Capability · third-party proof
Reviews, Roundups and PR
Reviews, Roundups and PR is the work that gets others vouching for you, in the places AI assistants read before they answer.
We climb the "best X" roundups AI already cites, run review programmes on the platforms your sector is judged on, brief long-form YouTube explainers, turn awards and launches into trade-press stories, and fix the facts AI repeats about you. Earned proof is the biggest lever in AEO, delivered inside the AEO Implementation Programme and the AEO Retainer.
Phase 2 of the programme (weeks 2 to 8) · ongoing on every retainer tier · no wire releases, no bought mentions
The evidence
Why is third-party proof the biggest lever?
AI assistants build their shortlists from what others publish about you. Three large studies point the same way.
Your own site still matters: the foundations are SEO. But the recommendation is shaped by reviews, roundups, press and video. These studies are large and correlational, so they show what visible brands have in common rather than proving cause. We treat them as direction, and we measure what happens to your own prompts.
What we do
What does the work include?
Nine pieces of work, prioritised by what your audit shows the assistants actually cite in your category.
Review platforms and campaigns
We set up and complete your profiles on the platforms your sector is judged on. For software that means G2 and Gartner Peer Insights, with Capterra, Software Advice or TrustRadius second; for retail, Trustpilot; for branches, Google reviews. Then we run a campaign to recent customers, so your review count and recency match your real reputation.
Category corrections on review sites
If a review site files you in the wrong category, its auto-generated alternatives page sends your buyers to the wrong competitors, and AI can repeat it. We request the recategorisation early, so new reviews land in the right place.
Climbing the "best X" roundups
We find the roundups and listicles AI already cites for your category, then approach their publishers with updated capability data, awards and a customer quote. Moving up a list AI already reads often beats publishing a new page of your own. This is the best-evidenced lever in AEO: in B2B software, 70.8% of AI citations go to pages titled "best", "top" or a comparison (Overthink Group, July 2026).
Trade-press stories from awards and launches
An award announced only on your own blog gets little third-party pickup. We turn awards, launches and customer results into stories for the trade press your buyers read. Earned coverage, never paid placement.
Disclosed answers in the threads AI cites
Reddit is one of the sources Google AI Mode and Perplexity cite most, though it has mattered far less to ChatGPT since August 2026. We find the threads the assistants cite for your prompts. Named people on your team answer them, with their affiliation disclosed and no sales pitch.
YouTube explainer briefs
YouTube mentions showed the strongest correlation with AI visibility in Ahrefs' study, and 94% of AI-cited videos are long form while views barely matter (Otterly, March 2026). We brief and script two long-form explainers with chapters, a long description and your brand in the title, for your team to record. Then one a quarter.
Rebrand and entity clean-up
After a rebrand, merger or acquisition, old names linger in directories, on Wikidata, LinkedIn and Crunchbase, and on review sites. AI repeats them. We fix the sources it is repeating, including your Wikidata item, bring your LinkedIn company and product pages into line, and add a clarifying Q&A to your site.
A listing for every branch
For merchants and pharmacies with several locations, one complete Google Business Profile per branch: it is the source behind 28.6% of local AI citations (BrightLocal, September 2026). Chains already win local service questions such as "flu vaccine [town]" this way. Apple Business Connect and Bing Places follow, for Siri and Copilot.
Fixing lukewarm answers
When an assistant describes you coolly or gets you wrong, we trace it to the review or article it came from, plan the response, and aim new review requests where they are needed. No assistant offers a correction channel, so fixing the source is the fix. We recheck every quarter and after major model releases.
What we won't do
What won't we do to get you mentioned?
Shortcuts here are a reputational risk with no upside. Google's guidance says seeking inauthentic mentions "isn't as helpful as it might seem".
Send wire press releases
Wire releases account for a negligible share of what AI cites. We pitch real stories to the editors your buyers read instead.
Buy mentions
No paid placements dressed up as editorial. Paid media made up 0.3% of AI citations in Muck Rack's research, so it isn't worth the risk.
Spam forums or inboxes
No fake community accounts, no comment campaigns and no templated blasts to journalists. Community answers come from a real, named person on your team, or not at all.
