AI visibility isn't really about AI
Companies winning in AI search solve a different problem.
Welcome to ‘Inside Product-led Content’ — weekly-ish, 2-min emails on growing your LLM visibility with product-led content.
If you’re just joining, I’ve talked a lot about doing product-led content the non-salesy way — so if it interests you, hop into the archives.
Last year, I became one of the first content consultants to talk about AI search visibility.
It felt uncomfortable. It felt cringe.
And it tasted just a little opportunistic.
Like I was jumping on a trend before anyone really knew where it was headed.
And that really... isn’t my style.
I don’t even buy into fashion trends unless they survive my minimalist filter.
But underneath all that hesitation were two things:
→ What I was learning from helping clients show up in AI search
→ A stubborn belief that buyer-first wins, no matter what changes
And in no time, one client turned ChatGPT into a meaningful growth channel.
Another regularly appears in AI Overviews — even on searches about competitors.
Best part? These weren’t isolated observations.
Plenty of research signals a larger shift in how people research and evaluate software now, with G2’s recent survey confirming:
→ 79% of people say AI search has changed how they conduct research
→ 30% say they’re more productive using AI search than traditional search
→ 29% now start research with AI search more often than Google
That last one hit different for me.
Nearly 1 in 3 buyers aren’t starting with Google anymore.
They’re starting with a conversation. And that conversation is forming opinions about your product before your sales team ever gets on a call.
Which makes one thing really obvious:
AI visibility isn’t creating a new content playbook.
It’s reinforcing an old truth:
The companies earning attention are the ones helping buyers answer real questions.
Not publishing more content.
Not chasing more traffic.
Not producing better thought leadership.
Answering buyer questions.
If a colleague or peer forwarded this email to you, and well, you want to keep on top of how to do product-led content that shows up in AI search, join us here 👇
So really, I got interested in AI visibility early.
But my thesis was never really about AI.
My thesis was that buyers need answers — and AI search would make answering buyer questions even more valuable.
Remember:
The companies winning in AI search aren’t winning because they’ve cracked some secret AI optimization formula.
They’re winning because they’re helping buyers make sense of their options.
The visibility is the outcome.
Buyer education is the mechanism.
Not to be sappy, but this newsletter would still be a half-finished draft if not for you reading it. So thank you for being here 🙏
I’d say I’d give you my iced Spanish latte… but let’s not get carried away!
Oh and you’re in good company, habibi — marketers from some of the best SaaS brands are reading this right alongside you:
