With nearly half of searches now ending without a click, rising to 77% on mobile, businesses can no longer bury their heads in the sand and hope that AI is “just a fad.” AI and LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT represent a permanent shift in the way people search for information.

This shift means that marketers need to continuously reevaluate their strategies to ensure clients are discoverable by AI engines. AI delivers results from credible sources that are already online, which means that some traditional methods of SEO are no longer going to stand up when it comes to maximising your visibility in this new era of search.

One of the most effective marketing techniques for increasing visibility in the AIOs and LLMs is digital PR. A successful digital PR strategy will help increase your brand visibility and position you as an authority in your space. These trust signals present you as a reliable source and as someone deserving of a place in search engines.

In this article, our Strategic Marketing Manager, Emily Knight, will explore the role of digital PR and explain how it can maximise your visibility and position you ahead of the competition.

How has SEO changed?

We all know that SEO has undergone some monumental changes over the years, but this may take the top spot. A few years ago, a typical SEO strategy would include optimising your commercial pages with relevant keywords, creating a handful of supporting articles, including internal links, and executing a link-building strategy to enhance your authority.

However, AI has changed the game:

1. The one-stop search, click, and purchase model is no more. AIOs and LLMs provide detailed information to specific queries and, as a result, people are doing more research before hitting that all-important ‘add to basket.’

To appear in those searches, top of the funnel (TOTF) marketing activity should be a priority. We can’t rinse and repeat the same traditional SEO strategy just because it has worked in the past. The focus should be on top of the funnel tactics, such as digital PR, that influence purchase decisions. For example, product PR can help position your products in the AIOs for popular searches like “best pillows for side sleepers.”

2. AI uses natural language processing (NLP) to contextualise human language, analysing tone and intent. This level of semantic precision was not possible a few years ago; therefore, marketers adopted a specific keyword approach. These new capabilities highlight the importance of building your brand presence through a combination of customer reviews, business news, and expert commentary, which AI can interpret and use to build a narrative around your brand.

What is digital PR?

Digital PR is a marketing strategy that boosts your brand visibility and enhances your SEO efforts. It blends traditional PR with expert insights and storytelling to secure coverage in industry-relevant publications, drive traffic to your website, and maximise your visibility in the search engines.

In the AI era, the role of digital PR is changing. With AIO and LLMs pulling their answers from various online sources, like Reddit, blogs, listicles, round-ups, and news articles, if you don’t take up space there, you won’t be discoverable in the search engines.

Digital PR overlaps with traditional SEO techniques, such as creating supporting content to boost the rankings of your commercial pages. Instead of expecting journalists to link back to commercial pages in our press releases, we create detailed informational content on the topic we have pitched. They can direct readers back to our website to delve deeper into a topic that we know is of interest to them – win, win!

Digital PR vs traditional PR

While traditional PR and digital PR have their place in a marketing strategy, there are some key differences in their approach. Traditional PR involves creating a press release focused on business news, such as award wins, new hires, or significant investments, that are considered newsworthy. The purpose of this activity is to boost brand awareness and credibility, and these placements usually land coverage in regional press outlets.

Digital PR is the modern-day equivalent of the practices mentioned above. This activity focuses on increasing online visibility and credibility through data-led stories and industry insights that land coverage in reputable national and industry-specific media outlets. This shift in approach allows you to diversify your backlink profile and position yourself as an authority in your industry. With EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, and trust) sitting at the forefront of AIO and SEO strategies, digital PR is the key to that success.

PR and AI – Why does it matter?

In the past, links were the goal – now, brand mentions take the front seat. AI relies on patterns it has seen before, so if your brand has mentions such as “best SEO provider” or “reputable digital PR service,” that’s how AI is going to start to speak about you. As with links, you should always aim for quality over quantity. If your brand appears in helpful guides, top-10 lists, and industry titles, with positive sentiment that generates shares, comments, and reactions, then AI will associate your brand with quality.

On the flip side, negative press or inconsistent messaging can have an adverse effect. AI doesn’t know whether a source is official or just a competitor bashing your brand; it just reflects the content it has seen most.

How to build an effective digital PR strategy?

