Stephanie Richards, SowGrow Public Relations, on Building B2B Visibility Through PR and AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization) (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 920)
Stephanie Richards, founder of SowGrow Public Relations, joins North Fulton Business Radio host John Ray to discuss how B2B companies can break through growth plateaus and adapt to the rapidly changing search landscape. SowGrow Public Relations is a Metro Atlanta-based agency that helps mid-market companies increase visibility and credibility through strategic PR combined with Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO).
Stephanie discusses how B2B companies often hit a wall after exhausting their referral networks, watching competitors appear everywhere in media, at conferences, and in searches while they remain invisible. She introduces the concept of Artificial Intelligence Optimization, the practice of ensuring companies show up in AI-powered search results as decision-makers increasingly turn to platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini instead of traditional Google searches.
The solution combines old-school PR fundamentals with modern content strategy, building credibility through third-party media placements, thought leadership articles, and podcast interviews that AI engines recognize as verified and trustworthy. Stephanie shares a compelling case study of a food packaging company that transformed a mundane plant opening into industry leadership by challenging their entire sector on pharmaceutical-grade standards.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- B2B companies often hit a growth plateau when they rely solely on referrals and personal networks, missing opportunities to reach new audiences through strategic visibility efforts
- Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) is becoming essential as decision-makers increasingly use AI search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini instead of traditional Google searches
- Companies need to create high-quality content that establishes expertise while ensuring it appears across multiple third-party sources like trade publications and podcasts, since AI engines prioritize verified, credible information over self-published website content
- Finding what makes a B2B company newsworthy often requires outside perspective to uncover innovative angles that the company itself overlooks in day-to-day operations
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:21 John Ray introduces the show and guest Stephanie Richards
02:12 Stephanie Richards introduces SowGrow Public Relations
02:37 Stephanie’s career arc and why PR work is gratifying
03:21 Why B2B companies can stumble along without visibility
04:09 The importance of third-party validation and education
05:09 Problems created when B2B companies lack visibility
05:59 Common misconceptions about PR and media
06:07 Public relations as reputation management and visibility
07:24 How B2B companies know they’re in pain from lack of visibility
08:38 Conducting a brand audit to find what’s newsworthy
10:19 Why PR needs an executive seat at the table
11:12 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO)
12:36 What B2B companies need to do about AI search
14:09 How AI platforms score credibility and expertise
15:48 Why AIO strategy brings back old-school PR fundamentals
16:31 Practical steps for adapting to the AI search environment
18:12 Defining content production beyond social media
19:54 Finding what’s newsworthy in a prosaic B2B business
20:11 Case study of food packaging plant and pharmaceutical standards
22:08 How initial conversations with SowGrow unfold
23:22 What to do if you don’t think you have anything newsworthy
24:09 Symptoms indicating you need PR help
25:15 Success story with packaging company and brand managers
26:36 Balancing CEO visibility with broader organizational PR
28:00 Contact information for Stephanie Richards
Stephanie Richards, Founder & Director
Stephanie Richards, M.A.P.W., is a business-to-business (B2B) public relations expert. She is the founder of SowGrow Public Relations, which specializes in increasing the visibility of B2B companies with complex or high-investment products or services through strategic PR and Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) / Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Clients have been featured by prestigious media outlets including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, CNN, Fox Business News, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Inc.com, Wall Street Journal, and a myriad of trade publications.
Stephanie earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in marketing. She also earned a master’s degree in professional writing with a concentration in applied writing and support areas in composition and rhetoric, as well as creative writing. Stephanie is also the director of the SowGrow Marketing Council, a membership organization for executive-level marketers who want to stay ahead of developments in multiple areas of marketing.
SowGrow Public Relations
SowGrow Public Relations is a B2B PR agency based in Metro Atlanta that specializes in elevating visibility, credibility, and market influence for high-investment and complex business-to-business mid-market companies.
Founded in 2006, the firm blends strategic PR and Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) / Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for a full visibility strategy that grows your “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness” (EEAT) factor. With the rapid rise of AI-powered search, including platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Bing Copilot, SowGrow has developed a proprietary B2B Visibility Strategy that integrates media relations with AIO. This approach ensures that clients not only earn coverage in traditional media but also appear in artificial intelligence search results where decision-makers increasingly seek information.
SowGrow PR has secured placements for clients in leading outlets such as CNN, Fox Business News, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal and a myriad of trade publications, strengthening brand authority and supporting long-term business growth. Guided by the belief that marketing requires intention and consistency, a company that does not invest in marketing is like a farmer that expects a crop without planting a seed, SowGrow helps organizations proactively cultivate the visibility needed to stand out in competitive markets.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
