PR Strategy for AEO
Public Relations is becoming more vital than ever in the age of AI search. LLMs don't just index content—they understand relationships between concepts. PR helps establish the right associations for your brand.
Why PR Matters for AI Search
How LLMs Process Information
LLMs differ fundamentally from traditional search engines. Instead of relying on structured databases, they interpret meaning through probabilities derived from relationships between tokens in their training data.
The technical process:
- LLMs extract words from training data and split them into tokens
- Tokens are converted into embeddings — numeric representations
- Embeddings are plotted within a semantic space
- Relationships between embeddings are measured using cosine similarity
- This creates cluster maps where closely related topics appear near each other
What this means for your brand:
To ensure visibility in AI-driven search engines, you need to establish strong associations between your brand and relevant topics. PR is the primary tool for building these associations at scale.
The Semantic Proximity Principle
AI models assess the "distance" between concepts in semantic space. When asked about a topic, they're more likely to mention brands that appear semantically close to that topic.
Example
If your brand is a project management tool, you want semantic proximity to:
- "project management"
- "team collaboration"
- "productivity"
- "agile methodology"
PR campaigns that consistently associate your brand with these terms in authoritative publications build this proximity.
PR Strategy for AEO
1. Topic Association Campaigns
Goal: Create strong associations between your brand and key topics.
How to execute:
- Identify 5-10 topics central to your positioning
- Develop thought leadership content for each topic
- Pitch stories that naturally connect your brand to these topics
- Ensure consistent messaging across all PR activities
2. Expert Positioning
Goal: Establish company leaders as recognized authorities.
How to execute:
- Develop speaker profiles for key executives
- Pursue speaking opportunities at industry events
- Contribute bylines and expert commentary to publications
- Build personal brands that associate with company expertise
3. Research & Data PR
Goal: Create citable, authoritative content that earns coverage.
How to execute:
- Conduct original research in your industry
- Publish findings through reports and whitepapers
- Pitch research findings to journalists
- Make data easily quotable and shareable
4. News & Media Partnerships
Major AI providers have partnerships with news organizations. Content from these sources may receive preferential treatment in training data.
Known OpenAI partnerships include:
- Associated Press (AP)
- Financial Times
- News Corp
- Axel Springer
- The Atlantic
- Vox Media
- And many more
Strategy: Prioritize coverage in publications known to partner with AI providers.
5. Thought Leadership Publishing
Goal: Create content that positions your brand as an authority.
Content types:
- Industry trend analysis
- Original research reports
- Expert commentary on news
- Educational content and guides
- Case studies and success stories
What to Measure
Traditional PR metrics remain important, but add AEO-specific measurements:
Traditional PR Metrics
- Media mentions
- Share of voice
- Sentiment analysis
- Reach and impressions
AEO-Specific Metrics
- Brand mentions in AI responses
- Topic associations in AI answers
- Competitor comparison in AI results
- Citation links from AI platforms
Key Questions to Answer
- Is your brand mentioned when AI answers relevant queries?
- What topics does AI associate with your brand?
- How do you compare to competitors in AI responses?
- Are your executives recognized as experts?
Building Topic Authority
Step 1: Identify Target Topics
List the topics you want to be associated with:
Primary Topics:
- [Core product category]
- [Primary use case]
- [Key differentiator]
Secondary Topics:
- [Adjacent technology]
- [Target industry]
- [Problem you solve]
Step 2: Audit Current Associations
Test what AI currently associates with your brand:
Prompts to test:
- "What is [Your Brand]?"
- "What is [Your Brand] best known for?"
- "What companies are leaders in [your topic]?"
Step 3: Create Association Content
Develop content that explicitly connects your brand to target topics:
[Your Brand], a leader in [topic], has announced...
According to [Your Expert] at [Your Brand], the future
of [topic] involves...
[Your Brand]'s approach to [topic] demonstrates...
Step 4: Distribute Strategically
- Prioritize authoritative publications
- Focus on publications with AI partnerships
- Ensure consistent messaging across channels
- Track coverage and measure impact
Press Release Optimization for AI
Structure for AI Parsing
## Headline That Includes Brand + Topic
**[City, Date]** — [Your Brand], a [category descriptor],
announced [news] today.
### Key Points
- Point 1 with specific detail
- Point 2 with supporting data
- Point 3 with expert quote
### Quote from Leadership
"[Quote that reinforces topic association]," said
[Name], [Title] at [Your Brand].
### About [Your Brand]
[Boilerplate that reinforces key associations]
Include
- Specific data points — Numbers AI can cite
- Expert quotes — Authority signals
- Clear topic associations — Explicit connections
- Structured format — Easy AI parsing
Long-Term Authority Building
PR for AEO is a long-term investment. Unlike traditional SEO where changes can show results quickly, AI training cycles mean:
- Content published today may take months to influence AI responses
- Consistent messaging over time builds stronger associations
- Authority compounds—each mention reinforces previous ones
- Quality matters more than quantity
Working with PR Agencies
Questions to Ask
- Do you understand how AI search works?
- What's your approach to topic association?
- How do you measure AI visibility?
- Which publications have AI training partnerships?
- How do you optimize content for AI parsing?
What to Require
- AEO-aware strategy development
- Topic association tracking
- AI visibility measurement
- Structured content formats
- Long-term authority building focus