Articles Written by the Edge Marketing Team


by Vicki LaBrosse

The media landscape has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decade, and for PR professionals in legal tech, accounting tech and professional services, the shift is particularly pronounced. Traditional playbooks built around press releases, broad media lists and transactional pitching are no longer sufficient. Today, influence is fragmented; editorial teams are leaner; and the competition for attention is fiercer than ever.

Amid this disruption, one truth has become increasingly clear: relationships, not reach, are the most valuable currency in modern media relations.

A More Complex, Fragmented Ecosystem

The definition of “media” has expanded well beyond legacy outlets. While publications like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Reuters still hold significant influence, they now operate alongside a growing ecosystem of trade publications, independent journalists, newsletters, podcasts and LinkedIn-based creators.

For industries like legal and accounting tech, this fragmentation is especially impactful. Highly specialized audiences often turn to niche outlets such as Corporate Counsel, Legaltech News, Accounting Today, ILTA publications and practitioner-led newsletters for insights directly relevant to their work. These channels may have smaller audiences, but they are often far more targeted and influential.

At the same time, newsroom consolidation has left many journalists covering broader beats with fewer resources. Reporters are expected to produce more content faster and across multiple formats. As a result, they are increasingly selective about the sources they engage with and far more reliant on trusted relationships to surface credible, relevant stories.

The Shift from Transactions to Trust

In this environment, transactional PR, sending a pitch, hoping for coverage and moving on, simply doesn’t work the way it once did. Journalists are inundated with pitches, many of which are overly promotional, poorly targeted or disconnected from their coverage priorities.

What cuts through is trust.

Strong relationships with reporters are built over time through consistent, thoughtful engagement. This means understanding what a journalist covers, how they frame stories and what constitutes news value for their audience. It also means showing up as a reliable resource, not just when you need coverage, but when you have something genuinely useful to offer.

For PR professionals in complex B2B sectors, this is where expertise becomes a differentiator. Reporters covering legal operations, regulatory change, cybersecurity or AI adoption are not looking for surface-level commentary. They need sources who can provide clarity, context and perspective on issues that are often nuanced and evolving.

When you position your clients or executives as credible experts and back that up with responsiveness and insight, you become part of a journalist’s trusted network. That is far more valuable than any single placement.

Why Relationships Matter More Now

Several structural shifts in media have elevated the importance of relationships:

  1. Fewer journalists, more demand for content
    With smaller editorial teams, reporters don’t have the time to sift through hundreds of irrelevant pitches. They prioritize sources they already know and trust to deliver quality insights quickly.
  2. The rise of off-the-record and background conversations
    Many of the most meaningful interactions between PR professionals and journalists never result in immediate coverage. Background briefings, informal check-ins and off-the-record conversations help shape a reporter’s understanding of a topic and influence future stories.
  3. Increased scrutiny and demand for credibility
    In industries like legal and accounting, accuracy and credibility are paramount. Journalists are cautious about sources and more likely to rely on those with a proven track record.
  4. The blending of media and personal brands
    Journalists are building their own followings on platforms like LinkedIn and Substack. Engaging with them as individuals, not just as representatives of an outlet, requires a more relationship-driven approach.

The Role of Expertise in B2B PR

In legal tech and accounting tech, the bar for thought leadership is high. Journalists and editors are not looking for generic commentary. They are looking for insights that help their audience navigate real challenges.

This creates an opportunity for PR professionals to act as translators between technical expertise and editorial relevance.

For example, topics like generative AI, regulatory enforcement, cybersecurity risk and operational efficiency are highly relevant, but they need to be framed in a way that connects to business impact. How does a new technology affect legal department workflows? What does a regulatory shift mean for compliance risk? Where are organizations seeing measurable ROI?

By aligning expert insights with the questions journalists are already asking, PR professionals can position their clients as valuable contributors to the broader industry conversation.

Quality over Quantity

Another important shift is the move away from volume-based metrics toward more meaningful measures of success.

In the past, PR efforts were often evaluated based on the number of placements or impressions generated. While these metrics still have a place, they do not capture the full value of strong media relationships.

A single, well-placed article in a highly respected outlet or a quote in a story that shapes industry perception can be far more impactful than dozens of lower-quality mentions.

Similarly, a trusted relationship with a key reporter can lead to ongoing opportunities: inclusion in trend pieces, requests for commentary and access to early-stage stories.

For PR professionals, this requires a more strategic approach focusing on the right outlets, the right journalists and the right narratives.

The Intersection of PR, Search and Influence

As AI-driven search and generative engines reshape how information is discovered, the role of earned media is evolving. High-quality coverage in credible outlets is increasingly influencing not just human audiences, but also how AI systems surface and prioritize information.

This adds another dimension to media relationships. When journalists trust your insights and include them in their reporting, it amplifies your visibility across multiple channels, not just the original publication.

In this context, relationships are not just about securing coverage; they are about shaping the narratives that define your industry.

A More Human Approach to Media Relations

At its core, the shift toward relationship-driven PR reflects a broader trend: the increasing importance of authenticity and human connection in a digital-first world.

Journalists are not just gatekeepers. They are partners in storytelling. They are looking for sources who understand their audience, respect their craft and contribute meaningfully to the conversation.

For PR professionals, this means moving beyond scripts and templates toward more genuine, informed engagement.

It means listening as much as pitching. It means adding value, not just asking for it. And it means recognizing that the strongest relationships are built over time through trust, credibility and shared understanding.

Conclusion

The media landscape will continue to evolve, shaped by technological change, shifting audience behaviors and economic pressures on news organizations. But amid this uncertainty, one principle remains constant: relationships matter.

For PR professionals in legal tech, accounting tech and professional services, investing in those relationships is not just a best practice; it is a strategic imperative. In a world where everyone is competing for attention, the voices that are heard are the ones that are trusted.

About the Author

Vicki LaBrosse is managing director and global director of public relations at Edge Marketing, where she provides strategic communications counsel to executives in the legal, accounting and professional services sectors. Known for her strong media relationships and strategic insight, she helps organizations navigate complex, competitive landscapes and elevate their industry influence.

