Analyses of AI answers show that in categories like e-commerce and financial services, user-generated content, affiliate sites and communities can make up the majority of cited sources. That means your brand's reputation in places you don't own heavily shapes what AI says about you. Here's how to win there without faking it.
Where AI looks
- Communities: Reddit, niche forums, Discord and Slack groups for your category.
- Review platforms: G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and category-specific sites.
- Comparison and affiliate content: 'best X for Y' round-ups.
- Q&A and social: threads where buyers ask and answer real questions.
How to earn representation
- 1Be genuinely useful in communities, answer questions, don't pitch.
- 2Earn reviews from real customers and respond to them publicly.
- 3Get included accurately in comparison content by supplying clear facts to authors.
- 4Fix misinformation politely and with evidence where you find it.
- 5Give people a reason to talk about you, a product or result worth mentioning.
