Your SMEs Are The Missing Link Between PR And AI Visibility

"Building earned-first campaigns that influence audiences & fuel growth. For years, I've worked with C-suites that struggle to grasp the true value of public relations. That's changing. Performance is hitting some hard times, opening a seat at the table we've been asking for: AI summaries are creating a click drought, social platforms keep users on-site, and privacy changes have threatened targeting. With all this, PR isn't a "nice to have"-it's the new (old?) way to fuel the credibility signals that machines and buyers actually trust."

"AI assistants and search summaries don't invent authority-they assemble it from reputable coverage, recognizable experts and clear, sourced explanations. When your clients' subject-matter experts (SMEs) are consistently quoted and their explanations are easy to lift and attribute, those references become the building blocks of what people (and models) see next. That's why modern PR deserves equal-or greater-budget share: It lowers acquisition costs by increasing confidence before a click ever happens."

"We put experts forward-through quotes in stories, conference panels and bylines. What's changed is how these experts reverberate through AI systems and influence what buyers see next. When a recognizable expert offers a clear, sourced explanation in a reputable outlet (and on a company's site), that explanation becomes building material for journalists and machines alike. With the right strategy, your SMEs become the missing link between earned coverage and AI-era visibility."

Performance advertising buys attention while public relations builds consensus and credibility. AI assistants and search summaries assemble authority from reputable coverage, recognizable experts and clear, sourced explanations. Consistently quoting subject-matter experts and providing easily attributable explanations makes those references the building blocks that shape what people and models see. Modern PR lowers acquisition costs by increasing buyer confidence before a click. Social platforms, AI summaries and privacy changes have reduced on-site clicks and challenged targeting, making earned credibility more valuable. Placing SME quotes in reputable outlets and on company sites creates citable material that journalists and AI systems reuse.

Read at Forbes