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by Mary Obregon

Marketing teams track a long list of numbers: impressions, clicks, downloads, MQLs, pipeline. Those metrics are useful, but they don’t always capture the factor that ultimately determines whether someone chooses to work with you or keeps working with you.

That factor is trust.

In legal, accounting and other professional services technology markets, firms aren’t just buying software. They’re selecting partners who will influence workflows, compliance posture, sensitive data, client experience and even brand reputation. The stakes are high, so buyers move cautiously by design. In that environment, marketing’s real job isn’t just generating attention; it’s building confidence over time that you are a safe, competent, dependable choice.

Put differently: attention gets you evaluated; trust gets you selected.

How Trust Shapes the Buyer Journey

Trust runs through every stage of the journey, from “never heard of you” to “default choice.”

Early on, prospects form impressions long before they talk to sales. They notice whether your messaging sounds like it was written for anyone in professional services or people like them. They see whether you explain complex topics clearly or hide behind jargon. They look for examples that feel like their firm, not generic scenarios.

Those small signals determine whether you feel like just one more vendor or a potential partner.

Later, during evaluation, low trust shows up as defensive behavior: more stakeholders, more redlines, more proof required, stretched timelines. When trust is higher, conversations feel more like joint problem‑solving. Buyers are more open about internal politics and constraints. They ask, “How could we make this work here?” instead of “Prove this can’t go wrong.” Deals close faster, and implementations start on stronger footing.

Trust also shapes what happens after signature. A buyer who trusts you is more forgiving when there are bumps, more willing to cocreate solutions and more comfortable expanding usage. A buyer who never fully trusted you tends to treat every issue as confirmation they made the wrong call.

In that sense, trust isn’t just a conversion lever at the bottom of the funnel. It’s the gravity that either pulls each stage in or holds it in place.

What Actually Builds Trust

Trust doesn’t come from a single impressive asset. It’s the cumulative effect of many small, consistent signals.

Clarity over complexity
In technical and regulated markets, clarity is a competitive advantage. Explaining topics like AI controls, data residency or realization in plain language shows mastery. Hiding behind buzzwords suggests confusion or evasion.

Consistency across touchpoints
If your website, sales deck and thought leadership tell different stories, buyers feel that misalignment and start to doubt. Consistency signals that your marketing, product and leadership teams are aligned and reliable.

Useful expertise
Buyers quickly recognize content written to rank versus content written to help. Articles and webinars that name real problems, share frameworks and acknowledge trade‑offs earn repeat attention. Over time, becoming “the tab they keep open” is one of the strongest trust signals you can earn.

Transparency and realism
Admitting limits (“This isn’t a fit if…”) or acknowledging trade‑offs (“Here’s what you gain; here’s what you give up”) feels risky, but it builds credibility, especially with legal and accounting audiences trained to look for what’s missing. They don’t need perfection; they need honesty.

Operational follow‑through
Details like following up after a webinar when you say you will, making sure demos match what’s on your site or being responsive to hard questions all tell prospects how you operate when no one is looking.

When Metrics Work Against Trust

Trust is underrated partly because it’s hard to put on a dashboard. You can’t chart it as neatly as click‑through rate.

You can, however, see what happens when it’s missing: deals that stall after strong first meetings, prospects who stay in “research mode” and never commit, repeated late‑stage objections about risk and champions who like you but don’t feel they have enough proof to convince a committee.

An overfocus on short‑term metrics can make this worse. Overpromising in campaigns, stretching case study results, gating thin content or leaning on vague AI claims might spike leads in the short term, but they quietly erode credibility.

A healthier approach is to treat traditional metrics as indicators and trust as the underlying asset. If webinar attendance is high but follow‑up engagement is low, is the content actually useful? If open rates are strong but replies are weak, are subject lines overpromising? If many leads never progress, are you optimizing for volume instead of fit?

Those are trust questions disguised as funnel math.

Marketing’s Real Job

At its best, marketing reduces uncertainty. For a managing partner, COO, CFO or practice leader, uncertainty is the invisible tax on every decision: Will this work here? Will it make us look good or create more work? Will this introduce risk I don’t yet see?

Great marketing helps lower that tax. It makes buyers feel informed and prepared. It gives them language they can use internally to explain why this problem matters, why this approach is sensible and why you look like a low‑drama partner. It surfaces uncomfortable questions before procurement or the partnership does. It shows, not just claims, that you can be trusted with their clients, their data and their reputation.

That doesn’t happen through one campaign. It happens through repeated signals that say: “We understand your world. We respect the stakes. And we won’t put you in a position you’d be embarrassed to defend.”

When you start treating trust as the core outcome, the usual metrics don’t go away, but you interpret them differently. You ask, “Did this deepen credibility with the right people or just create activity?”

Over time, that shift compounds. Sales cycles are shortened. Champions feel safer speaking up for you. Renewal conversations become less about price and more about road map. And your brand moves, quietly but meaningfully, from “interesting option” to “obvious partner.”

The dashboard still matters. But behind the numbers that really stick, it’s trust doing most of the work.

About the Author

Mary Obregon is a marketing strategist at Edge Marketing. For more AI-driven strategies, subscribe to the Edge newsletter or tune in to the Edge Unscripted podcast.

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by Jennifer Marsnik

Companies selling products and services in professional services markets are aware of how competitive the landscape can be. These firms are cautious buyers, value reputation and trust and often research extensively before engaging with a new provider. Getting their attention and earning their business require more than just having a presence across different marketing channels. You need to create a consistent, professional and relevant experience that meets them where they are. That’s where omnichannel marketing comes in, and AI can help you do it more effectively, even on a modest budget.

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel

  • Multichannel: Uses different platforms, such as LinkedIn, email newsletters and events, but they’re not connected. A LinkedIn ad may say one thing while your email campaign says another, creating a disjointed story.
  • Omnichannel: Channels work together. A prospect who downloads an e-book on a given topic later sees a LinkedIn ad that reinforces that same theme and then receives a follow-up email with a case study. Each touchpoint builds on the last, moving the buyer forward.

