A December 2025 research report from Muck Rack’s Generative Pulse platform has revealed that journalistic and earned media sources account for nearly 25% of all citations generated by large language models (LLMs). The study, which analyzed over one million links across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, found that non-paid media sources represent approximately 94% of all AI-cited links. This data underscores a shift in how business buyers conduct research, signaling that brand visibility in AI-generated answers is heavily dependent on a consistent investment in credible earned media and thought leadership.
Citation Dominance: Earned media and journalistic sources drive nearly 25% of all AI-generated citations.
Non-Paid Media Reach: Approximately 94% of links cited by AI platforms come from non-paid media sources.
Press Release Growth: Citations for press releases distributed via major wire services increased fivefold in the second half of 2025.
Quality Over Boilerplate: Cited releases contain twice as many statistics and 2.5 times more bullet points than non-cited ones.
Recency Matters: More than half of all AI citations reference material published within the last 11 months.
Targeting Gap: There is only a 2% overlap between the journalists most pitched by PR and those most cited by AI engines.
The research highlights a significant rise in the relevance of press releases within the AI ecosystem. Citations for releases across all distribution channels grew from 1.2% to 6% between July and December 2025. However, the study notes that AI rewards substance over "boilerplate" content. Successful releases are characterized by a 30% higher rate of objective sentences and a significantly higher frequency of action verbs and data-rich content. This shift suggests that for a press release to impact AI visibility, it must carry genuine industry news and a data-backed point of view.
A striking finding of the report is the minimal overlap between traditionally pitched journalists and those favored by AI citation engines. This 2% overlap represents a major risk for communications teams that have not updated their media targeting to align with AI behavior. Sustained publishing cadences—rather than episodic campaigns—are essential, as recency is a primary factor in citation frequency. Organizations that maintain a consistent presence in trusted publications are more likely to be recognized as authoritative by AI systems.
“Every earned media placement, every bylined article, every well-constructed press release built around real news is an investment in AI visibility. The companies showing up when a buyer asks an AI system who leads in their market are the ones that have been doing the hard work of thought leadership consistently,” said Will Haraway, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of LeadCoverage.
Courtney Herda, VP of Digital at LeadCoverage, added: “AI is not citing boilerplate. It is citing releases that are data-rich, clearly written, and anchored to something that actually matters in the market. The same is true for editorial coverage. The path to AI visibility runs directly through quality, through content, placement, and consistency of presence in the publications your buyers already trust.”
LeadCoverage measures this impact through its Logistics Growth Efficiency Ratio (LGER), which tracks GTM efficiency across freight and tech companies. The Q4 2025 index revealed a massive performance gap, with top-quartile companies achieving an LGER of $204.30, while nearly half of the market fell below $3.00, proving that authoritative market presence directly correlates with revenue efficiency.
LeadCoverage is the premier supply chain go-to-market consulting group, dedicated to driving revenue growth for their clients. They specialize in crafting GTM strategies that are grounded in data-backed insights and sophisticated mathematical models. Their proven expertise transforms businesses into market leaders, ensuring they stay ahead of the competition and achieve sustained success.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.