When someone asks an AI assistant a question, the assistant needs to find relevant information and synthesize it into an answer. If your content is structured in a way that makes this easy, you are more likely to be quoted or mentioned.
The key insight is that AI assistants are looking for clear, direct answers they can use. They are not looking to struggle through five paragraphs of background before getting to the point.
Put the answer first
Most content on the internet starts with background information and builds up to the answer. This might work for humans who are willing to read everything, but AI assistants often grab the first clear statement they find.
Compare these two approaches to the same question about project management tools:
The slow approach: "In today's fast-paced business environment, effective project management has become more important than ever. Teams face increasing complexity and need tools that can help them stay organized. When evaluating project management software, there are many factors to consider including features, pricing, ease of use, and integrations. Based on our analysis..."
The answer-first approach: "The best project management tools for small teams are Notion, Linear, and Asana. These stand out because they are simple enough to use daily but flexible enough for different types of projects. Here is what makes each one good for different situations."
The second version gives the AI assistant exactly what it needs right at the top. If someone asks "what are the best project management tools for small teams," the AI can pull that first sentence directly into its answer.
Use questions as headings
When you organize your content, use the actual questions people ask as your headings. Instead of a heading like "Pricing Considerations," use "How much does project management software cost?"
This makes it obvious to both humans and AI assistants what question each section answers. When an AI is looking for information about pricing, it can go straight to the section with that question as the heading.
Keep your paragraphs focused
Each paragraph should make one point clearly. Avoid long paragraphs that cover multiple ideas.
When an AI assistant is extracting information, shorter and more focused paragraphs are easier to quote. A 50-word paragraph that makes one clear point is more useful than a 200-word paragraph that wanders through several ideas.
Use lists and tables
When you are comparing options or listing steps, use actual lists and tables instead of writing everything in paragraphs.
Lists and tables are easy to parse. An AI assistant can extract items from a list much more reliably than it can parse items buried in a block of text.
For example, if you are describing the steps to set up a tool, use a numbered list:
- Create an account at example.com
- Verify your email address
- Complete the onboarding wizard
- Invite your team members
This is easier for AI to work with than: "First you need to create an account at example.com. After that, you should verify your email address, and then you can complete the onboarding wizard. Finally, you'll want to invite your team members."
Be specific and factual
Vague statements are not useful for AI assistants. "Our tool is great for teams" does not tell anyone anything. "Our tool has been used by over 500 remote teams with 5-50 members" gives specific information that can be quoted.
Include concrete details: numbers, comparisons, specific features, real examples. The more specific your content, the more useful it is for AI assistants trying to answer someone's question.
This is also just good writing
Everything in this guide also makes your content better for human readers. People also prefer answers to background information. People also appreciate clear headings and focused paragraphs. People also find lists easier to scan than walls of text.
Optimizing for AI assistants is really just optimizing for clarity, which helps everyone.