Why Earned Media Matters More, Not Less, in the Age of AI

Brands, now more than ever, need a clear earned media and content strategy, especially amid the rapid rise of AI. Julie Granillo, president and CEO of Werth PR, recently sat down with Mikaela Hunt for the Columbus Chamber’s cbuzz podcast to discuss AI, public relations and what it takes to build a reputation that lasts. The conversation covered a lot of ground, from crisis response to brand strategy to civic leadership. We’ve offered a few insights below from their conversation.

Who’s Consuming Newspapers Anymore?

For years, Werth has been asked if it really matters if and how a brand or issue shows up in the newspaper. Julie argues that it matters now more than ever. With the evolution of Google search to AI-generated answers and consumers going directly to their favorite AI chatbot, research shows that Large Language Models (LLMs) (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) are weighting traditional media much higher when generating answers.

As LLMs are scanning the internet to generate a response, they’re asking: Do I recognize this brand? Can I believe them? Who else says they’re credible? And when evaluating credibility, LLMs place high value on content from traditional media.

So, while you may not be opening up your morning newspaper, LLMs are reading the coverage and making judgments on how to answer questions about your brand. That’s earned media doing exactly what it’s always done, but with a new audience reading it.

When CEOs Decide to Take a Stance

Companies have always had to navigate political and social issues, and evaluating when to speak out and when to stay silent has become an even bigger part of managing the reputation of a company. Julie referenced recent research from Harvard Business Review that surprisingly found that C-suite executives ranked their own beliefs and values as the most important factor or influence when making this decision.

Werth challenges clients to put all personal beliefs aside, and instead, consider the views of stakeholders who may counter their own and remember that executives have a fiduciary responsibility to make decisions that are only in the best interest of shareholders.

A Crisis Playbook Worth Keeping On-Hand

Asked what a company should do the moment a reputational crisis breaks online, Julie laid out a clear sequence:

1. Pause everything.Stop all scheduled social posts and content immediately.
2. Assemble a small response team fast. Include legal, communications and operational leadership.
3. Respond within the first hour, even if the message is simply that you’re looking into it. The goal is to stop the bleeding while you research the issue and build a more robust response.
4. Come back with a real answer within 24 hours.

The biggest mistake she sees organizations make? Rushing to provide an answer before they actually have one. It’s more credible (not less) to say plainly that you’re still gathering facts and will follow up once you do. Empathy matters in the moment, and it must be paired with a clear plan to address the underlying issue in the future.

Three Practical Moves for Any Leader

Beyond crisis response, Julie offered three concrete steps any business leader can take to strengthen their reputation before they need it:

• Keep your home base current.Website, blog, LinkedIn profiles, and team bios should be accurate and regularly updated, not treated as a set-it-and-forget-it project.
• Invest in your employees and customer-facing teams.Employees are your first line of communication with customers, and how they’re treated shows up directly in how customers are treated. That includes taking a hard look at how customer service teams are trained, incentivized and supported.
• Know your differentiator and check it regularly.Julie noted that many companies are surprised to find their reputation doesn’t fully align with what they want to be known for. A periodic brand affinity study can close that gap, especially in a growing market like Columbus and in Ohio, recently named by CNBC as the top state for business, where new competitors are entering the fold.

The Through-Line: Strategy First

In every area — whether it is AI, crisis, growth or branding — a communication strategy is effective only when it aligns with the business growth strategy. Leaders must first understand the company’s future direction, identify key audiences, and determine what these audiences need to believe or do to achieve that vision. All future strategies should build upon this solid foundation.

Listen to the full conversation with Julie Granillo on cbuzz, the Columbus Chamber’s podcast.