Earned media is the new SEO, says Resolve Communications’ senior account director Lauren Cohen. 

In the age of generative AI, the role of public relations and strategic communications has changed, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for private sector actors – but it’s not just about bots. 

Most of us are using it increasingly in our daily lives in some form – whether it be to help draft a speech for a wedding, or to get some quick thoughts for a work document. Strategic communications teams are also responsibly using AI to enhance our capabilities and speed up basic tasks. 

As communicators, we understand the power of perception: strategic communications helps shape narratives, build trust and create meaningful connections. But in the past years, a new stakeholder has entered the room – artificial intelligence (AI) – and changed how companies, and entire sectors are perceived, from what people say, to what machines think.  

Strategic communications has always aimed to influence human audiences, from customers to shareholders, media to policymakers. But now, it must also influence machine audiences that are learning from media coverage. 

Traditional search engines previously used keywords and backlinks to find content, but AI-searches, such as Google’s Search Generative Experience, and ChatGPT now answers user queries by summarising information pulled from the web through the use of large language models. 

This means a company’s visibility depend less on Search Engine Optimisation, and more on whether you are consistently quoted in credible, well-structured content across high-authority platforms. It is important that communications specialists regularly assist clients with articles or thought leadership pieces that are authoritative and contextualise an issue. AI models favour these attributes when summarising complex topics, making strategic communications a uniquely powerful lever for visibility and influence in an AI-first search environment. 

AI models are trained on large volumes of online content, and much of that content includes digital news, blogs, and expert commentary. If you aren’t part of the public conversation, AI will pick up on that. And when a potential customer or stakeholder asks an AI assistant about your company, this patchwork of public information is woven into the response. 

In our new world, strategic communications becomes the foundation of machine-readable reputation.  

Credible earned media placements including thought leadership articles in respected publications and interviews with executives are not only trust signals for people, but for machines as well. These mentions boost your presence in the “training data” that large language models rely on. 

Reputation has always been a strategic asset. But in an AI-dominated media ecosystem, it’s now also quantifiable. AI systems assess the volume, consistency, and credibility of what’s being said about your brand. It is about a steady drumbeat of sustained visibility across all channels that creates aligned messaging and reinforces your position in the market. 

As AI continues to reshape how people find and evaluate information, communications teams should work closely with clients to ensure the messaging is aligned, content is discoverable, and the voice is consistent.  

Visibility is no longer just about showing up on the first page of Google, but about being part of the conversation that AI listens to and speaks from.