Earned Media Is The New SEO, And AI Is Rewarding Authenticity

"Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini have completely rewritten the discovery playbook for many companies. For decades, Google prioritized keywords and backlinks. However, those are no longer cutting it. AI doesn't care how much you're spending on SEO. It cares about credibility. If your brand isn't being cited in organic coverage, you might not even be found at all."

"According to a recent Muck Rack study, over 95% of the links cited in AI responses come from non-paid sources, and 85% of those are earned media. And with the growing recency bias in the content AI platforms cite, brands that aren't earning ongoing coverage are quickly becoming irrelevant. Discovery now depends on credibility, so adapt or risk being undiscovered. That means redirecting time and budget away from old SEO tactics, like paid articles, and prioritizing the authentic coverage that AI-and real audiences-actually value."

"Earned media means organic mentions in reputable sources, including news articles, interviews, expert commentary, opinion pieces and industry research. AI trusts organic, third-party-validated content as a measure of relevance and authority. AI models build semantic clusters of brands, experts and ideas, and when you have multiple mentions across varied outlets, it strengthens these clusters. You can make yourself a trusted resource by providing journalists with useful insights."

Generative AI platforms have changed discovery by favoring credibility and organic citations rather than traditional keywords and backlinks. AI response links overwhelmingly derive from non-paid sources, with a large share coming from earned media, and AI shows recency bias so continual coverage matters. Brands lacking ongoing organic mentions risk becoming undiscovered. Earned media includes mentions in reputable outlets such as news articles, interviews, expert commentary, opinion pieces and industry research, which AI treats as third-party validation. Building relationships with journalists, supplying useful insights, and maintaining consistent engagement across varied outlets strengthens brand visibility within AI semantic clusters.

Read at Forbes