Why AI Is Making PR and Original Research More Valuable

Gartner predicts that PR and earned-media budgets will double by 2027 as public LLMs increasingly replace traditional search.

Great news for PR! But the reason behind the prediction matters even more than the number.

Having spent part of my career as a vice president at global PR firms before founding CITE Research, I find the forecast both interesting and 100% believable. This is not simply about companies wanting more media coverage. AI is changing how people discover brands and decide which sources to trust.

When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or another AI platform about leading vendors, emerging trends or industry challenges, the answer may draw on information found across the web—not only a company's website.

That gives PR and marketing a larger role in AI search visibility. Earned media, expert commentary and original research create credible public references that may help people and AI systems discover and understand a company.

No brand can control whether it appears in an AI-generated answer. But companies can create information worth finding, trusting and citing.

Original Research Gives PR Something Worth Citing

Original research gives PR teams a powerful way to create credible, distinctive content that journalists, analysts and AI systems can reference. Instead of repeating industry talking points, companies can contribute new data, insights and evidence to the public conversation.

A well-designed study can reveal what customers think, identify emerging trends or quantify a problem that has previously been discussed only in general terms. Those findings give journalists a reason to cover the story and give other organisations a source they can cite.

Research also strengthens the connection between earned media and owned content. A company can publish the full findings on its website, share key insights through social channels, provide data to journalists and use the results to support executive commentary. Each channel reinforces the others while creating more publicly available information about the company's expertise.

The most valuable research is not created solely to promote a product. It addresses a meaningful question and produces findings that are useful beyond the company itself. That relevance makes the content more likely to earn attention, generate coverage and remain discoverable over time.

AI Discovery Depends on Public, Credible Information

AI-generated answers depend on accessible, credible information. They may draw from company websites, news coverage, research reports, industry publications and other publicly available sources. The more credible and relevant the information, the more useful it can be in helping an AI system understand a company, category or topic.

This does not mean that publishing a report guarantees visibility in AI-generated answers. AI systems do not follow a simple checklist, and no company can control how its content will be interpreted or cited.

However, original research gives a company a stronger foundation than generic marketing language. It creates specific claims, statistics and insights that can be discussed by others. When those findings appear in reputable media and across other trusted sources, they become part of the broader information environment that people and AI systems may encounter.

Research and PR Work Better Together

Research is most effective when it is developed with communications goals in mind from the beginning. That means identifying a timely question, designing a credible methodology, analysing the results carefully and translating the findings into a clear story.

PR teams can then build a campaign around the strongest insights. They can offer journalists exclusive data, develop commentary from company experts, create visual assets and connect the findings to current events or industry debates.

The research should lead the story rather than serve as decoration. If the findings are genuinely interesting, the campaign has a stronger chance of earning attention. If the data simply confirms what the company already wants to say, journalists and audiences are less likely to find it compelling.

A strong research programme can also support communications over a longer period. Annual or recurring studies create benchmarks, reveal changes over time and give a company new opportunities to contribute to the conversation.

The Opportunity for PR Leaders

As AI changes how people search for information, PR leaders should think beyond traditional media coverage. The goal is not only to secure mentions but also to build a body of credible, discoverable information that supports the company's reputation.

Original research can help accomplish that goal. It gives companies something new to say, gives journalists evidence to use and gives audiences a reason to pay attention.

The companies best positioned for AI-driven discovery will not necessarily be the ones that publish the most content. They will be the ones that consistently contribute useful, credible information to the public record.

That is why the future of PR may depend less on producing more messages and more on producing better evidence.

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Explore PR Survey Research, learn about Research for AI Visibility or discuss a research campaign with CITE Research.

Andrew Edwards is the founder and CEO of CITE Research. His career spans survey research at Nielsen and public relations at Edelman, giving him a distinctive perspective on how credible evidence is created, communicated and used.