One of the conversations we’ve been having a lot lately revolves around business visibility. Not because it’s a new concept. Quite the opposite, actually. Business visibility has always been one of the biggest contributors to business growth. What’s changing is how people discover businesses, and that’s creating a whole new set of questions.
Clients are asking whether public relations still matters. They want to know if people are still reading articles. They ask if Google is becoming less important because more people are turning to AI. Some even wonder if media relations should still be part of their marketing strategy.
They’re fair questions.
We don’t think AI is replacing public relations. If anything, we think it’s reinforcing why it matters.
One of the biggest misconceptions we’re seeing is that AI somehow creates authority— it doesn’t. AI is only as good as the information it has available. It learns from trusted sources that already exist, including news articles, company websites, interviews, podcasts, blogs, reviews and countless other places where businesses have spent years building credibility. That’s one of the reasons we believe visibility has become even more valuable than it was just a few years ago.
When we talk about business visibility with clients, we’re rarely talking about one media placement. While every interview or article is exciting, that’s never the end goal. We’re focused on building credibility, strengthening reputation and creating opportunities that continue long after a story is published. Every interview, article, partnership, speaking opportunity and community activation contributes to the way a business is understood. Over time, those moments build trust, reinforce credibility and shape reputation. Today, they also contribute to a digital footprint that influences how people, search engines and AI platforms understand a business.
We’ve actually been thinking about this quite a bit because the way people research has changed dramatically. A few years ago, someone may have Googled a company, read a few reviews and visited their website. Today, they might still do those things, but they may also ask ChatGPT for recommendations, compare answers across multiple AI platforms, watch a YouTube interview with a founder or listen to a podcast before making a decision. Consumers haven’t stopped researching. They’ve simply added more places to do it.
That’s why we don’t believe businesses should abandon traditional public relations in favor of whatever the newest platform happens to be. As a PR firm, we’ve seen this cycle before. Years ago, everyone believed Facebook would become the answer to everything. Then Instagram took over. Then influencer marketing became the conversation. Now it’s AI. Every few years, technology changes the way information is shared, but the fundamentals stay remarkably consistent. Businesses grow when people know who they are, understand what they stand for and trust them enough to take the next step.
One thing we’ve learned after years of working with clients is that business visibility builds over time. There usually isn’t one article or one television interview that suddenly changes everything. More often, people discover a business through a series of moments. They might read an article one month, hear a podcast interview a few months later and then come across the business again through a friend, social media or another publication. Eventually, they recognize the name. That familiarity builds trust, and trust creates opportunities. We’ve watched that happen with businesses, nonprofits, destinations and community organizations time and time again.
We’re seeing this with clients across completely different industries. With evanhealy, the story has never simply been about skincare. It’s about regenerative agriculture, ingredient sourcing and the connection between healthy soil and healthy skin. Those conversations are bigger than beauty, which is exactly why they resonate with editors.
With the Ilan-Lael Foundation, the story isn’t just about opening the gates to a remarkable property. It’s about preserving James Hubbell’s legacy, protecting an extraordinary work of art and creating opportunities for future generations to experience it. Even though the industries couldn’t be more different, the strategy is remarkably similar. Find the story that already exists and help the right people discover it.
That philosophy has guided our work at Olive public Relations for years. In fact, we’ve often said that our role isn’t to manufacture greatness. It’s to illuminate the greatness that’s already there. We believe every organization has meaningful stories to tell. Sometimes they need help uncovering them. Sometimes they need help telling them in a way that resonates. Sometimes they simply need consistency. Whatever the challenge may be, our goal is always the same: create visibility that supports long-term growth, not just short-term attention.
Another thing we’ve been watching is how journalists are adapting. Strong reporting will always come from conversations, research and relationships, but journalists are also working in a world where AI tools can help organize information, identify experts and surface background research more quickly. That means a company’s online presence matters in ways it didn’t just a few years ago. Businesses that consistently invest in credible business visibility are creating more opportunities to be discovered, not only by customers but also by reporters, collaborators and industry leaders.
We don’t know exactly what the next five years will look like. Technology will continue to evolve, and so will the ways people consume information. What we do know is that visibility isn’t becoming less important. It’s becoming more interconnected. Every article, podcast interview, community partnership, speaking engagement and thoughtful piece of content contributes to a larger picture of who your business is.
Business growth has always been rooted in visibility. AI hasn’t changed that. If anything, it has reminded us why building credibility over time is one of the smartest investments a business can make. The platforms will continue to evolve, but trust, relationships and authentic storytelling are what continue to move businesses forward. That’s what Olive Public Relations has believed since we opened its doors, and it’s what we believe will continue driving business growth for years to come.
