PR isn’t dead. You’re just thinking about it wrong.

For a lot of B2B companies, public relations sits in a weird spot. It’s not ignored, but it’s definitely not at the top of the priority list. It comes as an afterthought. “Oh, we’re launching such and such product, we should probably do a press release.” But if you haven’t caught on yet, in the age of AI-powered search, PR isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a visibility driver.

To bring you up to speed.

This is where you’re probably wondering, “What’s changed? Doesn’t search work the way it used to?” To which I say, “Welcome. It doesn’t.”

Platforms like Google’s AI Overviews and tools like ChatGPT are designed to deliver direct responses rather than lists of links, which is already affecting consumer behavior. A growing share of searches now end without a click and users are getting answers without ever visiting a website.

Whether you call it AEO, GEO, AI search or something else, the shift is the same; visibility is no longer about ranking — it’s about being referenced. At the same time, AI-powered search usage is rapidly growing, with more than 60% of knowledge workers now using AI tools weekly for research and decision-making. It’s all about making your content visible, trusted and usable within AI-generated answers, not just search results.

What do these systems prioritize, you ask?

• Clear, structured responses
• Authority and credibility
• Consistent mentions across sources
• Recognized experts and entities

Because AI doesn’t just find information, it evaluates and synthesizes it.

So, where does PR come in?

Here’s the part most B2B teams miss. PR is one of the fastest ways to build the exact signals that drive visibility in AI search. At its best, PR goes far beyond press releases (PR does NOT stand for press release, FYI). It gets your experts quoted in trusted publications and places your perspective in real industry conversations, which builds third-party validation.

And this isn’t just theory — it’s already showing up in the data. Recent research from Muck Rack found 82% of sources cited in AI-generated answers come from earned media, with nearly all citations coming from non-paid sources. About a quarter come directly from journalistic outlets, reinforcing the role of PR in shaping what gets seen. AI also favors timeliness and authority, with the highest citation rates occurring within the first week of publication and a strong preference for high-quality, credible sources.

But PR alone isn’t enough. Without a solid strategy behind it, it falls flat. Thought leadership is the fuel for the fire. It transforms generic commentary into clear, ownable ideas and perspectives. This content is easy to quote and attribute, all of which AI loves. It’s not enough to say, “We’re excited about industry trends.” Instead, try, “The biggest shift in this category is X, most companies are getting it wrong because of Y, and here’s what to do instead.” That’s the kind of thinking that gets picked up by the media and cited in AI-generated answers.

Break it down for me.

At its simplest, the shift looks like this: thought leadership creates clear, ownable ideas, PR distributes and validates those ideas and AI platforms elevate the most credible perspectives as answers. But most B2B marketing still isn’t built that way. It’s built around products, features and campaigns, not perspectives, opinions or leadership. So PR becomes a stream of announcements instead of a platform for ideas. Big disconnect. Because AI isn’t looking for what you launched (it literally doesn’t care), it’s looking for what you know.

Top 5 ways to own PR for AI

If you’re just getting started, don’t overcomplicate it.

1. Define what you want to be known for. Pick two or three topics you want your brand to own.
2. Create strong points of view. Make them clear and opinionated. Something easy to quote.
3. Activate PR around those ideas. Again, it’s not just announcements. It’s about insights.
4. Train your SMEs and data to speak in answers. Short, direct, confident soundbites win.
5. Repeat across channels. Blog, post on LinkedIn, do speaking engagements. Consistency builds authority.

In a world where answers are chosen for your audience, the brands that win won’t just show up. They’ll be the ones worth quoting.