If you’ve recently been pitched by an agency promising to get your brand “cited by ChatGPT” or “featured in AI answers,” you’re not alone. We’ve seen a surge of these services in the last few months, all capitalizing on the hype and confusion around generative AI. Some even offer “AI citation optimization” or whisper about secret techniques to “get into the model.”
Let’s clear something up: This isn’t magic. It’s marketing, and not always the good kind.
The AI Wild West: No Map, All Megaphone
We’re at a point where AI tools are showing up everywhere. Your customers are using them to research, plan, compare, and make decisions. Your competitors are using them to draft content and pitch investors. And the market? It’s flooded with plugins, bots, and “AI-enhanced” services promising visibility and reach.
But here’s the thing. Just because the tools are new doesn’t mean the strategy should be. You don’t need an AI gimmick. You need clarity.
We tell our clients: Don’t try to game the algorithm. Build something that earns attention organically. When OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, or any other tool references your brand, it’s usually not because you optimized for it. It’s because you said something smart, useful, and credible and the rest of the internet agreed.
What’s Actually Happening When Chatbots Cite You
Large language models like ChatGPT don’t surf the web in real time (unless the tool is using a browsing plugin). They don’t operate like Google, and they’re not interested in keyword density or backlinks. The base model has no memory of you unless your content showed up in the public datasets used to train it, and even then, it can’t quote you directly unless the content was widely visible and heavily cited.
→ Here’s how ChatGPT actually works, as explained by OpenAI.
Some AI chatbots that use real-time search (like Perplexity or Bing Chat) can pull from current web content. But even then, what gets cited isn’t what’s loud, it’s what’s trusted.
→ Perplexity explains its answer engine here.
So, if someone’s telling you they can get you “into the model,” pause. That’s like saying they can get you quoted in a book that’s already been printed.
A Smarter Approach: Strategic Visibility
Here’s what actually works:
- Publish authoritative content with a clear point of view.
- Get quoted in respected outlets and industry journals.
- Collaborate with trusted voices in your space.
- Think in topics, not just keywords. What are people trying to learn or solve?
→ Moz breaks down how E-E-A-T affects content visibility in both search and AI contexts.
- Use language your audience actually uses, not jargon your team made up in a brand workshop.
→ Google’s guidance on AI-generated content reinforces this: focus on content that’s helpful and people-first.
This isn’t about chasing AI. It’s about creating value that travels well across channels, whether it’s shared on Slack, discussed in a meeting, or surfaced in an AI tool.
If a chatbot mentions your brand one day, take it as a good sign. But don’t build your strategy around it. Build your strategy around being useful, memorable, and trustworthy in all the places that matter.
That’s what earns you attention, from humans and machines.
At ModKaf, we help brands cut through the noise and clarify their voice, sharpen their point of view and create content that resonates because it’s credible. Leveraging decades of storytelling expertise combined with smart, strategic use of generative AI, we position our clients as trusted authorities whose insights are organically amplified. When your brand speaks clearly, authentically, and consistently, visibility follows from customers, industry peers and even AI chatbots.
Ready to craft content that genuinely stands out? Let’s talk.