If you follow Ryan Deiss, you will have heard the phrase:
“Every business is now a media company.”
Over the past 12 months, I have seen this play out first-hand. More and more of my clients are now finding me through AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity rather than Google.
At the same time, the idea of internal influencers has become increasingly important. Not external influencers, but the people inside your business who create content, build trust and drive conversations.
What is interesting is this. I did not set out to follow this model.
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But looking back over the last 15 years, it is exactly what I have been doing.
SEO has changed. AI search is now the front door
Over the past 12 to 18 months, something has shifted quite dramatically.
New clients are no longer just finding me through Google.
They are finding me through:
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- AI-powered search tools
And importantly, these are not beginners. These are business owners who are already thinking differently. They are often ahead of the curve, and that works in my favour.
This changes the game.
Because AI search does not work like traditional SEO.
It is not just ranking pages. It is:
- analysing content across the web
- identifying expertise
- deciding who to mention
That last point is the key.
AI search does not want generic content
There is a growing problem.
A lot of businesses are now using AI to generate content at scale. Agencies especially are guilty of this.
The process looks like this:
- prompt ChatGPT
- generate article
- publish
It is quick. It is easy. It keeps the client or boss happy.
But the issue is simple.
AI already knows that content.
So why would it cite you in its summary?
AI search is not looking for:
- recycled knowledge (thin content)
- generic “top 10 tips”
- surface-level summaries
It is looking for:
- real experience
- opinions
- nuance
- practical insight
In short, it is looking for what AI cannot create on its own.
The 10-80-10 rule for content
This is the framework I use, and it works.
- First 10% – your ideas, your experience, your angle
- Middle 80% – let AI do the heavy lifting and build the draft
- Final 10% – refine, inject personality, add real-world insight
Most people skip the first and last 10% because that is the hard part. Afer all AI is supposed to make life easy – right?
But it is that 20% that makes the difference.
That is why their content gets ignored. All they are doing is creating AI slop.
The value is not in producing more content. It is in producing better input and better refinement.
How to create content that AI search will actually pick up
One of the obvious follow-on questions from all of this is:
What should you actually be creating?
Here are a few principles that have worked for me.
1. Start with “They Ask, You Answer”
If you have not already read They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan, I would strongly recommend it.
It was written before AI search became mainstream, but the principles are timeless and still hold true.
The core idea is simple.
Answer the questions your customers are already asking.
This is exactly the kind of content AI search is looking for.
2. Consistency beats cleverness
Everyone eventually develops their own style and system for creating content.
But the only way you get there is through consistency.
This is a long play. Not a quick win.
The people who win are the ones who keep showing up, keep documenting and keep refining.
3. Document what you actually do
Instead of trying to “create content”, just document what you are already doing.
For example, I regularly:
- listen to questions prospects and customers ask
- look at new HighLevel updates
- test tools, tricks, tips and hacks
- watch videos from other experts in my niche
And then I document them.
Sometimes I even create content purely for myself and my team.
If I solve a problem and think I will need this again in the future, I turn it into a blog post.
Here is a real example of that in action:
How to Save & Test a HighLevel Webhook Trigger
If I needed it (repeatedly), chances are others do too. And so does AI search.
Internal influencers. You have probably already got them
This is where the idea of internal influencers really lands.
We have all seen how prominent influencers who are paid huge sums have been used to drive sales.
But with so much artificial content being created, trust is dropping.
This opens the door for internal influencers.
These are the people inside your business who understand your customers and how you solve their problems.
The content is not perfect. It is real, relevant and valuable to the reader or viewer. And that is why it works.
My experience with this
For me, this started over 15 years ago.
I have been publishing:
- tips
- tactics
- real-world marketing insights
Originally around Keap software, and since 2023 on HighLevel software.
I did not realise at the time that I was building a body of work that AI search would later rely on.
Why personal branding matters more than ever
Instead of hiding behind a company name, I built everything around julianmills.co.uk.
When AI cites a named person, it builds authority. They become the expert
And the more it happens, the more it compounds.
As an aside – who would be the Internal Influencer in your business or maybe you have a team. But what happens when that
person leaves the business – or worse still they become so valuable as an internal influencer that they get poached by a competitor!!
So be sure that the content they create is on channels that you (the boss) own and control.
Turning a personal brand into a flywheel
My personal brand attracts attention, builds trust and generates opportunities.
Then feeds into MarketerM8.com
This is the real asset.
Proving expertise. Not claiming it
AI search is constantly asking:
“Who is the real expert here?”
And it answers that by looking for signals across the internet.
Workshops as a credibility engine
We run a 13-week rolling series of HighLevel workshops.
- repeat four times per year
- are promoted across multiple channels
- are consistently updated
We also set them up on Eventbrite as a recurring series.
This reinforces expertise signals across the web.
Becoming a media company
Running workshops creates ongoing video content.
We use that to build out a YouTube presence.
Without forcing it, we have become a media company- admittedly with a very niche audience.
Final thought
Do not try to out-produce AI.
You will not win.
Instead:
- focus on real experience
- share what you actually do
- build your own voice
- show up consistently
Written by Julian Mills – HighLevel consultant and marketing strategist.
About Julian Mills