Omnichannel strategies are commonly used in consumer marketing today. We’re all familiar with things like retargeting ads or follow-up emails when you leave an item in a retailer’s online shopping cart without following through on the purchase. The approach is similar in business-to-business marketing, and in many ways more important. In an omnichannel program, consistency reinforces credibility and professionalism which are both qualities that carry weight in the decision-making of B2B audiences.

Why Omnichannel Matters in the Sales Process

Professional services firms are especially careful buyers. They check websites, read thought leadership, ask peers for referrals, review vendor ratings and compare multiple providers before making a decision. According to McKinsey & Company, today’s B2B buyers may use 10 or more channels when interacting with potential suppliers. If your message feels inconsistent or scattered across those channels, your business risks being passed over.

An omnichannel approach ensures your marketing, whether online, in person or over email, feels trustworthy and professional. And when you add AI into the mix, you can do this more efficiently, even with limited staff and resources.

How to Use Omnichannel Marketing Effectively

  1. Map the typical buyer (client) journey.
    Break down the stages: problem identification, exploration (reading white papers, firm bios), evaluation (case studies, peer referrals, pricing), decision and ongoing relationship. Identify which channels clients use at each step.
  2. Produce content with credibility.
    White papers, thought leadership, peer testimonies, case studies that include measurable outcomes and demonstrate domain expertise are especially valued in sectors like the legal and accounting fields. Use this content across channels: webinars, downloadable guides, email series, blog posts.
  3. Ensure exceptional responsiveness and personalization.
    Respond quickly to inquiries (email, message, contact form) and tailor follow‐ups. Even small gestures — referencing prior content the client has consumed or tailoring advice to the client’s industry — can set you above competitors.
  4. Leverage trusted referral and review channels.
    Legal and accounting buyers rely heavily on reputation. Keep in mind LinkedIn recommendations, third‐party rating sites, referrals, peer reviews. Include those consistently in omnichannel messaging on your website, in email, in social media.
  5. Integrate technology and systems.
    Use CRM tools to track what content a prospect has consumed and marketing automation to deliver the right messages. Ensure that your firm’s website, content delivery, contact management and event/webinar sign-ups all feed into one source so that no client‐prospect falls through the cracks.
  6. Maintain professional standards and compliance.
    In professional services fields, confidentiality, compliance and ethical marketing are paramount. Ensure your content and messages reflect that. Make channels secure; adhere to privacy standards (e.g., GDPR if relevant, local bar or accounting board rules); and confirm that messaging avoids misleading promises.
  7. Measure results and iterate.
    Track key metrics on your channels: how many leads come from content vs. referrals vs. webinars vs. direct outreach, conversion rates, client lifetime value, retention vs. churn. Use these to refine which channels are most effective for different practice areas (e.g., tax, litigation, consulting) and client sizes.

B2B marketing, especially in sectors like professional services, is about building trust. An omnichannel strategy helps you present a consistent, credible brand, while AI makes it easier to execute without a big team or budget. By starting small — automating email campaigns, adding a chatbot or using AI to repurpose content — you can deliver professional, seamless experiences that resonate with cautious buyers and set your business apart from competitors.

About the Author

With Edge Marketing since 2007, Jennifer Marsnik specializes in helping clients develop and implement strategic plans that support their overall business goals.

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by Nicolle Martin

For the last few years, the story around generative AI has been speed and novelty. AI could spin up a blog post, a social caption or a landing page draft in seconds. But as organizations move from experimentation to real dependence on AI in their workflows, the bar is rising.

The mandate is no longer “Can AI do it?” Now, it’s “Can AI help us do it precisely, responsibly and in a way that actually moves the business forward?” That’s where the human factor becomes nonnegotiable.

AI drafts content and delivers based on past data. That’s useful, but it’s also why unedited AI content often feels generic, vague and oddly overconfident about shaky facts. It can miss the emotional nuance your audience needs, drift away from your positioning or introduce subtle inaccuracies that erode trust. AI gives you speed, not reliability.

Skilled human oversight is what turns that raw material into something a business can stand behind. The human role is to clarify intent, interrogate accuracy, shape nuance and align content with the broader strategy. Before a word goes public, someone has to decide what this asset is supposed to achieve, what audience it is for and what truth claims it is allowed to make. Someone has to check whether the tone matches the brand, whether the examples are appropriate and factual and whether the piece supports a business goal rather than just filling a content calendar. AI can draft, but humans decide what’s true, what’s on brand and what’s worth publishing.

This is why speed without expert refinement inevitably creates gaps in quality, nuance and trust. Those gaps present as brand dilution when your content sounds indistinguishable from everyone else in your category, as reputational risk when an unverified claim or tone‑deaf line slips through and as strategic waste when you put out content that doesn’t map to a clear customer problem, offer or stage in the buyer’s journey. The competitive edge is no longer simply using AI; it’s using AI with discipline.

That discipline now demands a specific role: an AI‑fluent content specialist who is either inside your company or embedded in a firm that works closely with you. This is no longer a “nice to have.” Without someone who understands both your brand and how to harness AI, you end up with fragmented efforts with different teams prompting tools in different ways, no shared standards and content that feels inconsistent or untrustworthy.

An effective AI specialist thinks in both directions: strategically as a marketer or subject matter expert and structurally as an AI collaborator. They frame problems clearly, specifying audience, problem, journey stage, intended action and brand voice. They design workflows, not just prompts: AI generates the first pass; a human refines and injects real data. AI helps with structural polish; a human completes the final alignment check against strategy, compliance and risk. These experts also enforce guardrails and define what must be sourced or manually verified. Over time, they tune AI systems to your voice and tone so the machine is not just writing, but writing as your brand.

Even as models improve, there are foundational dimensions where humans remain central. Judgment and accountability are at the top of that list. When there is a misleading claim, a misaligned message or a promise that can’t be fulfilled, no one blames the model. They blame the company. Humans are accountable for what gets published, what data is trusted, what is promised to customers and how problems are addressed.

