How Brands Can Shape ChatGPT Responses
A hot topic with many of our clients right now is: “How does ChatGPT really work — and more importantly, how can we influence what it says?”
It’s a smart question — and one that’s quickly moved from curiosity to critical strategy. As tools like ChatGPT become part of how people search, research, compare, and make decisions, they’re shaping brand perception in real time. Not just reflecting the internet, but actively reframing it.
Here’s the key insight: You can’t buy your way into ChatGPT’s responses. There’s no ad placement. No paid boost. No backdoor. But you can earn your way in — by creating the kind of content that teaches the model who you are, what you do, and why you matter.
The New SEO: Teaching the Model, Not Just the Algorithm
If you want your brand to surface in ChatGPT’s answers, it’s no longer enough to rank on Google. You need to be known to the model — understood, categorized, and referenced in the content it’s been trained on. That means creating material that’s not just beautifully branded, but deeply informative, structurally clear, and semantically rich.
The most influential content in this AI-shaped landscape is what we’d call foundational knowledge assets. These aren’t trend-chasing blog posts or clever one-liners. They’re high-trust, evergreen resources — the kind of pages GPTs reach for when someone asks,
“What’s the best tool for managing creative teams?”
“How do carbon offset marketplaces actually work?”
“What should I look for in a sustainable packaging partner?”
When a brand creates long-form guides, explainers, and educational content that clearly defines terms, explains systems, or outlines frameworks, it doesn’t just help users — it trains models. It says, “We’re the authority on this. Come here for the source material.”
Structure = Visibility
It’s not just what you write — it’s how you organize it. Clear headers. Logical subtopics. Internal links. Glossaries. FAQs. These aren’t just good UX practices — they make your content easier for both search engines and large language models to digest.
If your site becomes a go-to place to define the basics of your industry, you’re effectively embedding your brand into the next generation of digital intelligence. You’re becoming part of the mental model ChatGPT builds when it answers questions in your category.
Thought Leadership That Actually Leads
Another vector of influence? Authority — especially when it shows up in trusted, third-party spaces. GPT doesn’t recognize status in a human sense, but it does respond to patterns and repetition. So if your CEO’s insights on circular design appear in Fast Company, get cited in Medium posts, and spark discussion on LinkedIn, that repetition builds credibility in the model’s training data.
Thought leadership isn’t about ego — it’s about influence. The more your brand’s voice becomes part of the broader conversation, the more it shows up in AI-generated responses when those conversations come up again.
Case Studies, Comparisons, and Context
GPTs love specificity. They respond well to real-world examples. That’s why case studies and side-by-side comparisons are so powerful. These aren’t just great content for prospective customers — they also help AI understand how your brand fits within a category.
If you’ve taken the time to document how your solution works, who it helps, and how it compares to alternatives, you’re giving the model the narrative it needs to speak about you confidently. You’re not being “featured” — you’re being contextualized.
Consistency Is a Superpower
Finally, let’s talk about consistency. If you’ve coined a framework, own a signature tone of voice, or have a unique way of describing your work — lean into it. Repeat it. Reinforce it.
Models like ChatGPT don’t just respond to facts. They respond to patterns. The more consistently you use your brand’s language, the more it becomes a recognizable part of the model’s memory. Over time, that voice starts to echo back when users ask questions related to your space.
So when clients ask us, “How do we influence ChatGPT?” here’s the real answer:
You don’t game the model. You guide it.
You build content that educates. That defines. That explains. You show up consistently, speak with clarity, and earn trust — just like you would in any other form of marketing. But this time, you’re not just writing for people. You’re writing for the internet and the intelligence that’s learning from it.
