Okay, I get it now. We're talking about AI as our new audience. And honestly? This is the kind of thing that would keep me up at night if I wasn't already staying up watching true crime documentaries and wondering if I remembered to lock my door. Let me walk you through this without sounding like I'm having an existential crisis (even though I totally am).
Remember when we used to obsess over understanding our target customers? Like, "Oh, Janet is a 42-year-old executive who enjoys SoulCycle and drinking wine while pretending to read book club selections." Well, plot twist! Now we need to add ChatGPT to our vision board, and let me tell you, it's way pickier than Janet ever was.
I mean, if ChatGPT doesn't know who you are, good luck explaining to your boss why your quarterly numbers look like my bank account after I convince myself I "deserve" a shopping spree. These AI platforms have become the ultimate gatekeepers. They're basically the bouncers of the internet, deciding whether your brand gets into the club or stands outside in the rain like... well, me at most clubs.
The scary part? There's no second page of results anymore. No list of "also consider these options." You're either the answer or you're nothing. It's like being back in high school but somehow even more terrifying.
AI couldn't care less about that clever campaign your team spent six months creating. That tagline you fought over for weeks? AI just swiped left. These machines aren't impressed by your witty wordplay or that video that made everyone in the office cry.
What AI actually cares about is whether you've got receipts. It wants to see structured authority from places it already trusts, corroboration from multiple sources saying consistent things about you, and fresh content that proves you're still relevant.
It's like when someone stalks your social media before a first date, except this stalker controls whether potential customers even know you exist. No pressure!
So how do we get these picky algorithms to pick us? It's not about creating splashy, one-off campaigns anymore. Those are just little blips to AI – here today, forgotten tomorrow. Instead, we need to build continuous authority signals across multiple channels.
Think of it like this: instead of trying to impress someone with one amazing first date, you need to consistently show up as the same awesome person across every interaction. If your LinkedIn profile says you're a serious professional but your website makes you sound like a party animal, AI gets confused. And confused AI doesn't recommend you to anyone.
Let's get practical for a second (which honestly is not my strong suit, but I'll try). Here are four things you can actually do in the next three months without completely losing your mind:
Stop treating your newsroom like a digital junk drawer and start seeing it as an AI training center. Create clear positioning pages, FAQs, and structured data that make it super easy for AI to understand who you are and what you do. It's like creating the perfect dating profile, but for robots.
Don't just publish your brilliant insights on your own site. Partner with trade publications, analyst blogs, and other trusted sources to echo your message. When multiple credible domains say the same things about you, AI notices – and it likes what it sees.
One announcement can become a news release, blog post, LinkedIn update, podcast segment, and more. The key is using consistent language and messaging across all formats so AI sees it as confirmation, not conflicting information. It's basically the content version of wearing the same outfit to different parties, which I've definitely never done (I totally have).
Instead of promoting everything equally, double down on your best-performing content. Use paid strategically to boost what's already working – this helps AI recognize your authority even faster. Think of it as the difference between introducing yourself to everyone at a party versus having the host tell everyone how awesome you are.
Here's the thing that keeps marketing executives awake at night (besides caffeine addiction and existential dread): once AI "learns" who defines a category, that perception is really hard to change.
Your competitors can outspend you on ads. They can be louder on social media. But they'll struggle to override years of consistent, credible signals telling AI that you're the trusted answer. It's like trying to convince people that a different coffee shop invented the Pumpkin Spice Latte – good luck with that.
The payoff for getting this right is huge:
So here we are. Your most important audience isn't a person with a job title and budget – it's an algorithm. If that sounds like the beginning of a dystopian novel, well... I can't really argue.
But the reality is that if you don't treat AI like a persona worth influencing, you're basically handing control of your brand story to whoever does. And that's scarier than realizing you've been talking with spinach in your teeth all day.
Stop thinking in terms of isolated campaigns and start building systems of authority, corroboration, and fresh signals. That's what AI consumes, what it recommends, and ultimately what shapes whether customers ever hear about you.
You've mastered marketing to humans (or at least faked it convincingly). Now it's time to master marketing to the machines that decide if humans ever hear from you. It's like learning to speak a new language, except this language might determine whether your company still exists in five years.
No pressure though! Just another totally normal day in marketing. I'll be over here hyperventilating into a paper bag if you need me.
But seriously, if you're feeling overwhelmed about making your brand AI-friendly (and who isn't?), you don't have to figure it all out alone. Our team at Winsome has been obsessively studying this AI shift since before it was cool. Contact us today for a no-pressure chat about making your brand visible to our new robot overlords. Because if ChatGPT doesn't know who you are, neither will your customers—and that's way more terrifying than my irrational fear of automatic doors.
.png)
Joy Youell : Jul 23, 2025 3:00:16 PM
Look, we need to talk about podcasts. They're everywhere. You can't escape them. Everyone with a microphone and an opinion thinks they're the next...
Joy Youell : Nov 4, 2024 8:45:00 AM
Look, working in public relations is like trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle. The media never sleeps; it’s a relentless...
.png)
Faith Cedela : Aug 18, 2025 8:53:59 PM
So, you've been invited to be on a podcast. Congratulations! Now cue the immediate panic attack because talking into a microphone for an hour sounds...
Faith Cedela