Context and strategy are similarly human territory. AI is brilliant with patterns in text, but it has no independent view of your financials, road map, partner politics or the subtle shifts in your competitive landscape. Only humans can decide which ideas support the long‑term story the brand is trying to tell.

Think of AI as a creative partner, not a content vending machine. In the strongest brands, humans ask sharper questions about what customers really want the product to do, which proof points matter most, which beliefs need to shift for behavior to change. AI then expands and offers outlines, angles and language to play with. Humans make the final calls, cutting what is off‑brand, strengthening what is insightful and ensuring the piece is something they are willing to sign their name to.

When you design your content process around this kind of partnership, you gain speed without sacrificing standards. You improve quality because human expertise is focused on nuance, depth and truth rather than wrestling with a blank page. And you protect trust because there are explicit roles, rules and checkpoints for accuracy, tone and compliance.

The organizations that will thrive when it comes to the adoption of AI will not be those with the most tools or the most prompts. They will be the ones with clear standards, defined human ownership and a dedicated AI partner able to turn raw generation into reliable, high‑value content.

About the Author

Nicolle joined Edge Marketing in 2007. Today, Nicolle leverages her industry expertise to help clients strategically plan and execute marketing and public relations initiatives that drive growth and align with their business goals. Her ability to navigate the dynamic legal and accounting tech landscapes makes her an invaluable partner for companies looking to gain a competitive edge.

When she’s not crafting strategies or driving results for her clients, Nicolle enjoys spending time with her family and their two lovable but energetic boxers, Jax and Louie.

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by The Edge Marketing Team

As we look toward 2026, one theme cuts across every credible marketing and PR forecast: the industry is moving away from volume, velocity, and novelty, and toward trust, clarity, and accountability. Artificial intelligence is no longer a future consideration; it is the infrastructure shaping how audiences discover information, how reputations are formed, and how credibility is earned or lost.

The talented experts at Edge are sharing their predictions for what is emerging across professional services, regulated industries, and growth-focused organizations. Together, they tell a coherent story: success in 2026 will belong to brands that combine human judgment with AI capability, communicate with discipline and focus, and treat trust as a measurable business asset, not a marketing byproduct.

Amy Juers

Trust Becomes the Most Valuable Go-to-Market Channel

In 2026, companies that win will treat trust as a core go-to-market channel, not a byproduct of marketing. As AI systems and humans increasingly consume the same information, it will be much harder to “spin” a story and much easier for the market to see who consistently delivers real value.

As AI-driven search and discovery become the primary way people find information, visibility will no longer be earned by who publishes the most, but by who demonstrates the deepest expertise, credibility, and consistency over time. The brands that succeed will be the ones AI trusts enough to surface, cite, and recommend.

AI Search Reshapes Discovery of Professional Services

Mary Obregon

In 2026, AI-driven search becomes a defining force in how clients and buyers find professional services firms. Instead of long lists of links, audiences will increasingly receive synthesized, intent-driven recommendations from AI assistants.

This shift will reward organizations that produce clear, accurate, high-signal content that is easy for both humans and machines to interpret. Authority will be shaped by verified expertise, consistent positioning, social proof, and third-party validation. Traditional keyword-driven SEO will matter less than whether AI can confidently understand a brand’s value and surface it in response to complex questions. Marketers who adapt to how large language models evaluate relevance and credibility will gain a lasting advantage.

 

Nicolle Martin

Accountability and Precision Define the Next Phase of AI Adoption

In the year ahead, the focus around generative AI shifts from simple adoption to disciplined, measurable excellence. As AI scales across workflows, skilled human oversight becomes essential. Speed without expert refinement creates gaps in quality, nuance, and trust.

Organizations will increasingly rely on specialists who understand both AI’s creative potential and the operational guardrails required for responsible use. These experts will tune outputs for accuracy, tone, compliance, and strategic alignment, transforming raw AI generation into reliable, high-value deliverables. The strongest brands will treat AI and human expertise as an integrated partnership, ensuring innovation is matched by accountability and real-world impact.

Realistic Marketing Makes Growth More Sustainable

Cindy Moen

For small and mid-size businesses, 2026 will be the year marketing finally feels manageable again. AI will streamline the tasks that once drained time and energy, giving marketers room to focus on what matters most: telling better stories, understanding their audience, and building repeatable programs.

With intelligent automation and agentic systems becoming everyday tools, lean teams will gain strategic breathing room. The businesses that win will use AI to stay consistent, curious, and genuinely connected to their customers, without chasing every trend or platform.

 

Jennifer Marsnik

Message Discipline Cuts Through Audience Overload

The volume of content produced today has far outpaced audiences’ capacity to consume it. Even sophisticated personalization cannot solve the underlying problem: people feel overwhelmed.

In 2026, differentiation will come from clarity and purpose, not output. Expect fewer campaigns with deeper storylines, stronger narrative cohesion, and greater message discipline. Organizations that articulate a simple, consistent story across channels, without over-communicating, will see stronger engagement and reputational lift. Precision, not noise, becomes the advantage.

Video Becomes PR’s Always-On Engagement Engine

Vicki LaBrosse

In 2026, video and audio move from supportive PR assets to primary communication engines. AI-powered production enables brands to release polished video content within hours of breaking news or crises, making video an always-on channel for rapid response and clarity.

Short-form videos, executive explainers, and modular clips will anchor announcements, thought leadership, and storytelling across platforms. Podcasts will evolve into timely micro-episodes used for transparency and updates during high-pressure moments. As search increasingly prioritizes multimedia, video-first PR strategies deliver both engagement and discoverability, turning every moment into a long-term asset.

 

Tanya Amyote

Measurement Moves From Activity to Impact

In 2026, marketing and PR measurement will finally catch up to how decisions are actually made. Vanity metrics like impressions, reach, and raw engagement will continue to lose credibility, replaced by sharper indicators tied to trust, influence, and business outcomes.

