Ask ChatGPT to recommend a PR agency, a skincare brand or a B2B software tool, and you will get a short list of names. A few brands make that list again and again. Most never appear at all.
That shortlist is quickly becoming the new first page of Google. People now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews the same questions they used to type into a search bar, and many of them never click past the answer. If your brand is not part of that answer, you are invisible at the exact moment someone is ready to choose.
At OnePitch, we have spent the last seven years getting brands published in news and business publications. Over the past year, the questions from our clients have changed. They no longer ask only “Can you get us featured?” They ask, “Can you get us mentioned when people ask AI?” This guide is our honest answer.
Why AI mentions some brands and not others
AI assistants do not pick brands at random. When they answer a question, they lean on what they have learned from the web and, more and more, on live search results. The brands they mention tend to have three things in common:
- They are written about by sources the AI trusts. Established news sites, industry publications and well-known review platforms carry far more weight than a company’s own claims.
- They are easy to understand. The AI can clearly tell what the brand does, who it serves and how it differs, because that information is consistent everywhere.
- They show up for the right questions. Their content answers the real questions customers ask, in plain language.
The good news is that all three can be built on purpose. Here is how.
Why press placements matter more than ever
For years, a press placement was mainly about credibility with people. A feature in a well-known publication told customers, investors and partners that your brand was worth taking seriously. That is still true, but placements now do a second job: they shape what AI says about you.
When ChatGPT, Gemini or Google’s AI Overviews answer a question, they rely heavily on content from established publications. News sites and respected industry outlets are exactly the kind of independent sources these tools treat as reliable. Your own website explains what you do. A placement in a trusted publication confirms it, and that confirmation is what makes an AI comfortable recommending you.
- Third-party proof. AI tools give more weight to what others say about you than to what you say about yourself.
- Lasting visibility. A published article keeps working for months or years, both in Google results and in AI answers.
- Better context. A well-written feature explains your expertise in clear language, which helps AI match your brand to the right questions.
- Stronger SEO. Coverage on high-authority sites builds the trust signals that help your own website rank.
In short, press placements have moved from “nice to have” to one of the most practical ways to be seen, both by people searching on Google and by the AI tools they increasingly ask instead.
8 ways to get your brand mentioned in ChatGPT and Google AI
1. Earn coverage in publications AI already trusts
This is the single biggest lever. When a respected publication writes about your company, that article becomes part of the material AI systems learn from and cite. One solid feature in a trusted business or news outlet can do more for your AI visibility than dozens of posts on your own site.
Focus on publications that are relevant to your industry and your audience, not just the biggest names. A feature in a respected trade publication often describes your expertise more precisely, and precision is exactly what helps an AI match you to the right question.
2. Make your brand easy to describe
AI tools build a picture of your company from many sources at once. If your website says one thing, your LinkedIn page says another and an old directory listing says something else, that picture gets blurry.
- Use one clear sentence that explains what you do and who you help, and repeat it across your website, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and directory listings.
- Keep your company name, location and contact details identical everywhere.
- Give your About page real substance: founders, history, services and the problems you solve.
3. Answer the questions your customers actually ask
AI assistants are answer machines. Pages that give direct, well-organised answers are much easier for them to use. Look at the questions your sales team hears every week and turn them into content.
- Start each section with a short, direct answer, then add the detail.
- Use clear headings that match how people phrase their questions.
- Add a short FAQ to key service pages.
4. Make sure AI crawlers can reach your website
Some websites block AI crawlers without realising it, often through a security plugin or an old robots.txt rule. If ChatGPT’s search crawler (OAI-SearchBot) or Perplexity’s crawler cannot read your pages, they cannot recommend you from them. Ask your developer to check your robots.txt file and firewall settings, and keep your most important pages fast and easy to load.
5. Do not ignore classic SEO, including Bing
AI search has not replaced traditional search. It is built on top of it. Google’s AI Overviews draw on Google’s own index, and ChatGPT’s search draws on web search results, with Bing among its sources. If your pages are not properly indexed, AI tools have little to work with.
- Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console.
- Do the same in Bing Webmaster Tools. Many businesses skip this step.
- Fix broken pages and make sure every important page can be indexed.
- Add structured data (schema) for your organisation, articles and FAQs.
6. Get included in lists, comparisons and roundups
When someone asks an AI for “the best” option in a category, it often draws on published roundups and comparison articles. Being named in “top agencies”, “best tools” or “leading providers” articles on respected third-party sites puts your brand right where those answers come from. These mentions work best when they appear on independent publications rather than on your own website.
7. Join the conversations AI reads: Reddit, Quora and forums
When people ask AI for recommendations, it often looks at real discussions, not just company websites. Reddit threads, Quora answers and industry forums show up again and again in the results AI tools search through.
The key is to take part like a real expert, not a salesperson. Answer questions in your field honestly, share what you have learned and mention your brand only where it genuinely helps. Communities spot promotional posts quickly, and spammy activity can do more harm than good.
8. Reverse-engineer the searches AI runs, then keep improving
Here is a simple trick that most brands miss. When an AI tool searches the web to answer a question, it usually runs several searches behind the scenes. You can ask it to show you what it did.
- Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity a question your customers would ask, such as “best PR agency for startups” or “how to get featured in top publications”.
- Then ask: “Which exact searches did you run to find this answer, and which sources did you use?”
- Run those same searches on Google yourself and look at the top 10 results.
- Note the list articles, forums and publications that appear. Those are the exact places where your brand needs to be mentioned, through coverage, outreach or genuine community participation.
Repeat this every month. Track whether your brand appears, what is said about you and which sources are cited, and you will always know where to focus next.
How OnePitch helps brands show up in AI answers
Most of the work above comes back to one thing: being covered by publications that both people and AI trust. That is what OnePitch does every day. We give agencies, founders and professionals access to more than 1,600 news and business publications, with clear, upfront pricing, so you can choose placements that match your industry and goals.
If you want your brand to be part of the answer, not missing from it, talk to the OnePitch team about a placement plan built for both search and AI.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to be mentioned in ChatGPT?
No. There is no way to buy a direct mention inside ChatGPT’s answers. What you can do is build the trusted coverage and clear online presence that AI systems rely on when they decide which brands to mention.
How long does it take to appear in AI answers?
It varies. AI tools that use live search can pick up new coverage within weeks once it is indexed. Changes in what an AI “knows” from its training data take longer. Consistent coverage over several months gives the best results.
What is AEO?
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It is the practice of making your brand and content easy for AI assistants and answer engines to find, understand and cite, alongside traditional SEO.
Do press releases help with AI visibility?
They can help a little, especially when they are picked up by real news sites. However, editorial features and mentions in respected publications usually carry much more weight than a press release on its own.