AI Search and the New Era of Direct Brand Storytelling
Companies are bypassing traditional PR to speak directly to customers, a trend accelerated by AI. Brands sharing content openly gain an edge as AI search prioritizes direct answers over links.
The Next Evolution of Going Direct
The trend of “going direct” in public relations has gained momentum in recent years. The concept is straightforward: companies, especially tech startups, bypass traditional PR and media to communicate their narratives directly. Founders, executives, and partners share content online and on social media, speaking straight to their customers without relying on third-party validation.
This shift has sparked debate in media and PR circles about the effectiveness of this approach and the continuing value of traditional PR. While the discussion is ongoing, the trend itself is undeniable—and now artificial intelligence is accelerating it.
How AI Is Changing the Game
A recent conversation with the CEO of Scrunch AI highlighted a new dimension to this trend. Scrunch AI focuses on AI search placement, helping brands ensure their content is crawled, analyzed, and summarized when chatbots answer questions related to their products or services. This approach resembles SEO but is emerging as its own category, sometimes called AIEO, LLMO, or GAIO.
AI search engines prioritize providing direct answers over linking to sources. This shift poses challenges for media outlets that rely on clicks, especially as AI-generated responses become more common. For brands, however, having their information summarized in AI responses is beneficial—even if users don’t visit their site directly. Exposure through AI summaries acts like a subtle form of advertising, increasing brand awareness and potentially driving engagement.
Media’s Response and the Growing Tension
Many media companies are pushing back against AI crawlers to protect their content and revenue. Strategies include configuring robots.txt files to block bots, implementing digital barriers, and demanding licensing fees from AI firms. Reports indicate that over 800,000 websites use aggressive protections to limit AI crawling, reflecting a clear conflict between media and brands in this new landscape.
This disconnect opens a door for brands to enhance their go-direct strategies with AI. AI search engines must still provide answers, and if quality journalism is blocked, brands willing to share content openly will gain an edge.
What Makes AI Search Different from SEO?
A key difference is the importance of citations over links in AI search algorithms. Brands that can seed consistent facts and mentions across multiple websites and platforms increase their chances of influencing AI-generated summaries. This can be done transparently, using blogs, podcasts, social media, and various domains to amplify the brand story.
This approach resembles tactics used by state actors to spread narratives, but for brands, it’s a legitimate content strategy. While humans can recognize marketing efforts, AI systems interpret the volume and consistency of citations as credible data, which can shape the information users receive.
How Media Can Adopt a Smarter Strategy
There is still a path to avoid a future dominated by corporate messaging. Media companies should move beyond blanket bans on AI crawlers. Instead, they can selectively expose content types like meta descriptions, older articles, or multimedia. This balance allows media to stay visible in AI search results while safeguarding their core assets.
More importantly, the market favors credible, independent journalism. Sites like PCMag and The Wirecutter gained popularity because consumers reject biased or promotional content. If AI answers start to feel like marketing brochures, users will seek alternatives with trustworthy perspectives.
AI models themselves are designed to incorporate diverse viewpoints and aim for accuracy. Maintaining access to independent reporting benefits everyone: consumers get reliable information, media outlets preserve influence, and AI platforms improve their credibility.
For PR and communications professionals, this means crafting content strategies that consider how AI search engines operate. Leveraging multiple channels and ensuring consistent, factual brand mentions can improve visibility in AI-driven environments.
To stay ahead, consider exploring AI-focused training and courses that help optimize content for this evolving landscape. Resources like Complete AI Training’s latest courses offer practical insights on AI in communications and marketing.
