Chelsea, our account manager, recently attended a CIPR webinar on AI Search and press releases. The key takeaway was simple: PR pros must use AI for efficiency but never lose sight of human relationships and editorial judgement.
Whether we like it or not, AI use is rapidly growing across all sectors. Many organisational leads are looking at how it can be adopted – in the correct way – to ensure you and your company aren’t left behind.
Platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot are replacing traditional search engines, so your news needs to be optimised in a way that can be easily picked up and featured by these large language models (LLMs), placing you ahead of your competitors and building reputation.
The difference between SEO and AEO
Up until now, the main digital aim for a website was to have landing pages and press releases Search Engine Optimised (SEO), so you rank more highly for the services you offer when people search, ‘social housing in Birmingham’, for example.
Now these same websites and press releases must become the fuel of AI-driven answers and need to be optimised for LLMs to find you.
Interestingly, the most AI-viewed pages on a website are often the ‘About Us’ and ‘FAQ’ pages, which provide specific, easily digestible answers and information about your company that would be of interest to LLMs. This is where you need to be Answer Engine Optimised (AEO) – structuring your content with clear headlines, subheadings, structured data and questions so that it is easy to find and share by AI-powered search engines.
To maximise visibility, you should also strive to distribute your press release through trusted, authoritative channels. AI models are more likely to recognise and surface content from well‑structured, reputable sources. Securing coverage across multiple, high-authority sites reinforces the credibility of your company and improves its chances of being picked up and ranked by AI-driven platforms.
Are traditional PR approaches still important?
While AI tools are increasingly used and, when used right, can increase brand awareness and help you be more time efficient, the fundamentals of strong PR – credibility, relationships and clear communication – remain unchanged.
Journalists are wary of AI-generated content, especially when it lacks transparency, credible sources, or human oversight, and poor-quality or obviously AI-written press releases can damage both individual and agency reputations.
Our account manager, Chelsea, recently attended a CIPR webinar on ‘Rethinking Press Releases for the Age of AI Search’, and there was a resounding message that PR professionals need to balance the efficiencies of AI with the irreplaceable value of human relationships and editorial judgment.
Ways to balance AI with traditional PR
- Maintain Human Relationships:
AI can assist with distribution and targeting, but strong, trust-based relationships with journalists are still crucial. Personal outreach and understanding journalists’ needs remain key. Journalists still value meeting for a coffee or attending PR events to identify stories and build relationships.
- Prioritise Quality and Integrity:
Avoid relying solely on AI to generate press releases. Journalists can often spot AI-written content, which can harm your reputation and that of your clients.
Always review and edit AI-generated drafts to ensure accuracy, clarity and a human touch.
- Optimise for Humans and AI:
Structure press releases with clear, concise headlines and opening sentences that answer the “what” and “why” up front – this benefits both human readers and AI-driven search or summarisation tools.
Use bullet points, quotes and structured data (like FAQs) to make content easily digestible for both audiences.
- Protect Reputation:
Poor-quality or irrelevant content can lead to blacklisting or public criticism. Always consider the reputational risk before sending out a press release, especially if using AI tools.
- Use AI as a tool, not a replacement:
AI can help with research, targeting and summarisation, but should not replace human creativity, judgment, or relationship-building.
In summary, AI is transforming the way comms teams operate, offering powerful tools to boost efficiency and visibility. By adopting these technologies in the right way, you can stay ahead of the curve, strengthen your brand and ensure your content reaches the right audiences.
See Media is launching its Autumn series of masterclasses next week, starting with ‘AI – from newsrooms to neighbourhoods’.
Click here to register and hear more from our AI comms experts: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/381f306e-0bf5-4ece-bbac-4a99149bfcd2@d015cc8e-7d38-49bc-8f33-dacd0b101230
