Hey there, and welcome back to AI on the Fly. I am Ryan Kelly, your host. Today, I’m going to be answering the question, why is digital PR important to being found in answer engines? Should it be part of my digital marketing program? Should it be part of my Search Everywhere Optimization campaign? I’m going to make a case for why it should be and why it’s valuable.
So, the TLDR, the too long didn’t read answer, is yes. Digital PR is critical to being found on answer engines. If you want to be found in AI Overviews on Google, if you want to come up in AI Mode on Google, if you want to be found in third-party answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini, digital PR matters.
Think about what digital PR is. SEO used to be all about writing content on your website, having blogs, adding good key phrases, talking about the same subject over and over in different ways, and trying to build a case to Google that you knew what you were talking about and that you’ve been doing it for a long time. It cared about the proximity of your phrases on a page. It cared about the saturation of phrases on a page. It cared about the domain authority of a page.
AI doesn’t care about some of those things. AI really only cares about whether or not you have the best answer to a question right now. It could be the first blog you’ve ever written. It could be the first article you’ve ever written. AI doesn’t just read words. It reads context. It reads authority.
So when you think about what digital PR is, digital PR is storytelling. It’s announcing something awesome or important, such as a new service you have to offer, a problem that you’re solving, a breakthrough in technology, a client you served with an amazing result, or a new geography that you’re targeting. Your digital PR is newsworthy information.
When you take that digital PR, which is a short message content-style document, usually around 300 to 500 words and written in a specific format, and you syndicate it out on a wire, you’re sending it to journalists, media outlets, and news agencies. You’re essentially sending that press release out to high-authority websites.
Similar to how SEO used to rely on backlinks to pull authority into your website, digital PR targets higher-authority websites and pulls those backlinks into your website. You want to earn links from high domain authority websites so AI can see that those authoritative sources recognize and validate your business.
Digital PR is about storytelling. It’s about syndicating content on a wire. It’s about getting backlinks from authoritative sources back to your website and your press release. Those backlinks act as fuel for AI systems when determining which sources to trust and cite.
You can also strengthen digital PR by adding supporting assets, like video. For example, you can write a strong press release and then create a short 30-second video that supports it. This gives AI multiple signals. It can read the press release, analyze the video, and interpret the transcript, which strengthens the overall authority and credibility of the content.
When you think about backlinks, consider the different sources that matter, including digital articles, podcasts, interviews, and media coverage. These are the types of placements you want your press release to reach, because they create authoritative mentions that reinforce credibility.
Google reads words. AI reads context. Digital PR connects those signals and strengthens your authority.
You should also write press releases using the EEAT framework: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These signals influence both Google and AI engines when evaluating credibility.
Another key advantage of digital PR is its long-term value. Blogs fade in value over time. Videos lose relevance as they age. Social media posts also fade unless consistently maintained. Digital PR, however, maintains its value longer because it lives on authoritative media sites and continues reinforcing credibility.
The bottom line is digital PR matters. It builds credibility, strengthens authority, and plays a major role in whether AI platforms cite and recommend your business.
If you found this helpful, subscribe to my channel. Like the video. If you have a question, reach out. I would love to answer it in a future episode. Until next time, buckle up.