The Challenge
This DTC skincare brand had invested heavily in Instagram ads and influencer marketing. It worked—they were growing. But when they checked their AI visibility, it was literally 0%. Ask Claude or ChatGPT for organic skincare recommendations and you'd get Drunk Elephant, The Ordinary, CeraVe. Established players only. The founder's reaction: "We have better ingredients and 4.8 stars on Trustpilot. Why doesn't AI know we exist?"
The Solution
The answer was simple but not easy: AI didn't know they existed because the sources AI trusts didn't talk about them.
- What we did:
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- Defined the category clearly** Their site talked about "clean beauty" and "sustainable skincare" interchangeably. We picked one lane: "Organic skincare for sensitive skin." Every page, every profile, same message.
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- Built expert citations** Got them mentioned in two dermatologist roundups and one beauty editor's "brands to watch" list. These carried more weight than 100 influencer posts.
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- Optimized review content** Encouraged customers to mention skin types and specific concerns in reviews. "Finally something that doesn't irritate my rosacea" > "Love this product!"