As AI-driven discovery reshapes visibility, organizations will need to understand not just where they appear, but why, and how that exposure influences reputation, pipeline and, most importantly, decision-making. The most effective teams will use data not as a reporting exercise, but as a strategic feedback tool, guiding where to invest, what to say less often, and which stories truly move the proverbial needle.

 

Fewer Tactics. Stronger Signals.

In 2026, marketing and PR success will not be measured by how much content is produced or how quickly new tools are adopted. It will be defined by credibility, consistency, and clarity.

Brands that earn trust through expertise, proof, disciplined storytelling, and responsible AI use will rise above the noise. Those that continue chasing volume without authority will struggle for visibility in a world increasingly navigated by intelligent systems. The path forward is clear: smarter strategies, stronger signals, and marketing that earns its place in the conversation.

About the Authors

Click here to learn about the Edge Marketing team.

 

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by Cindy Moen

Earlier this fall, my colleague Mary Obregon and I had the chance to attend the 2025 INBOUND conference in San Francisco, hosted by HubSpot. I love San Francisco and have been many times, but this was Mary’s first visit. So in between sessions we played tourists and squeezed in a few classic sights. There’s something about seeing someone spot the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time that makes you appreciate it all over again.

Once we packed away our souvenir magnets and got back to business, INBOUND reminded us just how fast the marketing world is evolving. From AI-driven search to smarter customer journeys, there were plenty of new ideas buzzing around the Moscone Center. After some reflection, here are our top five takeaways from the conference.

  1. From SEO to AEO: Content for the Age of AI

For years, search engine optimization (SEO) has been the foundation of digital marketing. But INBOUND made it clear that we’ve entered a new phase, the era of answer engine optimization (AEO). Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity are changing how people find information. These platforms do not just list websites; they summarize and recommend them.

What does this mean for your content? Be clear, direct and helpful. Put the answer right at the top. Long how-to guides are giving way to content that provides immediate value.

AI now looks for credibility signals, not just backlinks, so it’s important to pay attention to where your business is mentioned. Reviews, directories and respected industry sites are becoming the new indicators of authority.

If you are a HubSpot user, the AEO Grader can help you see how your content is interpreted by AI. Another helpful tool mentioned at INBOUND was xfunnel.ai, which lets you evaluate how well your webpages align with AI-driven search and user intent.

Even without fancy tools, ask yourself this question: If an AI assistant were summarizing your business, would it choose your content as the answer?

 

  1. Loop Marketing: The Customer Journey Is a Circle, Not a Funnel

One of HubSpot’s biggest themes this year was loop marketing, a new way to think about the customer journey. Instead of viewing it as a funnel that ends with a sale, loop marketing treats every interaction as part of an ongoing cycle.

A review, a support ticket or a newsletter click can all feed back into improving the next experience and creating a lasting relationship.

For small and medium businesses, this might mean using client feedback to inspire your next blog or tracking what topics drive engagement so you can double down on what works. The idea is to connect marketing, sales and service data so everyone learns from the same story.

 

  1. Attribution, Remix and Smarter Tech

Another big theme at INBOUND was smarter technology, not just more of it, like HubSpot AI Referrals and Content Remix, both of which make marketing more efficient and insightful.

AI Referrals go beyond click tracking to uncover what truly drives conversions, including those “dark social” interactions like private messages and forwarded emails.

Then there’s Content Remix, HubSpot’s pilot feature that can automatically turn one piece of content, such as a webinar, into short videos, blog posts or social snippets. For small teams, this could be a major time-saver and a great way to keep messaging consistent.

The lesson here is simple: repurpose your best ideas. You do not have to reinvent the wheel for every channel, just make sure it keeps rolling smoothly.

 

  1. Industry Priorities: What’s Working Now

Across sessions and coffee breaks, several priorities came up repeatedly:

  • Reducing reliance on Google and building authority where your audience spends time.
  • Making your content easy to scan with short sections, clear subheads and direct answers.
  • Tracking brand mentions, not just backlinks, because AI engines now measure visibility this way.
  • Investing in video, especially short, captioned clips that work across multiple platforms.

At Edge, we’ve already started auditing client content for what we call “AI readiness.” That means checking whether each page answers key questions quickly, stands on its own and clearly shows why someone should choose that company.

 

  1. Tactics That Are Shifting Fast: Email, Social and Paid Ads

Finally, some quick-hit tactics that are changing fast:

  • Email: Consumer addresses, like Gmail or Yahoo, are outperforming work emails. Keep subject lines short and use conversational first-person calls to action such as “Let’s get started.”
  • Social: On LinkedIn, engagement matters most. Focus on getting comments and shares before adding links. Genuine interaction beats reach every time.
  • Paid ads: Video continues to outperform static content, and Instagram Reels are offering better ROI than LinkedIn ads for many brands.

It’s a good reminder that authenticity, not automation, drives connection.

 

Edge’s Next Steps — and Yours Too

When Mary and I got home from INBOUND, we didn’t just unpack our bags; we unpacked ideas. At Edge, we’re already putting these takeaways into practice by:

  • Making AEO part of every content strategy discussion.
  • Tracking brand mentions and citations, not only links.
  • Testing content remix tools to help small teams do more with less.
  • Continuing to fine-tune email and social tactics based on current data.

The biggest takeaway from INBOUND 2025? You don’t need to chase every trend. What matters is staying curious about how your customers are finding information and making decisions.

Now is a great time to ask yourself: Are your answers easy to find? Are you showing up in the right spaces? Are your tools measuring what matters most today?

You don’t have to transform everything overnight. Just start where you are; keep learning; and stay flexible.

About the Author

Cindy Kremer Moen has helped Edge Marketing clients develop successful strategies and tactics to meet their goals since 2006. When not at her desk, she can be found on the trails and waterways near her home on the shores of Lake Superior.

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by Vicki LaBrosse

The playbook for public relations is being rewritten at light speed. Gone are the days when a successful strategy meant simply getting your name into the right newsrooms or onto industry blogs. In today’s world, artificial intelligence is reshaping how journalists, businesses and, most importantly, your clients discover and trust brands. If your content and expertise aren’t showing up in AI-generated responses, you may be invisible in the very moments that matter most.

