Agency outlines an AEO-focused public relations strategy built around recurring third-party visibility as consumers and business buyers increasingly use AI assistants for research

S99 PR, a public relations and authority-building agency specializing in guaranteed media placements and AI discoverability, has announced an expanded focus on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) through its Signal Press framework as artificial intelligence platforms become a growing part of how consumers and business buyers research companies, products and professionals.

Platforms including ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity are increasingly being used to answer questions that historically might have begun with a traditional search engine. Instead of presenting users only with ranked links, AI systems can synthesize information from multiple sources and provide direct responses that may include specific brands, companies or professionals.

S99 PR said the shift has created a new challenge for organizations accustomed to focusing primarily on traditional search engine optimization.

"We started hearing the same question on sales calls, and it came from people who had never asked us anything technical before," said Jake Vince, co-founder of S99 PR. "A founder would say, 'I asked ChatGPT about my own company and it either said nothing or it said something wrong.' That question went from rare to constant in about six months."

The agency's AEO strategy is focused on helping companies build a broader and more consistent public information footprint through third-party publications, press coverage, company positioning and recurring communications.

Research Highlights Changing Patterns in AI Search

Recent industry research suggests that traditional search rankings and AI-generated recommendations do not always follow the same signals.

An analysis involving approximately 75,000 brands found that off-site brand signals, including branded web mentions and visibility across third-party platforms, showed stronger relationships with AI visibility than traditional backlink metrics alone.

Separately, research examining millions of links cited by major AI systems reported that approximately 84% of citations came from earned media sources, while paid or advertorial material represented approximately 0.3% of the citations analyzed.

S99 PR said the findings reinforce the importance of distinguishing between what a company says about itself and information that appears through independent or third-party sources.

"Companies have spent years optimizing the assets they directly control," Vince said. "But AI systems also look across a much broader information environment. A company's own website remains important, but third-party references can provide additional context about who a company is and how it is described publicly."

Research into third-party distribution has also found differences in AI citation behavior depending on where content appears.

An earlier controlled study comparing identical content on owned websites and third-party news distribution reported citation rates increasing from approximately 8% to 34%, representing a 325% increase in that pilot dataset. A later, broader study examining more brands and prompts reported a 239% median increase in AI citations following earned-media distribution.

These findings do not mean every article, press release or third-party placement will generate the same result. Citation behavior differs across AI platforms, topics, sources and individual queries.

AI-Referred Traffic Shows Different User Behavior

The shift is not limited to visibility.

Industry research has also suggested that visitors arriving through AI-generated recommendations can behave differently from traditional organic-search visitors.

Semrush research has estimated that AI-referred visitors converted at approximately 4.4 times the rate of traditional organic-search visitors within the dataset studied.

In April 2026, G2 reported that 51% of surveyed B2B software buyers said they begin product research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google.

S99 PR said these trends are encouraging companies to consider AI visibility alongside traditional search visibility, media relations and brand reputation.

Google Rankings Do Not Fully Predict AI Visibility

Traditional SEO remains an important part of digital marketing, but research indicates that strong Google rankings do not necessarily guarantee equivalent visibility in AI-generated answers.

One controlled study examining Google positions and ChatGPT recommendations reported a correlation of 0.034 within its tested dataset, indicating very little relationship between the two ranking environments in that particular analysis.

S99 PR said the difference reflects the contrasting ways traditional search engines and generative AI platforms present information.

Traditional search primarily ranks and organizes pages. Generative AI systems may instead synthesize information from multiple sources when creating an answer.

As a result, S99 PR's AEO work focuses on building consistent public references across multiple sources rather than treating a company's own website as the only source of authority.

"Get real publications to write about you. Do it consistently. Say the same thing about who you are every time," Vince said. "That was good advice before AI search became part of the conversation, and it remains relevant as companies think about how their public information is interpreted across new platforms."

