When Quality PR Shapes the Algorithm: The Path to Claiming AI Search Authority
A Digital PR Case Study
Project Overview
$1B
Valuation Announcement
Wall Street Journal
Article Included in AI Summaries
283M
Readers Reached
| Website | https://www.awardco.com/ |
| Industry | SaaS |
| Value Provided | Lucrative media coverage & AI search visibility |
Project Overview
Awardco, a leading SaaS company in employee recognition, achieved a major milestone: a $1 billion valuation. But in an AI-first search landscape, milestones don’t guarantee visibility—what matters is gaining valuable online real estate to earn well-deserved attention.
Building on years of SEO collaboration with Big Leap, Awardco turned to our team to transform their funding announcement into a lasting authority signal.
Through precise media outreach and high-authority coverage, their $1B news became a measurable force in AI search results, shifting how the brand appears in both branded and non-branded queries.
This case study reveals how digital PR, when combined with SEO intelligence, can shape not just what people read, but what AI surfaces first, putting your brand front and center in discovery moments.
Our Strategy
Our Strategy
We secured top-tier media coverage while our SEO team tracked how it boosted AI search visibility. When searchers looked into Awardco, we wanted their big win to be front and center.
Precise PR Outreach of $1B Valuation News
Big Leap’s PR team orchestrated a precision launch of Awardco’s funding news, securing an exclusive with The Wall Street Journal under embargo, then rolling the story out to targeted local, trade, and national outlets.
Personalized outreach, CEO interviews, and sustained post-launch pitching kept the announcement relevant, fueling both media and AI search visibility.
AI Search Impact Analysis
To track how PR shaped AI-driven brand visibility, we extracted and analyzed AI-generated search results from both ChatGPT and Google AI Mode for branded and non-branded queries (e.g., “best employee recognition platforms”, “pros and cons of using Awardco”).
We categorized results into:
- PR announcement coverage: High-authority outlets reporting on the $1B valuation
- Review & SaaS comparison: Product reviews, HR tech blogs, and software comparison sites
- Other informational references: Industry blogs or Wikipedia mentions
This project was exciting because it bridged traditional PR with AI-search visibility improvements. Demonstrating how Awardco’s funding news influenced AI search results was a clear win that can be replicated for other clients.
Tyler Brown
Head of SEO at Big Leap
Results
The Results
The analysis revealed a measurable increase in PR-driven, high-authority sources within AI search results—reshaping Awardco’s narrative in the AI discovery space:
1. High-Impact Media Coverage
We secured top-tier placements in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, HR Tech Feed, Reuters, Inc., and more—reaching 283 million readers. This elevated Awardco’s brand perception beyond peer vendors, strengthening both human and AI-driven discovery.
2. AI Search Distribution Shift
Before the campaign, AI-generated results for Awardco were entirely review-driven. After the $1B valuation announcement, 10.4% of AI search results now reference the news via high-authority sources—a measurable credibility boost in AI-powered discovery.
Awardco now appears alongside investment and valuation coverage (for branded and non-branded queries), not just product reviews. This has helped reinforce our client’s leadership status and “unicorn” positioning.
3. Authority Signal Boost
After publication, high-authority PR sources were cited in AI search results and remained visible for months. The Wall Street Journal article was included in AI summaries the same day it was published.
Digital PR’s Impact on SEO in the Age of AI
As the search landscape continues to evolve in this AI world, high-authority PR is critical to earning and sustaining relevance. Awardco is a true testament to this.
This campaign reminds us that:
- High-authority PR = AI visibility: Press in trusted outlets drives brand presence in AI search beyond what traditional SEO can achieve
- Hybrid strategy wins: Pairing PR with strong review/comparison coverage ensures both authority and discoverability
- Track AI trends post-PR: Measuring AI search results after major announcements is critical to digital visibility strategy
Be Remembered Before You’re Needed
Discover how Big Leap’s PR strategies can shape your AI search presence—and your market perception—long before your buyers are ready to decide.
Here’s the thing about our PPC agency: We prefer long-term partnerships that are deeply rooted in trust. Before we dive right into this, we’d like to get to know you better, get a feel for your current situation, and talk about your marketing goals and expectations.
You can call us now, or we can meet over lunch. Either way, we’re excited to meet you.
