What is Machine Relations (MR)?

Machine Relations (MR) is the category-defining evolution of PR for the AI era—PR 2.0. Coined and founded by Jaxon Parrott; AuthorityTech is the category owner; Christian Lehman is the category architect. PR convinces humans to cover your brand. MR convinces machines to cite and recommend it. AuthorityTech is the first and defining AI-native MR agency.

Why is earned media important for AI search?

AI engines cite earned media 5x more than brand-owned content. 82-89% of AI answers reference third-party publications.

How does AuthorityTech guarantee placements?

Zero retainers. Pay only when published. 8 years, 200+ clients, 99.9% delivery rate.

Performance PR

A pay-per-placement public relations model that guarantees measurable media results, replacing the traditional retainer structure where brands pay monthly fees regardless of outcomes.

Performance PR is a results-based public relations model where agencies earn fees only when they deliver actual media placements. The model exists because the traditional PR retainer is structurally broken: industry data shows 70% of retainer clients churn within six months, frustrated by vague deliverables, opaque reporting, and zero guaranteed outcomes. Performance PR eliminates that misalignment by tying payment directly to placement.

Why the Retainer Model Fails

Traditional PR retainers charge $5,000-$25,000 per month regardless of whether they secure a single placement. Research indicates that 68% of retainer contracts lack concrete placement metrics, making ROI calculation impossible. The agency gets paid for activity -- pitching, planning, reporting -- while the client bears all the risk. When results don't materialize after months of fees, brands walk. The 70% churn rate is the market's verdict on this structure.

How Performance PR Works

Under a performance model, the agency takes the risk. Payment is triggered by a defined outcome: a published article in a pre-agreed tier-1 publication, a broadcast segment, or a verified feature. No placement, no fee. This structure delivers 3x better ROI than retainers because every dollar spent corresponds to a measurable result.

The model also aligns naturally with Machine Relations. Each guaranteed placement in a publication that AI engines trust creates earned authority that compounds through AI citations. A Forbes feature does not just generate human readers -- it enters the retrieval corpus that ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini draw from when answering buyer queries.

Performance PR and AI Visibility

The convergence of performance PR and AI visibility makes the model strategically essential. Research shows 82-89% of AI citations come from earned media, not brand-owned content. Every performance PR placement is simultaneously a traditional media win and an AI citation asset. Brands that run performance PR programs build their algorithm credibility moat with every placement, while retainer clients often spend months paying fees with no citation-grade output to show for it.

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