In this episode of the Being Understood podcast, Bess Ellenson, Senior Director of Media and Storytelling at Tunheim, joins host David Erickson to explore the evolving landscape of public relations and media strategy.

From foundational messaging and audience targeting to advanced crisis communications and the growing intersection of traditional and digital PR, Bess shares actionable insights that senior communications leaders can immediately apply.

This episode is a must-listen for CMOs, VPs of Communications, and PR Directors navigating the challenges of a transforming media ecosystem, shifting consumer behaviors, and the growing complexity of managing brand narratives in today’s digital-first world. 

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, staying visible is becoming more challenging. As discussed in Tunheim’s Being Understood podcast, Pat Milan and David Erickson explore the shifts in how people discover brands online, particularly in search and social media.

These shifts have made traditional methods of building an audience on digital channels less effective, and brands need to adapt to new realities shaped by AI and evolving user behavior.

David Erickson points out that one of the biggest changes has been the rise of “zero-click searches.” Historically, when people searched on Google, they clicked through to one of the top ten links. Today, Google is providing more answers directly within search results. Features like “People Also Ask” give users the information they need without ever visiting an external site.

For brands, this means that optimizing content to show up in these answer boxes is crucial to remaining discoverable. Simply aiming to rank high in search results may no longer be enough, as fewer people are clicking through to websites.

At the same time, social media has also seen significant changes. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have been deprioritizing posts that contain external links, preferring content that keeps users engaged within their ecosystems. This means brands need to rethink their social media strategy, focusing more on native content—images, videos, and posts designed to stay within the platform.

External links, which were once the backbone of driving traffic from social media, are now penalized by the algorithms. The result is that brands see less engagement and visibility when trying to direct followers to their websites.

AI is further disrupting discoverability.

With conversational AI models, like OpenAI’s multimodal systems, the way people search and interact with brands will become even more fluid. Instead of traditional search inputs, users will engage in natural conversations with AI, which will provide answers across multiple formats.

For brands, the opportunity lies in creating content that AI can rely on as accurate and authoritative. This means thinking beyond keywords and focusing on thought leadership—creating content that establishes your brand as a trusted source of information.

“AI needs sources of truth… the more you can open up your existing content or create content that feeds AI, the better your brand will be.”  – David Erickson

To prepare for these shifts, businesses need to audit their current digital presence. Conducting an SEO and AI-focused audit can help identify gaps and opportunities, ensuring that your content is optimized for both today’s algorithms and tomorrow’s AI-driven searches.

Discoverability is no longer just about having the right keywords or driving traffic from social media. It’s about creating engaging, trustworthy content that stands out in an increasingly complex digital environment.

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