AI Cites Earned Media. Your Ad Budget Doesn’t Count

GROWTH PILLAR: Marketing & Branding WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Leaders building systems WHAT THEY’LL GAIN: A plain plan to earn media coverage, avoid newsjacking mistakes, and show up in AI answers. Most owners think ad spend gets them found by AI. It doesn’t. Until you earn real coverage, AI keeps naming your competitors instead. Patrick McCaully is the founder of Pointman News Creation and a former TV newsroom assignment editor. He explains why PR now matters for AI search. AI tools build your AI story from earned media, not paid ads, and they back it up with citations. Patrick shares how to earn more coverage, why original surveys beat newsjacking, and how humor makes stories stand out. He also covers wire releases, crisis communication, and a realistic PR budget. He says small challenger brands have the edge. This episode is for small business owners who feel invisible and want PR that drives business growth. Key topics covered Why AI cites earned media over paid media Getting 50 or 100 stories, not 3 Wire releases as a short-term AI citation loophole Supercut videos and news pages on your own site Polls and surveys that make several stories Why newsjacking backfires Crisis communication: when to stay quiet A realistic PR budget for a small business Humor as a PR secret weapon Guest links Pointman News Creation Patrick McCaully on LinkedIn Pointman on LinkedIn Pointman on Instagram Read the full write-up Supporting person: Thank you to Carl Richards of Podcast Solutions Made Simple for the introduction. Browse all episodes — PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE — @Hive: real-world business networking, in person and online. Starter membership is $99 CAD a year. Canada Growth Network: a business community with real introductions and a robust CRM, $47 CAD a month. Profit10: the free Profit Snapshot shows where your business leaks profit. Next Steps Email: [email protected] Join Canada Growth Network: a robust CRM platform. $1 CAD first month, then $47 CAD a month. Real tools. Real people. Subscribe to the K4B blog Search K4B episodes Register as a K4B guest Visit Knack 4 Business Past episodes Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation. We share perspectives. You make the decisions. Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there. Until next time; keep building. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.