AEO Firm SearchTides and Communications Agency Needle Join Forces as AI Search Makes Earned Media More Important Than Ever
With AI increasingly shaping how customers, investors, and talent find companies, SearchTides and Needle are partnering to help clients earn prominent placement where it matters most, with the right messaging to turn visibility into trust.
NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SearchTides, the AI Visibility™ consultancy helping brands earn prominent placement in generative search results, and Needle, a boutique communications agency that designs creative programs and tailored campaigns that move the needle for high-growth companies, investment firms, and nonprofits, today announced a preferred partnership that positions their clients to win in the era of AI-driven discovery.
While most communications teams understand the growing link between their work and AI visibility, many are still unsure how to optimize relevant content and materials for generative search, or even who should oversee those strategies. According to Muck Rack's 2026 State of PR report, nearly a third of PR professionals say no one at their organization currently owns generative engine optimization. That disconnect creates a clear opportunity for them to collaborate more closely with AEO specialists.
SearchTides and Needle are partnering to close that gap, combining Needle's track record of securing high-quality earned media with SearchTides' technical expertise in generative search. SearchTides clients will gain preferred access to Needle's earned media expertise, with select engagements fully integrating media relations into their AI Visibility programs. Needle clients, in turn, gain access to SearchTides' AI Visibility capabilities, helping them understand how they appear across generative search and extend the value of earned coverage.
"AI assistants have made it easier than ever for people to make decisions, but that also means brands need a real strategy for how they show up in those answers," said Drew Schweppe, CEO of SearchTides. "Earned media is one of the clearest signals AI systems rely on to decide who's part of the conversation, and Needle's ability to consistently secure that kind of coverage made them the obvious partner as we help clients keep pace with the fastest rate of change this industry has seen."
With or without a strategy, brands are already being named, ranked, and recommended by AI systems, and earned media is among the sources LLMs cite most often, ahead of a company's own website or paid content. The problem: even as earned media becomes more important, it's getting harder to secure. AI has accelerated how quickly new ideas reach the market, dramatically increasing the number of companies and products competing for visibility. It has also made content easier than ever to produce at scale, flooding every channel, including reporters' inboxes, with slop that erodes trust and engagement. And as newsrooms shrink, the bar for coverage keeps rising.
"At Needle, we've always prioritized quality storytelling and thoughtful strategy over volume," said Tess Pawlisch, Founder and CEO of Needle. "In today's media landscape, meaningful attention is harder to earn, which makes it even more important to maximize the value of every opportunity we land and every message we put into the world. SearchTides is helping us do exactly that, and we've already seen firsthand how their expertise extends the impact of our work."
ABOUT SEARCHTIDES
SearchTides is an AI Visibility™ consultancy helping brands earn prominent placement in generative search results. Founded in 2013, the agency works with brands including FanDuel, CreditNinja, Incode, melin, and Flash Furniture across financial services, SaaS, health, furniture, and ecommerce. Rather than treating AI visibility as an SEO exercise, SearchTides scores brands across six layers and 48 metrics—from crawler access to independent corroboration—to determine whether AI systems recommend a brand with confidence or hedge. Each engagement delivers a scored audit, prioritized action plan, and hands-on execution across editorial pitching, directory submissions, and other off-page channels.
ABOUT NEEDLE
Needle is the communications agency that makes a point. We design creative programs and tailored campaigns that move the needle for high-growth companies and investment firms. Specializing in B2B tech, our clients include startups operating and funds investing across AI infrastructure, applied AI, biotech, climatetech, design, fintech, healthtech, and beyond.
Our team of seasoned communications professionals—exceptional writers, strategic thinkers, and relentless executors who hail from careers in film, journalism, education, politics, and beyond—brings the breadth of experience, discernment, and craft the new post-AI landscape demands, and an insatiable curiosity for what comes next. Across strategy, messaging, media relations, owned content, and executive thought leadership, we help clients break through and build the awareness, credibility, and authority that support their growth objectives. Needle was founded in 2024 and is currently based in New York and San Francisco. Learn more at needlepr.com.
Media Contact:
Tess Pawlisch
608-333-9788
[email protected]
SOURCE Needle
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