The rules of blogging just changed. After watching Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan on Marketing Against the Grain, I came away with a blunt takeaway: the blog isn’t a direct sales machine anymore. It’s an influence engine. And the audience now includes machines that shape what humans read and buy.
Here’s my stance: if your content doesn’t influence large language models, your brand will fade in search-like experiences. That sounds harsh. It’s also true. People are asking AI for answers, and those answers come from sources the models trust.
“In a pre AI world, the strategy of the blog was to create content to rank on Google… In a post AI world, the purpose of the blog is… to influence.”
From Ranking To Being Referenced
Kipp and Kieran are not saying SEO is dead. They are saying the scoreboard changed. Traffic is no longer the only sign of winning. Influence shows up when models cite you, summarize you, or echo your ideas inside their answers.
“You know you’re successful because… your content is getting cited by LLMs… and you can see in your log data that LLMs are really visiting and using that information.”
That line hit me. As someone who has built media, software, and crypto brands online, I’ve watched channels rise and fall. Search sent buyers. Social sent attention. Now AI sends conclusions. If those conclusions lean on your work, users meet your point of view first.
They even named the shift with a wink:
“B to b to c… business to bot to consumer.”
Call it cute, but it’s accurate. Bots mediate choices. They frame the options people see. If you want trust at scale, you must earn trust with both readers and the models that recommend answers to those readers.
What Influences Bots Also Helps People
Here’s where I land. Write for humans, format for machines. AI prefers clear claims, sourced facts, and clean structure. So do busy readers. That overlap is your edge.
- Publish clear, testable statements. Avoid fluff. Lead with the answer.
- Cite primary data, name experts, and show receipts.
- Use tight headings, summaries, and definitions the model can parse.
- Offer simple examples and step-by-step checklists.
- Update content often so freshness signals show in your logs.
These moves make it easy for LLMs to lift and attribute your ideas. They also make your content stickier for real people.
Evidence, Signals, And A Simple Stack
If you’re serious about this shift, track new signals. Traditional analytics won’t cut it alone. Look for model scraping in your logs. Track citations in AI outputs when possible. Measure branded queries inside AI tools, not just Google.
My quick playbook:
- Map your “answer graph.” List the top 25 questions your buyer asks.
- Create one definitive page per question. Speak plainly. Add sources.
- Structure content with FAQs, bullets, and short sections.
- Publish a “sources” block with links and data tables.
- Ship summaries: TL;DR at the top, key takeaways at the end.
- Refresh on a 90-day cadence. Mark changes with dates.
This is not about gaming models. It’s about clarity, proof, and consistency. That wins with bots because it wins with users.
But Doesn’t Conversion Still Matter?
Of course it does. Direct response pages still convert. Product pages still sell. The mistake is treating every blog post like a checkout path. The blog now builds authority that fuels every channel. Influence upstream leads to trust downstream.
Some will argue this gives too much power to AI. I see it as table stakes. Ignoring AI won’t bring back the old funnel. Adapt your content and you’ll meet buyers earlier, with more credibility.
My Take For Marketers And Creators
As a marketer and longtime builder, I welcome this reset. It punishes fluff and rewards clear thinking. The winners will publish useful, sourced ideas in formats machines can read and people can use.
Your mission: become the source the models quote. When that happens, you won’t just rank—you’ll be referenced. And referenced brands shape demand.
Start now: pick one core topic and ship a definitive, sourced, skimmable guide this week. Then watch your logs. If the bots show up, the buyers won’t be far behind.
