Today’s fragmented, AI-driven media landscape is making it harder than ever to make your voice heard. The real path to influence is no longer about being everywhere, it’s about precision. That means identifying the small handful of channels and voices your human and AI audiences truly trust and focusing your efforts there.
Does your media list feel more like a phone book than a strategic asset? For years, the instinct in PR was to build the biggest list possible, operating on the principle that more outreach would naturally lead to more results. But in 2025, this scattered approach is not just inefficient; it’s increasingly ineffective.
The world we operate in has been reshaped by two powerful forces. First, the media has splintered into a complex ecosystem far beyond traditional trade magazines. It now encompasses podcasts, expert-led blogs, individual LinkedIn personalities, and powerful industry associations. Second, the rise of AI-driven search is fundamentally changing how our audiences discover information within this ecosystem.
In this new environment, the most successful communications strategies will not be built on volume, but on precision. The first and most critical task is no longer to ask, ‘How many people can we reach?’ but rather, ‘Who are the right people, and where do they place their trust?’ This requires a new, more nuanced way of looking at media – one that considers both human audiences and their new AI gatekeepers.
Identifying where your human audience pays attention
In niche B2B sectors, broad metrics can be misleading. We need a more sophisticated ‘relevance audit’ to understand where true influence lies.
Audit the channel, not just the media pack
For a trade publication, this means scrutinising audience job titles, not just visitor or subscriber numbers. Is the readership made up of ‘construction professionals’ or is it ‘site, project or fleet managers’? The latter is more valuable, enabling you to ensure the magazine targets the relevant roles and decisionmakers you want to reach.
For a podcast, it means looking at listener numbers and reviews. For an influential individual, it means analysing the quality and seniority of the people commenting on their posts. A smaller, highly engaged community is infinitely more valuable than a large, passive one.
Follow the digital breadcrumbs
The most credible voices in any industry leave a trail. Our job is to act as digital detectives to reveal the true parth of influence. We identify the must-attend trade shows and look at their official media partners – a list that now often includes blogs and podcasts alongside traditional press.
We also look at the key industry associations. Where do they publish their research? Who do they invite to speak at their events? Their endorsement is a powerful signal of credibility. Finally, we map the top independent experts in your field. The channels they contribute to and share from are the ones that have earned their trust.
Ask the audience directly
Perhaps the most powerful source of intelligence is your own sales team. By working with them to ask customers a simple question – ‘What publications, podcasts, or blogs do you follow to stay up to date?’ – we can build a map of the media landscape that truly matters.
Identifying where your AI audience finds authority
With the rise of Google’s AI Overviews and AI chatbots being used directly as search engines, we must also understand which sources AI models already consider authoritative. This is a core tenet of generative engine optimisation (GEO).
The process for uncovering this is surprisingly direct. We go to AI chatbots and ask the questions your customers are potentially asking: ‘What are the key considerations when renting an excavator for a demolition project?’, ‘How can telematics data reduce fuel consumption in a mixed construction fleet?’, or ‘What is best practice for predictive maintenance on articulated dump trucks?’
We then carefully analyse the sources the AI chooses to cite in its answers. A clear pattern almost always emerges. The AI’s ‘trusted network’ consistently includes sources that demonstrate expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). They contain original data, feature quotes from named, credible experts, and explain complex topics in a well-structured way.
Building your anchor list
Interestingly, this dual analysis rarely produces two different lists. The channels and voices most trusted by a niche human audience are often the very same ones that exhibit the signals of authority that AIs are programmed to look for.
The outcome of this considered process is not a sprawling spreadsheet, but a short, evidence-based list of perhaps 5-10 channels. This is your core target list – a curated group of publications, podcasts, and influential voices where your audiences, both human and machine, are already listening.
In the past, a massive media list might have provided a sense of making an impact but the goal is not just to be seen, but to be truly influential. It’s about making every action count and generating the coverage that is noticed and shared by the right stakeholders.
With this focused list in hand, the next question becomes: how do we build a meaningful relationship with them? We will explore a new, partnership-first model for achieving that in a coming blog post.
In the meantime, if you would like a strategic partner to help you navigate the process of identifying your own anchor channels, let’s start a conversation about your media landscape. Get in touch.
Hannah Kitchener
Associate Director
About the author
Hannah is an associate director in the UK, leading strategic campaigns for industrial clients across the EMEA region. A professionally qualified journalist (NCTJ), she combines specialist sectoral knowledge in construction, energy, and materials handling with a strong network of trade media contacts to secure valuable coverage. Her expertise in inter-cultural communication, honed by degrees in modern languages and translation, is key to executing campaigns that succeed across diverse European markets.
