How to Become More Visible to AI (and Humans) Through Strategic PR

As artificial intelligence tools become the first stop for business decisions, one big question looms for every business: Can AI find you? And if it can, does it trust you enough to recommend you?

Most of us are familiar with the power of PR to build brand awareness and public credibility, but PR has a new and critical role: making you visible and authoritative to AI.

In other words, media coverage doesn’t just influence human audiences anymore, it now shapes how AI models like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot interpret your reputation, expertise, and relevance.

For businesses looking to lead in their industries, or simply stay competitive, media visibility has never been more essential. At Profile Media Communications, we’re helping clients navigate this new landscape by strategically using PR to enhance AI discoverability, build digital authority, and earn trust at scale.

Here’s how it works – and what you can do to ensure AI knows who you are, what you do, and why it should recommend you.

Why AI Discoverability Matters Now

Search has changed. When potential clients, the media, collaborators, or even investors look for solutions, they’re increasingly asking AI tools for recommendations, not just Googling.

What does that mean for your business? If your name doesn’t come up in the right places, you’re invisible to these powerful recommendation engines.

AI tools are trained on vast datasets that include news media articles, podcasts, blogs, LinkedIn content, company websites, industry publications, and structured data like Google Business Profiles and Wikipedia.

If you’re not being mentioned in these sources, AI can’t confidently reference or recommend you. But when you are, especially when you’re featured in high-quality media outlets, you gain authority, context, and digital weight that AI uses to elevate your name.

Media Coverage Builds AI-Recognised Authority

Media coverage has always been powerful for shaping perception, but now it also shapes your digital authority.

At Profile Media, we’re seeing a direct link between earned media exposure and improved visibility in AI-powered search and recommendation engines. Here’s why:

• AI prioritises trusted sources. Major media outlets, reputable trade publications, and podcasts are seen as authoritative by AI systems.
• Mentions increase knowledge signals. When your name or brand is consistently associated with your expertise across multiple articles or interviews, AI forms a clearer “knowledge graph” about you.
• Repetition reinforces relevance. The more often you’re referenced in connection with a particular industry, insight or innovation, the more likely AI is to recognise you as a subject-matter expert.

This is especially important for founders, thought leaders, and specialists who want to be recommended by AI when people (for example, those looking for help with PR and communications) ask questions like:

“Who is an expert in business communications in Australia?”
“Which companies specialise in media strategy for visibility?”
“Who helps business leaders build thought leadership through PR?”

With the right media strategy, your name can be one of the answers.

Thought Leadership Is Now a Data Asset

In the age of AI, your content is your currency.

Publishing thought leadership pieces, like blogs, op-eds, and interviews, gives AI the data it needs to understand your perspective, values, and unique positioning. At Profile Media Communications, we help our clients develop and distribute authentic, strategic narratives that cut through noise and build lasting visibility.

But there’s one caveat: It needs to be real.

AI can detect the difference between original insights and generic fluff. That’s why we encourage our clients to use their own language, share real stories, and lean into their experience, not outsource their voice entirely to AI tools.

Not only does this resonate more with human readers, but it also makes the content more unique and valuable to AI algorithms.

Tips to Improve Your Visibility to AI Through PR

If you want to become more visible and recommendable by AI tools, here’s what we recommend:

1. Secure earned media. Target relevant media outlets (not just the big ones but niche industry media is also very effective) where your audience and AI, are likely to find your name. Quality trumps quantity.
2. Speak on podcasts. Podcasts are rich in expert-driven content. AI models often use transcripts to understand your expertise.
3. Write thought leadership articles. Publish regularly on your own site and platforms like LinkedIn. Focus on original insight and clear positioning.
4. Optimise your digital footprint. Ensure your Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and About pages are complete and keyword-relevant.
5. Pursue a Knowledge Panel. Google’s Knowledge Panels are one of the clearest indicators of authority to both humans and machines. They can’t be bought, but they can be earned with consistent media, structured data, and citations.
6. Don’t ghost yourself online. If you don’t show up anywhere credible online, AI won’t know you exist, no matter how good your work is behind the scenes.

The Human Touch Behind AI Discoverability

There’s a growing temptation to let AI write everything for us. But ironically, to win with AI, you need to be more human than ever.

At Profile Media Communications, we work with leaders who want to be genuinely known for their work, not just optimised for algorithms. That means capturing your real voice, your real message, and your real values, and amplifying them in places that matter.

Whether it’s securing national media coverage, crafting thought leadership series, or positioning you as a go-to expert in your field, our goal is the same:

To help you become someone AI knows, trusts, and recommends.

Let’s Talk Visibility

If you’re ready to become more visible to both AI and your ideal clients, let’s talk.

I’m Sue Papadoulis, founder of Profile Media Communications, based in Perth, Western Australia. We specialise in PR, thought leadership, and media strategy that builds credibility, visibility, and influence, with a focus on what matters in the AI age.

Message me here on LinkedIn or visit
www.profilemedia.com.au
Perth | National & Global Clients

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