Today, media operate in two parallel universes: the human internet we grew up with, and the machine internet run by algorithms and web crawlers. Right now, newsrooms are struggling with visibility just as much as commercial brands. If you aren't actively pitching your media to the bots, you are quietly becoming invisible.

I highlighted this in a recent a lecture for Press Club Belarus. In the era of AI-driven search and chatbot answers, the media industry cannot show self-humility. If other people and platforms aren't talking (reposting, resharing, commenting, etc) about your outlet, the algorithms won't even know you exist. To survive, editors need to start thinking like their PR contacts if they want bots to pick up your content.

Here is a straightforward checklist to help:

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1. Strengthen your ‘About Us’ page

If you don't have one, now is the time to make one. You'll need more than a single sentence about your media outlet. Edit that page to a state where it's easily understandable who you are, what you cover, and what your newsroom values are.

Use language that reflects your brand and audience and avoid coming across as too generic or outdated. If you are a pro human-rights platform, don't use sterile corporate fluff. If you are a youth-centred media outlet, lean into the lingo.