are bypassing Google search altogether and asking Chat GPT, Copilot or the various other generative AI engines to make recommendations or produce market overviews when they need to make a decision – whether that be buying a new washing machine or engaging an M&A adviser.

And where does AI get its information from? According to various studies, between 60 and 80 per cent of the weighting it gives to brands when deciding who to recommend is determined by online mentions in the “traditional” media.

The next most important factor is information and content on a brand’s own website. Social media comes in a distant third.

So, what does this mean for your brand?

• GEO – “generative engine optimisation” – is overtaking SEO as the cornerstone of digital marketing.

• If your brand isn’t featuring in the media then it will become increasingly invisible to customers.

• Even if you aren’t big enough to engage a PR agency, you need to reach out to publications to share your news and expertise, to gain visibility in the channels where the AI bots are feeding. You can find plenty of tips to help you do this in earlier blogs on this site, or get in touch if you would like to commission yours truly to provide an SME PR masterclass.

• The old argument against engaging with your industry’s trade press (“I’d just be talking to my competitors…”) never held much water (what about employer brand and visibility to potential investors etc?) Now it is entirely obsolete. If the AI bots trust a trade title and you can feature in it in a way that demonstrates your expertise, then you need to do it. It is usually possible to get multiple mentions in your own industry’s trade titles for the same amount of effort expended to feature once in directly customer-facing media. In the age of AI search it makes sense to focus your resources on maximising coverage in any reputable, trusted publications.

The question now isn’t whether you can afford to engage in media relations, but whether you can afford not to.

* The image at the top of this page was generated by AI (naturally!). The rest of the article wasn’t!