Fake or buy reviews
Every review comes from a genuine customer. We never write, buy or swap reviews, on any platform.
Measurement
How do we know it's working?
Off-site work is slow and easy to over-claim, so we measure it from a baseline taken before any outreach starts.
A dated baseline
Screenshots of your roundup positions, your review counts and what each assistant says about you before we start, so any movement can be proven.
Your review footprint, monthly
Counts, recency and category on each platform that matters to you.
The sources AI actually used
Your tracker records which roundups, review sites and articles each assistant cited for each prompt. That tells us where to pitch next.
Facts checked after every fix
Wrong facts, old names and lukewarm descriptions are logged from brand prompts and checked again once the source is corrected.
One monthly scorecard
Results reported on 4-week rolling averages, never a single screenshot.
How it's included
Where does this work sit in our services?
Reviews, Roundups and PR is delivered inside the programme and the retainer, not sold as a separate package. Both are quoted from what your audit finds, and every fee excludes VAT.
In the Implementation Programme
Phase 2 starts early because reviews and roundup outreach have long lead times.
- Roundup outreach and trade-press stories
- Review platform set-up and a campaign for recent reviews
- Category corrections, LinkedIn and disclosed community answers
- Two long-form YouTube explainers
On the AEO Retainer
The work continues, because roundups refresh and review profiles go stale.
- Core: review and roundup monitoring
- Growth: roundup and trade-press outreach, review programme operations
- Scale: full digital PR, per-branch listings, compliance workflow
Common questions
Questions about Reviews, Roundups and PR
What does Reviews, Roundups and PR include?
Outreach to the "best X" roundups AI already cites; review platform set-up and campaigns on G2, Gartner Peer Insights, Capterra, Trustpilot and Google; category corrections on review sites; trade-press stories from awards and launches; long-form YouTube explainers; disclosed answers in the community threads AI cites; and clean-up of old names and wrong facts after a rebrand.
Why does third-party proof matter more than our own website?
Because AI assistants lean on what others say. Muck Rack found that 84% of AI citations come from earned media, and G2 found that review sites are now the top shortlist influence for B2B buyers. Your own site still matters, but the recommendation is shaped by reviews, roundups, press and video.
Which review platforms do you work with?
For B2B software and services, G2 and Gartner Peer Insights first, with Capterra, Software Advice or TrustRadius second. Those five take 88% of the review-platform citations in Google's AI answers for software (SE Ranking, January 2026). Trustpilot for online retail and pharmacy, and Google reviews through a Business Profile for each branch. The audit checks which sources AI actually cites in your category.
Can you guarantee reviews, roundup places or press coverage?
No. Reviews come from your customers, roundups belong to their publishers, and journalists decide what they cover. We make the asks properly, to the right people, with the right material, and we track every response.
Do you send press releases over the wire?
No. Wire releases account for a negligible share of what AI cites, and paid media made up just 0.3% of AI citations in Muck Rack's research. We pitch stories to the trade press your buyers read and earn the coverage.
How long does this work take to show?
Review campaigns and roundup outreach have long lead times, which is why they start in week 2 of the programme. Roundup publishers update on their own schedule, sometimes only quarterly. First measurable movement in AI answers typically shows around month three.
How is it priced?
It is not sold on its own. It is part of the AEO Implementation Programme (Phase 2, weeks 2 to 8) and of every AEO Retainer tier. Core includes review and roundup monitoring. Growth adds roundup and trade-press outreach and review programme operations. Scale adds full digital PR, per-branch listings and a compliance workflow. The programme is quoted from your audit, each retainer tier has a flat monthly fee, and every figure excludes VAT and is confirmed in writing before work starts.
Do you create a Wikidata item, and does it matter?
Yes, as basic hygiene. Wikidata is an open, structured database of facts about organisations, people and places, and an item gives a neutral record of your name, category, location and website. We keep it consistent with your site and profiles. But no study has measured a link between Wikidata and AI visibility, so we don't sell it as a lever.
Start with the audit
Who does AI trust in your category today?
The AI Visibility Audit maps your roundups, reviews, YouTube, LinkedIn, press and community threads, and shows which sources the assistants cite for your buyers' questions.