AI Visibility: How PR is gaining visibility in ChatGPT and similar platforms

From Reach to Credible Information Spaces

The strength of PR today no longer lies primarily in reaching as many people as possible directly. What matters most is creating a credible information environment in which companies can be clearly positioned with regard to their issues and stances. This requires up-to-date information, thematic relevance and a content history that can be traced over a longer period of time.

PR today shapes not only public perception; it also shapes the body of information from which AI systems derive their answers.

Which sources AI systems draw upon depends on the specific question and the system in question. Different types of information sources may be relevant:

• In a B2B context: specialist media, corporate content and LinkedIn 
• For product and user experience queries: YouTube, Reddit and other community platforms
• Depending on the search query: company websites, comparison portals, news media or other external sources

There are no rigid rules. The starting point for communication remains the individual: their questions and needs determine the topics on which companies should provide appropriate answers.

Information is good – trust is better

An AI system must not only be able to find information, but also to contextualise it: Who is behind a statement? In what context was it made? And is it supported by other credible sources?

To build a robust public image, simply presenting the company’s own view on its website is not enough. AI systems link information on organisations, topics, individuals, achievements and positions from various sources. A company’s website and its own social media channels form an important foundation. Media reports, interviews, specialist articles and studies complement this by offering different perspectives and demonstrating professional relevance.

Visibility is not created by individual pieces of content, but by a coherent overall picture across various credible sources.

This is where PR, SEO and GEO converge: 

• SEO ensures technical accessibility and the structural discoverability of content
• GEO ensures a clear, consistent information base that AI systems can categorise by topic and incorporate into their responses. 
• PR positions topics, generates public engagement and complements an organisation’s own communication with credible external perspectives. 

It is only through this interplay that a robust information environment emerges – one that is not only found, but also recognised as relevant and trustworthy.

PR shapes the public information landscape

What is new is not the principle of good communication, but the way in which its impact is conveyed: it increasingly reaches its target audience via a machine-mediated channel.

Those who actively and strategically help shape the public information space increase the likelihood of being accurately reflected in AI responses – and of achieving a lasting impact in the appropriate context.