Derek De Vette is Co-Founder and Head of Strategic Communications at Halo Communications, where his team has spent three decades building visibility for brands ranging from enterprise tech to Harley-Davidson. In this Expert Insight Interview, Derek joins John Golden to explain why the old PR playbook — chase cover stories, rack up impressions, measure vanity metrics — no longer moves the sales growth needle. AI answer engines now decide which brands get surfaced, and they reward the most trusted source, not the loudest one. Derek walks through fresh data on how ChatGPT and Claude cite publications, why niche trade outlets now outperform marquee placements, and how founders can compress the runway from first PR mention to closed revenue.
Topics covered in this episode:
- The “vanity trap” in PR and why chasing fame kills the pipeline
- Why 94% of AI-cited links come from non-paid media
- How ChatGPT leans on mainstream outlets while Claude favors niche publications
- The shift from “competing for clicks” to “competing to be the answer.”
- A practical audit for mapping the AI engines your buyers actually use
- Using AI as a collaborator, not a replacement, for PR and sales strategy
Listen in for an actionable conversation on how to make your brand the cited source inside AI answers, then visit Halo Communications Agency to book a free consultation with Derek’s team.
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