Guest Bio
Scott Baradell is the founder and CEO of Idea Grove, a nationally recognized public relations and digital marketing agency that helps B2B organizations build visibility, credibility and trust. He founded Idea Grove in 2005 after a successful career in technology marketing and communications, and over two decades he has advised hundreds of companies, from startups and emerging growth businesses to established global brands.
Under his leadership, Idea Grove has grown into an integrated agency combining public relations, content marketing, SEO, website development, social media and digital advertising. Scott is the author of Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World and a regular contributor to Entrepreneur.
A returning guest on the show (catch his first conversation in Episode 187), Scott speaks and writes about where trust, PR, search and artificial intelligence meet, helping business leaders understand how credibility drives growth in a complex digital world.
Questions Yanique Asked
- What have you been up to in the last couple of years since we last spoke, other than writing an amazing book?
- Can you share a little about your national study on what consumers actually do after an AI tool recommends a brand?
- Why are reviews, search presence and press still doing the heavy lifting on conversion for businesses?
- Is it true that LLMs pull data from YouTube, including the comments people leave under your videos?
- Where do brands lose people between AI discovery and decision, and where should a business put its focus?
- Does that focus vary depending on the type of business providing the service?
- If a business could focus on just one thing for 2027, what should it be?
- What is one thing you are really excited about right now, for yourself or your people?
- Where is the best place for listeners to connect with you online?
- What quote or saying do you return to in times of adversity or challenge?
Episode Highlights
AI Is Now Doing the Trust Work for Customers
Yanique: What have you been up to in the last couple of years since we last spoke, other than writing an amazing book?
Scott’s book Trust Signals was about the breadcrumb path of evidence people follow online before they buy: reviews, articles, influencer mentions and more. What has changed is that AI now walks that path for them.
Instead of piecing the trail together themselves, customers ask ChatGPT or Claude “who’s the best” and get an answer built from those same sources. As the citations show, the LLM is simply automating the trust process the book described.
“The book came out before ChatGPT was released. But I feel like it’s really kind of taken this whole idea to another level.”
98% Won’t Act on an AI Recommendation Alone
Yanique: Can you share a little about your national study on what consumers actually do after an AI tool recommends a brand?
Idea Grove surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers about using ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and other AI platforms when making purchase decisions. About half said they routinely use AI to help them decide.
- Unfamiliar brands get checked: When AI recommended a brand they didn’t know, 98% said that wasn’t enough to act on.
- Google comes next: The great majority said their first move would be to Google the company.
- Reviews decide: Customer reviews were the number one signal people used to decide whether to follow up.
“They trust LLMs to make the job of finding a vendor easier for them. But they don’t trust it completely.”
Yanique shared her own example: Claude drafted a solid independent contractor agreement, but a lawyer still added seven detailed points to tighten it. Scott’s take: AI as a starting point saves you time, and with lawyers billing by the hour, it saves you money too.
Earned Media Is Now Directly Tied to Recommendations
Yanique: Why are reviews, search presence and press still doing the heavy lifting on conversion for businesses?
For years, many CEOs dismissed PR because a great article in Forbes was hard to trace to a sale. That argument is falling apart. According to Scott, about 80% of LLM citations come from earned media, and firms like Gartner and McKinsey are reporting that PR budgets are on track to double.
Reddit is another blind spot. One Idea Grove client calculated that a single, very active negative voice on Reddit had cost them over half a million dollars in sales.
“Did you know that having an article in a trade publication actually can lead towards a sale in the end?”
What LLMs Actually Read on YouTube
Yanique: Is it true that LLMs pull data from YouTube, including the comments people leave under your videos?
Yes. YouTube has become very important to LLMs, and Scott shared what recent research shows about which parts count.
- Comments matter most: They may be the single most important YouTube signal.
- Descriptions count: Your video description is read and cited.
- Transcripts don’t appear to: LLMs don’t seem to be using auto generated transcripts at all.
- Short form lags: Instagram Reels and TikToks rarely show up in AI answers yet, though Scott expects that to change.
Find the Review Site Your Industry’s AI Trusts
Yanique: Where do brands lose people between AI discovery and decision, and where should a business put its focus?
Local businesses need the basics: Google Maps listings, local SEO and consistent name, address and phone details across directories. More than 50% of all online reviews are Google reviews, but Scott says niche, industry specific review sites are far more important to ChatGPT.
