stop and read this. google i/o just changed pr. i’ve never said this louder.
Sundar Pichai‘s keynote (which i watched twice and transcribed) sent a clear signal: generative ai will rewrite how brand visibility, media, and public trust are shaped.
if you’re in pr, or rely on it, here’s what you need to know:
🧠 your pr playbook is already outdated
generative search is here – google’s ai overviews now surface content differently. press releases, thought leadership, and brand mentions need to be ai-optimized to even show up. this is not about traditional seo. this is about being indexed, interpreted, and promoted by ai.
ai tools are changing the workflow – from faster content creation to smarter segmentation and real-time crisis alerts, ai can now handle a lot of tactical execution. but trust, strategy, and earned media relationships still require a human brain.
media relationships matter more than ever – ai favors trusted sources and original reporting. if you’re not actively building media relationships and showing up in earned coverage, your brand becomes invisible in the ai layer of the web.
🔍 what’s now critical to brand visibility
trade media – ai favors authority. niche industry outlets carry more weight in generative search than ever before. being quoted in trade press is now a top-tier visibility driver.
press releases – structured and scannable content helps ai understand your brand. releases are no longer just for journalists—they are source material for ai itself.
owned content – blogs, resources, and whitepapers now act as training material. the richer and more consistent your content, the more ai understands and recalls your brand.
social content – ai tracks what people engage with. if you’re showing up in conversations, reactions, and thought leadership on social, you’re reinforcing your brand’s topical authority and real-time relevance.
💡 what this means for cmos and ceos
pr is your brand’s engine across search, social, and dark social.
your agency or in-house team must be able to optimize for generative ai, craft strategic narratives, and protect brand trust.
if you’re measuring pr by impressions, you have to switch immediately and look at compounding visibility ai is creating.
⚙️ what we’re doing right now
-updating every client strategy to include ai visibility scoring
-rebuilding how we pitch, publish, and position stories for generative surfaces
-training our teams and our clients on the new pr tech stack
-bridging earned media with content and search more intentionally
want to know how i’m adapting for ai search and visibility? send me a dm, happy to share more. (also, share this with anyone you know who works in pr.)