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Welcome to The Colab Brief, where we break down the comms trends that actually matter, drop the receipts behind the headlines, and share the stuff people are whispering about but not posting.
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Google just dropped a bombshell at their recent summit: theyâre experimenting with ads inside the AI Overview section of search. Translation: the âfreeâ visibility window in generative search results is officially on the clock.
Right now, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is one of the last frontiers where organic authority - aka not ad spend - determines who shows up. Founders who invest in thought leadership now can secure a durable position before this space gets auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Weâve seen this before. The early Google era rewarded brands that published credible, consistent content long before PPC swallowed the top of the page. The same playbook works here - only this time, AI models decide what gets surfaced, cited, and shared.
The winners will be the founders whose names, ideas, and insights become the default âpull quotesâ for their category. Once the ad money floods in, you canât buy that kind of credibility - you either built it early, or you didnât.
Three moves to make before the ad invasion:
Audit Your Current Sitch. Are you showing up in the LLMs? If not, why? Who is? Where is the information on those companies being sourced? Dig deep.
Lock your narrative. Get crystal clear on the one-liners, POVs, and category definitions you want AI models to associate with you/your brand.
Publish where it counts. Land bylines, features, and credible citations in outlets your audience and AI trust.
Seed your expertise. Consistently put your voice into the conversation with panels, podcasts, LinkedIn posts, and analyst briefings - so thereâs enough data for AI to âlearnâ who you are.
The GEO land grab is happening in real time.
Got a PR question thatâs been keeping you up at night? Drop it in our new AMA, and weâll answer it in The Colab Brief - from pitch problems to dealing with difficult execs, weâre here to give you our take.
Share anonymously here.
A&L:
Weâre big believers in exclusives for situations like this. If your raise isnât the kind of number that will automatically make headlines (think average size or smaller than typical for your stage), youâll need to lean hard into the company story to break through. Thatâs especially true when youâre up against a sea of similar players doing roughly the same thing.
One strong, in-depth exclusive will almost always outperform a scattershot of surface-level mentions. It gives the journalist a reason to dig deeper, uncover unique angles, and quantify what makes you stand out - rather than just summarizing the basics.
One note: an exclusive doesnât block you from more coverage later. It simply gives one outlet the first-mover advantage. Weâve done this successfully by locking in an exclusive with our top-choice publication, then following up with other outlets once the story hits - offering something new each time.
Example: land an exclusive with The Information, then when it publishes, go back to your secondary targets with fresh hooks - maybe access to a different exec, a data point you didnât reveal in the first piece, or even a stripped-down version of your fundraising deck. That way, every outlet still gets something worth running, and your story keeps moving.
Playing âJournalistâ on the LLMs đĽ
Hitting a roadblock with pitching? Need some new angles/ideas? Unsure why your outreach isnât resonating? Use your favorite LLM to simulate how a writer will react to your pitch.
âĄď¸ Copy/paste our prompt here:
Prompt:
"You are an investigative journalist writing a high-profile feature on my company for [OUTLET]. Based on the information below, identify the three most newsworthy angles that would attract top-tier media interest, and suggest specific headlines, pull quotes, and expert comparisons to other notable companies or events."
(Then paste your company backgrounder, funding info, product description, and any relevant market data.)
Why it works:
Forces the model to think like a journalist, not a marketer.
Surfaces fresh angles you might not have considered.
Gives you pre-baked headlines and quotable lines you can repurpose for pitches.
Useful for testing how your story might land in an earned media context - before you actually pitch.
đ Why It Matters: Taylor Reaches New Heights with Podcast Appearance
Photo Credit: New Heights
Taylor Swiftâs HUGELY hyped appearance on the New Heights podcast wasnât just celebrity fodder, it was literally a masterclass in the new era of media. For over two hours, she spoke candidly, laughed freely, snuggled Travie and gave genuine, unscripted answers. And notably, her longtime publicist Tree Paine didnât seem to object.
Thatâs the shift: audiences crave transparency over polish, and the leaders who lean into it are winning. If Taylor can hold an unfiltered conversation in front of millions, your executive can handle a one-on-one interview or podcast without a corporate script.
The upside is huge! Even our anti-Swift team members (you know who you are) couldnât help but lean into Taylorâs relaxed energy and her real chemistry with Travis. Put into a business lens, when you have a leader who is passionate about their area of expertise, candid (even if not perfectly polished), and comfortable in conversational settings, you can unlock the kind of authentic connection thatâs driving the rise of thought leadership and new media. This is the movement of the moment, and audiences are rewarding voices who show up as humans first, experts second.
Taylorâs New Heights interview proves that in the right format, authenticity isnât risky PR - itâs the strategy.
Substack writers, niche creators, rogue reporters you should be watching. Today weâre focusing on sports (we love a theme).
đ§ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar [Sports/Culture]
Curated by: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA Hall of Famer, social critic, and bestselling author)
Focus: A thoughtful take on sports, politics, and popular cultureâdelivered through the lens of one of basketballâs most influential figures.
Why Subscribe: A masterclass in blending personal authority and cultural awareness into commentary. PR pros can learn from how he turns personal legacy and conviction into narratives that resonate widely.
đ§ Stealing Signs [Sports/Analytics]
Curated by: Ben Gretch (NFL analyst and writer)
Focus: Deep football strategy and fantasy insights grounded in statistical rigor and trend analysis.
Why Subscribe: Demonstrates how to shape complicated analytics into compelling storytellingâperfect for PR teams working to make technical or niche topics accessible and engaging.
