Digital PR is the way to win over LLMs

At the rate things are moving, LLMs aren’t just assisting in the buying journey. These platforms are becoming tomorrow’s personal shoppers.

Personal shoppers

AI is quickly transforming how consumers uncover brands, acting as a trusted and highly personalized shopping companion. While a significant minority (17%) complete their entire discovery journey within AI tools, even more consumers (34%) are turning to AI right at the start of their product research.

I’ve felt the shift first-hand when doing my own product research, especially in the category that happily drains my disposable income: fragrance. I came across a new hidden gem of a perfume recently during a quick SpaceNK browse, but it was AI that helped me make the purchase. A quick voice search surfaced the things that matter to me: its vegan and cruelty-free credentials, the family-owned origin story, and honest reviews on scent staying power. The whole discovery experience felt far more tailored than getting into a round of questions with a store rep.

It’s undeniable that this early AI influence is driving measurable change in purchasing behavior. Forty-one percent of consumers say their favorite brand of the year was actually first discovered through AI, and 68% have been inspired to buy brands they’d never previously considered, which further underlines the influence. With 61% expecting to search for most products using AI within the next five years, LLMs are emerging as the new entry point for brand discovery.

Perceived neutrality

So, what is driving this new wave of trust? This shift is underpinned by consumers’ belief in AI’s neutrality and data-driven objectivity. People view AI as an unbiased authority that cuts through the brand marketing noise to surface genuinely relevant options.

This makes sense when we look at the platforms that LLMs increasingly cite, such as Reddit. As Vogue Business has highlighted, male shoppers are increasingly using Reddit threads as their primary research hub, trusting candid reviews and real side-by-side comparisons. LLMs are only accelerating this shift, surfacing Reddit discussions as credible sources when people ask for ‘the best,’ ‘what brands are trending?’ or the occasionally more abstract style query, such as whether that baseball cap belongs anywhere near that smart coat.

This all puts a fresh spotlight on the value of digital PR. As Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, discussed recently, high-quality PR activity that earns authoritative coverage and genuine relevance plays a meaningful role in how brands surface in AI-driven results. In a landscape where LLMs prioritize authority signals, digital PR isn’t just reputation-building; it’s now becoming a fundamental part of how brands stay visible in the age of AI-powered search. Digital PR should no longer be viewed as the ‘nice-to-have’ channel in the organic mix – it is becoming the main character.

First movers

With consumer behaviors shifting rapidly, the advantage lies with those brands willing to be ‘first-movers’ to get ahead. Here are four key considerations:

1. Expand brand visibility beyond Google: Optimize for visibility within LLM results and AI ecosystems, not just traditional search engines. Ensure your brand is cited in the data sources AI models learn from.
2. Redefine PR for modern discovery platforms: PR shouldn’t stop at media coverage; it should include platforms where real consumer conversations happen, and where people seek authentic opinions, such as Reddit.
3. Leverage Reddit for insight and engagement: Use Reddit to monitor sentiment and spark authentic conversations, such as through the Ask Me Anything functionality. It’s a rich source of unfiltered feedback and an influential space for shaping brand perception in LLM outputs.
4. Incorporate digital PR into your organic strategy: Treat digital PR as a core component of your organic strategy, not an add-on. Align your approach to where AI models and consumers gather information, from highly sourced publishers by vertical to the social spaces that actively influence purchase decisions.

The brands that will win in this new landscape are those that combine data-driven discoverability with authentic, verifiable trust, ensuring they show up credibly in the spaces where AI acts as the ultimate personal shopper.