TL;DR: Getting mentioned as an expert in your field is more important than ever as AIs like ChatGPT use citations as a reference that you’re a good person or brand to mention in their responses. Get cited by building relationships with journalists, using services such as HARO, keeping pitches short and snappy and staying ahead of emerging trends.

Being mentioned or quoted in blogs and the media – printed or online – has always been exciting. And now it’s more important than ever as AI uses citations and references as trust signals that you’re a good person to suggest in their answers.

But how do you go about getting press coverage? Well, it takes time and effort, but anything worth getting normally does.

1. Build Relationships With Journalists and Bloggers

Old skool, but it’s still not always what you know, but who you know. Media professionals are more likely to reference businesses they know and trust.

  • Follow relevant journalists, editors, and bloggers on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and niche forums.
  • Engage with their content genuinely before approaching them with your story.
  • Attend local business or industry events where media contacts might be present.

2. Position Yourself as an Expert

You should be doing this on your website and socials anyway for Google / SEO and AI, but the same goes for reporters and bloggers: they look for credible sources to back up their stories.

  • Develop yourself and/or team members into “go-to” subject matter experts.
  • Publish original insights and thought pieces, white papers, or research on your website. (Added bonus that AI loves research.)
  • Make your credentials and expertise easy to find on your press or “About” page.

3. Create High-Value, Shareable Content

The more useful your content, the more likely others are to cite it.

  • As above, publish original data, surveys, or case studies.
  • Offer helpful “how-to” guides or resources in your niche.
  • Include visuals like infographics and charts so that bloggers can embed them (and give you credit).

4. Use Media Platforms That Connect Brands With Journalists

There are free and paid platforms where journalists source quotes. I’m in the UK and I’ve seen UK titles appear in HARO and Featured, and I think Editorielle is nearly all UK based.

  • HARO (Help A Reporter Out) – this closed down for a while but is back in business, after it was taken over by Featured. It’s free and is a great resource. You get daily emails with details of stories journalists are currently working on so that you can email back your “pitch”.
  • Featured – has a free tier, and a great interface for seeing what’s been accepted. You can then pay monthly or just top up with credits if there’s something else you want to pitch on. Again, you get emails with stories that you might be interested in contributing to (because you tell Featured about your niche).
  • Qwoted – I’ve only just signed up for this but it seems extremely comprehensive with the ability to follow journalists and search for things of interest, as well as setting up email alerts. It’s targeted at showing people you’re an expert – rather than some others can just be looking for “person on the street” kind of opinions.
  • SourceBottle – Australian (I think, but if you’re a service or product that can be bought Internationally then it doesn’t matter) – again, free to build a profile, say what you’re an expert in, and receive email alerts.
  • Editorielle – from £10pm. I’ve used this for a few months now and whilst it has lots of interesting requests every day, lots are around beauty and fashion, so not really my remit. I might cancel my subscription as my inbox is BURSTING with all of these press emails at the moment so I’ll stick with the free ones. But if you’re a UK based PR or lifestyle/beauty brand, this is a nice service with lots of opportunities.

No matter which service(s) you sign up with, reply quickly and keep your pitches snappy. Journalists want to be able to copy and paste a quote quickly and easily. If you’re going to make them work to reword it, you’re less likely to get featured. (I worked in PR 20 years ago and writing a press release was all about making it a no-brainer for journalists.

5. Maintain a Press-Friendly Website

For bigger brands, where people might be coming to you, make it easy for writers to reference you:

  • Add a clear “Press” or “Media” page with your story, logo, and approved images.
  • Provide short, ready-to-use bios and company facts.
  • Include up-to-date contact information for press inquiries.

6. Leverage Social Proof and Partnerships

If you’ve been featured before, show it off — “As seen in…” logos help legitimize your brand (but check you’re allowed to use them) and encourage others to want to feature you too. Also, partner with complementary brands on campaigns or research to increase your reach and potential citation footprint.

7. Send Targeted, Value-Driven Pitches

If you’re approaching journalists, don’t blast a generic press release – make sure your approach is considered:

  • Pitch stories tailored to a blogger or journalist’s beat.
  • Highlight why your angle matters to their audience.
  • Provide assets (quotes, stats, images) to make their job easier.

8. Act Quickly on Trending Topics

News and blogs move fast. Monitor trends, hashtags, and industry developments, then offer expert commentary before the topic peaks. This can help your quotes and data get cited widely. But it does rely on you having made connections with journalists in advance.

9. Get a PR company

This isn’t going to be a possibility for most people, as it’s expensive (hiring anyone’s time is), but you might find you grow to a stage where this becomes an option – and it’s an option that can keep you growing. If you’re hiring an agency to PR you as an expert, then you’re still going to need to give quotes when asked, and ensure the agency really “get you” and what you can offer. Getting an agency to PR a real life product is probably easier – such as a new moisturiser or fake nail brand (I used to work in beauty PR). Honestly, signing up for these free services feels great to start with but the volume of emails you get is overwhelming, so if you find you’re appearing in the press and growing, and decide that your time could be spent better on other aspects of your business, considering a PR company could be a great idea. They won’t just sift through these free alerts, they’ll have personal relationships with journalists and so stand a better chance of getting you noticed. Of course another option is to employ someone part time and train them up on getting you mentioned in the press.

In conclusion…

Getting cited isn’t about shouting the loudest – it’s about providing genuine value to content creators. By being a resource, building relationships, and positioning yourself as an expert, you dramatically increase your chances of appearing in blogs and media publications which in turn builds your credibility and helps you surface in AI mentions, whilst links back to your website help with traditional Google searches