His example: a local IT services client wasn’t showing up in AI recommendations. By studying the citations across dozens of prompts, Idea Grove saw the review site Cloud Tango coming up again and again. The client bought a sponsored listing to move into the top three, and within two weeks they were in the recommendations.
“Is it paid? It’s paid, but it’s trusted by the LLMs and that’s what matters.”
The lesson: don’t assume you know which review site matters. Run the prompts, read the citations, and send happy customers (and sponsorship money) where the AI is actually looking.
Use AI to Maximize You, Not Replace You
Yanique: If a business could focus on just one thing for 2027, what should it be?
Scott warned small businesses about trading personality for volume. One client went from a couple of blog posts a month about their community and their people to 15 generic AI written posts on industry topics.
“It’s not just that you used AI. It’s that you sucked out the personality that made you unique as a small business.”
Small businesses will rarely beat Walmart on price. Character and personality are why people choose them. Use the tools, but keep yourself in the work.
That same spirit drives what excites Scott right now: his 15 person team is building internal AI tools and overhauling its sales process, while never forgetting that clients want to buy from a person, not a robot.
Key Takeaways
- AI hasn’t replaced the trust journey; it automates it, pulling from the same reviews, articles and social proof customers used to check themselves.
- About half of U.S. consumers routinely use AI to help make purchase decisions, but 98% won’t act on an AI recommendation for an unfamiliar brand without more research.
- Customer reviews remain the number one signal people use to confirm an AI recommendation.
- Roughly 80% of LLM citations come from earned media, which makes PR directly connected to being recommended.
- Reddit and YouTube matter more than most brands realize; one negative Reddit voice cost a client over half a million dollars.
- On YouTube, LLMs read your comments and descriptions, not your transcripts.
- Google holds over 50% of online reviews, but niche industry review sites carry more weight with ChatGPT.
- LLM citations let you reverse engineer what drives recommendations, so test prompts repeatedly and follow the sources.
- Use AI to amplify your personality and voice, not to replace them, especially as a small business.
Timestamped Topics
00:00 Intro
00:17 Welcome and introducing returning guest Scott Baradell
01:55 What Scott has been up to: Trust Signals and how AI now does the trust work
03:22 The national study: what consumers do after AI recommends a brand
04:35 Why 98% won’t act on an AI recommendation for an unfamiliar brand
05:46 Using smarter prompts to summarize customer reviews
07:18 Yanique’s lawyer story: AI as a starting point, not the final word
08:31 Why reviews, search presence and press still drive conversion
09:37 80% of LLM citations come from earned media
10:30 The hidden cost of a Reddit reputation problem
12:22 What LLMs actually read on YouTube
14:18 Where brands should focus between AI discovery and decision
14:54 Local businesses, Google reviews and niche industry review sites
16:09 Case study: how Cloud Tango got a client into AI recommendations
18:29 One thing businesses should focus on for 2027
19:48 Use AI to maximize who you are, not to replace you
21:38 The “Be you” smoothie cup moment
22:09 What Scott is most excited about right now
23:41 How to connect with Scott: ideagrove.com
24:24 Scott’s guiding quote: “We must take pain and use it as fuel for our journey”
25:59 Wrap up and key insights
27:12 Follow Navigating the Customer Experience on X and Facebook
27:26 Outro
Books Mentioned
- Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World by Scott Baradell
Tools and Platforms
- ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini (AI platforms consumers use for purchase research)
- Cloud Tango (review site for IT and managed service providers)
- G2 (software review site)
- Reddit and YouTube (platforms frequently cited by LLMs)
Scott’s Agency
- Idea Grove: a PR and digital marketing agency helping B2B organizations build visibility, credibility and trust.
Connect with Scott Baradell
- LinkedIn: Scott Baradell
- Website: ideagrove.com (leave a note through the site)
- Entrepreneur: Scott Baradell on Entrepreneur (Scott is a regular contributor)
Scott’s Guiding Quote
“We must take pain and use it as fuel for our journey.” Scott first found this quote from a Japanese poet during a difficult season of his life and even kept it on his office wall. He says hard times often lead to unexpected positive outcomes you never thought possible.
About Navigating the Customer Experience
A globally recognized podcast hosted by Yanique Grant, featuring leaders and innovators sharing insights on leadership, business growth, customer experience, and exceptional service delivery.
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