Why PR Still Matters in the Age of AI
By Mike Montague, Avenue9
PR is not dead. It just changed clothes.
On a recent episode of The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, I sat down with Brett Farmiloe, CEO of Featured.com and Help a Reporter Out (HARO). We talked about something most SMBs are not thinking about when they think about AI and growth: how getting featured in real media still shapes how people and machines discover you.
Think of your expertise as a signal. Media is the amplifier. AI and search engines are just very smart radios that listen for the strongest, clearest signals from trusted stations. That is what PR is really doing for you now.
Here are the key lessons for small and mid sized businesses that want visibility without burning out.
1. Reactive PR Is the Smart Starting Line
Most leaders still picture PR as press releases and long shot pitches to big magazines. Brett talked about something much more practical for small teams: reactive PR.
Reactive PR means you respond to journalists who are already working on a story and already need a source. Platforms like Featured and HARO collect those requests and connect them to people like you.
For an SMB owner or marketing director, that matters because you do not have room on your calendar for random outreach to hundreds of reporters. You do have room to respond to one or two highly relevant opportunities that show up in your inbox with clear instructions and a deadline.
Again, think of your expertise as a signal. Reactive PR hands you a live microphone in a room where people are already listening.
Key move: set up a profile in a PR platform, define your expertise, and let the system surface the right requests so you can respond quickly and with focus.
2. AI Helps You Pitch; It Does Not Replace Your Perspective
Brett and his team built AI into Featured for a very specific reason. Not to answer journalists for you, but to get you to third base.
His platform can:
- Match your profile to relevant media opportunities
- Draft a suggested response based on your expertise
- Let you edit that response with your own nuance and story
This is a good picture of Human First AI Marketing. AI handles the pattern matching and the blank page. You handle the honesty, the examples, and the opinion.
If AI writes the whole thing, you sound like everyone else. If you write the whole thing, you probably do not have time to respond consistently. The win is in the collaboration.
Key move: use AI to structure and speed up your responses, then add one or two specific stories or viewpoints that only you can offer.
3. If You Want to Show Up in AI Results, Get Quoted by Humans
One of the biggest insights from the conversation was this simple chain.
- Journalists look for expert sources.
- Those sources get quoted in articles and interviews.
- Those articles and interviews feed search engines and AI models.
- Later, when someone asks an AI a question, it often pulls from those trusted sources.
If you want to be part of the answer that AI gives your future buyers, you first need to be part of the sources that AI trusts.
AI systems lean hard on:
- Authoritative websites
- Credible news outlets
- High quality, original commentary
That is exactly what good PR delivers when you treat it as a strategic channel instead of a vanity play. Your quote in a niche trade publication or a respected newsletter becomes training data and a reference point.
Your signal gets stronger every time you are cited.
Key move: prioritize placements in sites and shows your buyers already trust, instead of chasing the biggest brand name you can find.
4. Journalists Can Spot Generic Content Instantly
Brett shared a fun detail. Featured actually runs AI detection on every response that goes through the platform. Journalists can see how much of a pitch was likely written by AI.
Why does that matter
Because reporters are not looking for the tenth version of the same safe listicle. They want:
- Contrarian or original angles
- Specific stories, not vague advice
- Real examples and data from real operators
AI is great at “average.” That is its job. It blends. Your job is the opposite. You bring the edge, the lived experience, the thing that makes a journalist say, “That is the quote.”
AI raised the baseline for what “decent” looks like. It did not raise the ceiling. Humans still do that.
Key move: never send a raw AI answer as a pitch. Add one clear point of view, one short story, or one strong line that sounds like a human who has actually done the work.
5. PR Is Bigger Than Magazines Now
Another useful reminder. When we say “PR,” we are not just talking about glossy magazines or old school newspapers.
In 2026, PR includes:
- Podcasts and YouTube shows
- Substack and niche newsletters
- Industry blogs and community sites
- Traditional media outlets
Your buyers do not keep media in separate mental boxes. They just remember who helped them understand something or solve a problem.
The more places your signal shows up, the more familiar and trustworthy you feel. And since AI models also read across formats and channels, that variety helps your visibility with machines too.
Key move: think in terms of “places where our buyers pay attention” rather than “big name publications only.” A strong quote in the right podcast can outperform a generic mention in a giant outlet.
6. In an AI World, Original Human Insight Becomes a Premium
A lot of people worry that AI will flood the world with mediocre content. Brett and I share a slightly different view. That flood actually increases the value of truly original, human generated insight.
As more feeds fill with recycled posts and safe AI rewrites, audiences and algorithms look for:
- Fresh angles
- Specific expertise from practitioners
- Clear, opinionated thinking
Brands that invest in real points of view, real stories, and real teaching become easier to recognize and easier to trust. They are the clear signal in the static.
PR is one of the best ways to turn that signal into something public and findable.
Key move: document and share the things you actually believe, the lessons you have learned, and the mistakes you have made. Shape those into pitches and commentary, not just internal wisdom.
How This Fits a Human First AI Marketing Strategy
At Avenue9, we talk a lot about using AI to amplify your voice, not replace it. Brett’s work is a practical example of that idea.
- AI handles the matching and filtering.
- Humans bring the story and the judgment.
- PR turns that collaboration into public proof and training data.
That sits right inside our A9^Factor Framework. It strengthens:
- Your Audience Clarity, since you respond where your buyers already read and listen.
- Your Authentic Voice, since you show up in your own words.
- Your Trust Signals, since you collect third party validation at scale.
You are not just pushing more content into the world. You are strengthening the signal that buyers, journalists, and AI systems all learn to recognize as you.
Ready To Get Cited, Not Just Seen
If you feel like you are posting more and getting less, this is your moment to change the game.
You do not need another random campaign. You need a system that:
- Finds the right moments to share your expertise
- Helps you respond quickly with AI support and human nuance
- Turns those wins into ongoing visibility with both people and platforms
That is what we build with clients at Avenue9.
If you want help weaving PR, AI, and content into one Human First marketing system, we would be happy to map it out with you.
