How AI Picks Between You and a Competitor | Branding Momentum Podcast Episode

Veronica Di Polo
Oct 2
3 min read

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Imagine two service businesses in the same city, offering the same service at the same price. So why does AI recommend your competitor instead of you?

It’s not about who posts more on Instagram. It’s about who shows up in the right ecosystems, places where AI can “see” them, tag them, and recommend them.

In this episode of Branding Momentum, I’m breaking down the invisible tie-breakers AI uses and why collaborations and digital networking now matter more than endless posting on your own.

The Invisible Loss You Don’t See

When clients ask AI for recommendations, the machine doesn’t tell you who it didn’t pick. You just notice slower leads, quieter inboxes, and wonder why competitors are winning.

The scary truth? AI might already be skipping over your name without you ever knowing.

What Makes AI Choose Your Competitor

Three factors give AI clarity and confidence when recommending someone:

1. Clarity

AI needs specifics. Saying you “help women unlock their potential” doesn’t mean much to the machine. But “business consultant in Lisbon” gives it clear, searchable data it can recommend.

2. Consistency

Your niche and name must align everywhere—LinkedIn, website, transcripts, podcast appearances. If you’re a “vocal coach” in one place and a “business coach” in another, AI sees multiple identities and won’t connect them.

3. Digital Networking

This is the most powerful tie-breaker. When your name shows up in other people’s ecosystems—podcasts, blog posts, LinkedIn tags, panels, Quora answers—AI treats it as a stronger, repeated signal. Just like humans trust a recommendation they hear twice, AI trusts the name it sees most often.

Why Digital Networking Beats Solo Posting

Posting on your own is linear. You publish once, and it disappears.

But digital networking is exponential. A single collaboration puts your name in places you’d never reach on your own, borrowing the credibility of the people you partner with.

AI pays attention to names that appear alongside other trusted names. That’s why digital networking doesn’t just expand reach, it also borrows trust.

The Takeaway for Service-Based Businesses

If you want to be chosen by AI over a competitor:

Be clear about what you do and where you do it.
Be consistent everywhere your name appears.
Get outside your bubble through digital networking and collaborations.

This isn’t about hustling harder, it’s about being strategic with where your name lives.

Listen to the full episode ↓ and discover how AI makes its recommendations, why visibility outside your own platforms matters, and how to make sure you’re the one being chosen.