Why PR Professionals Need to Pay Attention to AI Visibility Right Now
There’s a shift happening in digital visibility that I genuinely do not think enough people in communications are talking about yet.
For years, the conversation centered around SEO, social media strategy, Google rankings, backlinks, hashtags, and discoverability through traditional search. But now? Consumers are changing behavior in real time. They’re no longer just typing searches into Google. They’re opening ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms and asking direct questions:
“Who’s the best esthetician near me?”
“Find me a hairstylist that specializes in textured hair.”
“Who are the top practitioners in Austin?”
And here’s the problem: many incredibly talented small business owners are nowhere to be found in those responses.
On a recent episode of the Brandinc PR Podcast, I sat down with Darlene Killen, founder of The Ocean Phoenix LLC and creator of The Visible Practitioner, to discuss what she calls “AI visibility infrastructure” for solo practitioners and service providers. The conversation immediately stood out to me because it highlighted a critical distinction many communicators and business owners still are not fully understanding:
This is not just an SEO conversation.
It’s an AI discovery conversation.
The Visibility Gap Nobody Prepared Small Businesses For
One of the most interesting points Darlene made during our discussion is that many independent practitioners believe they are visible because they have an Instagram account, a booking site, or a decent Google presence.
But AI tools evaluate authority, consistency, context, and structured information differently than traditional search engines.
That means a solo esthetician with years of experience and loyal clients may still be practically invisible to AI-driven recommendation systems if their digital presence lacks the right signals.
Meanwhile, larger brands with stronger infrastructure, media mentions, directory consistency, and broader digital footprints are far more likely to surface in AI-generated responses.
As someone working in public relations and strategic communications, I find this particularly important because we are entering an era where visibility is no longer just about publicity. It is increasingly about machine-readable credibility.
And that changes the game.
Why PR Professionals Should Care
This conversation extends far beyond salon suites and service providers.
Communications professionals, agency leaders, marketers, and brand strategists should all be paying attention to how AI platforms interpret authority and relevance. The brands that understand this early will have a significant advantage in discoverability, positioning, and consumer trust.
Earned media, thought leadership, digital consistency, and brand authority are becoming even more interconnected in the AI era.
In many ways, PR professionals are uniquely positioned for this moment because we already understand the importance of narrative credibility, reputation, and third-party validation. The difference now is that AI systems are becoming part of the audience.
The Opportunity Window Is Still Open
One thing I appreciated about Darlene’s approach is that she is documenting her process publicly while actively testing strategies in real time. That level of transparency is refreshing in a space where many people are still pretending to have all the answers.
The reality is that this area is evolving quickly.
But the practitioners, entrepreneurs, and communications professionals who begin adapting now will likely be far ahead once AI visibility becomes standard business practice instead of an emerging conversation.
And trust me: that shift is coming much faster than people think.
The full episode of the Brandinc PR Podcast featuring Darlene Killen is now streaming. If your work involves visibility, communications, branding, or client growth, this is a conversation worth listening to.