Me and David were having a conversation on what moves the needle the most in a chatbot based post AI world? An interface where users are interacting with LLMs, conversing with them.
Our official meeting had concluded when David made a statement. “I think PR, especially 3rd party media houses talking about you, would be the single most important element when it comes to visibility in AI”.
He didn’t have his camera on, but I had mine. I was smiling end to end thinking to myself. “That is exactly what I feel”. We concluded our call shortly.
Demand Generation. Demand Capture.
GEO/AEO/SEO/AIO whatever you call it, is a demand capture strategy.
In this route of capturing demand,
- Either someone knows about you.
- Or the prospect does not know about you. You have to stand out in the category when searched.
In the first route, when the prospect already knows about you, there’s less competition. Prospects are already searching about you. With your business/brand name. Having your citations accurate helps in this route.
But for the route 2, where you need to stand out in the category search terms? (e.g. best “your business category” in “location name”). In such situations search engines need to find out from publicly available information; ‘what is the answer it needs to generate ensuring searchers queries are met just enough; so that they continue chatting more‘.
The LLMs and/or modern search engines act as a person, with whom you are talking to. Over a period of time, that person knows quite a lot about you. When a user searches, the LLMs (a.k.a personified as a super intelligent human) searches through a huge database of previously collected information + real time information to provide the best answer.
The more credible the answers provided, the more trust the human (a.k.a. the user) has on that LLM. The virtuous cycle continuous as the user becomes stickier towards the super intelligent human, i.e. the LLM.
Think of this, all you need to do, is to ensure the super intelligent LLM should be knowing about your business in and out. It should have all the information, as if the super intelligent machine can take the role of your CEO and sell. It can take the role of your concierge and walk you across the property (virtual tour). It can take the role of your marketing manager and walk you through the product, end to end.
The more holistic information LLMs have in their database about your business, the easier you are making it for them to remember you. When the user asks, LLMs easily recommend you, since you have been feeding it constantly. With great information. Positioning your business/brand as a credible entity.
Look at the last paragraphs bolded words.
Go into any business and ask which department can do this task? Of ensuring people knowing about our business?
The unanimous answer would be the PR department. The ones who handle public relations.
How do people, the audience and/or users perceive the business as? Friendly? trustworthy? Dubious? How does the world paint a photograph of our business? If we are trying to create a brand with a persona, how is that image looking like? That’s pretty much one of the north stars of a PR department. Creating public perception.
Forget about digital marketing, AEO/SEO. Recollect the classes taught in MBA. As a PR practitioner whom do you need to work with? Newspapers, magazines, industry veterans. Anyone who has a voice and a say. If the leaders of the industry is talking about you in a good fashion, the overall perception towards your business/brand gets elevated. Wasn’t that one of the main tracks of the PR classes.
[Side note] What else what taught in your PR classes? I would love to know.
During our call David emphasised, “a holistic 360 public relations approach can really help hotels gain traction and visibility in AI. I’m just worried what can hotels which sit in far away places, hotels that are not resorts in a destination. What can they do in such a PR heavy world?”
When you have a great public perception for your business, it translates to a digital perception that LLMs are reading and storing in their database. Working on this one thing can move the needle the most.
Till next time.
Thanks
DB
19th May, 2026