How earned media is fueling PR’s resurgence in the generative AI search era

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In this episode of On Top of PR with Jason Mudd, we welcome Matt Dzugan, senior director of data at Muck Rack, to unpack the findings from Muck Rack’s new report, “What Is AI Reading?” Together, they explore how generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini rely heavily on earned media coverage — especially journalistic content — to shape their responses. Learn why timely, credible PR coverage is more important than ever, how to optimize your brand visibility in AI-driven search, and what PR pros need to do now to stay relevant.

Tune in to learn more!

Our Guest:

Our episode guest is Matt Dzugan, senior director of data at Muck Rack. As a software engineer, he contributes to building tools that help journalists and PR professionals collaborate more effectively. With a strong background in full-stack development, he focuses on creating scalable, user-friendly solutions in the media tech space.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

 1. How generative search engines source answers from earned media coverage

2.  How best to influence AI-generated answers in your brand's favor

 3. Why credibility is crucial to consumers and generative AI models

 4. How much AI will rely on legacy media going forward

 5. The importance of earned media and how to use it

Quotables

“We’re building tools that PR pros actually use and value every day.” — @mattdzugan

“Better media outreach starts with better journalist insights.” — @JasonMudd9

“PR is evolving fast. You need the right tools to keep up.” — @mattdzugan

“Good PR tech doesn’t replace relationships — it enhances them.” — @mattdzugan

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About Matt Dzugan

Matt Dzugan is a senior software engineer at Muck Rack, where he helps develop tools that empower journalists and PR professionals to collaborate more effectively. With a background in full-stack development, he brings a thoughtful, systems-oriented approach to building reliable, scalable software that meets the media industry’s evolving needs. His work spans from backend architecture to user-facing features, all designed to enhance the transparency, speed, and efficiency of media workflows.

Beyond writing clean, maintainable code, Matt is known for his collaborative mindset and dedication to continuous improvement. He actively engages with cross-functional teams to ensure that engineering decisions align with product goals, and he’s always looking for ways to optimize performance and user experience. At Muck Rack, Matt plays a key role in helping the company scale its platform to support a growing user base while staying true to its mission of supporting a free and sustainable press.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

Matt Dzugan on X (@mattdzugan)

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.