Axia Public Relations

For years, organizations have invested in public relations to build awareness, credibility, and trust. Now there's another reason. Buyers increasingly ask generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for recommendations. To form those recommendations, the AI platforms pull from the type of content they trust most: earned media. Earned media is coverage that a journalist or editor chooses to publish because it's relevant and newsworthy. Research shows that about 99% of links AI cites come from unpaid editorial sources, while paid and sponsored content accounts for just 0.3%. That's why PR is becoming one of the strongest investments organizations can make for long-term visibility. The companies earning credible media coverage today are helping shape what AI knows about them tomorrow. 👉 https://lnkd.in/dgPmztRn

Jacksonville Business Journal reporter Carter Mudgett wrote a thoughtful business article on how AI is reshaping how companies build visibility. He shared my insights: AI platforms trust and cite earned media, not search engine optimization. A few numbers worth sharing: • Earned media drives 84% of all AI citations. • Owned media accounts for roughly 14%. • Gartner projects public relations and earned media budgets will double by 2027. We're living that shift firsthand. Q1 2026 at Axia Public Relations was our highest-revenue quarter in nearly 25 years, up 28% year over year. Thank you to Carter and Editor James Cannon at JBJ for the conversation and for educating business and marketing leaders. Full article linked below.

I made a comment to a business reporter, and his laugh said it all: "SEOs write a news release like it's a blog post." Every search engine optimization (SEO) pro wants to rebrand as a generative engine optimization (GEO) expert: same ambition, aimed at ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini instead of Google. Their pitch: GEO is just SEO 2.0. Wrong. Research shows that AI runs on earned media coverage. That's why SEO firms want to rebrand as public relations experts. They can't manufacture what media relations delivers: a newsworthy angle, a tight pitch, and reporters who trust you. A news release stuffed with SEO keywords isn't a news story. It's ad copy with a dateline. Journalists know the difference. So does AI. So does your audience. Pay to optimize a release, or earn the coverage AI trusts. Not the same investment or result. If your last release read like a blog post with a dateline, that's probably why it didn't get picked up. Would it earn you an interview, or just clog a reporter's inbox?

The leaders who struggle with AI aren't lacking intelligence. They're lacking guardrails and confidence. Ken Jacobs brings both perspective and practicality to this conversation with Jason Mudd. Link in the comments.

When was the last time you searched your own organization online? What shows up on the first page often shapes the impressions potential buyers, investors, and journalists form before they ever visit your website. News coverage, thought leadership, business profiles, reviews, and other online content all contribute to the story people see about your brand. Reputation management isn't just about what your organization says; it's also about what others find when they go looking. Read this insight 👉 https://lnkd.in/da27hxPt

Strategic communication in the AI era is already here. And we need to lead it well. In this episode of On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcast, we hear from Brenda Duran, director of external affairs at the Los Angeles County Justice, Care and Opportunities Department. She brings the perspective communicators need right now: • Community engagement • Authentic storytelling • Crisis leadership • Digital trust We talk about how AI can strengthen our work without replacing the human judgment that matters most. We also get into why trust takes time, why empathy still drives strong communication, and why strategic advisors need to stay grounded in ethics and cultural understanding. Brenda’s background as a journalist and public affairs leader makes this conversation especially valuable for anyone navigating high-stakes communication in a digital-first environment. If we want to stay effective, we need to become fluent in new tools while protecting the very things that make our work credible. If this topic matters to you, this episode is worth your time. Tune in. Explore the conversation. Share it with someone working in PR, communications, or marketing. Link in the comments. 👇

There's a reason more organizations are taking a closer look at AI visibility. The way people search is changing. Instead of scrolling through pages of results, they're increasingly asking AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for answers. Gartner, the firm that advises the Fortune 500, predicts public relations and earned media budgets will double by 2027 as AI continues to reshape search behavior. Why does this matter? Because AI relies on credible editorial coverage, not advertising, when generating answers. The companies earning consistent media coverage today are building visibility in the places people are increasingly turning to for information. The window to get ahead of competitors is open right now.

⭐️ Visibility gets attention. ⭐️ Trust keeps attention. ⭐️ Authority builds influence. ⭐️ Influence strengthens reputation. Thought leadership is not about constantly trying to stay visible. It’s about sharing perspectives people actually learn from, remember, and come back to over time. The brands and leaders that build the most credibility are usually the ones adding value to the conversation, not just noise.