Prompt type has a major impact on AI citation behavior. ChatGPT cites the most sources, averaging 18.2 citations per query. Informational/exploratory prompts generate the most citations, averaging 23.3 citations per prompt. Evaluative prompts show the highest cross-platform agreement. Our Read more

AI platforms rarely cite the same sources: 76.1% of citations appear on only one platform, and just 0.8% overlap across Google AI Mode, Gemini, AI Overviews, and ChatGPT. Citation behavior varies dramatically across platforms, with even Google's own AI products showing only moderate overlap Read more

No single site dominates AI citations—Reddit leads at just 3.49%. Prompt type drives citations more than domain. Blog/content makes up 53.46% of all citations, far ahead of news (14.09%) and social (8.71%). Owned content appears in ~40% of brand awareness queries. Earned media accounts Read more

News publications account for 14% of AI citations in the study. Citations from news publications primarily come from decision-making prompts. (18%) True news content beats out affiliate-driven news content in AI citations. Syndication (6%) and newswires (0.21%) deliver minimal AI visibility. Read more

Images don’t noticeably affect open and reply rates. Images can hinder deliverability if used inappropriately via the spray-and-pray technique and high volumes. Images are essential for product PR. Images can be a difference-maker for expert commentary as fake experts are at an all-time Read more

Most Americans do not rely on AI for news, with roughly 60% saying they never or rarely get news from AI. AI has not replaced traditional news habits, as user behavior is shifting more toward social. 71.7% of Americans who use AI for news have seen it produce false information. Only 7.1% Read more

79% of top news sites block AI training bots via robots.txt. Google-Extended is the least blocked among training bots. 71% of sites also block AI retrieval bots. PerplexityBot, used for indexing, is blocked by 67%. Only 14% of publishers block all AI bots, while 18% don’t block any. Read more

Agency-sent email addresses have ~15% higher open rates, largely due to more effective subject lines and pitch content. Brand email addresses drive ~60% more replies, likely due to built-in authority and perceived credibility. Best performance came from agencies sending from brand domains. Read more

8–9 AM local time sees the highest journalist email engagement across most major media domains. Monday is the top-performing day for both opens and replies, especially among freelancers and UK-based journalists. Freelancers show broader engagement throughout the week but still peak around Read more

AI Mode finds valid journalist emails only ~44% of the time, with ~69% of those verified as deliverable. AI's email guesses based on pattern matching are often incorrect due to journalist turnover and media brand ownership. AI Mode pulls from public sources like PDFs, social posts, and websites, Read more