Gartner, the firm that advises Fortune 500 organizations on where to invest, predicts that public relations and earned media budgets will double by 2027. The reason is significant: artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed how buyers find information, evaluate companies, and make decisions.
The landscape just changed — and most PR firms don't know it yet
95% of all AI citations come from unpaid sources, with earned media alone accounting for 89%. That’s according to an analysis of more than 1 million links cited by AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude in Muck Rack's Generative Pulse report.
AI platforms largely ignored paid advertising, sponsored content, and owned media like blogs and social posts. Independent, credible, earned media is what AI cites. And the brands cited influence buyers.
Most companies are still investing heavily in SEO and paid media, thinking that's how they’ll win visibility.
They're playing the wrong game. The companies that figure this out first and invest in earned media now will have a significant and compounding advantage over competitors who wake up too late.
Axia’s been building digital advantage since the internet began
Axia has been ahead of the curve for 25 years. The internet’s emergence inspired our founder, Jason Mudd, to leave journalism. Our team has been building websites since 1994, delivering SEO and e-commerce services since 1998, and developing proprietary digital tools for decades.
We didn't pivot to digital PR when AI became a buzzword. We've been at the intersection of earned media and digital performance since the beginning. That foundation is why we understand generative engine optimization — the practice of earning independent, credible, third-party media coverage that AI platforms actually cite — better than virtually any firm of our size.
We call it Growth PR. It's PR built for visibility and measurable business outcomes — earned media that moves your brand into the conversations your buyers are already having online and with AI platforms.
Your competitors are winning visibility. Are you?
Most marketing leaders who come to Axia share a common frustration: They're invisible in the markets that matter. Major outlets quote their competitors. Their competitors show up in prospective buyers’ search results and AI-generated answers. Target audiences view those competitors as the go-to authorities in the category.
Meanwhile, that brand’s executives aren't featured in media coverage. AI and search platforms aren’t citing their brand.
And their PR firm — if they have one — is either a local shop flat-footed outside its metro area or a global holding company where their account is just a number buried in bureaucratic overhead.
That frustration is exactly what Axia was built to solve.
Jason knows that frustration firsthand as a client. He started his career by hiring PR firms. They’d grow quickly, win awards, and produce work that sounded impressive on paper. But the results rarely moved the needle. Worse, he often found himself directing the agency — pushing for focus, redirecting strategy, doing the thinking the firm should have been doing. He was the client seeking and paying for expertise that he was largely providing himself.
The most effective campaigns Jason produced during that period didn't involve an agency at all. They were his work. And when peers and colleagues saw those results, they asked for a referral to his PR firm. There was no firm. It was Jason.
That's when he knew: The traditional agency model is designed to benefit agency owners first, clients second, and agency employees last. So in 2002, he built a firm where client outcomes come first, the agency leads strategy rather than the client, and meaningful results — not awards, not activity, not hours billed — are the measure of success.
Growth PR for national ambitions
Axia works with mid-market and enterprise companies across the U.S. that need to compete and win on a national stage. This includes companies in financial services, insurance, home services, commercial construction, family entertainment centers, and franchising.
One of our first major clients operated more than 350 U.S. offices across 12 brands. We earned national media coverage for them for more than a dozen years. That kind of multimarket, multi-brand complexity is our sweet spot, and it's where most firms our size cannot compete.
We're a nimble team without the bureaucracy. No holding company overhead. No approval chains that slow everything down. No hourly billing surprises. Our clients get responsive, high-touch strategic counsel from a senior team that is genuinely invested in their outcomes.
Crisis ready — before you need it
Reputational threats don't announce themselves. A bad employee goes viral. A product recall surfaces. A competitor attacks your brand. A key executive stumbles publicly.
Companies that have been building proactive reputation and earned media coverage weather those moments with resilience. Companies that don't vaporize.
Axia builds your reputation proactively so that when a crisis comes — and it always does — you have an advocate already in your corner, a playbook already in place, and a foundation of credible third-party endorsements that speak for your brand before you ever have to defend it. We guide you through the storm and position you to emerge stronger.
What sets Axia apart
- Forbes named Axia one of America's Best PR Agencies.
- Gartner's research validates Axia’s approach: Earned media is the future of brand visibility, and we've been delivering it for 25 years.
- The World Communications Forum named Axia CEO Jason Mudd North America's Best PR Leader.
- Qwoted ranked David Triana, Axia's director of media relations, as the top media relations professional in the U.S. based on earned coverage generated.
- We have more than 150 documented, proven processes — from earned media coverage to crisis communication — that ensure consistent, professional delivery.
- Every program includes first-class onboarding with Axia's launch strategy, messaging framework, and SMARTER (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely, ethical, and recorded) plan (a $40,000 annual value), a structured success roadmap, and meaningful quick wins within 90 days.
- Clients rate Axia 4.95 out of 5 stars across 133 independent reviews.
- Our newsroom-trained copy editors ensure every piece of content meets the journalistic standards that earn media coverage and AI citations.
- We have no hidden fees for media databases, monitoring, or distribution.
For a complete list, visit “10 benefits you won’t find with other PR firms.”
Benefits you actually get as an Axia client
We build programs around a structured, proven framework from day one. Every engagement includes Axia's launch strategy, messaging framework, and SMARTER plan at no additional investment. Every quarter, your team receives dedicated strategy, messaging, ideation, and 360° feedback sessions — another $15,000 per quarter in included value.
Beyond the framework, we build long-term momentum through earned media, thought-leadership positioning, speaking-engagement strategy, award recognition, and online reputation management.
You're not hiring a vendor. You're gaining a strategic PR partner that operates as an extension of your marketing team — invested in your outcomes, accountable to your goals, and focused on moving the needle for your company.
Is Axia the right fit for you?
If you're a marketing leader at a U.S.-based company ready to compete for visibility, reputation, and authority, let’s talk.
Our average client invests $150,000 per year in our program. We also offer solutions for companies with smaller budgets. Either way, we'll listen, ask the right questions, and if it's a mutual fit, we’ll share three custom recommendations and corresponding investment options tailored to your specific situation. If we're not a good fit, we'd be glad to refer you to another provider who might be.
For more information on how we can elevate your PR strategy, book a one-on-one consultation.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
Topics: PR tips
Comment on This Article