CMOs accustomed to crafting polished brand messages for their own websites and traditional search are waking up to a new digital marketplace. Increasingly, buyers aren’t typing queries and clicking links in search engines. Instead, they’re going to AI assistants to do work-related research, get detailed answers to personal questions, find product recommendations and even manage shopping lists. Brands can no longer rely solely on Google rankings; they need to show up in the AI-generated summaries people read, quote and act on.
While a November 2025 Semrush report notes that ChatGPT is citing Reddit and Wikipedia less frequently than it has in the past, they’re still among its top three sources—a signal that “useful” content in the GenAI era often looks less like a polished campaign page and more like a living knowledge base. Companies are responding in a shift that’s been framed as a move toward generative engine optimization (GEO), where visibility increasingly depends on whether your expertise is shared in such a way that it answers real questions and can be pulled, summarized and trusted in AI-driven results.
So what new strategies should marketing leaders pursue in the face of these changes? Here, members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank—experts in brand storytelling, digital advertising, customer engagement and the rise of AI in marketing—share what these citation patterns suggest about the content AI models treat as credible and offer practical ways to rethink content and engagement.
Prioritize Clarity, Consensus and Real Utility
For Cody Gillund, Founder of Grounded Growth Studio LLC, the dominance of Reddit and Wikipedia in AI citations isn’t mysterious—it’s instructional.
“CMOs should read this as a signal that AI elevates content with clarity, consensus and real problem-solving value,” she says. “Reddit and Wikipedia win because they offer structured answers, multiple viewpoints and language that mirrors how people actually search.”
That combination makes these sites especially useful to AI systems tasked with synthesizing responses. Gillund says ChatGPT’s choices present a clear roadmap: To shape AI-driven discovery, marketing teams need to create brand content that does the same things the content hosted on Reddit and Wikipedia does.
“Define terms, show evidence, resolve debates, document processes and answer questions directly,” she advises. “Invest in expert POVs, transparent sourcing and community interaction.”
We’ve all heard the storytelling maxim “show, don’t tell.” According to Gillund, brands competing in the AI era need to rethink that advice when creating content: help, don’t sell.
“If your content helps people understand, compare or decide, AI will surface it,” she concludes.
“Create content that feels less like marketing and more like useful knowledge. That means long-form guides, transparent FAQs, expert explainers and content that answers real questions with real substance.”
Broadcast Knowledge, Not Campaigns
Magda Paslaru, Founder and CEO of THE RAINBOWIDEA, sees AI’s preference for Reddit and Wikipedia as a clear indicator of what modern authority looks like.
“The fact that AI models lean so heavily on Reddit and Wikipedia tells CMOs one thing: AI prioritizes depth, context and consensus,” she says. “These sources win because they offer real explanations, community dialogue and content that’s structured, specific and continuously updated.”
Paslaru says the takeaway for marketing leaders is clear.
“Create content that feels less like marketing and more like useful knowledge,” she says. “That means long-form guides, transparent FAQs, expert explainers and content that answers real questions with real substance. Encourage community discussion, and publish clear definitions and context.”
Paslaru notes that marketers should focus on both form and function, advising them to “structure insights so they’re easy for AI to parse and quote.” Ultimately, she frames the opportunity as bigger than visibility alone.
“Brands that shift from broadcasting to contributing to the knowledge ecosystem will be far more discoverable and far more influential.”
Answer Like a Person, Not an Algorithm
Jayashree Rajan, CMO at Nexla, cuts to the heart of why community content performs so well with AI.
“Reddit and Wikipedia win because their content is created by real humans answering real questions in plain language—no marketing fluff, no SEO games; just a community solving problems,” she says.
From Rajan’s perspective, the takeaway is less about tools and more about mindset.
“Stop creating content for search engines and focus on genuinely engaging with practitioners in the community,” she says. “Start listening to the questions your customers actually ask, and answer like you’re explaining to a co-worker, not optimizing for keywords.”
Content that helps someone do their job or answer a pressing question is far more likely to become part of an AI-generated answer. With this in mind, Rajan challenges brands to center humans when they publish.
“Create resources people actually find useful, like tutorials, videos, technical deep dives, how-tos and so on.”
“AI models are gravitating toward rich context and content that’s validated within a community and continually updated.”
Design for Dialogue, Not Monologue
Paul L. Gunn Jr., Founder of KUOG Corporation, believes AI’s sourcing behavior reflects a deeper shift toward conversation.
“Real dialogue can create tangible impact and positive outcomes,” he says. In his view, CMOs should recognize “AI’s preference for content with depth that captures two-way exchanges over well-crafted or polished monologues.”
That preference has structural implications. Static messaging, no matter how refined, simply can’t compete with content that evolves through interaction.
“AI models are gravitating toward rich context and content that’s validated within a community and continually updated,” Gunn explains.