Marketers and business leaders must adapt to this new era. This article explores the most urgent lessons: what it means to “earn” AI-driven PR, how to become a cited and trusted source and where to begin transforming your strategy for both human and machine audiences.

A Press Room Without Walls and a Thousand Gatekeepers

PR is no longer about catching the attention of a handful of journalists in a crowded press room. The modern press room is digital, distributed and populated by both people and the invisible algorithms powering discovery for billions. It’s no longer enough to be included in a roundup or a directory. The real win is being cited: referenced by authoritative sources, podcasts, respected blogs and, crucially, the AIs and bots that now power major search and curation platforms.

This change brings new challenges and opportunities. Mentions are fleeting, but citations build equity. Every time a reputable outlet, influential blog, trade newsletter or analyst report cites your company by name, it increases your authority in the eyes of humans and the data-driven logic of AI. The algorithms powering search and generative content do not just count mentions; they connect the dots between quality, diversity and context.

Consistency and Relationships in Earned Media

Citations aren’t won by accident. They’re earned through consistent effort and genuine relationships. Agencies and brands need to engage with the media year-round, not just during a product launch or news cycle. Building lasting relationships means becoming a recurring resource who is ready to comment on industry trends, provide real-time insights or offer up other experts from your organization for commentary. Rather than waiting for an opportunity to pop up, successful brands are proactive, looking for ways to plug in to the larger industry dialogue even if the discussion isn’t always directly about their offerings.

In practice, this means regular and relevant communication with editors, reporters, bloggers, podcast hosts and even AI content trainers. It means studying the work of your media contacts, offering exclusive or counterintuitive perspectives and being just as comfortable listening as you are pitching your story. It is this persistent, value-first approach that elevates you from “just another mention” to a go-to resource, which is something both journalists and the emerging wave of AI content tools quickly recognize.

Content Built for the Algorithm and the Audience

Where does all this relationship-building come to life? In the content you produce. The rise of AI means your writing must do double duty: attract readers and appeal to machine logic. That points to focusing on the clarity, structure and intentional use of every headline, summary and subheading.

Gone are long-winded intros and buried insights. Today’s best content gets to the point up front, answers meaningful questions and offers concise takeaways. Thought leadership must be actionable, digestible and easy for both people and bots to parse. The structure isn’t window dressing; it sets up a road map for AI engines to “find” your expertise and elevate it, sometimes even quoting you directly in synthesized responses to user queries.

In technical terms, this is where it pays off to include meta descriptions, structured data and schema markup on your web properties. But it also means writing honestly and directly, addressing the real concerns of your audience and colleagues and avoiding the fluff that neither human nor machine values.

From a Single Story to a Content Ecosystem

Of course, it’s not enough to create a single brilliant post or land one high-profile interview. In the new PR landscape, amplification and repurposing are vital. Every time your brand is referenced in a major publication or podcast, use that moment across your entire content stack. Feature the achievement on your website, in newsletters and on social channels. Turn a smart quote into a headline for your next blog post; clip videos for sharing; and make use of “as seen in” bars or trust badges to quickly build credibility with new audiences, including AI-powered discovery engines.

In our work at Edge Marketing, we see that the most visible brands treat these efforts as part of a larger content ecosystem, where every piece supports another and increases the likelihood that both human editors and AI bots connect the dots.

Actionable Steps to Earn AI-Driven PR

  • Cultivate relationships with journalists, bloggers, analysts and podcast hosts by engaging with their work and offering unique perspectives.
  • Create clear, well-structured content with headlines, summaries and subheadings that get to the point and answer real industry questions.
  • Use your own expertise and that of your colleagues; pitch fresh voices and stories, offering insights even when you’re not the headline.
  • Prioritize value in media outreach—share research, actionable tips or checklists rather than just promotional points.
  • Amplify every earned mention: blog about it; share on social channels; use trust badges; and turn key insights into recurring conversation starters within your industry.
  • Add meta descriptions, schema markup and technical enhancements where possible to help AI algorithms surface your content more easily.
  • Track your success not just by clicks or page views, but by the frequency and quality of citations and references in both traditional and AI-generated media.

Monitor, Learn and Evolve Constantly

Finally, no PR strategy today is fully “set and forget.” You should actively monitor where your brand is discovered by setting up Google Alerts, review native application analytics and simply ask new connections where they first found you. Pay attention to citations on Reddit, podcasts, forums, newsletters and niche sites, all of which are fertile ground for both press mentions and algorithmic citation.

The best modern PR teams are those who are ready to experiment, adapt and double down on what works. That means being comfortable with a living, evolving strategy and accepting that visibility today is shaped by a partnership between your work, your network and the endlessly evolving universe of AI.

If you’re ready to step up your visibility and become a cited authority in the view of both eyes and algorithms, Edge Marketing’s library of Tip and Guide PDFs can light your path. Visit www.edgemarketinginc.com to get started and join the brands and leaders who are shaping the future of AI-driven public relations.

About the Author

Vicki LaBrosse is director of global public relations at Edge Marketing and a recognized leader in digital communications, earned media and thought leadership strategies.

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by Mary Obregon

If you’re still thinking of “search visibility” as landing a top spot in Google’s traditional results, you’re overlooking the revolution happening right under your nose. At Edge Marketing, we see the rules (and opportunities) changing faster than ever, driven largely by the rise of AI-powered search engines and chatbots. For your brand or business it’s not just about being “found” anymore; it’s about becoming the authority: the cited, quoted and trusted resource at the core of every answer, both for humans and machines.

From First Page to First Answer

For years, marketers and professional service leaders put significant effort into achieving that elusive “page one” ranking in a basic Google search. But as my colleague Amy Juers and I recently discussed on the Edge Unscripted podcast, today’s searcher experience in legal, accounting, tech and beyond looks completely different.

Platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s new Search Generative Experience and Gemini now deliver direct, AI-powered answers to users, often without requiring a single click. According to recent data, a staggering 65% of searches now end without users ever visiting a website. Instead, people want clear, immediate answers; we all do—myself included!

This shift is especially crucial for those in thought leadership-driven sectors. If your expertise isn’t featured or cited in these AI-powered answers, your brand risks being invisible to your ideal audience. The new reality is that being the top answer, cited as the authority, has replaced the vanity of traditional search ranking.

What Does “Being Cited” Mean in Practice?

Being cited doesn’t just mean showing up somewhere in a list. It means your insights, your data, your opinions are the answers AI applies to respond to users’ questions. Imagine someone researching best practices for firm IT workflows and ChatGPT lists your white paper or quotes your CEO’s expert commentary. As I shared on the podcast, it’s becoming increasingly common for a prospective client or journalist to say, “I found you because you were referenced in an AI-generated answer.” That’s business impact you can measure.

Enter Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

How do you get there? Traditional SEO isn’t obsolete by any means. Google ranking still matters, but it now serves as just one piece of the puzzle. An emerging strategy we call generative engine optimization (GEO) is quickly becoming a must-have: structuring, distributing and amplifying your expertise specifically so that generative AI engines discover and cite your brand. While still evolving, GEO is already proving essential for visibility in AI-powered searches.

Here’s where to focus your efforts:

  1. Make Your Content AI-Ready

GEO starts with making your content easy for AI models to interpret and surface. This means using structured Q&A formats, with direct and concise answers to real client questions, and creating content that can be quickly indexed, summarized and surfaced. On the Edge Marketing website, for example, we’ve added detailed FAQs targeting the exact pain points and queries of our buyers. Not only does this help humans navigate, but it also makes it much easier for AI engines to parse and reference our expertise.

  1. Get Cited Beyond Your Own Platform

It’s not enough to publish great content on your own website. AI platforms value third-party validation. You should pursue bylined articles, guest podcast spots, PR placements and speaking opportunities in industry publications and events. Trade journals, technology podcasts and expert commentary pieces can all become feeder content for AI engines. Even a single bylined article in a respected trade publication may be referenced dozens of times in generative AI responses.

  1. Optimize Technically for AI

Technical SEO isn’t going away; it’s evolving. Clear schema markup, explanatory meta descriptions and well-structured headers help both search bots and human readers quickly recognize the expertise in your content. Make sure every blog, white paper or landing page is as “bot-friendly” as it is user-friendly.

  1. Repurpose and Tag All Content Types

Remember: AI engines analyze not just written words, but audio and video content as well. Ensure your podcasts, webinars and panel discussions are transcribed and properly tagged with relevant keywords and names. The more comprehensive your content footprint is, the more opportunities there are for AI to find and trust what you’re saying.

  1. Measure What Really Matters

Finally, it’s important to track not just clicks, but citations—where your work is being directly referenced by AI and media. While robust software tools are still catching up (and we at Edge are constantly researching the best solutions), you can start by simply asking new leads how they found you, monitoring PR pickup and experimenting with analytics tools that highlight AI-driven traffic sources.

PR Is Now Every Touchpoint

At Edge, we treat every blog post, interview, podcast and announcement as PR—not just for search engines, but for people too. The goal is to optimize every touchpoint for human trust and AI discoverability alike. Stay persistent: keep creating, optimizing and sharing your expertise wherever decisions are made, whether by humans or by the AI platforms influencing the next wave of business discovery.

Are you ready to be found and cited, not just by Google but by the wave of AI-powered engines shaping tomorrow’s marketplace? Start with these steps. For deeper insights, download our free GEO Tips and Guides PDF at edgemarketinginc.com.

About the Author:

Mary Obregon is a marketing strategist at Edge Marketing. For more AI-driven strategies, subscribe to the Edge newsletter or tune in to the Edge Unscripted podcast.

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by Jennifer Marsnik

LinkedIn remains a valuable social media platform in a marketer’s toolbox. And despite the buzz around newer platforms or shifting algorithms, its role in marketing has only grown more central.

The reason is simple: LinkedIn is where decision-makers are. It’s where they read industry news, follow thought leaders, and may evaluate potential providers. With more than one billion users and nearly 80 percent of them influencing business decisions, the platform offers unmatched access to the professionals that marketing efforts are trying to reach.

But if your organization is relying solely on posts from your company page or the occasional ad, you are only scratching the surface of what’s possible. The real power lies in activating the people behind the brand: your employees.

The Power of Employee Engagement

Employee voices can carry more credibility than brand voices. When a company page shares an update, it may get a few hundred impressions. But when your partners, associates, or other staff share a post, even if it’s the same content, it’s seen as authentic, personal, and worthy of engagement. That post can reach thousands of relevant connections and start meaningful conversations. For a professional services firm where relationships and reputation drive business, that’s invaluable.

Make It Easy, Make It Worthwhile

To build momentum, start by making it easy for employees to participate. Package content in a way that’s ready to go—sample headlines, suggested captions, and clear calls to action go a long way. Encourage personalization so their posts feel genuine, not scripted. Tools like GaggleAMP or EveryoneSocial can streamline this, but even a shared Google Doc can do the trick.

Recognition also matters. Share engagement stats, highlight posts that performed well, and create a friendly competition or internal shoutout system. Employees are more likely to share when they both understand the impact and feel supported in doing so.

Leadership Sets the Tone

One of the biggest drivers of engagement is seeing firm leadership involved. When managing partners, a chairperson, or committee leads actively share insights or comment on industry issues, it signals that participating on LinkedIn is not only acceptable, it’s encouraged. That leadership-by-example approach helps break through hesitation and establishes a culture of digital visibility.

Align Engagement with Employee Goals

Finally, don’t just position LinkedIn sharing as an ask. Help employees see how it benefits them, too. Building a professional brand, showcasing expertise, and expanding their network can lead to speaking opportunities, new business, or career growth. When the value is mutual, engagement is far more sustainable.

