Want to get featured in gift guides, media roundups, and online publications without paying thousands of dollars for a PR agency? In this episode of the Small Business PR Podcast, PR expert Gloria Chou shares 5 practical ways small business owners can use Perplexity AI to find PR opportunities, research journalists and competitors, discover gift guides, and create more relevant media pitches. Originally released in 2025, we're bringing this episode back because the shift toward AI-powered search and discovery has made earned media even more important for brands that want to be discovered online. Today, your PR isn't just helping potential customers discover and trust your brand. Media coverage can also create the third-party authority and online footprint that AI search engines use when surfacing brands, products, and recommendations. If you're wondering how to use Perplexity for PR, how to get your product featured in gift guides, how to find journalists to pitch, or how to make your business more visible in AI search, this episode gives you a practical place to start. What Is Perplexity AI — and How Can Small Businesses Use It for PR? Perplexity is an AI-powered answer engine that searches the web and provides responses with sources and citations. For small business owners doing their own PR, that makes it a powerful research tool. Instead of spending hours manually searching Google, media websites, competitor press pages, and social media, you can use Perplexity to quickly research: Current trends in your industryRelevant media anglesCompetitor press coverageExisting gift guides and product roundupsPublications covering products like yoursSeasonal story opportunitiesTopics journalists are already writing aboutThe goal isn't to let AI do your PR for you. It's to use AI to do the research faster — so you can spend more time building relationships and sending relevant, personalized pitches. 5 Ways to Use Perplexity AI to Get PR and Media Coverage 1. Find Timely PR Angles Give Perplexity your brand, website, product, and industry and ask it to identify current trends and conversations that overlap with what you sell. Instead of pitching: “Here is my product.” You can pitch: “Here's why this product is relevant to something your readers care about right now.” That difference is what makes a pitch more editorially relevant. 2. Research Where Your Competitors Are Getting Featured Use Perplexity to research brands similar to yours and identify where they've recently earned media coverage. Look for: Gift guidesProduct roundupsTrend storiesExpert featuresFounder profilesSeasonal coverageThen study the angle that earned the coverage. The goal isn't to copy another brand's pitch. It's to understand what journalists in your category are already interested in covering — and find your own relevant angle. 3. Find Gift Guide Opportunities Product-based businesses can use Perplexity to research both seasonal and evergreen gift guides. Think beyond Christmas. Search for opportunities such as: Mother's Day gift guidesFather's Day gift guidesValentine's Day giftsGraduation giftsBack-to-school productsStocking stuffersGifts under $25 or $50Gifts for travelersGifts for new momsWellness giftsBeauty giftsFood giftsGifts for entrepreneursHost and hostess giftsYou can also research publications that have historically published these guides and identify the writers covering your category. 4. Turn Your Research Into a Stronger Media Pitch Once you've done the research, use AI to help organize your pitch around Gloria's CPR Method: Credibility, Point of View, and Relevance. A good PR pitch should quickly answer: Why you? What makes your brand, product, founder, or expertise credible? Why this story? What's the interesting point of view, insight, product angle, or story? Why now? Why is this relevant to the journalist and their audience today? Perplexity can help with the research. ChatGPT can help you organize that research into concise pitch copy. But the final pitch should still sound human, specific, and relevant to the journalist receiving it. 5. Monitor Trends Before Everyone Else Pitches Them PR works best when you're early. Use Perplexity to keep track of emerging conversations in your industry and identify potential media angles before they become saturated. Look at: Consumer behaviorSeasonal trendsNew researchCultural conversationsIndustry changesProduct trendsSearch behaviorQuestions customers are askingThen ask yourself: What can my brand credibly add to this conversation? That's where an ordinary product pitch can become a timely story idea. Perplexity vs. ChatGPT for PR: Which Should You Use? Gloria's preferred workflow is simple: Use Perplexity for research. Use it to investigate trends, competitors, media coverage, gift guides, publications, and timely angles. Use ChatGPT for writing and refinement. Once you have the research, use ChatGPT to help organize your ideas, strengthen your angle, and turn your research into a concise pitch. You don't have to choose one. Used together, AI tools can dramatically reduce the manual research and writing involved in DIY PR while still keeping the strategy and relationship-building human. Why PR Matters for AI Search Visibility The way consumers discover brands is changing. People aren't only searching Google anymore. They're asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other AI tools questions like: “What's the best skincare brand for sensitive skin?” “What are good gifts for someone who loves to travel?” “What's the best non-toxic cookware for a new apartment?” “Which small businesses make unique Mother's Day gifts?” That means small businesses need to think beyond traditional SEO. Media coverage can help build the online authority, credibility, brand mentions, links, and third-party validation that strengthen your overall digital presence. The opportunity isn't just: Get featured → get publicity. It's increasingly: Get featured → build authority → become easier for both people and AI-powered search tools to discover and understand. How Do You Get Your Small Business Featured in the Media? You don't need to start by hiring an expensive PR agency. Start with three things: ✅ Relevance — Pitch something the journalist's audience actually cares about. ✅ Consistency — PR works when you continue pitching instead of sending one email and giving up. ✅ Strategy — Research the journalist, publication, timing, and angle before you hit send. AI can make the research faster. But relevance, relationships, and a strong story are still what make PR work. Ready to Get Featured? If you want to learn how to use PR and AI visibility strategies to get your business discovered, start here: Get the AI Visibility + PR Training: https://gloriachoupr.com/masterclass Get Found on AI Search + Learn About the Get Featured Accelerator: https://www.getfeaturedaccelerator.com/ Join the Small Biz PR Pros Facebook Group: http://www.getfeaturednow.com/ Want our pitching freebie? DM “PITCH” to Gloria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloriachoupr Connect with Gloria Chou on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriaychou Join Gloria Chou's PR Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/428633254951941 Listen + Follow the Small Business PR Podcast Listen on your favorite podcast platform: http://pod.link/smallbusinesspr Follow the Small Business PR Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-business-pr/id1588143586 Send us Fan Mail
