Do Startups Still Care About Traditional Media in the Age of AI and Gen Z?

With the rise of AI search, social-first marketing, and Gen Z founders building digital-native brands, it's easy to assume that traditional media is fading into irrelevance.

But if you're asking:Do startups still care about getting featured in traditional media like Forbes, TechCrunch, or national TV?The answer is yes… but not for the reasons you might think.

At Vettify, we work directly with founders, experts, and thought leaders to vet their media readiness, and then, through our parent company EBO, help them secure the kind of strategic media features that build long-term trust and visibility.

Here's why traditional media is still a powerful tool in 2025… especially when paired with AI-era thinking.

1. Traditional Media Isn’t About Consumption: It’s About Credibility

Most Gen Z or Millennial founders don’t watch cable TV or read newspapers. But they understand the impact of being able to say:“As seen in Forbes,” “Featured on TechCrunch,” or “Covered by The Guardian.”

Why? Because traditional media features still:

• Validate your expertise

• Build trust with investors, clients, and future team members

• Act as a competitive moat in crowded industries

• Show up in AI-generated results that favour authoritative sources

Whether your audience reads those outlets or not, the media still sets the standard for perceived legitimacy.

2. AI Search Still Relies on Trusted Sources

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI tools now summarise results using trusted sources, and those sources often include high-authority media outlets. 

If your name, company, or thought leadership is mentioned in these outlets, you’re more likely to be: 

• Picked up by AI overviews

• Recommended in expert roundups or summaries

• Researched by investors who still use media as part of their due diligence

Being “media-visible” is becoming the new form of search relevance.

3. What We Do at Vettify

At Vettify, we’re not a PR firm or a media agency.

We exist to vet experts, founders, and startups for media readiness. That means:

• Assessing if your personal brand or company is ready for the press

• Helping shape your positioning so the media sees your value

• Identifying which assets, narratives, and formats make you "press-worthy"

Then, through our parent company EBO, we connect you with the media, and help you land meaningful features that increase your authority and discoverability.

You don't need to guess what gets you press. You need a vetting process that works.

Final Thoughts: Traditional Media Still Matters: If You Know How to Use It

Modern visibility isn't just about going viral or ranking for keywords. It's about being seen as credible, expert, and trusted by humans and machines.

At Vettify, we help you get there.

We vet founders and brands for press readiness, then leverage the power of joinebo.com to secure real media features, features that drive trust, brand equity, and future discovery.

If you're ready to move from being overlooked to being featured, start here: Visit vettify.ai

We don’t chase attention. We vet credibility and make it visible.