The Public Relations Blog

Learn how a top public relations firm builds on-camera credibility, from local news segments to national TV, with a clear PR roadmap and tips.

If you work in corporate marketing, you’ve likely received an email that looks like an exclusive media opportunity. It promises national TV exposure, professional production, and access to millions of viewers. The catch: there’s a hefty fee.

It happens all the time. A company lands a feature story in The Wall Street Journal, and everyone celebrates: “Look at this result!”

But here’s the truth: That coverage isn’t a result. It’s an output.

Understanding this distinction is one of the biggest mindset shifts a company can make about public relations. It changes how you define success, how you invest in PR, and how you align communications with business growth.

AI-generated answers rely heavily on trusted sources. Muck Rack’s "What Is AI Reading?" study shows that more than 89% of links that leading AI systems cite come from earned media, and 27% of all citations come specifically from journalistic content.

Many readers assume these two categories are interchangeable. They aren’t.

This post explains the difference so PR and communications leaders can understand how each one supports AI visibility.

In this episode, Serena Ehrlich joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss how AI-powered search engines take data from press releases, and how they decide on what to show their users.

Tune in to learn more!

It’s one of the first questions many business leaders ask when exploring public relations. After all, in most areas of business, service providers give clear projections: accountants promise compliant filings, IT teams guarantee uptime, ad agencies guarantee placements. So why do those in PR — a powerful driver of reputation, trust, and influence — resist putting outcomes in writing?

How AI is shaping brand visibility through media coverage

AI is no longer just a technological buzzword. You’re using AI, whether you realize it or not, to shape your brand’s reputation. It’s now a central part of how companies shape their public image and manage their brand's reputation.

From the way people search for companies to how those companies are represented in search results, AI plays a growing role. As AI tools evolve, they’re pulling content from media sources to inform answers, fuel conversations, and even frame public perception across digital channels.

You need your brand to show up when artificial intelligence delivers the answers. As AI changes how people find information online, earned media has become more important than ever. When AI tools like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini pull data to generate responses, they often rely on trusted third-party sources like news articles, podcasts, and interviews.

That means your visibility now depends less on ads or owned content and more on how others talk about you. If you're not already prioritizing earned media, you're missing a key piece of the AI-driven discovery puzzle.

Imagine you're sitting in a busy newsroom filled with reporters racing against deadlines. You have a story pitch in mind that you believe is newsworthy. But how do you make sure this reporter, who is juggling multiple assignments, sees the value in what you're offering?

The answer lies in presenting a complete and engaging story. No reporter wants to take bits and pieces of an idea and turn it into something publishable on their own. They prefer receiving a pitch that's press-ready, packed with every element they need.

We asked ChatGPT directly how it uses earned media and news releases to shape its responses. Its answer reveals exactly why PR is now central to AI-powered discovery. If your brand isn’t showing up in trusted coverage, you’re invisible to the algorithms shaping today’s conversations.

Explore the full exchange and its implications for your PR strategy regarding AI relations.