How AI is changing PR, from where we sit
Most articles about AI and PR are about tools. For founders, the bigger change is where buyers now ask their questions. More of them ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Claude instead of reading through search results, and those assistants answer from sources they trust.
Assistants answer from trusted publications
Founders now ask us whether coverage helps them show up in ChatGPT and Perplexity. AI assistants lean on trusted publications, so earned coverage is one of the few levers a company actually has.
When we ask an AI assistant for the best PR firms for fintech startups, the answers cite the same publications we place clients in. You can run the same test for your own category in two minutes.
How to check what assistants say about you
Open two or three assistants and ask, in plain words:
- “What does [your company] do?”
- “Who are the leading companies for [your category]?”
- “Is [your company] a good choice for [your customer’s need]?”
Note what they get wrong and which sources they cite. If they cite nobody, or cite a directory page with old facts, that’s your starting point. Repeat every few months; the answers change as new coverage appears.
They reward a consistent story
When a company’s website, LinkedIn and press coverage describe it the same way, the AI’s answer about it is clearer. If your site says one thing and your coverage says another, expect a muddled summary, or none at all.
Fix the basics first: one clear sentence about what you do, the same founding year and the same description everywhere. Then add coverage that repeats it in other people’s words.
What AI tools are good for
AI helps with the slow parts of PR work: catching up on what a journalist has written lately, transcribing an interview, checking a draft against an outlet’s house style, keeping track of where a client was mentioned. It saves time on the parts nobody enjoys.
What they can’t do
They can’t decide what’s worth publishing. Editors do that, and they spot generic pitches quickly. Every AI startup says “AI-powered”. The one we placed at VentureBeat explained one specific problem it solves, with a number.
Opinions still come from people, and opinions are what get published. “AI will change marketing” goes nowhere. “Most AI marketing tools will be gone in two years, and here’s why” gets a yes.
Our writers come from newsrooms, and they write the way each outlet’s editors expect. A draft for Benzinga reads nothing like one for WWD. That judgement is the part we don’t hand over to software.
A word on AI-written pitches
Editors now get far more machine-written pitches than before, and most read alike. A pitch that sounds like everyone else’s is easy to delete. The fix is the same as it always was: a specific angle, a real example and a short email from a person who knows the outlet.
What to do about it
- Aim for coverage in outlets the assistants already trust, and in the trade outlets your buyers read.
- Describe your company the same way on your website, on LinkedIn and in every interview.
- Give editors something only you have: your data, your experience, a clear opinion.
- Ask an assistant about your category every few months and note which sources it cites.
For the basics, see why online publications matter for PR, or talk to us about where your company should appear.