When you build around something new, you don’t immediately know if you’re early… or just wrong. Last week, a line from Matt Shumer’s viral AI article stuck with me: “The single biggest advantage you can have right now is simply being early.” That idea feels especially relevant to what we’re testing in real time.

If you’re new here, the question we’re answering is simple:

Can a brand-new company earn trust in AI-generated answers; without endless marketing spend?

We decided to test that publicly.

Week 11: What’s Changing

Here’s what we’re seeing:

• We’re now cited in six non-branded buyer questions — real category searches someone would ask when looking for help.
• This followed our feature in Search Engine Journal , a third-party source that AI systems already trust.
• We’re seeing fewer incorrect AI descriptions of our business (entity clarity was a major hurdle early on).
• Overall, AI visibility is holding steady. Mentions and ownership rate dipped slightly, but within normal fluctuation.

The signal: This isn’t a one-week spike. It’s beginning to stabilize and stability is far more valuable than virality.

What We’re Doing This Week

1. Refreshing our earliest content as it hits the three-month mark.
2. Being intentional about  the specific prompts we want to own next. You’ll see us lean harder into “authority.”
3. Picking up our Reddit slack… The data shows thoughtful comments, not just posts, get picked up by AI.
4. Reinforcing the “Social Amplifier Effect.” AKA every core piece gets multiple backlinks and distribution. We are aiming for at least three links per piece; Medium and LinkedIn consistently drive the strongest pickup

Why Our Updates Feel Technical (That’s Intentional)

The first 80 days of this experiment have been about proving depth, not polishing narratives. We are demonstrating:

• Technical understanding of AI search mechanics
• Real experiments with real data
• Signal engineering in a competitive category
• Repeatable visibility patterns

Before we talk about revenue impact, broader strategic implications, or the cost of siloed marketing in an AI-search world, we have to establish category credibility.. AI systems and buyers reward demonstrated expertise.

Key Takeaways From Week 11

• Third-party trust accelerates AI inclusion.
• Entity clarity improves over time with consistent signals.
• Stability > short-term spikes.
• Depth builds defensibility.
• Competition is already engineering for AI visibility, even if the broader market isn’t fully aware yet.

As this experiment wraps on March 11, the real question isn’t:

“Can we grow AI visibility?” It’s: “Can we maintain position in a category where competitors are actively engineering for it?” Because being early is an advantage and staying relevant is a strategy.

If building a foundation that AI can trust and recommend matters to your business,  let’s talk.

Catch up on all our insights

Stat of the Week

“Long-form content (over 2,500 words) is currently 59% more likely to be cited by AI search models than short-form posts under 800 words.”  (Onely)

Fresh Reads

Each newsletter, we’ll share our favorite articles and breaking news.

• Why AI Visibility, GEO, and AEO are the future of marketing(Fast Company)
• What AI Sees When It Visits Your Website (And How to Fix IT (Search Engine Journal)
• AI Visibility Strategy: Why Focus Beats Scale in Generative Search(No Fluff)

As always, reach out anytime at katie@nofluffmktg.com if you’ve got questions or if you’re building your own visibility story too.