By Josie Smith & Ashleigh Shay
It started with something small: a passing mention in a trade magazine by a university program director who shared insights on innovations in online learning.
The article did not include any links to the school’s website, paid placements, or splashy ads. Most readers likely scrolled past without noticing, but when AI chatbots began scanning the web for reliable sources, that single mention took on new weight. Suddenly, the program looked more credible as the story resurfaced in AI-powered search results, giving the school valuable visibility without spending a dollar on advertising.
This example shows the growing power of earned media relations in the age of AI. Editorial coverage secured by PR professionals isn’t just a signal of credibility to people anymore; it’s also a signal to machines, shaping how AI interprets and ranks brands. In a digital landscape crowded with sponsored content, earned PR is more influential than ever.
What Earned PR Really Means
Earned PR is media coverage a brand or individual receives because of their expertise, story, or contribution, not generated due to a paid placement. It is third-party validation. Journalists, editors, and industry publications recognize the value of sharing this news and choose to highlight it.
In my experience, the most impactful earned coverage comes from connecting the right story with the right reporter at the right time. Whether it is newsjacking with an expert on a trending topic like the rise of AI in higher education or offering exclusive data and insights, the coverage can have ripple effects beyond the initial story.
The key is authenticity. When a trusted source shares your story, it carries weight that paid advertising cannot replicate. Over time, these mentions accumulate, creating a digital footprint that AI and search engines increasingly recognize and reference.
How to Get Earned PR
Securing earned PR requires strategy, persistence, and a clear understanding of your audience. It begins with identifying the stories that matter most and why they will resonate with the right journalists or publications.
In practice, this might look like pitching a dermatologist client to a national lifestyle publication or online outlet to comment on a trending TikTok skincare hack or to debunk a popular skincare myth. Coverage like this positions the doctor and the practice as trusted experts while generating timely earned mentions that both people and AI recognize.
Consistency is key. By regularly sharing thought leadership and unique insights, your brand stays top of mind with reporters. Over time, these efforts build a digital footprint that AI can scan, helping your client rise in search results and reach a wider audience.
How Public Relations is Integral to AI
AI is reshaping how earned PR translates into visibility and authority. Chatbots and AI-powered search tools scan the web for credible sources, not just backlinks.
Earned media now holds weight in both human and machine evaluation. Paid advertising still has value, but the coverage PR professionals have been cultivating for decades is increasingly recognized by AI as a signal of authority. By combining traditional PR efforts with an understanding of how AI evaluates content, brands can amplify their reputation organically.
The Search Engine Dilemma
When a user enters a query in a search engine such as Google, the results are overwhelming. Sponsored results, map listings, featured snippets, “people also ask,” and sometimes AI-generated overviews appear.
Gone are the days when Google was a simple search engine delivering straightforward answers. Other search engines, like DuckDuckGo, limit some distractions, but nearly every platform is monetized in some way, often pushing paid placements first.
Enter AI chatbots. ChatGPT, CoPilot, Perplexity, and Claude are just a few examples.
As we get toward the end of 2025, there is no evidence of widely adopted in-platform monetization for AI chatbots. Paid tiers exist to customize usage, but in the purest sense, most of these platforms are ad-free. Users can now access answers without ads taking up half the page or additional features clouding the results.
Google, unsurprisingly, has been testing ads in AI Overviews. Based on personal testing, with regard to AI chatbots, according to ChatGPT “This platform doesn’t allow any kind of advertising, promotions, or paid placements in the conversation. Everything here is meant to be free-flowing and purely for information, guidance, or conversation.” For the time being, AI chatbots remain carte blanche.
What AI Means for PR Brand Mentions
Standard SEO practices are still the same, but AI has changed the way information is gathered online. Instead of only looking at links that point back to a brand’s website, AI also pays attention to unlinked mentions, times when a brand is named in a story without a hyperlink.
This is a major win for earned PR and media coverage.
For example, a spinal surgeon commented on a musician’s backflip-laden dance routine in a well-known magazine. The magazine mentioned the doctor and their practice but did not include a website link.
Source: ChatGPT
Before AI chatbots, this unlinked mention had little tangible SEO value. Today, AI recognizes the credibility of that mention, amplifying the brand’s authority and the doctor’s expertise. AI Chatbots scan the web to create holistic digital profiles of brands like never before.
Source: ahrefs
The Revenge of Earned PR
In a LinkedIn post, PR Pro Carly Martinetti highlighted a MuckRack study and described the “revenge of earned PR.” She wrote:
“Brands have spent the last decade buying their way into ‘earned-looking’ content, including native advertising, sponsored posts, and advertorials pretending to be editorial. Then AI came along and said, ‘Yeah, we are not citing any of that.’
Meanwhile, outlets that have never sold out their editorial integrity, such as Reuters, AP, and the Financial Times, are the ones AI trusts.
One more striking stat from the report: 96% of what AI cites falls squarely in PR territory, not marketing or advertising.”
What once felt like an uphill battle against paid placements has shifted. Right now, AI tends to prioritize the earned placements PR professionals have been building for years. Rumors, however, are swirling that Google based AI overviews and AI mode, will be monetized soon.
Earned PR and AI Moving Forward
While no one can predict what the future will hold, it’s refreshing to see tried-and-true earned PR take on new relevance.
As marketers, branding and PR professionals, we continue to adapt with the changing media and digital landscape. Though in this case, after over 30 years in the business, we’re definitely at an advantage.
Looking to expand your brand’s digital footprint? That’s where we come in.