He also highlights the importance of remembering the emotional dimension, noting that CMOs who leverage both cognitive and emotional empathy through real, raw exchanges will boost their organizations in the long run.
“Branding and marketing centered on conversations and the human element—content that captures the emotional pull to act—is becoming more discoverable and quotable.”
Create Plain-Language, People-First Content
Rachel Perkins, Founder and Chief Strategist at Venturesome Strategies, points to authenticity as a defining characteristic of AI-friendly content.
“Sources like Reddit perform well because they offer quotable, authentic content written in plain language, grounded in transparent sourcing and offering a variety of perspectives,” she says.
While she acknowledges the role of SEO, Perkins stresses the importance of centering human behaviors and needs when developing content.
“While optimizing content for algorithms is important, marketing leaders should continue to prioritize creating people-first content,” she says. “Web pages need to directly answer real questions and provide actionable solutions while being structured for easy discovery by both AI and everyday visitors.”
Perkins says that taking this balanced approach leads to balanced results—and success.
“This approach ensures content is accessible and genuinely valuable—which helps your company earn trust, engagement and visibility.”
Expand Your Influence Into Community Spaces
Evan White, CMO at ERIN, views Reddit’s prominence as an AI information source as a wake-up call for CMOs to reexamine influence strategy.
“Influence isn’t just coming from stages or LinkedIn anymore; it’s happening deep in comment threads, niche subs and community forums,” he says.
That reality demands a broader definition of influence. It’s not just slick presenters AI (and consumers) value; it’s everyday people.
“Modern influencer strategy needs to go beyond TikTok stars to include the people shaping opinions in places like Reddit, Digg and beyond,” White says.
Even in a changing digital marketplace, measurement still matters. White notes that his team leverages technology to track how ERIN’s content shows up across community-forward channels. It’s a strategy that he says helps his team “spot what’s ranking, what’s resonating and where to focus next.”
The bottom line? When it’s clear that AI favors a particular site, it’s essential for companies to show up to the party.
“If AI is listening to real conversations, your brand should be part of them,” White concludes.
“When approval systems prioritize safety over authenticity, brands lose what makes content discoverable and trustworthy.”
Protect the Human Voice Behind Your Content
Sarah Chambers, Fractional CMO and CCO at SC Strategic Communications, distills the issue down to tone. Human conversations? Good. Corporate-speak? Not so much.
“Reddit wins because it sounds like people talking, not brands broadcasting,” she says. “When AI favors community discussions, it’s a sign that ‘conversational’ beats ‘polished.’”
The challenge, Chambers notes, often isn’t writing better content. It’s whether approval chains allow conversational content to survive.
“Most corporate messaging gets sanitized through legal and brand sign-offs until the human voice disappears,” she says.
Bucking that tendency, Chambers advises CMOs to champion candor and open up the floor to the people behind your product or service.
“Brief SMEs for candid Q&As, share employee-led explainers, and publish raw insights without waiting for perfection,” she says.
While acknowledging that sharing unpolished, quotable content can come with risk, Chambers says playing it safe isn’t a viable option in an AI-dominated marketplace.
“When approval systems prioritize safety over authenticity, brands lose what makes content discoverable and trustworthy.”
How to Make Your Brand More AI-Discoverable
- Create content that solves problems, not just tells stories. AI elevates material that defines terms, shows evidence and helps people understand or decide, making practical utility a competitive advantage.
- Shift from campaigns to knowledge-building assets. Long-form guides, FAQs and expert explainers signal depth and consensus, increasing the likelihood your content is trusted and cited.
- Write and speak like a real person. Plain language that answers real questions in a conversational tone is more likely to resonate with both humans and AI systems.
- Design content for two-way, dynamic interaction. Dialogue-driven formats and regularly updated resources outperform static messages in environments where AI favors living context.
- Make people-first clarity a priority. Pages that directly answer questions and offer actionable solutions earn trust, engagement and long-term visibility.
- Extend influence into community spaces. Participating in forums and niche communities helps brands align with the conversations AI is already paying attention to.
- Protect the human voice at every stage. Candid, expert-led content survives where over-polished messaging fades, especially when authenticity determines discoverability.
Why Real Answers Now Outrank Rankings
AI-driven discovery is rewarding brands that contribute meaningfully to shared understanding, not those that simply publish polished messages. As generative systems increasingly act as the front door to information, authority is being redefined by usefulness, clarity and human relevance. Content that explains, compares and contextualizes is far more likely to be surfaced than content that merely promotes.
Looking ahead, the implications for CMOs go well beyond SEO tactics. Winning visibility in an AI-first world will depend on how well brands participate in real conversations, support evolving knowledge and empower experts to speak in human terms. The brands that adapt now won’t just appear in AI-generated answers—they’ll help shape them.
