How do you actually get your brand mentioned by ChatGPT? We're invisible despite being industry leaders

This is a common pattern. Business success doesn’t equal AI visibility.

How ChatGPT “knows” brands:

Source 1: Training Data ChatGPT learned from web content. If your brand wasn’t frequently mentioned in that content, ChatGPT doesn’t “know” you.

What matters:

• Wikipedia presence
• Major news publications
• Widely-shared content
• High-traffic websites that discuss you

Source 2: Web Browsing (when enabled) ChatGPT can search the web for current information. This is where you have more control.

Why your competitors might be more visible:

Even if they’re smaller, they might have:

• Wikipedia page (huge for training data)
• More mentions in sources ChatGPT trained on
• Better-structured content ChatGPT can extract
• More public discussion in forums/Reddit

The fix:

You need to build presence in sources ChatGPT trusts, not just business metrics.

Market share doesn’t help ChatGPT. Web presence in authoritative sources does.

Let me explain training data reality:

ChatGPT’s Knowledge:

ChatGPT learned from:

• Web pages (Common Crawl)
• Books
• Wikipedia
• Other curated sources

If your brand wasn’t discussed in these sources before the training cutoff, ChatGPT doesn’t inherently “know” you.

What this means:

Visible brands likely have:

• Wikipedia articles
• Coverage in major publications (not just trade)
• Discussion in forums (Reddit, Quora)
• Mentions in books or research
• Content that was widely shared

Invisible brands likely have:

• Business success but limited public presence
• Trade publication coverage (may not be in training data)
• Customer success but not public discussion
• Strong industry presence but weak web presence

The gap:

You can be hugely successful in business while being invisible to AI because AI learned from different sources than business metrics.

The fix:

Build presence in sources AI actually learns from, not just sources your customers see.

OpenAI has publishing partners. Getting mentioned there helps:

Known OpenAI Content Partners:

• AP News
• Reuters
• Various major news organizations

Coverage in these sources may have preferential treatment in ChatGPT.

PR Strategy for AI Visibility:

1. Target AI-indexed publications Research which publications appear frequently in ChatGPT citations. Target those.

2. Create newsworthy moments Funding rounds, major partnerships, industry reports - things that generate coverage.

3. Expert commentary Get quoted on industry trends. Your brand name appears in authoritative sources.

4. Original research Publish data that journalists cite. Creates ongoing brand mentions.

The shift:

Traditional PR: “Get coverage for credibility” AI-era PR: “Get coverage in AI-indexed sources for visibility”

Same activity, different targeting.

Optimizing for ChatGPT’s web browsing mode:

When users enable browsing: ChatGPT can search the current web and cite sources. This is where you have more control.

What helps:

1. Allow ChatGPT-User in robots.txt

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

This allows ChatGPT’s browsing mode to access your content.

2. Content structure for extraction When ChatGPT browses, it needs to extract answers. Well-structured content gets cited.

3. Answer the right questions What questions would someone ask ChatGPT where you’re the answer? Create content that directly answers those.

4. Competitive comparison content “[Competitor A] vs [Competitor B] vs [You]” - AI may cite this when people ask for comparisons.

Browsing vs Training:

Training data = harder to influence (already collected) Browsing = real-time, you can optimize for it now

Focus on browsing optimization while building presence for future training.

G2 and review platforms help:

ChatGPT uses G2 data: I’ve seen ChatGPT cite G2 ratings and reviews. Having strong G2 presence helps.

Optimization:

1. Encourage detailed reviews
2. Maintain high ratings
3. Be listed in relevant categories
4. Have complete profile information

Why it works: G2 is authoritative, structured, and frequently updated. ChatGPT (especially when browsing) can pull data from it.

Similar platforms:

• Capterra
• TrustRadius
• Gartner Peer Insights

Strong presence across these = more chances of AI citation.

Content strategy specifically for ChatGPT mentions:

Create content that answers:

• “What is [your category]?”
• “Best [category] tools”
• “How to choose [category]”
• “[Your product] vs [Competitor]”

When ChatGPT browses for answers to these questions, your content should appear.

Format for ChatGPT:

• Direct answers in first paragraph
• Lists of options (where you’re included)
• Comparison tables
• FAQ sections

Example:

Create: “Best [Category] Tools for [Use Case]: Complete Guide”

Include:

• Clear definition of category
• List of top tools (including you)
• Comparison table
• FAQ section

When someone asks ChatGPT about your category, this content is citation-ready.

This thread explained our gap. We’re a business success but an AI visibility failure.

Root Cause:

• No Wikipedia page (never pursued)
• Coverage in trade publications (not ChatGPT’s training sources)
• Strong in business metrics, weak in web presence for AI

Our Action Plan:

Immediate (Week 1-2):

1. Allow ChatGPT-User in robots.txt
2. Create Wikidata entry
3. Optimize content for common category questions
4. Review G2 presence

Short-term (Month 1-3): 5. Pursue Wikipedia page (compile evidence of notability) 6. PR strategy targeting AI-indexed publications 7. Create comparison content including ourselves 8. Original research to generate citations

Medium-term (Month 3-6): 9. Build presence on Reddit (organic participation) 10. Industry thought leadership 11. Expand coverage in major publications

Key insight:

Business leadership doesn’t equal AI visibility. You need presence in sources AI actually learns from and cites.

$50M ARR means nothing to ChatGPT. Wikipedia, major publications, and structured web content does.

Thanks everyone for the diagnosis and action items!