AI Search Reshapes Earned Media as Brands Race for Algorithm Visibility

The rise of AI-powered search is fundamentally altering how brands achieve visibility, pushing public relations and marketing communications professionals to expand their definition of earned media beyond traditional journalist-driven coverage, according to a sponsored column published September 22, 2026, in USA Today by Stacy Stusynski, Chief Commercial Officer of Brandpoint.

Stusynski argues that the decades-old definition of earned media — coverage chosen independently by a journalist with no payment or guarantee — remains valid but is now only part of a larger picture. "Today, earned media means any third-party content that signals credibility and authority to audiences and to algorithms that decide what gets trusted, cited and recommended," she writes.

The piece cites data from Bain & Company indicating that approximately 70% of consumers now use AI-powered tools — including ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude — as part of their product research and decision-making. In what Stusynski describes as a "zero-click environment," consumers increasingly rely on large language models to surface answers directly rather than clicking through individual search results.

Unlike human readers, Stusynski contends, AI systems do not evaluate content through the traditional lens that separates branded from paid or earned content. Instead, she identifies five signals AI systems assess: authority, consistency, recency, credibility, and frequency. "AI systems assess whether the information appears on credible authoritative sources, if key messages are reinforced consistently across the web and whether signals across those sources indicate genuine expertise and trust," she writes.

The column also addresses how brand visibility metrics are evolving. PR success was historically measured by coverage, reach and traffic, but Stusynski argues AI introduces what she calls "visibility as a signal" — the idea that placement in credible publications shapes how an AI system responds to category-related queries even when no human clicks on the article.

Stusynski recommends that communicators let earned and editorial content work together, prioritize placements in outlets AI recognizes as credible, maintain consistent messaging across channels, and focus on frequency of appearance in trusted sources over time.

The article is labeled a sponsor story produced by Brandpoint and published on the USA Today platform. It promotes Brandpoint Optimize, a product the company says helps brands build AI visibility through content distribution, syndication and earned media support. As a sponsored piece, the claims and recommendations reflect Brandpoint's commercial perspective and have not been independently verified by USA Today's editorial staff.