Just had a rough executive meeting. Presented our AI search visibility data and it did not land.
The reaction:
What I presented:
The disconnect:
Executives understand: rankings, organic traffic, conversion rate Executives don’t understand: AI citations, visibility without clicks, brand presence in answers
Questions:
Need to go back with a better pitch.
I’ve helped dozens of marketing leaders make this pitch. Here’s what works:
The fundamental reframe:
Don’t pitch “AI search optimization.” Pitch “protecting and expanding our discovery channel strategy.”
Executive mental model translation:
| What You Said | What They Heard | What to Say Instead |
|---|---|---|
| AI citations | Vanity metric | “Brand visibility in answers” |
| Share of voice | Not tied to revenue | “Market positioning vs competitors” |
| GEO strategy | Another thing to fund | “Discovery channel risk mitigation” |
The risk framing that works:
“AI search is becoming a primary discovery channel. Our competitors are building authority there. If we don’t establish presence now, we’ll be playing catch-up when AI is 20-30% of discovery.”
Why risk > opportunity for executives:
A Deloitte study of 2,700+ leaders found executives respond more to risk mitigation than opportunity capture. The fear of being left behind is more motivating than the promise of gains.
The budget ask reframe:
Don’t ask: “Fund our AI search program” Ask: “Invest ≤0.3% of marketing spend in understanding this channel with clear decision gates”
Small, reversible, time-boxed experiments collapse resistance.
Decision gate framework for AI search investment:
Structure your proposal as a 12-month experiment:
Stage 1 (Months 1-4): Foundation
Stage 2 (Months 5-8): Scale
Stage 3 (Months 9-12): Optimize
The kill criteria (critical):
“If by month 6, we see no movement in leading indicators despite optimization efforts, we stop and reallocate resources.”
Why this works:
You’re not asking for blind faith. You’re proposing controlled learning with clear exit ramps. Executives love defined decision points.
Scenario ranges instead of forecasts:
“If successful, we expect 20-40% improvement in AI visibility. If moderately successful, 10-20% improvement. If unsuccessful, we’ll know by Q3 and can redirect.”
Never promise certainty in a probabilistic environment.
The SCQA framework for AI search pitches:
Situation: “AI-powered search is rapidly changing how customers discover solutions. ChatGPT has 800M+ weekly users. Google AI Overviews appear in 25%+ of searches. This represents a fundamental shift in discovery behavior.”
Complication: “Unlike traditional search where we rank pages, AI search synthesizes answers and may or may not mention our brand. Currently, our citation rate is X% while competitors are at Y%. If this gap persists, we risk losing discovery visibility in this growing channel.”
Question: “How do we establish and protect our brand’s position in AI-generated answers?”
Answer: “We propose a phased approach: 12-month experiment, ≤0.3% of marketing spend, three decision gates, clear success metrics. We’re not asking for commitment to outcomes - we’re asking for commitment to learning.”
Presentation structure:
Total: 6-7 minutes. Executives want brevity.
Metrics that resonate with executives:
Don’t lead with:
Lead with:
| Metric | Why It Resonates | How to Present |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive positioning | Executives think competitively | “We’re mentioned 15% of time, competitor A is 35%” |
| Market share of AI visibility | Familiar concept | “Our share of AI answers for our category” |
| Risk exposure | Loss aversion | “X% of relevant queries, we’re absent” |
| Trend over time | Shows trajectory | “Competitor visibility growing 20% MoM” |
The competitive comparison that always works:
Create a simple table:
| Query | Us | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Best [category]” | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| “How to [use case]” | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| “[Category] comparison” | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
“Of 20 key queries, we appear in 6. Competitor A appears in 15. This is the gap we need to close.”
Visual impact:
Simple, clear, competitive. Executives understand market share.
Finance lens on AI search investment:
What CFOs are really asking:
“What’s the ROI?” = “How do I justify this to the board?”
“How many leads?” = “What’s the attribution model?”
“Why not just SEO?” = “Why spend more when we have something working?”
How to answer financially:
On ROI: “Traditional ROI models require deterministic attribution. AI search is probabilistic - we’re measuring visibility and influence, not direct conversion. Think of it like brand marketing ROI - important but indirect.”
On attribution: “We track visibility as a leading indicator. If we’re mentioned when customers research, we’re influencing consideration even without direct clicks. This is pipeline influence, not direct response.”
On incremental spend: “We’re not replacing SEO budget. We’re extending content strategy to include AI as a distribution channel. The same content serves both purposes.”
The insurance framing CFOs like:
“Think of this as insurance against channel shift. If AI becomes 20% of discovery in 3 years and we’re not there, the catch-up cost is much higher than the current investment.”
Budget as percentage:
“We’re proposing less than 0.5% of marketing spend for a channel that could be 10-20% of discovery within 2-3 years.”
What I tell my marketing leaders:
You’re selling the wrong thing.
“AI search optimization” sounds like a tactic. “Discovery channel strategy” sounds strategic.
Reframe the entire conversation:
Wrong pitch: “We need budget to optimize for AI search. Here are our citation metrics…”
Right pitch: “Customer discovery is changing. Let me show you where our competitors are winning that we’re not, and how we can protect our position.”
The 3 things executives really want:
Structure your ask around these:
“Here’s the risk [stakes]. Here’s my recommendation [action]. Here’s how we manage downside [decision gates].”
Executive attention span:
You have 2 minutes to make your case. Lead with stakes, not metrics. They’ll ask for metrics if interested.
Building an executive dashboard for AI search:
What to include:
What NOT to include:
Dashboard design principles:
Reporting cadence:
Monthly dashboard → Quarterly deep dive → Annual strategic review
Keep monthly brief. Save details for quarterly conversations.
Tool recommendation:
Am I Cited can generate executive-ready reports that focus on competitive positioning and trends rather than technical metrics.
This completely reframes my approach. Here’s my new pitch:
Opening (30 seconds): “AI is changing how customers discover solutions. ChatGPT has 800M users. Google AI Overviews appear in 25% of searches. This is a new discovery channel we need to address.”
Stakes (1 minute): “For 20 key queries in our space, we appear in 6 AI answers. Competitor A appears in 15. This gap is growing monthly. If we don’t act, we risk losing visibility in a channel that could be 20% of discovery within 2 years.”
Recommendation (2 minutes): “I’m proposing a 12-month phased approach:
Budget: <0.5% of marketing spend. Clear decision gates. Kill criteria defined.”
Risk management (1 minute): “We’re not committing to outcomes - we’re committing to learning. If leading indicators don’t move by month 6, we stop and reallocate.”
Ask: “Approval for Phase 1. We’ll return in 4 months with data for go/no-go on Phase 2.”
Dashboard focus:
Key changes:
Thanks everyone - heading back in with this framework next week.
Get personalized help from our team. We'll respond within 24 hours.
Track AI visibility metrics that matter to leadership. Get clear reports on brand mentions, competitor comparison, and citation trends.
Community discussion on getting executive buy-in for Generative Engine Optimization initiatives. Real experiences from marketing leaders on building business ca...
Community discussion on building the business case for Generative Engine Optimization. Real strategies from marketers who successfully got executive buy-in for ...
Community discussion on the opportunity cost of ignoring AI search. Marketers share data and experiences on what brands lose by not monitoring AI visibility.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and analyze our traffic. See our privacy policy.
