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# AI Search follows the language of public relations
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/ai-search-follows-the-language-of-public-relations/
- Published: 2025-07-29T14:53:03.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-30T14:58:51.000Z
- Author: Jeffrey Davis
- Tags: PR, Digital, Insights, #wp-top-right-sponsored, #Import 2026-10-08 18:55

**By Jeffrey Davis, APR**

**For decades, we’ve watched SEO consultants game Google’s algorithms** with keyword stuffing, link farms and technical wizardry. The “best PR consultants near me” search could have delivered whoever mastered the latest SEO technique, not necessarily the best firms. Those days are ending, and it’s the best news the PR industry has received in years.

Old school search will seem quaint one day. Instead of typing a query into the Google search bar and sifting through pages of optimized websites, people are turning to ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI, Perplexity, Gemini and others. These large language models (LLMs) don’t serve up page after page of blue links—they provide customized and conversational responses based on the credible sources they’ve been trained on and can access.

**The Sources That Matter to AI**  
[A new report by Muck Rack, “What is AI Reading?”](https://generativepulse.ai/report/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) based on an analysis of more than a million links from artificial intelligence responses, found that “more than 95% of links cited by AI are from non-paid media” and “more than 89% of links cited by AI are earned media.”

“Marketing materials only make up about 2% of the results.”

AI prioritizes credible, published third-party sources over promotional content—exactly the earned media channels PR professionals excel at securing:

- **News Media & Publications:** Major newspapers, trade publications, industry magazines and credible online news sources form the backbone of AI training data, according to the Muck Rack research. “Paid/advertorial” sources rank last.
- **Wire Services:** Wire services like PR Newswire and Business Wire publish content that appears across the web and in news outlets. LLMs scroll their feeds, making them a legitimate pipeline for indexable, credible brand information. Credit to [**Lizzy Harris** of The Colab](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-comms-colab/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) for sharing this insight during a session with the national [PRConsultants Group](https://www.prconsultantsgroup.com/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com).
- **Awards and Recognition:** Harris also noted that LLMs place significant weight on awards and industry recognition. When your client wins “Best Fintech Startup,” “Best Workplace,” or “Integrated Campaign of the Year,” that’s gold for AI visibility. Not because of the trophy, but because awards signal authority, peer validation, and newsworthiness.
- **LinkedIn Articles (not posts):** While casual LinkedIn posts get overlooked, published LinkedIn articles are crawled by AI systems and treated as fact. This represents a massive opportunity for thought leadership content.
- **Reddit**: With multi-million dollar licensing deals now in place with Google and ChatGPT, Reddit’s content is officially part of the AI training system.

**The Credibility Premium**  
The digital gurus can chase algorithms and focus on tags, headings and keywords, but PR will continue working to build trust, secure validation, and elevate reputations. The companies that rise to the top in tomorrow’s search environment will be those with a visible, verifiable presence in places AI trusts.

While promotion-oriented marketing teams scramble to understand this new landscape, we’re already operating in it. Every PR strategy, pitch, media placement, award submission, and thought leadership article we’ve crafted over the years has been preparing for this moment.

*AI image via Microsoft Copilot*

[*Jeffrey Davis*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdavispr/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) *is regional editor for Capitol Communicator and head of* [*J. Davis Public Relations, LLC*](https://www.jdprsocial.com/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)*. He is the regional PR representative of the national* [*Public Relations Consultants Group*](https://www.prconsultantsgroup.com/team/jeff-davis-j-davis-public-relations-media-relations-in-baltimore-maryland/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) *(PRCG), a nationwide network of senior communications and marketing professionals representing diverse disciplines in every major U.S. market and beyond.*