PR has always played a vital role in shaping reputation, building trust and helping organisations tell their story. As you’d expect – we are big fans of it and believe in its impact! What’s changing is just how central the role of PR is becoming and the undeniable need for it to form part of the marketing mix.
The way people search for, discover and trust information is evolving quickly. We’re moving away from a world of scrolling through recommended sites to answer our questions towards one where we ask questions and expect clear, confident answers provided immediately to us – bringing together insight from different sources to provide a definitive answer. Increasingly, those answers are being generated by AI.
According to Gartner, this shift to AI-powered search will reshape how organisations are found. Rather than relying heavily on paid placements or organic rankings, these systems draw on a wide range of sources to form their responses. And importantly, they tend to favour credible, consistent and well-established information. In other words, they favour the kind of visibility PR has always been focused on building.
This is where things get interesting, because it means that the work PR does – securing coverage, shaping narratives, building relationships and reinforcing messages across trusted channels – is no longer just about reputation. It’s directly linked to whether and how organisations appear in the answers people are given. It places PR right at the heart of discoverability.
We’re also seeing the emergence of what’s being called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). It’s a natural evolution of SEO, but with a different emphasis. Instead of focusing purely on keywords and search engine rankings, it’s about ensuring your organisation is represented in the information that AI tools draw upon. That’s not something that can be solved through technical tweaks alone. It relies on having a clear, consistent story and ensuring that story is reflected across credible, third-party sources. Again, this is where PR comes into its own, alongside owned-channel use.
As the volume of content online continues to grow, people – and the sources they rely on – are placing greater importance on signals of credibility. Being referenced by respected publications, having a consistent narrative, and showing up in the right places all helps to build trust over time. For organisations, this is a positive shift; it puts the emphasis on substance rather than noise and consistency over quick wins – again, the essence of what PR is and does.
It also creates an opportunity to take a more blended approach to communications. PR, content, digital and brand don’t sit in separate lanes. They work best when they come together to build a clear and credible presence across multiple channels.
The organisations that embrace this early are likely to see the biggest benefit, not just in terms of visibility, but in how they are understood and trusted. It’s about recognising the value of something PR has always done well and applying it in a slightly different context. Building relationships. Creating consistent narratives. Earning credibility. Those fundamentals haven’t changed. What is changing though is how powerful and evermore important they’re becoming.
For brands thinking about how PR, content and digital can work together more effectively in an AI-shaped search landscape, now is the time to start asking the right questions. If that’s a conversation you’re starting to have, we’d love to talk.
