How do you actually build 'authoritativeness' for AI citations? Feels like a chicken-and-egg problem

You’re right that it feels circular, but let me break it down into actionable components:

The E-E-A-T Framework for AI:

Quick wins (weeks, not years):

1. Schema markup - Immediately machine-readable authority signals
2. Expert bylines - Named authors with credentials on every piece
3. Wikipedia presence - Even a mention in a relevant article helps
4. Reddit participation - AI heavily references Reddit discussions

Medium-term (3-6 months):

1. Original research publication - Creates citable content others reference
2. Digital PR campaign - Strategic media placements on authoritative sites
3. Expert commentary - HARO and journalist outreach
4. Industry awards - Third-party validation AI can verify

You can’t shortcut referring domains, but you can optimize other authority signals while building them.

PR perspective on authority building:

What’s changed:

Traditional PR: “Get coverage for awareness” AI-era PR: “Get coverage that AI systems will cite”

The difference:

Not all coverage is equal for AI authority:

• Passing mention in news article = Low value
• Expert quote with credentials = Medium value
• Dedicated feature with your data = High value
• Being cited as source in their article = Highest value

What we prioritize now:

1. Be the source, not the story - Get quoted as the expert, provide data others cite
2. Target AI-heavy reference sources - Industry publications that AI models frequently cite
3. Create citable assets - Original research, surveys, frameworks
4. Build journalist relationships - Become the go-to expert for your topic

Our metric shift:

Old: “Media mentions” New: “AI citation rate from media coverage”

Not all PR wins translate to AI authority. Focus on coverage that does.

Don’t underestimate topical authority as a path for smaller players:

The opportunity:

Large competitors have broad domain authority but may not have DEEP topical authority in your specific niche.

Strategy:

1. Pick narrow topics - Where can you be THE expert?
2. Go deep - Create the most comprehensive resource on those topics
3. Interlink content - Build topic clusters that signal depth
4. Earn niche citations - Industry-specific publications > general media

Example:

We’re a small HR tech company. Can’t compete with big players on “HR software.”

But for “employee onboarding automation”? We went DEEP:

• 50+ articles covering every angle
• Original research on onboarding metrics
• Expert interviews
• Templates and tools

Result: AI platforms now cite us as the authority on onboarding specifically, even though our overall domain authority is modest.

The principle:

You can’t be authoritative about everything. Be authoritative about SOMETHING.

Founder perspective on building authority from scratch:

We went from 0 to cited by ChatGPT in 8 months. Here’s what actually moved the needle:

What didn’t work:

• Buying backlinks (obvious)
• Guest posting on random blogs
• Generic “thought leadership” articles
• Press releases nobody reads

What worked:

1. Original research - We surveyed 500 customers and published findings. Got picked up everywhere.

2. Building in public - Shared our journey, mistakes, learnings. Real experience > manufactured expertise.

3. Reddit engagement - Genuinely helpful participation in our niche subreddits. Not promotional.

4. Expert podcast circuit - Appeared as guest expert on 15+ industry podcasts.

5. Free tools - Built simple calculators and tools that got natural backlinks.

The meta-insight:

Authority comes from being genuinely useful, not from trying to look authoritative.

Adding data perspective on what AI actually evaluates:

Research findings on authority signals:

The correlation between authority metrics and AI citations:

Key insight:

Referring domains matter most, BUT other signals are additive. A site with fewer backlinks but strong content depth + schema + credentials can outperform a site relying on backlinks alone.

The compound effect:

Sites scoring high across ALL signals get cited 4-5x more than sites optimizing only one or two.

Build comprehensively, not just in one dimension.

Practical checklist for clients starting authority building:

Foundation (Do immediately):

• Schema markup (Organization, Article, Person)
• Expert author bylines with credentials
• Consistent NAP across all platforms
• Complete business listings
• LinkedIn company and executive profiles optimized

Content authority (Ongoing):

• Topic clusters established for core expertise
• Original data or research published
• Expert quotes and interviews in content
• Comprehensive resources on niche topics

External authority (3-6 month push):

• 3-5 mentions in industry publications
• Presence on 2-3 high-authority platforms (Crunchbase, G2, etc.)
• Expert commentary opportunities (HARO, podcast guesting)
• Community presence building (Reddit, industry forums)

Monitoring:

• AI citation tracking set up (Am I Cited or similar)
• Competitor authority comparison
• Monthly progress review

Most clients see measurable AI visibility improvements within 4-6 months of systematic effort.

This thread has been incredibly helpful. Here’s my action plan:

Immediate wins (this month):

1. Implement comprehensive schema markup
2. Add expert bylines with credentials to existing content
3. Audit and optimize all business listings
4. Start tracking AI citations with monitoring tool

Short-term focus (Q1):

1. Launch original research project we can publish
2. Establish topical authority cluster for our core niche
3. Begin Reddit and community engagement
4. Podcast guesting outreach

Medium-term (Q1-Q2):

1. Digital PR campaign targeting AI-cited publications
2. Expert commentary program (HARO, journalist relationships)
3. Build out comprehensive resource hub for our niche

Key mindset shift:

Stop thinking “we need more backlinks” and start thinking “we need to be genuinely useful and recognized in our specific space.”

The 32,000 referring domains benchmark isn’t the only path. Topical depth + expertise signals + strategic coverage can work too.

Thanks everyone for the incredible insights.