Otterly.ai is now officially listed in the PRToolFinder database, and while we’ve placed it in the Media Monitoring category, it immediately raises an important question:
Does this tool really fit the traditional definition of PR media monitoring?
No, and that’s exactly why it matters.
Otterly.ai represents a new and emerging class of PR and marketing intelligence tools designed for a world where search visibility, brand discovery, and reputation are increasingly shaped by large language models (LLMs) and AI-powered answer engines, not just journalists, publishers, or social platforms.
This introduces an entirely new kind of “audience” for PR to consider; not people, but AI systems that interpret, summarize, and recommend information at scale.
Adding Otterly.ai to PRToolFinder without a perfectly fitting category signals something bigger than a new tool listing. It points to where media monitoring, AI search, and public relations itself are heading next.
What Otterly.ai Does and Why It’s Different
Otterly.ai describes itself as the first AI Search Monitoring platform built specifically to track visibility across:
- Google AI Overviews
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Gemini
- Microsoft Copilot
Founded in 2024 by Thomas Peham, Klaus-M. Schremser, and Josef Trauner, Otterly.ai helps PR, SEO, and communications teams understand how their brands, products, and content appear inside AI-generated search responses, not just traditional SERPs (search engine results pages).
This focus places Otterly.ai squarely at the intersection of:
- Public Relations
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
How AI Search Monitoring Differs from Traditional Media Monitoring
Traditional PR media monitoring tools are designed to track:
- News and online media mentions
- Broadcast coverage
- Social media conversations
- Sentiment, reach, and share of voice
Otterly.ai monitors something far newer and arguably more consequential: How AI systems summarize, reference, and recommend your brand when users ask questions.
Instead of asking “Where were we mentioned?”, Otterly.ai helps teams answer questions like:
- Is our brand being cited or referenced in AI-generated answers?
- Which sources and earned media are AI models pulling from?
- How do press releases, press coverage, and authoritative content influence AI visibility?
- How does our presence change across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews over time?
This isn’t traditional media monitoring.
Why Otterly.ai Doesn’t Fully Fit Existing PR Tool Categories
For now, the Media Monitoring category is the closest conceptual home for Otterly.ai. But its placement raises an important question:
Are we approaching a new category altogether?
Something like:
- AI Search Visibility
- AI Visibility Intelligence
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Tools
While many PR and marketing platforms are adding AI-powered features, Otterly.ai is different. It isn’t using AI to enhance an existing workflow — it’s built specifically to monitor how AI systems themselves surface and shape brand narratives.
Otterly.ai highlights how traditional PR tool categories are starting to blur as AI-driven discovery reshapes how information is found, trusted, and amplified.
What This Means for Today’s PR Professional
For modern PR teams, especially those working closely with SEO and content teams (which is increasingly common) Otterly.ai offers new strategic value:
- A way to measure PR impact beyond impressions and media hits
- Insight into how earned media feeds AI-generated brand narratives
- Early intelligence into how AI answer engines influence brand authority and trust
As LLMs and AI search platforms increasingly become the front door to information, PR visibility is no longer just about who covers you — it’s about how machines understand and represent you.
For now, we’ve added Otterly.ai to PRToolFinder’s Media Monitoring category with the understanding that it represents a category in formation — and one I think PR professionals should be watching very closely. What do you think?