Sum And Substance: How Journalism, Earned Media Shape AI Search 

The recent State of Journalism report from Muck Rack highlighted the AI tools that are being used for journalistic work, from generative platforms and transcription tools to those built specifically for their newsrooms.

Now, a new report from Muck Rack is showing how much of a driver that journalistic work is for AI and its search citations, with 95% of links cited found to be non-paid coverage, 27% of which are journalistic content.

 

Google CTRs Are Crashing: Position #1 CTR Down 32% Post AI Overview Rollout

Google organic click-through rates for ranking position #1 dropped from 28% to 19% (32% decline) while that of position #2 dropped from 20.83% to 12.60% (39% decline) from 2024 to 2025. Organic click-through rates for positions #6 to #10 increased in 2025 by 30.63% in 2025 as compared to 2024.

 

The Rise of AI Search Archetypes

Our research [shows] people prefer different platforms for different needs. … Conversational AI is favored for summarized answers (46%), creative ideas (39%), product and service details (45%), and how-to guidance (44%). Search engines still lead for product/service details (70%) and business info (63%). Social media dominates for reviews (48%) — as do traditional search engines through means like Google reviews. 

 

2025 Organic Search Engine Trends

Marketers are adapting to AI overviews. Their focus now? Clear, scannable content that answers questions upfront. Structured data, brand mentions, and conversational formats are more important than ever. The goal isn’t just to rank. It’s to show up in the spots users see first.