If AI Can’t Read Your Message, Your Message Doesn’t Exist

Ai Message blog post R2_Blog

By Kelly Indrieri  |   Posted on June 4, 2025

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It’s the end of discovery as we know it (and I feel fine.) 

For ages, marketing and PR teams have played the Google game—SEO this, backlink that, optimize everything and pray your message floats to the top. But with Google’s recent AI Mode roll out and tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini making waves, everything’s flipped. Your audience isn’t clicking through ten blue links anymore. They’re getting one direct, AI-crafted answer.

The playbook? It’s changed. Completely.

Discovery Isn’t the Challenge—Legibility Is

Try out Google’s AI Mode or Perplexity for something like “top enterprise data solutions.” You don’t get a list; you get a summary. And that summary? It’s built from whatever the AI can find about your business—plus what others are saying.

If your content isn’t machine-readable, or it isn’t validated by credible sources, AI skips it. Full stop. Your story’s basically invisible. This isn’t just about your blog or newsroom, either. It’s your media exposure, your influencer game, your PR strategy. AI search has officially redefined how buyers discover and evaluate. If you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind.

At Offleash, we’re guiding clients to focus not on traditional search optimization, but on AI visibility.

Map Your ‘AI Surface Area’ 

AI search wants reach and credibility across:

  • Top-tier tech media (think Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC, Fortune, TechCrunch, The Information, VentureBeat, Wall Street Journal)
  • Analyst blogs and newsletters (Forrester, Gartner, GigaOm)
  • Signal-rich Substacks (SemiAnalysis, Not Boring, Ben’s Bites)
  • Technical communities (GitHub, Hacker News, Reddit)
  • Expert opinion on social (LinkedIn, X, Bluesky)

If it’s credible and public, it’s in play.

Make Every Asset ‘Answer-Ready’ 

AI models love clear, snackable content: a strong quote, a solid stat, a TL;DR that nails your positioning. That means your materials need to be:

  • Skimmable (headlines, bullets, short sections)
  • Structured (FAQs, breakdowns, side-by-sides)
  • Clear and jargon-free (facts not fluff)

Control your message—but keep it straightforward. “Transforming the Future of Enterprise Storage”? That’s vague. “Why Top AI Teams Pick [Brand] for Fast Data Access”? Much more effective for discovery.

Create Content AI Wants to Quote 

We help clients build content ready to be scraped and summarized by LLMs. This isn’t SEO; it’s answer engine optimization. What stands out:

  • Bite-sized facts and stats
  • Named comparisons (“Your brand vs. Competitor brand”)
  • Analyst soundbites
  • References from trusted sources
  • Clear use case examples

Build Influence Where It Counts 

AI isn’t just scanning big-name publications. It’s crawling Reddit, LinkedIn, Substack, GitHub, YouTube, and more, so:

  • Get your execs featured in industry newsletters
  • Partner with respected thought leaders
  • Engage in developer and analyst communities on Reddit or LinkedIn
  • Ensure your brand is showing up in the places AI models learn from

If the models are there, you need to be, too.

Treat AI Search Like Media Coverage 

If you’re not measuring how your brand shows up in AI-generated answers, you’re missing the big picture. Start tracking:

  • Your share of AI responses vs. competitors
  • Which sources get quoted most
  • Branded vs. unbranded query visibility
  • Top-cited data or messages

This isn’t just another search metric—it’s now the backbone of reputation. Decision-making and even more trust is moving to AI. If your message isn’t present and clear, you’re out of the conversation. This transition is a challenge, but it’s also a huge opportunity. Brands that move now will define the next era. Those that don’t will be left out.

At Offleash, we’re helping clients adapt by: creating AI-readable content, redesigning PR and marketing strategy for trust and citation, building real influence, and tracking visibility across the new surface of the internet. The landscape’s changed—don’t get left behind. If AI can’t read your brand, it can’t recommend you. Let’s change that. Reach out to me at kelly@offleashpr.com to explore how Offleash can make your brand AI-visible.