How to Get Your Brand Cited in ChatGPT
You don't “rank” in ChatGPT the same way you rank in Google. You earn repeated inclusion by becoming a trustworthy, consistently useful source in the problem-spaces your buyers ask about.
The goal isn't to game the system. It's to become genuinely helpful for the questions your market is asking.
1. Build a question library (seed approach)
Start by mapping the questions your buyers actually ask. Not keywords, questions. These become your “seeds” for content that AI systems want to cite.
How to find buyer questions:
- •Ask ChatGPT and Perplexity what questions buyers ask about your category
- •Mine sales calls and support tickets for recurring questions
- •Use Google's “People Also Ask” for adjacent questions
- •Monitor industry forums and communities
Aim for 30-50 questions that represent the “problem-spaces” your brand can credibly own. This becomes your content roadmap.
2. Publish answer-first pages with proof
For each question or question cluster, create content that leads with the answer. Don't bury it under introductions or context. AI systems extract answers, not preambles.
Answer-first structure:
- 1Direct answer in the first 2-4 sentences
- 2Proof points: data, examples, case references
- 3Nuance: edge cases, constraints, when this doesn't apply
- 4Next steps: what to do with this information
Include proof throughout: statistics, named examples, methodology references. AI systems favor sources that back up claims with evidence.
3. Make pages scannable to machines
Structure matters. AI systems parse your content, so make it easy for them to understand.
Do
- • Use clear, descriptive headings (H2, H3)
- • Include FAQ sections with Q&A format
- • Add schema markup (FAQPage, Article)
- • Use bullet points and numbered lists
- • Keep paragraphs short (2-3 sentences)
Don't
- • Bury answers in long paragraphs
- • Use vague or clever headings
- • Hide content in images or PDFs
- • Stuff keywords unnaturally
- • Gate all your content behind forms
4. Earn third-party validation
AI systems check corroboration. If you're the only source making a claim, you're less likely to be cited. Third-party validation builds the authority signals that get you included.
- •PR and mentions: Get quoted in industry publications on your topics
- •Guest contributions: Write for other sites that cover your problem-spaces
- •Research and data: Publish original research others will cite
- •Customer references: Enable customers to mention your solution in context
5. Track citations pragmatically
Citation tracking is still immature, but you can start measuring visibility now.
V1: Manual tracking
- • Regularly query ChatGPT and Perplexity with your target questions
- • Track whether your brand is mentioned or cited
- • Note competitor citations as a benchmark
- • Build a simple spreadsheet to track over time
V2: Tooling (emerging)
- • AI citation tracking tools are starting to emerge
- • Consider internal tooling for systematic monitoring
- • Integrate citation data into your reporting cadence