Earned Media and Listings: The Sources Assistants Cite
How to find and win the third-party sources that shape AI answers in a category.
Find the sources that matter
Your audit shows which domains assistants cite for each question. Group them into directories and marketplaces, review sites, media and blogs, communities and forums, and competitor pages. The sources that appear across many prompts and engines are worth the most effort, because one win there can change many answers.
Plan the outreach
For each priority source, decide what you are asking for: a listing, a review, inclusion in a comparison, a guest article or a data contribution. Prepare the facts the source will need, written once and reused: a short description, key features, pricing model, locations and proof such as client logos the client has approved. Keep every pitch short and specific.
- Directories: complete profiles with consistent category and description.
- Review sites: a steady process for asking happy customers to review.
- Comparisons and lists: offer accurate facts, never payment for placement unless clearly disclosed.
- Communities: helpful answers from real people, not promotion.
Track it like a pipeline
Treat earned media as a sales pipeline with stages: identified, pitched, in progress, live. Report wins alongside visibility changes so the client sees the connection over time. Expect some sources to take weeks or months, and keep the list fresh as engines start citing new sites.
- Prioritise sources cited across many prompts and engines.
- Prepare reusable, accurate brand facts before pitching.
- Run outreach as a tracked pipeline and report it next to visibility.
From one client's audit, list the ten most cited third-party domains. For the top three, write the exact ask and the facts you will send.
Check your understanding
1. Which sources should get the most effort?
2. What should you prepare before pitching a listing?
3. How should earned media be reported?
From USD 49 or INR 2,999 a month. A person approves every step.