8 Ideas for Activating Employees as LinkedIn Advocates

  1. Create a Clear Advocacy Program
    • Define goals (brand awareness, lead generation, thought leadership).
    • Identify content types employees should share (law firm news, industry insights, personal stories).
    • Offer guidance on how often to post and how to engage meaningfully.
  1. Provide Shareable, Pre-Packaged Content
    • Develop a regular cadence of shareable posts (with optional personalization).
    • Use employee advocacy tools like EveryoneSocial, GaggleAMP, or Hootsuite Amplify to distribute content easily.
    • Tailor posts by role or department to keep messaging authentic and relevant.
  1. Make It Easy and Rewarding
    • Offer templates or headlines they can adapt.
    • Recognize top advocates publicly or through small incentives.
    • Share analytics to show the impact of their engagement (e.g., reach, clicks, new followers).
  1. Train and Empower
    • Host LinkedIn workshops to improve profile strength and posting confidence.
    • Encourage employees to build their personal brands by sharing their knowledge, expertise and insights on industry topics.
    • Feature standout posts as examples of good content.
  1. Lead by Example
    • Have firm leaders and marketing execs actively post, comment, and share.
    • When leadership is involved, it signals credibility and encourages team-wide participation.
  1. Encourage Engagement, Not Just Sharing
    • Ask employees to like, comment on, or add insights to firm posts and not just reshare them.
    • Promote tagging teammates, partners, or clients to increase visibility and interactions.
  1. Spotlight Employees on the Company’s Page
    • Rotate features that highlight team members’ stories, wins, or insights.
    • This not only builds engagement but makes employees more likely to reshare and promote.
  1. Align Content with Personal Value
    • Show how sharing supports their own reputation as industry experts.
    • Encourage posts about professional learnings, behind-the-scenes stories, or case outcomes (with client approval).

The Bottom Line

Trust and visibility are non-negotiable. LinkedIn remains the best place to build both. By empowering employees to be part of the conversation, you multiply the reach and credibility of every message. The tools are there, and so is the audience. The only question is whether your people are showing up.

About the Author:

With Edge Marketing since 2007, Jennifer Marsnik specializes in helping clients develop and implement strategic plans that support their overall business goals.

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by Nicolle Martin

Stories have always been at the heart of how we connect, influence, and create change. In a world where the average person is bombarded with literally thousands of marketing messages every day, the ability to tell a compelling story has never been more important or more impactful. But the question is, how do you craft a story that doesn’t just resonate but also inspires action?

Storytelling is a cornerstone of how marketers help brands succeed. Through storytelling, you can develop narratives that cut through the noise, remain memorable, and ultimately drive results. But today, storytelling needs to do more than capture attention, it needs to offer clarity, build trust, and inspire confidence in both your brand and the solutions you provide.

Why Storytelling Matters in Today’s Marketing

Stories are more than entertaining – they’re how we process meaning, relate to the world, and make decisions. In marketing, a great story helps clients understand their challenges, envision solutions, and take the next step, such as buying your products or services.

The most effective types of stories achieve this balance by focusing on two key elements:

  1. HERO: Positioning the audience, the client, as the hero of the story. In every great story, the hero is the one on a journey. They have challenges to overcome, goals to achieve, and a vision of a better future they want to create.What does this mean in marketing and PR? It means shifting the focus away from what your brand does and centering the narrative on the challenges your clients face. Success is not about pushing your products or services; it’s about demonstrating your understanding of the struggles your clients face and showing how you are invested and want to help.
  2. GUIDE: Taking on the role of the guide to help them succeed. Being the guide, rather than the hero, positions your brand as a trusted ally. Your expertise becomes the tool through which your audience, the hero, achieves their goals and overcomes the stakes. It’s a humble role but a powerful one because it builds trust and establishes long-term relationships.

Brands need to identify key messaging that positions them as the trusted, results-driven partner that clients need in a saturated and competitive marketplace. Everything, from your messaging to your delivery, must be aligned with the problem your audience faces and the solution they’re searching for.

Elevating Your Story to the Right Audience

Crafting a great story is only part of the equation. To create meaningful connections and inspire action, your story needs to be in front of the right audience at the right time and in the right way. That’s where AI-driven strategies come in.

By leveraging AI, brands can go deeper, delivering the precision, insights, and adaptability needed to ensure stories not only reach the right audience but also resonate with them in a meaningful way.

Imagine being able to understand what your audience truly cares about and then aligning your messaging with their needs at precisely the right moment. It’s the difference between hoping your campaign works and knowing your campaign is designed for results.

AI also can test, refine, and optimize stories in ways that weren’t possible before, ensuring every element performs at its best. While creativity drives the story, AI ensures it connects, converts, and builds the momentum needed for long-term success.

The Key Elements of a Good Story

Whether in marketing, PR, or branding, crafting effective stories begins with understanding what your audience needs. It’s about uncovering the problems they face, offering empathy and authority, and showing them how your brand is the partner they can trust to help them achieve their goals.

The stories that perform the best aren’t about overcomplicating things, they’re about clarity, connection, and working toward a shared vision of success.

What It Means for Your Brand

Crafting high-impact stories isn’t about saying more, it’s about saying the right thing at the right time. It’s about aligning your brand’s strengths with what your clients need most and presenting that narrative in a way that is authentic, actionable, and compelling.

And while storytelling has always been an art, it’s now elevated by AI. With our team’s expertise, coupled with the help of AI, we craft stories that are impactful, measurable, and unforgettable for your audience.

If your brand isn’t leveraging storytelling with precision and purpose, it’s time to think differently. Edge Marketing is here to help you start the next chapter in your brand’s success story.

About the Author:

Nicolle joined Edge Marketing in 2007. Today, Nicolle leverages her industry expertise to help clients strategically plan and execute marketing and public relations initiatives that drive growth and align with their business goals. Her ability to navigate the dynamic legal and accounting tech landscapes makes her an invaluable partner for companies looking to gain a competitive edge.

When she’s not crafting strategies or driving results for her clients, Nicolle enjoys spending time with her family and their two lovable but energetic boxers, Jax and Louie.

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