My weekly digest of five AI+PR data points.
1. Muck Rack analyzed over one million AI prompts and found 85.5% of AI citations come from earned media sources.
PR has a real opportunity to make a difference here. AI systems learn from earned visibility and PR has long had a hand in that. Now, press coverage + analyst mentions + third-party citations + Wikipedia + LinkedIn have become the raw material that determines whether an AI will recommend your client. 🔗 LLM SEO: Why Earned Media Beats On-Page Optimization — AuthorityTech
2. ChatGPT is now the fifth-most-visited website in the world. 69% of all Google searches end without a click.
When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question, an AI searches the open web and synthesizes an answer. That’s where the search begins and ends. The reply presents what’s perceived to be a summary of reality, short-stopping the traditional path.
3. Distributing content across multiple outlets can increase AI citations by up to 325% compared to publishing only on your own site.
Each earned placement adds to the citation footprint AI systems draw from. Bottom line, an always-on earned media program isn’t just good PR practice. It has become infrastructure. 🔗 The Citation Economy — Stacker
4. Don’t ignore Substacks.
79% of major news publishers like the BBC, the New York Times, and The Guardian now block AI training bots according to Position Digital. As tier-one outlets increasingly wall themselves off from AI crawlers, open platforms like Substack become more accessible to LLMs by default. Substack is free, open, and indexed. That makes newsletter writers — particularly those with engaged, niche audiences — pitch targets and AI visibility amplifiers. It’s worth taking the time to identify the right newsletters, build relationships with writers, and reach high-intent readers. While they don’t carry the same weight as a tier-one outlet, Substacks do matter. 🔗 How to Turn Substack Into Your Earned Media Advantage in the AI Age — PR Daily
5. Use Perplexity to establish who you’re pitching and whether your angle is fresh. Use ChatGPT to sharpen the pitch.
The difference is built-in. ChatGPT is a general-purpose assistant where search is secondary. Use Perplexity to establish who you’re pitching and whether your angle is fresh. Use ChatGPT to sharpen the pitch. Start with what’s true, then make it compelling. 🔗 Perplexity vs. ChatGPT — Zapier 🔗 See the custom chart below for more specifics.
Feel free to share! For PR advice and guidance during this time of transformation, don’t hesitate to reach out: Ruth@sarfatycomms.com