This article distills Profound’s 9 AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) practical techniques – locking prompts, weaving Reddit volume, replacing long posts with structured lists, and tracking “citation drift” weekly – to help brands write names into AI’s recommendation lists and seize the fastest-growing entrance in the zero-click era.
AI search is rapidly replacing traditional search.
ChatGPT alone, with more than 1 billion monthly active users and 2.5 billion daily uses, is approaching Google’s 14 billion searches. Meanwhile, Google AI search already accounts for 13% of search results.
Users’ consumption behavior is fundamentally changing – instead of searching and comparing products by themselves, they directly ask the AI: “What should I buy?” “Who should I trust?” “What is the best way to do it?” ”
This means: if your product doesn’t appear in the AI’s answer, it may not exist in the user’s mind; Once mentioned, AI search has the potential to become your fastest-growing channel.
How to master AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and make brands occupy a place in AI answers has become a crucial question.
On this issue, not long ago, Kyle Poyar specifically consulted Josh Blyskal, head of AEO at Profound.
Profound, an AI visibility monitoring and optimization platform for enterprises, has raised $23.5 million in financing and is valued at more than $100 million.
Josh Blyskal gives 9 tips on how businesses can improve their visibility in AI search.
01 Decide on the prompt you want to “win”
AI is proactively recommending products and content (even subscribed newsletters). Like SEO, AEO should also specify the target prompt based on two cores: query volume & correlation with product differentiation.
To achieve these three challenges, product managers will only continue to appreciate
Good product managers are very scarce, and product managers who understand users, business, and data are still in demand when they go out of the Internet. On the contrary, if you only do simple communication, inefficient execution, and shallow thinking, I am afraid that you will not be able to go through the torrent of the next 3-5 years.
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For example, I myself might strive for tips like “Best newsletter for startup founders” or “Startup pricing recommendation”; Footwear brands may focus on “best running shoes,” “most comfortable shoes,” and more.
Josh suggests dividing your target prompts into three categories:
1) The core prompt words that must be won (about 33%);
2) Keywords that are highly competitive but have opportunities (about 33%);
3) experimental new tips** (about 33%);
Tool Recommendation: Profound’s Conversational Explorer assists in discovering these prompts.
02 Understand that the behavior of different answer engines varies greatly
Josh analyzed 100,000 prompts from ChatGPT and Perplexity and found that only 11% of the domain names they referenced coincided. This means: You may perform well on ChatGPT but be almost silent on Perplexity.
Strategy recommendations:
1) Focus on the platforms that are most important to your audience (e.g., ChatGPT, Google AI Overview);
2) Formulate exclusive strategies for the platform and expand gradually.
03 Create special and specific content
To be quoted in a particular topic, you must create truly authoritative, specific content.
For example, if you are a shoe maker, don’t talk about “these shoes are very comfortable”. Instead, it should be written: “The impact of cushioned running shoes on knee health”, and compare in detail the structure, materials, and suitability of 20 different running shoes.
Josh emphasized: “It’s a refined game, precision is key. You need to have a deep understanding of your product niche and amplify your differentiation. ”
04 Create “surround sound” around your product
Similar to backlinks in SEO, AI engines rely on endorsements from “trusted sources.” The most effective amplifiers are quotes from user-generated content and social platforms such as Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube, Quora.
Josh discovered an arbitrage opportunity: some niche blogs or niche creators with low attention were cited more frequently in AI Q&A. This is an excellent entry point for affiliate marketing.
05 was mentioned on Reddit
Currently, Reddit is the most cited domain name in ChatGPT and Perplexity, accounting for 6%.
Josh’s advice is: whether you use a brand identity or an anonymous identity, do whatever it takes to appear in Reddit posts on related topics. Even a simple sentence of “this product is really good” can have a big impact.
Operation suggestions:
1) You can post on the Reddit user page or comment on related topic posts;
2) If you want to make a review, make sure to not only mention your own product, but also objectively compare your competitors so that it is easier to be cited.
06 Use structured comparisons and checklist lists
AI Q&A engines like to “outsource thinking”, and they prefer organized content.
An important statistic shared by Josh is that about 1/3 of the citations come from “comparison articles” (followed by blogs at about 10%).
Therefore, when in doubt, give priority to writing in the form of a comparison list, such as:
1) “2025 Best 10 NoCode Tools Review”;
2) “Comparative analysis of 5 CRM tools that are essential for startups”;
07 Use less pictures and more tables
AI engines are not currently good at extracting precise information from images, but they recognize HTML tables well.
This means:
1) Minimize image information;
2) Convert the information in the picture into a structured table;
3) If you must use a diagram, write detailed ALT text as well.
08 Focus on influence, not just clicks
Many brands will find a significant increase in traffic from ChatGPT or Perplexity referrals.
But here’s the reality: most AI searches are “zero-click”.
Users will make decisions directly after seeing the answer and stop clicking on your website. So, instead of just focusing on clicks, focus on:
1) Whether you are frequently mentioned under the target keyword;
2) Is it possible to pass the question “How did you learn about us?” to identify the impact of AI penetration;
3) Whether it has enhanced the brand’s voice and influence.
09 Master “Citation Drift” to track your performance dynamically
Josh monitored 80,000 prompts for a month and found that nearly half of the referring domains changed within a month.
He predicts that this citation drift will persist and even become more personal, for reasons such as:
1) LLM continuous optimization;
2) AI is getting better at learning context;
3) The personalized recommendation mechanism is being strengthened. It is recommended to check the citations once a week and adjust the strategy in a timely manner.
10 Summary
More and more users are no longer researching your product and are asking AI directly if you can be trusted. AI search will determine whether you exist in the user’s “buying mind”.
It’s a race of “who can appear in the answer”. It is also a fundamental change in the discovery mechanism. It creates a huge growth opportunity for first movers and may also be the next fastest-growing channel for consumer brands.
