Two-thirds of brands adapt PR for the AI search era

A global survey of 858 marketing and PR professionals highlights how AI-driven search is reshaping the role of public relations, with organizations increasingly viewing PR as central to authority, credibility and revenue generation.

The report, titled PR’s Authority Moment: 2026 Benchmark on AI, Visibility & Revenue, found that 63.5 percent of respondents said AI-driven search has already changed their PR strategy, while 73 percent expect PR to become even more strategic over the next two years.

Awareness still dominates PR objectives

Despite the growing influence of AI search, only 21.8 percent of organizations said Authority, Expertise and Trustworthiness (AEO) is a defined strategic priority. Brand awareness remains the leading PR objective at 66.3 percent, followed by reputation management at 39.4 percent.

The research also found that just 17.1 percent of organizations prioritize AI visibility and citations, while only 14.4 percent focus on direct go-to-market or sales support.

A further 11.5 percent of respondents said their organizations do not measure PR impact at all.

Integration between PR, marketing and sales grows

The study points to closer alignment between PR, marketing and sales teams. Nearly seven in 10 organizations said PR is now important to go-to-market efforts, while 48.7 percent reported full integration between PR, marketing and sales. Another 36.6 percent said the functions are partially integrated.

However, gaps remain in how earned media is used commercially. Only 13.1 percent of organizations share earned media coverage with sales teams, and just 6.1 percent use it for sales enablement.

Traditional PR tactics remain dominant

Media relations remains the most widely used PR tactic at 66.7 percent, followed by brand and reputation management at 54.1 percent and digital PR at 52.7 percent. Community engagement was cited by 47.7 percent of respondents.

Measurement practices also continue to rely heavily on traditional metrics such as mentions and impressions. Only 43.7 percent track website traffic from PR activity, while 41.3 percent measure referrals and 41.1 percent monitor AI search visibility.

AI investment rises despite concerns

The report found that 44.8 percent of organizations have increased PR budgets because of AI search developments. PR currently receives an average of 14 percent of total marketing budgets, with the most common allocation range between 5 and 10 percent.

At the same time, respondents identified several concerns linked to AI adoption. Data privacy was the top issue at 40.1 percent, followed by accuracy and hallucinations at 37.9 percent and loss of brand voice at 29.2 percent.

Most organizations are using AI tools primarily for content creation, although the report noted that adoption remains largely unstructured.

PR leaders urged to modernize measurement

The report outlines several priorities for PR leaders, including deeper integration with marketing and sales teams, stronger focus on AEO signals and improved measurement frameworks tied to revenue impact and AI visibility.

It also recommends repurposing earned media into sales materials, whitepapers and enablement assets, while building stronger governance around AI adoption.

The findings suggest PR is moving beyond awareness-building toward a broader commercial role, with 84.1 percent of respondents expecting PR to play a larger part in sales enablement and revenue outcomes over the next two years.

The full report can be accessed here

www.outcomesrocket.com

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