The PR Pro's Guide to Google's AI Search | Keeping Your Press Releases in the Spotlight
As PR professionals, we live by one rule - adapt or get left behind. Over the past year, we've all watched Google's AI Overviews become a fixture in search results, fundamentally changing the digital playing field. This has become the new reality of how people find information.
For us, it represents a brand-new and powerful opportunity to shape the narrative.
So, What Exactly is Google Doing?
Think of it this way - instead of just giving a list of links, Google now acts like a super-smart researcher. When someone asks a question, the AI scans the top online sources, pulls the most relevant facts from each, and stitches them together into a neat, easy-to-read summary at the very top of the page. It's called an "AI Overview."
The crucial part for us? Our press releases can be one of those primary sources!!!
Why This is a New Era for Public Relations
For years, we’ve used press releases to get journalists' attention, hoping they’ll write a story. That’s still vital. But now, we have a second, incredibly powerful path to the public.
Getting your key message into an AI Overview is like landing the perfect quote in a major feature story, but with one key difference - it's now delivered directly by Google itself. When someone searches for information about your client's industry or latest launch, your core message could be the first thing they see, presented as a definitive fact. It’s a direct line to your audience, boosting credibility and visibility in a way we've never seen before.
A Quick Word on Using AI to Write Content
We're all curious about AI writing tools. The question isn't if we should use them, but how. Google's position on this aligns perfectly with our own professional standards: quality and authenticity come first.
Think of an AI tool as a very fast junior team member. It can help with a first draft or brainstorm ideas, but you wouldn't let its work go out to the world unchecked. The final content must have your strategic oversight, your human touch, and your fact-checking to ensure it's accurate, original, and genuinely helpful. At the end of the day, Google rewards content written for people, not robots.
How to Make Your Press Releases Shine in the AI Era
The fundamentals of good PR haven't changed, they've just become more critical. Here’s how to ensure your announcements cut through the noise:
Lead with the Story, Not Just the Facts: PR craft has always been about storytelling. Answer the essential questions: the who, what, where, when, and why, in a clear, compelling way. The more helpful and authoritative your press release is, the more likely Google’s AI will trust it as a source.
Ensure Your Online Newsroom is Welcoming: Think about the last press event you ran. You made it easy for journalists to get what they needed, right? Your website should be the same. If your online newsroom is slow, clunky, or hard to navigate, both journalists and Google will simply leave.
Use More Than Just Words: A powerful image, a short video of your CEO's statement, or a simple infographic explaining a new product can make your announcement far more impactful. These elements make your story more engaging for people and provide richer context for Google's AI.
Add Digital Signposts: This is the modern equivalent of a well-formatted press release. There are simple ways to code your webpage that act like labels for search engines. These labels tell Google, "Hey, this is a news announcement, this is the company name, and this is the publication date." It helps Google correctly categorize your information and pull it for those all-important AI summaries. Your web team can help with this - just tell them you want to make your news articles easier for Google to understand.
The Takeaway
This new AI-driven search isn't something to fear, no… it's an incredible opportunity. It gives us a new and powerful way to land our key messages directly in front of our target audiences. By sticking to the principles of great communication and embracing a few digital best practices, we can ensure our work continues to capture attention and shape conversations in this new landscape. The press release isn't going anywhere, it’s just getting a major upgrade.