Effective digital PR strategies are far more complex than writing a press release and pitching it to journalists. PR should be a considered approach that meets your business where it’s at and supports quarterly goals. If you are looking to drive traffic and enquiries to a certain area of your business, that should be the focus of your marketing activity. The following steps demonstrate how our connected approach to digital PR supports our clients:

Monitor the news agenda

Monitoring the news agenda daily is essential to ensure we don’t miss opportunities to secure coverage of trending topics. While it’s important to set time aside for traditional PR activities, such as promoting business news and exciting developments, the foundation of any digital PR strategy lies in reactive press opportunities and trending news. Being well-informed about the news agenda enables us to be the first to approach a journalist with a fresh angle, allowing our clients to provide an expert comment or unique perspective on a story.

Write newsworthy and optimised content

If you want to gain valuable brand mentions and links, you need to craft content that is newsworthy and relevant to your audience. That includes pre-planning and research into a specific subject matter to ensure the content you pitch is of interest to the journalist and their readers (bonus points if the headline and content are optimised to rank in the AIOs, as this shows you are considering the performance of the press release as well as your website).

Through experience, we know the best pitches anticipate seasonal themes and media conversations. This type of content is evergreen and will continue to attract links, shares, and traffic long after publication.For example, our client, Thomson EC, is an environmental consultancy based in the UK. The invasive species, Japanese knotweed, is a recognised problem for homeowners, and Thomson has expertise in its removal. We published a detailed blog post on the topic ‘Identifying and managing Japanese knotweed’ on their website, including FAQs, expert comments, and a strong call to action in preparation for media requests.

This post is the “gift that keeps on giving,” with coverage in 180 regional titles to date, all featuring brand mentions and backlinks to their website. There were notable results during the coverage period compared to the previous period, including a 53% increase in new users and a 160% increase in referral traffic.

Build journalist and collaborator connections

Building genuine relationships with journalists in your industry will help shape conversations around your brand. Offering journalists valuable, unique insights helps them trust you as a reputable source of information.

Journalists will always scramble for information when a story breaks, so being the first to approach them with an angle that excites them will not only guarantee you coverage but will position you front-of-mind when it comes to future opportunities. Over the years, we have built relationships with journalists across multiple sectors, including business, manufacturing, sustainability, home, lifestyle, parenting, ecommerce, and more.

Amplify content through other channels

Promoting media coverage through connected channels, such as social media, company newsletters, and blog posts, will maximise the reach of the content and drive significantly higher engagement, creating a buzz around your brand.

Studies show that 73% of retail customers use a multi-channel marketing approach during their purchase journey. Modern-day customers expect to see your brand visible across multiple marketing channels, interacting with you where they are most active online, whether that’s on social media or emails. Not only does this approach enhance visibility, but it also increases brand trust and credibility by presenting a consistent brand message, visuals, and tone across multiple channels, fostering familiarity.

Reporting focused on measurable objectives

Historically, agencies have reported on vanity metrics when it comes to digital PR, covering everything from mentions, domain authority, and backlink count. None of these metrics are considered business-critical and, frankly, mean nothing to a client who wants to see the impact of our marketing activity on their bottom line.

To demonstrate the value of our traditional and digital PR activity, we have pivoted from this outdated reporting model to include metrics such as the revenue secured from our PR work and traffic uplift to commercial and supporting content following the outreach period.

So, how is Fishtank positioned to help you with AIO and PR?

This is not the time to cut your marketing budget or ignore industry changes. Those who do not adapt to this new era of search will be left behind and will quickly see their rankings and visibility drop as competitors refine their strategies.

With in-house experts in all marketing disciplines from digital PR, SEO, social media, and paid advertising to creative design and development, we keep a close eye on industry developments and changing technologies.

Our close relationships with clients and our drive to see them succeed allow us to propose creative concepts that stand out and position them as leaders in their space.

As AI continues to evolve, we are committed to working alongside our clients to deliver progressive strategies, including marketing channels that deliver on their desired outcomes. With our team regularly attending industry events to enhance their knowledge and stay ahead of the competition, you can be confident in our ability to help your business thrive in this new era of search.

If you would like advice on how best to approach your marketing strategy, email our friendly team at digital@fishtankagency.com.

No Digital PR, No LLM Visibility: Here’s Why