Why PR (and earned media) matters in the AI search era

There has been a lot of talk of Google's demise amid the rise of AI tools. Apparently, we're no longer putting a few keywords into Google's mailbox-like search slot to receive an extensive list of websites - some relevant, some not, but we have to click through and battle pop-ups to find out. We're now writing long, open-ended questions into LLMs to get curated answers, all on one page (sometimes with reference links, but who clicks those?).

If that sounds familiar to you, then my first piece of advice would be to definitely click those reference links and ensure the LLM is not lying to you about the facts and figures. It is known to do that. But secondly, this switch to LLMs for all our search needs appears to be massively overblown.

According to data from consultancy firm Braunsberger Media, Google processes 13.7 billion searches daily. ChatGPT roughly 37.5 million "search-like" prompts daily. Google surpasses ChatGPT's entire daily volume of search-like prompts in less than 4 minutes. The author, Gloria Braunsberger, the company's SEO & Online Strategy consultant, writes: "Even if all ChatGPT usage were search-related (it isn't), Google would still process about 373 times more queries."

ChatGPT isn't the only LLM, of course, but it is currently winning the race for users. It now has 400 million weekly active users, with the next closest, Google's Gemini, lagging behind with just 350 million monthly active users. Not bad numbers but the article from Braunsberger goes on to say: "usage patterns differ dramatically between platforms. The average Google user performs about 135 searches monthly, while the average ChatGPT user has just 1.5 conversations per month."

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has long been a background consideration for PRs (often more than background). Afterall, it's a vital route for customers to find your organisation, and that well placed article in your favourite trade publication works wonders for website traffic. With the rise of LLMs, many PRs have been singing from the hilltops after it was revealed "that authoritative publications — including declining local news outlets and specialist trade journals — shape the results of chatbot queries about a given company far more powerfully than a social media campaign or Reddit thread could". That's from a highly cited article on Semafor.

But the importance companies place on not only appearing in but being positively referenced in LLM search results is surely overexaggerated given how comparatively few overall searches are being performed through the likes of ChatGPT? And if you nail that down even further to the number of LLM searches for "the best cookie shop in Sheffield", for example, you're getting into extremely niche territory.

So, are PRs overegging the AI-buoyed importance of earned media? It's conceivable, given earned media is central to their roles (and mine!), and maybe there is a kernel of truth given the rattling of the cage everyone who writes for a living has endured since the introduction of LLMs onto the main stage. However, the importance of earned media for brands and organisations is not tied solely to LLM search results, which do indeed benefit from effective public relations activity (more on that in a moment), but is as important as ever for reputation management and promotion.

Focussing on its importance for SEO in this article, being mentioned on reputable websites - even without a backlink - can still be of significant benefit. These unlinked references, or brand mentions, come from expert comment, successful press release sell-in, contributions to wider stories, etc, and they help Google (for example) recognise your business as a credible entity within its niche. They contribute to your topical authority and support the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) signals that Google values. Such mentions can help corroborate your business details and improve rankings, even if your site doesn't get that classic SEO backlink "boost".

Google, of course, also now uses AI overviews in its search results and these brand mentions have become even more valuable because of it. Gemini generates summary answers at the top of search results, pulling in information from across the web, including unlinked mentions from trusted sources. This means being cited in news articles or trade publications can increase your visibility in search - even if users don’t click through - helping to build awareness and trust. As Google continues to evolve toward AI-driven search (as seems likely), earning high-quality brand mentions should be a core part of any SEO and digital PR strategy.

As the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Semafor, Ben Smith, wrote: "The best way to get your client’s message into the output of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and the rest is by talking to journalists."

Want to read more about the use of AI in PR and copywriting? Read our previous blog: AI is a tool. Not a replacement.