Signal Press Framework Focuses on Consistency

S99 PR developed its Signal Press framework around the idea that brand visibility should be built continuously rather than treated as a single campaign.

The framework combines recurring editorial placements, wire-distributed press releases and supporting article coverage intended to create a more consistent public information footprint over time.

Rather than relying on a single media placement, the approach focuses on maintaining continuity across company announcements, founder profiles, executive positioning, business developments and other public-facing content.

"A single article can remain valuable for years to a human reader," Vince said. "But AI search adds another reason for companies to think about consistency. The objective is to create a clear and current body of information that both people and technology systems can encounter when researching a company."

S99 PR does not represent that recurring coverage guarantees inclusion in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI products or any other artificial intelligence platform. AI visibility depends on the individual platform, query, available sources and other factors outside the agency's control.

Third-Party Coverage and Guaranteed Media Placements

S99 PR provides guaranteed media-placement services alongside broader public relations and authority-building programs.

The agency said its placement standards focus on recognized publications, identifiable attribution, visible publication information and professionally formatted editorial content.

S99 PR also distinguishes its guaranteed placement services from conventional earned media. Research findings concerning earned editorial coverage should not be interpreted as proof that every paid, sponsored or guaranteed placement will generate the same AI citation behavior.

Instead, the agency's strategy is based on building a broader mix of credible public information around companies and individuals while maintaining consistency in how key facts, credentials and business developments are communicated.

Supporting Founders, Executives and Professional Brands

S99 PR's media and AEO programs serve clients including:

• Startup founders and co-founders
• CEOs and other executives
• Technology and AI professionals
• Medical professionals
• Real estate professionals
• Financial professionals
• Entertainment figures
• Consumer-brand founders
• Public figures

The agency also operates a dedicated immigration-related press practice supporting O-1 and EB-1A extraordinary ability visa applicants in coordination with immigration attorneys.

Across these areas, S99 PR said the goal is to help clients develop a more complete public record through company announcements, media coverage, executive positioning and other third-party references.

Building Authority Across Search and AI Platforms

S99 PR's broader services include guaranteed media placements, press-release distribution, Google Knowledge Panel development, contributor-profile programs and authority-building campaigns.

The agency's strategy is based on the view that public relations increasingly affects several areas simultaneously: traditional search visibility, AI discoverability and the way prospective customers, investors, partners and other audiences evaluate credibility.

"Public relations is no longer only about getting your name into an article," Vince said. "Companies now need to think about the full information environment around their brand-what appears in search, what third-party publications say and what AI platforms may encounter when they try to understand who that company is."

S99 PR said it plans to continue developing its AEO and Signal Press programs as research into AI citation patterns, answer engines and generative search continues to evolve.

More information about S99 PR's guaranteed media placements, AEO programs and authority-building campaigns is available at www.s99pr.com.

About S99 PR

S99 PR is a public relations and authority-building agency specializing in guaranteed media placements, digital credibility, Google Knowledge Panels and authority-building campaigns for founders, executives and brands.

The company works with clients across technology, artificial intelligence, healthcare, entertainment, finance, real estate and consumer-brand sectors and also maintains a dedicated practice supporting press strategies for O-1 and EB-1A extraordinary ability visa applicants.

Website: www.s99pr.com

Research and Results Disclosure

Statistics referenced in this release are based on third-party industry studies involving specific datasets, platforms and research methodologies. Findings should not be interpreted as universal performance guarantees for every company, publication or AI platform.

AI-generated recommendations and citations can vary based on user prompts, model versions, retrieval methods, source availability and other factors. S99 PR does not control or guarantee how ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google or other AI/search platforms rank, cite, summarize or recommend individual brands.

Guaranteed media placement refers to S99 PR's publication service and should not automatically be equated with independently earned editorial coverage. Individual publications may apply their own editorial, disclosure and content standards.

Media Contact Details

Jake Vince

S99 PR

Send Email

+1 (323) 214-3019

s99pr.com