đ§ Huddle Up [Sports Business]
Curated by: Joe Pompliano (sports business analyst and investor)
Focus: The intersection of sports and businessâteam ownership, media rights, sponsorships, athlete investments, and market shifts.
Why Subscribe: Offers lessons in framing corporate or financial dynamics as culturally resonant stories, helping PR pros humanize complex business narratives.
PR this week: the good, the bad, the embarrassing.
Voxâs Eater has laid off 15 staffers, including key regional voices like the James Beardâwinning Chicago editor, marking the latest hit to local food journalism and vertical media sustainability.
Expert Take: Smaller, high-engagement outlets are increasingly unstable. Comms teams need to step up pitches with packaged, exclusive-worthy content; mere âgood enoughâ clips wonât cut through, especially in the consumer sector. Read more.
Itâs Giving: Awareness vs. Audience Alienation đ˝
Cluelyâs Times Square billboard struck a nerve and went viral, but in B2B, shock wins eyes and risks turning off decision-makers. Itâs the latest in a long string of stunts by the company that âisnât not helping people cheatâ.
This is unironically probably one of the best converting billboards LMAO pic.twitter.com/S1WRJ1mZFv
â Rohan (@dvvdle) August 9, 2025
Expert Take: Provocative PR works best when followed by a story that invites and solves, not just stirs up social media. Without that reframing, the moment burns hot and fades fast.
We really liked this PR Daily piece covered a counterintuitive tactic for brands leaning into activism: sometimes, the smartest move is to say nothing at all. In a world where every statement can be screen-captured, dissected, and weaponized, strategic silence can keep a brand anchored in its message and avoid the spiral of reactive PR.
The piece draws a distinction between long-standing activist brands like Patagonia or Ben & Jerryâs - whose credibility can withstand controversy - and newer brands, which risk looking opportunistic if they jump to defend or explain their stance. In those early moments, over-explaining can amplify scrutiny, alienate supporters, and give critics more oxygen.
Marketing experts point out that when controversy strikes - especially if itâs your first public stance, measured quiet can often cool the temperature faster than issuing a rapid-fire response.
The playbook: acknowledge differing opinions briefly, avoid retractions or over-corrections, and pivot quickly back to your core mission. The signal you send is one of conviction, not retreat.
Substack - The New Financial PR Direct Line? đ¸
Financial agencies are embracing Substack as a preferred channel for exec comms - founder letters, investor notes, and insider storytelling - proving more reliable than chasing traditional press hits.
Our take: We agree! Substack isnât just owned content - itâs a searchable, GEO-friendly credibility builder. It elevates your narrative by giving it a permanent, discoverable home.
âĄQuick Links:
Overplayed or already out their news that still deserves a mention.
Laptop Magazine is shuttering after 34 years covering tech journalism.
Vanity Fair renewing focus on fashion, celebrity. Phasing out tech and business sections.
Henry Blodget is partnering with Vox Media on a new podcast titled, âSolutions with Henry Blodgetâ which will cover the pressing challenges of modern life.
Who's going where and why it matters. Not just job shifts - power dynamics, layoffs, and behind-the-scenes moves.
đ§ł Ryan Struyk started a new role as CNN's first Director of AI Innovation, leading strategic efforts to integrate AI across editorial and newsgathering operations; previously supervising producer on State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash at CNN for eight years.
đ§ł Cordilia James was laid off from The Wall Street Journal, where she served as reporting assistant to senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern for more than three years.
đ§ł Katie Roof joined The Information as Deputy Bureau Chief of the venture capital section, where sheâll report and mentor young reporters; previously at Bloomberg for 5.5 years.
đ§ł David Canfield is leaving Vanity Fair in the coming weeks, where he served as Hollywood correspondent.
đ§ł Rebecca Woolington named Deputy Editor of the Long-term Investigations Team at The Washington Post; previously investigative reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team in 2023.
đ§ł Simon Hunt launched a new Substack (onthehuntcityam.substack.com) while serving as City Editor at City AM.
đ§ł Michael Calderone is leaving Vanity Fair in the coming weeks after five years, where he ran The Hive section.
đ§ł Mara Mellits is nearing the end of her internship at The Seattle Times, where she serves as metro/breaking news reporter.
đ§ł Noah Sheidlower promoted to senior economy reporter at Business Insider, focusing on aging and retirement; previously economy reporter at Business Insider for two years.
đ§ł Sara Kehaulani Goo named President of the Creator Network at The Washington Post; previously at Axios.
Stuff that doesnât fit anywhere else but still slaps - aka things we shared this week in Slack.
Sports! đ
Does this count as sports-related content? Weâre not exactly sure but we spent a fair amount of time on our #daily-pop Slack channel analyzing whether or not these pictures were serious. I mean, itâs has to be sort of a joke, right?
Photo Credit: GQ
A jokester being funny, or a serious situation? |
Weird and Wacky PR Stunts đź
Breast milk-flavored ice cream is now available worldwide. Yes, for real. Parenting company Frida baby has partnered with OddFellows Ice Cream in a colab that isâŚinteresting. Weâre not sure how or why this idea arose during the brainstorming session, but weâre along for the ride and here to see the results. Genius? Or nah?
AI for Dog Longevity đś
Our most popular story of the week had to be this feature in Forbes about Loyal - an AI company dedicated to making the lives of our pets a little longer. Now THIS is technology for good!
Something else on your mind? Say hello.
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