AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity draw heavily on third-party sources when summarising information about organisations. News outlets, industry publications and independent commentary are treated as stronger signals of credibility than your own website. (Plus – check out our extra tip at the end about AI summaries).
What media coverage signals
When AI answers questions about a company, it looks for patterns across trusted sources. Media coverage helps establish:
• Credibility through independent validation
• Authority by showing leadership in a sector
• Clarity about what the organisation does and why it matters
If those signals exist, AI is far more likely to present a company accurately and positively.
Four simple ways to strengthen visibility
Prioritise earned media
Coverage from respected outlets carries far more weight than brand-owned content. It’s a bit of an odd twist, but as people become more reliant on getting information from AI, it’s more important than ever for you to get media coverage!
Think differently about media
AI doesn’t weight media coverage based on the ‘value’ of the title – it doesn’t judge whether ABC has more credibility than the Daily Mail when it’s deciding what to put in your summary. So when you look at what media is ‘worth your while’, remember that the direct audience is only one consideration. AI is watching too!
Share insights and data
AI frequently references statistics and expert commentary. Organisations that contribute insights are more likely to be cited. Leading with a good data point is a good way to attract media attention in the first place, too, so a good data driven release is always a solid place to start.
Keep messaging consistent
Clear, consistent descriptions across media coverage help AI understand and summarise your business correctly.
As AI becomes a primary way people discover information online, media coverage is not just about reputation. It helps shape the answer people receive when they ask about your company.
BONUS TIP – WRITING FOR A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING IS SUMMARISED
People are using AI to find out about you, and they are also using AI to help get their information super quickly. You’ve seen it in social platforms and plenty of other places. Instead of reading the article, you can now just quickly scan the AI summary.
And that means your message has to stack up when AI turns it into one or two sentences.
Next time you write something for any of your channels, check whether it will survive AI summary. It’s easy to do – just ask your AI platform to show you what a summary produced by an AI assistant for decision makers would look like.
If you don’t like what you get, you need to adjust your original content.
Need help getting media right so AI can tell people what you want them to hear? Get in touch.
Kendi Burness-Cowan