Will press releases help my brand show up in AI tools?

When a biotech company announced its Series B funding last spring, it followed a fairly traditional playbook: a press release distributed through Business Wire, a round of trade media outreach, and a few executive quotes shared on LinkedIn. Within hours, the release was picked up by outlets like Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch. But the surprise came later that week. People searching “emerging biotech funding 2024” on Perplexity and even in Google’s new AI Overviews began seeing the company’s name highlighted. The press release had made its way into the AI-driven discovery ecosystem.

For many brands, this raises a question: are press releases still useful in the era of AI summarizers, chatbots, and LLM-powered news tools? The short answer is yes—when done right.

Why press releases still matter

Press releases have always been a way to create an authoritative, timestamped record of a brand milestone. In 2024, Cision’s Global Comms Report found that 68% of communicators still considered press releases an essential part of their media strategy, not just for journalists but for direct discoverability online.

That relevance now extends to AI systems. Tools like Google AI Overviews and Microsoft Start ingest newswire content through syndication. In addition, aggregators like Yahoo Finance and Business Insider frequently publish wire copy directly, which then feeds into LLM-trained or LLM-assisted summaries.

Press releases, in other words, can act as an on-ramp for brands into the AI discovery pipeline.

How AI tools use press releases

AI models and summarization platforms don’t distinguish much between a news article and a wire story if both come from credible feeds. What matters is:

• Distribution networks: Releases sent through PR Newswire or Business Wire are indexed widely by search engines and publisher networks, increasing their odds of being referenced in AI outputs.
• Schema and metadata: Google specifically recommends using structured data for news content. This helps AI systems correctly recognize company names, executives, and product announcements.
• Citation pathways: Once a release is covered by reputable publications, the brand gains additional visibility. A Reuters Institute study confirmed that AI summarizers tend to prioritize stories that appear in multiple credible outlets.

The limits of press releases in AI visibility

Press releases aren’t magic tickets into ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity. They often need amplification:

• If a release is poorly written or buried on a company site without distribution, it likely won’t be surfaced.
• AI systems prefer content that has been syndicated or covered by trusted third-party outlets.
• Overly promotional or vague language reduces the chance that journalists, and by extension AI tools, will pick it up.

How to make press releases AI-friendly

1. Write with clarity and authority
   Releases should focus on verifiable facts: funding totals, partnerships, product features, customer impact. AI summarizers perform better when content is precise and structured.
2. Use structured markup
   Embedding schema (like “Organization” or “NewsArticle” types) increases machine readability and raises visibility in both search engines and AI-powered systems.
3. Pair with original content
   A release is strongest when it points to deeper assets—data reports, blog posts, or case studies—that journalists and AI platforms can draw from.
4. Distribute strategically
   Relying on a blog post alone is limiting. Use distribution services and pitch relevant journalists to ensure coverage lands in outlets most likely to feed into AI summaries.

Where Contently fits in

The biggest weakness of most press releases isn’t distribution—it’s the writing. Releases that feel like boilerplate marketing rarely gain traction with journalists, readers, or AI platforms. That’s why many brands now turn to Contently.

With access to 160,000+ vetted journalists and subject-matter experts, Contently helps companies:

• Craft press releases that read like credible news stories.
• Ensure messaging is clear, structured, and consistent across channels.
• Build accompanying content (blogs, thought leadership, reports) that strengthens authority signals AI systems use to decide what to include.

By treating press releases as part of a broader editorial strategy rather than one-off announcements, brands can maximize their chances of being noticed not only by humans, but also by the AI-driven tools shaping today’s news consumption.

Conclusion

Press releases are evolving from a simple media relations tactic into a strategic input for AI visibility. They still provide credibility and reach, but their true value now lies in how they ripple outward—syndicated on news sites, referenced in trusted outlets, and ultimately pulled into AI summaries.

For brands aiming to show up in these new information streams, a strong press release paired with high-quality supporting content is one of the smartest moves. And with Contently as a partner, it becomes much easier to create releases that are both journalist-ready and AI-friendly.

Sources

1. Cision – Global Comms Report 2024
2. Google – AI Overviews documentation
3. Microsoft – AI-powered experiences in Microsoft Start
4. PR Newswire
5. Google Search Central – Structured data for news
6. Reuters Institute – Digital News Report 2024