iwoca launches free PR tool to boost SME visibility in AI search

SME lender iwoca has launched a free public relations tool designed to help small businesses secure media coverage and improve their visibility in AI-powered search results.

The new platform, called toro, aims to address the growing visibility gap between large organisations with established PR resources and smaller businesses that lack dedicated communications teams.

The launch comes as research suggests that media coverage and third-party mentions are becoming increasingly important in determining which businesses appear in AI-generated search responses.

According to research from Muck Rack, 84% of sources cited by AI tools come from earned sources, including journalism, encyclopaedic and academic content, and other third-party coverage, rather than paid placements or businesses’ own websites.

Separate analysis by Ahrefs of 75,000 brands found that businesses with the highest number of online mentions appeared up to 10 times more frequently in leading AI-generated answers.

For the UK’s 5.4 million businesses employing fewer than 10 people, many of which have limited online visibility, iwoca believes this presents a growing challenge.

Developed using two decades of business strategy and communications experience, toro helps business owners identify newsworthy developments and turn them into press releases, social media content and targeted journalist pitches.

The platform also provides PR advice, campaign development support and guidance for businesses managing communications during a crisis.

It is designed to make PR more accessible to smaller firms that cannot justify the cost of an agency or dedicated in-house team.

The launch also comes against a backdrop of declining regional news coverage.

Analysis by Press Gazette found that nine regional newspaper publishers, subsequently consolidated into Reach, Newsquest and National World, employed approximately 9,000 journalists in 2007. By 2022, the three groups employed around 3,000, while at least 293 local titles had closed since 2005.

Research from the Public Interest News Foundation also identified 37 UK local authority districts as ‘news deserts’, including 27 without a local news outlet.

“Hard-working journalists are covering more ground. Meanwhile, AI search is amplifying those with significant visibility across multiple platforms. If you’ve got years of press coverage, online conversations and a big content budget, you compound that lead. If you’re a small business or entrepreneur starting from scratch, you’re almost invisible.

“There’s an opportunity to address this if technology is used properly. SMEs just need the right tools to tell their story.”

Unlike automated PR distribution services, toro does not send mass press releases or pitches to journalists.

Instead, users are encouraged to review and personalise the materials generated by the platform before approaching relevant journalists directly.

Di-Toro said the approach was designed to support more meaningful engagement between small businesses and the media.

“I’ve been speaking to media outlets throughout and I intentionally didn’t build a tool that fires out thousands of pitches in one go.

“Those tools sound efficient, but the results are limited and untargeted. Users must edit the materials, add the detail only they know, and then reach out to suggested journalists personally or through their teams. No blanket send-outs, no untargeted pitching.”

Leo Shipulya, co-founder of digital payments provider WeavePay, highlighted the difficulties smaller businesses face when developing a PR strategy.

“The biggest challenge is that we don’t know where to start with PR. We know we should do it and we’ve got a great story to tell, but how and when to invest in this area has always been the major consideration.”

He added that AI search had created new opportunities for business awareness, but developing an effective communications strategy required time and resources that growing companies often lacked.