Platform reports that AI-related inquiries accounted for more than 60 percent of new client consultations in Q1 2026, signaling a structural shift in how businesses approach press release distribution services.
San Francisco, California – 2nd April 2026 – BrandPush, a press release writing and distribution platform founded in 2020, reported that AI search visibility has overtaken traditional search engine optimization as the primary reason businesses seek press release distribution services. Internal data from the company’s Q1 2026 client consultations showed that more than 60 percent of prospective clients cited AI-generated recommendations as their main motivation, up from approximately 25 percent during the same quarter in 2025.
The findings come amid a broader transformation in the press release distribution industry, which was valued at $2.86 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2 percent through 2033, according to Verified Market Reports. Analysts have attributed much of that growth to the integration of artificial intelligence into both distribution workflows and the search platforms that index published content.
Gartner predicted earlier this year that traditional search engine query volume would decline by 25 percent in 2026 as consumers and business buyers shift toward AI-powered answer engines. Industry research has also found that a significant share of content cited in AI-generated search responses is less than 13 weeks old, suggesting that publication recency is a meaningful factor in whether a brand surfaces in AI recommendations.
“The shift happened faster than most of us expected,” said Trevor McGraw, a representative of BrandPush. “A year ago, clients asked about search engine indexing and backlink profiles. Now the first question is usually whether their press release will appear when someone asks an AI assistant to recommend a product or service in their category.”
BrandPush, which has served thousands of businesses since its founding, distributes press releases across networks of premium news websites and includes professional editorial writing as a standard part of its service. The company holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot based on more than 272 verified reviews.
The broader industry data supports BrandPush’s internal findings. Research from Moz found that only approximately 10 percent of citations in Google’s AI Mode overlap with traditional organic search results. Separately, Ahrefs reported that just 12 percent of URLs cited by large language models rank in Google’s top 10 for the original query. Taken together, these studies suggest that AI-generated citations and conventional search rankings are diverging into distinct visibility channels, each requiring its own distribution strategy.
The press release distribution sector has historically been shaped by enterprise wire services designed for regulatory filings and investor communications. However, a growing segment of the market now serves small and mid-sized businesses that use press releases primarily for brand visibility and digital credibility. BrandPush, which has published a detailed overview of how press release distribution works on its company blog, has positioned itself within this segment by offering editorial support and guaranteed publication as standard features.
“What we’re observing is not just a change in client preferences — it reflects a structural shift in how published content functions,” McGraw said. “Press releases distributed to authoritative news domains are being indexed by large language models as retrieval sources. That means every published release has the potential to influence how AI platforms describe a company or category for months or years after publication.”
Industry observers have noted that the convergence of press release distribution and AI visibility represents a new phase for the sector. As generative search tools become a primary discovery channel for purchasing decisions, the role of press release distribution services is expanding beyond media outreach into what some practitioners describe as generative engine optimization, or GEO. BrandPush has explored this topic further in a related analysis on how large language models are reshaping business optimization.
About BrandPush
BrandPush is a press release writing and distribution platform operated by Ascend Group OÜ. Founded in November 2020, the company provides businesses, startups, and agencies with editorial writing and guaranteed publication across networks of verified news websites. Additional information is available at brandpush.co.
Media Contact:
BrandPush
Trevor McGraw
trevor@brandpush.co
https://www.brandpush.co