I don't mean to scare you Reader 👻🎃 ... but, if you’re still relying on SEO alone to get discovered, here’s the truth:
You’re optimizing for an audience that’s already moved on.

Increasingly, buyers, partners, and investors aren’t starting on Google anymore - they’re starting in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, what have you.

When someone asks ChatGPT, “Who’s building the best data ops platform?” or “Which expert is doing the most innovative stuff with predictive analytics?”, the model doesn’t pull up ranked pages.

It pulls up people and brands it already recognizes as trusted sources.

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And that’s where traditional SEO breaks.

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SEO ranks pages. AI ranks people.

In Google’s world, you win by keywords, backlinks, and blog frequency.

In AI’s world, you win by semantic clarity and authority signals.

At least in part, the game changed from search engine optimization (SEO) to answer engine optimization (AEO) - and most founders haven’t realized it yet.

So while your digital marketing “experts” are focused on domain authority and keyword clusters, your competitors are quietly training AI to understand who they are and what they’re known for.

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Here’s what AEO looks like in practice:

1️⃣ Clarity over clicks
​AI needs confidence before it makes a recommendation.
That means your digital footprint (LinkedIn, site, bios, guest posts) must communicate one consistent answer to:

“What problem does this founder solve, and for whom?”

If you confuse the model, you disappear.

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2️⃣ Expert-first structure
​Add your byline, title, and company to every piece of content you publish - even your LinkedIn bio.

LLMs weigh content with identifiable authors higher than anonymous or “brand-only” text.

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3️⃣ Contextual breadcrumbs
​AI models learn relationships by co-occurrence.

When your name shows up near industry terms or with credible sources, you strengthen your “entity connection.”

Example: A quote in a niche publication can influence how AI classifies your expertise - sometimes even more than a high-traffic blog post.

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The founder advantage:

You don’t need 50 blog posts or a massive content engine to get ahead.
​You just need precision.

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AI search rewards clarity and consistency - two things small brands and solo founders can implement faster than big brands that are bogged down by layers of marketing approval.

That’s exactly what I’ve been helping founders systemize: how to show up in AI search without starting from scratch or chasing keywords.

And next week I plan to release a micro-course that walks you through it step by step.

👉 Get on the waitlist here

Here’s why you’ll want in before this product goes public:

▶️ Founding-Member Pricing (lowest it’ll ever be - under $50)
▶️ Free Fast-Action Toolkit (available for free only for the first 24 hours)
▶️ Founding-Member Only Advisory Hours (all people in the first cohort will get live access to my direct help, so you can AI visible in record time.)

👉 Get on the list now before these beta perks disappear

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Lillian Pierson

Growth Partner & Fractional CMO

P.S. In my next email, I’ll show you how to become AI-visible in under 60 minutes - even if you’ve got zero marketing bandwidth.
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​P.P.S. Happy Halloween!! Wishing you a festive night with your friends and family 👻🎃

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