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| Doug Simon |
Earned media is emerging as the most important tool in the PESO model for AI discoverability, according to a new study from D S Simon Media.
The “Earned Media in the AI Era” report found that four out of 10 respondents (44 percent) put earned media in top spot—12 percent higher than paid media. Following behind were owned at 19 percent and shared at five percent.
“AI is disrupting the traditional way we think about the PESO Model,” said D S Simon CEO Doug Simon. “Not only is earned media most important but optimizing your earned media to be found by the LLMs is critical.”
Nearly all (99 percent) of the survey’s respondents said it’s important to increase earned media campaigns for AI discoverability while 89 percent said earned media as important compared with every other PR and marketing tool.
Most of them are willing to pay for that increased level of importance. A majority (52 percent) say more than half of their AI discoverability budget goes toward earned media. “PR professionals are clearly recognizing the connection between earned media and AI discoverability,” says Simon.
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Agencies seem to be more confident about the power of earned media that brands are. The report found that 87 percent of agency respondents feel they have been successful optimizing earned media for AI discoverability, compared to 59 percent for brands.
Getting teams on the same page and lack of expertise are also significant barriers for both agencies and brands. “The research shows there is still work to be done,” says Simon. “Agencies and brands need to align on goals, measurement, and strategy. The organizations that figure this out will be better positioned to compete for attention in an AI-driven discovery environment.”
D S Simon Media’s study was conducted in August. A total of 168 responses were collected through SurveyMonkey from PR executives working at agencies or in-house for brands and nonprofits.
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