What is Earned Visibility and Why Your Brand Needs an Earned Visibility Strategy

In short:

• How customers discover brands has fundamentally changed: The gold standard is no longer to be on page one, now it’s all about being included in the answer
  
• If you haven’t got an Earned Visibility strategy, you need one: Brands that aren’t consciously optimising their AI presence will lose it
  
• There are simple steps you can take: Getting started doesn’t take much. Check out our quick tips below.

Without wanting to sound overly dramatic, the world of brand discovery (how customers find suppliers and brands to buy from and engage with) has changed forever. Gone are the days where search rankings are the be-all and end-all, in AI world, which is today’s world, consumers are asking detailed, bespoke questions and looking to AI for the answer.

If you’re not in the answer, you’re not discoverable. 

Whether you’re in the answer or not, is what we call your ‘Earned Visibility’. 

So, what is Earned Visibility?

At its simplest, Earned Visibility is the art (and science) of making sure your brand is discoverable – not because you’ve paid for an ad, but because credible, independent sources are talking about you.

If you have low or no Earned Visibility, your potential future customers are not finding you. If your Earned Visibility is good, you are the brand that AI is including in the answer. If your Earned Visibility is great, you’re both the brand and the citation.

Why it matters

Search engines have always sought to present the best answers to a search query by calling on trusted sources and using complex algorithms to inform rankings. AI tools (including AI generated summaries on traditional search engines) are also doing this, but – and this is the key point – they decide who to recommend based on signals from across the internet and then present this in a condensed, simple answer, sometimes with only one brand mentioned.

Breaking it down

We’ve spent a lot of time behind the scenes grappling to understand this new world and identifying the factors that really matter when it comes to influencing Earned Visibility. We’ve distilled this into three core areas:

• Citations – AI and LLMs use trusted sources to find answers. What we used to call PR coverage has always been important, now these ‘citations’ are essential – and being included in the right publication delivers value over months and years
• Personalisation – The trick here is how well you’re talking to your specific audience’s needs. A generic marketing statement won’t cut the mustard. AI is looking for a specific answer to a very specific question, so you need to fully understand your customers and what they want 
• Consistency – This is not a one-and-done approach. The AI landscape is constantly evolving, and new models are launched seemingly every month. It’s fundamental that your Earned Visibility strategy evolves to keep up

Surely this is just SEO but with a new name?

Yes, but mostly no. It’s true that Earned Visibility and SEO share the same DNA. But then humans also share about half of their DNA with a banana. Same ballpark, very different game. 

SEO works by optimising for search engines, usually targeting specific keywords and technical performance so you show up higher in rankings. Earned Visibility goes a hell of a lot further. It’s about making sure you’re mentioned, cited, and recommended in credible places across the web and beyond – from respected publications and podcasts to social conversations and AI training datasets. Those references don’t just help with search rankings; they build authority, trust, and recognition that influence humans and algorithms alike.

OK, so what should I do about it? How can I improve my Earned Visibility?

There are some simple steps that you can take right now to start getting your head around your Earned Visibility:

1- Search for yourself 

Search like a real customer would. Hit up Chat GPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews or your preferred AI tool and ask a question your customer might. Are you cited in the answer? Remember, each person will likely get a nuanced answer so, if you really want to get this insight, you need to do this at scale. That being said, an initial search is a great place to start.

2 – Identify your key sources and make a plan

Where do you need to be featured? Particularly focus on high-trust publications that aren’t mentioning you. Hint: think about publications and titles you’d trust yourself. Then think about what you can offer.

3 – Get your messaging sorted

Sending mixed messages is a surefire way of ruining your Earned Visibility. The name of the game is to make you easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to trust. If you’re not talking about yourself – and what you do – consistently across all your touchpoints, now is the time to change that. 

4 – Get smart and keep abreast of the changing landscape

The world is changing. Fast. It’s important to keep up with evolving AI models, best practices, and practical insights. Choose a few trusted sources and spend time reading and learning. Commit to doing this on an ongoing basis. Hint: sign up to our newsletter here and follow us on socials – we can help.

5 – Get help

I know we’re bound to say this, but the reality is that you need to do this at scale. Truly improving your Earned Visibility requires understanding user behaviour across thousands of searches across multiple AI tools as well as a genuinely unique approach (backed by solid PR experience) to get you featured where you need to be and to get your site where it needs to be. We can help.

The hidden benefit: trust

As if you needed another incentive so started looking into your Earned Visibility! Well, we’ve got one. Earned Visibility isn’t just about helping AI’s find you and trust you. The same way of working also massively shifts the dial in terms of your audience’s perception and trust. 

Think about it. If you, as a consumer, see a brand mentioned in trusted sources across news, media, social, and more, you’re probably more likely to trust this brand. You’re certainly more likely to know about it. 

All the great work that you’re about to do to improve your Earned Visibility to help AI’s recommend you, will also be doing exactly the same for your customers. Anyone can pay for ads. Earned Visibility is so much more. 

For more information, or if you’d like a coffee or be one of the first to know about our upcoming events, then drop me a line: Dominic@yourssincerely.online