Audiences are increasingly finding answers through Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other AI-powered search experiences. They can get information without ever visiting a website. Google reported in 2026 that AI Overviews surpassed 2.5 billion monthly active users, and the number is expected to grow.

That changes the rules of discoverability for content marketing and public relations teams. For institutions investing in content, the opportunity is clear: Build visibility and trust wherever your audiences are searching and making decisions.

We spoke with marketing, communications, and PR leaders across higher ed, healthcare, and B2B to uncover five ways they’re improving their SEO/AEO (search and answer engine optimization) and AI search visibility.

1. Expert Interviews Are the Foundation of High-Performing Content

AI can summarize existing information in seconds. Original interviews and expert perspectives your audience can’t get anywhere else provide something more valuable. Ann Gynn, editorial consultant for Content Marketing Institute and owner of G Force Communication, sees that distinction becoming increasingly important.

“AI has accelerated the value of interviewing people. I see myself doing it more now, because creating content solely from my own knowledge or research can be replicated by AI or other people.”

Original perspectives matter for higher-ed and healthcare organizations with deep subject matter expertise. Allison Turcio, Dean of Enrollment and Marketing at Siena University and host of The Application podcast, encourages marketers to start with audience needs rather than their preferred content format.

“The first step is just having a really good understanding of your audience, where they are, and what types of information they’re going to connect with best.”

That means building content around specific questions. For example, a healthcare organization might develop a series answering queries about what patients should expect before, during, and after knee replacement surgery. A university can answer questions about program costs, career outcomes, or the admissions process.

Clear, focused content helps audiences find relevant information and gives search engines context to understand it. Google’s guidance on AI search reinforces the importance of helpful, reliable, people-first content. Strong SEO/AEO fundamentals remain relevant in AI-powered search.

Put it into practice: Identify five high-value questions your audience asks. Interview a subject matter expert and create a focused article answering each question with practical, original insights.

2. Cross-Channel Storytelling Is More Important than Ever 

Your audience doesn’t live on one platform. Your stories shouldn’t either. One subject matter expert interview for a compelling story can yield blog content, short-form videos, social features, email content, and earned media opportunities. But don’t just publish identical content everywhere. Instead, adapt the heart of the story for the channels where your audience engages.

John Martino, Senior Director of Digital Marketing at Living Assistance Services, Inc., says, “If you have a great story or message, make sure it is shareable across channels. We create variations of our stories for our e-newsletters and social media.”

How UT Southwestern Turns One Interview into Multiple Content Assets 

The UT Southwestern MedBlog features strategic interviews with physicians about health topics that patients care about. From those conversations come in-depth blog articles, social content, email communications, and the Doctor’s Notes short-form video series. By capturing video during blog content interviews, the team creates additional touch points without increasing time demands on busy physicians.

Valerie Wigglesworth, Managing Editor in UT Southwestern’s Office of Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs, says this approach helps address the spread of questionable health information.

“We hope that by providing accurate information from a trusted source, we can counteract misinformation.”

Put it into practice: Turn your next expert interview into a blog article and short videos to share on social media and YouTube. Give each asset a distinct purpose for the audience that uses each channel.

3. Earn More Media Coverage, Even with Fewer Resources

Marketing and PR teams can improve their chances of coverage by delivering complete, useful stories in place of general news announcements. For example, Owens Community College took a proactive approach to promoting its planned Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Rather than waiting until the program announcement, its marketing team developed stories about healthcare career pathways, faculty accomplishments, facilities, and alumni experiences.

Tasha Hussain Black, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Marketing and Communications at Owens, explained that storytelling helped prospective students become familiar with the college’s healthcare offerings before the new program was announced. The result was a more connected narrative, with articles, images, videos, and expert perspectives available to support the announcement and media outreach.

Put it into practice: Build a media-ready content package around your next major announcement. Create a compelling story in lieu of a standard press release. Include expert quotes, photography, video snippets, and supporting facts that journalists can easily verify. 

4. Learn Which Content Topics Your Audience Wants 

Let audience behavior guide your editorial calendar. The best content ideas don’t always come from brainstorming meetings. Often, they’re hiding in your analytics, search queries, customer conversations, and audience feedback.

For higher education marketers, that could mean examining admissions inquiries, website searches, program page engagement, and questions prospective students ask recruiters. In a healthcare setting, this might mean analyzing patients’ conversations with clinical staff and providing answers to the questions they ask (along with those they might not yet know to ask).

Candace Gwaltney, Associate Director of Communications at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, also considers timing and audience relevance when sharing complex research.

Her team looks for opportunities to connect scientific developments with broader public interest, such as highlighting lung cancer research during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. This approach helps transform institutional expertise into content people have a reason to engage with.

Put it into practice: Bring your SEO/AEO, PR, marketing, and admissions or patient experience teams together quarterly. Identify recurring audience questions and use those insights to prioritize content topics.

5. Track Content Metrics That Matter in an AI World

Website traffic, search rankings, and media placements still matter. But they no longer tell the whole story. As AI-generated answers become more common, marketing teams need a broader picture of how audiences encounter and engage with their brands. Beyond page views, track:

• Search visibility: Impressions, organic traffic, and appearance in high-value search queries.
• AI visibility: Brand mentions and citations in AI-generated answers for relevant questions.
• Audience engagement: Video views, meaningful comments, shares, and content interactions.
• Earned media: Relevant coverage, expert mentions, and referral traffic.

AI citations and brand mentions can provide useful directional insights, but measurement methods are still evolving. These metrics should be interpreted together as pieces to the large puzzle of search visibility.

Put it into practice: Create a monthly content scorecard combining traditional SEO/AEO performance, AI visibility observations, engagement, and conversions. Use it to identify which stories deserve additional investment.

What’s Next for Content Marketing & PR? 

AI is changing how people find answers, but the fundamentals of effective storytelling remain remarkably consistent. Audiences want relevant information. They want credible sources and content that helps them make confident decisions.

Start with original expertise to build stories around audience needs. Share those stories across relevant channels in a variety of formats. Measure their contribution to visibility, trust, and organizational growth. Organizations that do this consistently will be better positioned to earn attention through SEO/AEO and earned media, wherever people are seeking information.

Ready to strengthen your content strategy for AI search? Stamats helps higher education and healthcare organizations connect content strategy, SEO/AEO, and digital marketing to reach the right audiences and drive meaningful results.

Connect with our team to explore how your institution can improve discoverability.