Jackson Wightman | Public Relations for Technology Companies

Apr 24

Post-Enshittification PR: Five Things I’d Happily Bury (But Apparently Won’t Die)

By Jackson Wightman Industry Commentary, Thought leadership No Comments

In tech PR, we’ve reached post-enshittification. We are now at the point where we need to ask, “Is there enough toilet paper to clean it all up?” Here’s a cursory list of my least favourite things from across the internet and tech PR bubbles that I inhabit. 1) AI companies…

Apr 14

Love0

AI Is Not Top of Funnel: What GLP-1 Search Data Reveals About the Full Buyer Journey

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Case Studies, Industry Commentary, PR Strategy No Comments

Americans are hungry to be thin. So much so that AI searches around GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic are outpacing queries for movies and TV across major LLMs, according to a landmark data set from Scrunch. While I find the preponderance of searches around GLP-1s sadly predictable, the analysis…

Mar 26

Love0

How Reddit Influences AI Search Results and LLM Citations in 2026.

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Industry Commentary, PR Strategy, Reddit No Comments

"If you want to boost your AI search presence, just get on Reddit." You’ve heard this, or versions of it, I’m sure. It’s the AI search advice equivalent of telling someone to "just network more" to build their biz. Technically true, but facile as hell. This lovely little nugget glosses…

Mar 25

Love0

The only checklist you’ll ever need for PR procurement

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Industry Commentary, PR Strategy No Comments

You’ve read the words from the soothsayers at Gartner and have decided that your tech company needs to get serious about PR. Getting press coverage and reaping GEO-glory from it will be simple enough. All you need is a PR agency. Here’s the ultimate checklist for procuring the right one:…

Mar 13

Love0

How Products Get Into Deals Articles and Listicles

By Jackson Wightman Industry Commentary, PR Strategy

The Mechanics Behind Summer Commerce Coverage Summer Commerce Season is about to begin. What we at Proper call “Summer Commerce Season” is that special strip of the calendar that includes Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Prime Day. You could even throw Back-to-School into the mix. For publishers and…

Mar 03

Love0

Connections Don’t Get You Coverage

By Jackson Wightman Industry Commentary, PR Strategy

"So tell me about your connections," said a prospective client recently. I have a connection to my partner. She's great. But she certainly doesn't always do what I say she should (she's wise). I also have a connection to my two oldest friends. We've known each other since we were…

Feb 27

Love0

Ludicrous PR advice, straight from Silicon Valley

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Industry Commentary, PR Strategy No Comments

Silicon Valley dispenses a lot of terrible advice about PR. Search for pretty much anything from the folks at Y-Combinator and you’ll encounter dilettantism on a grand scale. Alongside investors, a range of other, non-VC actors, espouse ideas that are untethered to reality. A core tenet of Valley PR bullshit…

Feb 23

Love0

Gartner and the Narrative Arms Race

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Industry Commentary, PR Strategy No Comments

Nope, it was not an astrological event. That glow lighting up the sky? That’s the Comms-Industrial-Complex reading Gartner’s predictions about PR budgets doubling by 2027 thanks to Generative Engine Optimization. But extra cash for agencies is not the real story. Gartner’s third prediction is. It reads: By 2029, 45% of…

Feb 19

Love0

Content Fast and Slow

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Industry Commentary, PR Strategy No Comments

My apologies to Daniel Kahneman for the riff on his title. Maybe, like me, you’ve acquired this strange new reflex vis-a-vis AI-produced content. I just shut down when I see the see-saw cadence. Three. Short. Sentences. Thinking that resembles candy floss. We can all tell when someone shits on a…

Feb 17

Love0

A Fishing Fable About the Top of the Funnel

By Jackson Wightman AI & Search (GEO), Industry Commentary, PR Strategy No Comments

Johnny fishes in the pond near his house once a week. He catches 2 fish. They make for an amazing dinner. The fish are so tasty that he starts fishing twice a week. At this level he can pull 3 fish a week. He does this for 2 months straight.…