.jpg)
Key Takeaway
Discovery is where marketing wins happen - Showing up authentically during the research and questioning stage builds trust, visibility, and authority before the click.
Everyone’s in a race.
Agencies are rushing to push content. Founders are scrambling for the latest hack. Brands are chasing clicks as if it were still 2015.
But here’s the truth:
The real marketing battles of 2026 will be won long before the click.
And the brands that slow down to understand their customers’ discovery stage, and show up authentically in the places where conversations happen, will dominate.
In this guide, we’ll break down why slowing down strategically is your biggest marketing advantage, how Reddit, AEO/GEO, and a Search Everywhere Optimisation approach fit together, and how you can win the discovery game and own your niche in 2026.
The discovery stage is the moment your future customers are exploring, questioning, and validating their next move. It’s when they type things like:
They’re not ready to make a purchase yet. They’re learning. Comparing. Trust-building.
And here’s the kicker:
AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and SGE are crawling these conversations to shape the answers people see.
If you’re not present during discovery, your competitors, and Reddit will speak for you.
This stage isn’t fluff. It’s where trust, authority, and visibility are built. Get this right, and every tactic you apply later (SEO, ads, funnels) works 5× better.
Let’s be real. Most brands want results yesterday. So they skip the foundations.
They jump straight into:
And then they wonder why the leads don’t convert.
Slowing down isn’t losing time; it’s gaining clarity.
When you take a beat to understand your audience’s discovery journey, everything else aligns:
The fastest way to win in 2026 is to start slower and think deeper than everyone else.
Reddit isn’t just a social platform anymore; it’s becoming the engine room of AI search.
Why? Because Reddit threads are raw. Real. Rich. They’re full of authentic conversations between real people, the kind of data LLMs love to summarize.
Reddit users don’t hold back. They ask tough questions. They share personal experiences. They compare, critique, and validate in public.
And that means two things:
If you’re a founder, expert, or SME leader, Reddit is no longer optional. It’s where:
You can ignore it. Or you can strategically show up, listen, contribute authentically, and make sure your voice is part of the conversation that AI and humans rely on.
If SEO is about ranking in Google…
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is about being the answer inside AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bing Copilot, and SGE.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) takes it further, optimizing for how generative AI models compose, cite, and recommend your content inside their outputs.
LEO is the same as above, but people want to coin the term LLM engine optimisation, mostly coined by SEO agencies trying to save face.
Here’s why this matters:
In 2026, AEO/GEO isn’t “extra.” It’s the new baseline for visibility.
To learn more about AEO and GEO, read our blog AEO/GEO Playbook 2025: Dominate AI Search & Future-Proof
The old playbook:
“Rank on Google. Run ads. Wait.”
The 2026 playbook:
“Be everywhere your customers search, human or AI.”
That’s Search Everywhere.
It means strategically showing up on:
Because buyers don’t move linearly anymore. They jump between platforms. And AI stitches all of it together.
If you still believe your next customer will find you on Google, you’re already behind.
Search is being rewritten in real time. In 2025 and beyond, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews are deciding which brands get seen first, and which disappear.
This short video breaks it down clearly:
AI citations are already driving 10%+ of sales from less than 0.5% of traffic, because people trust AI shortlists more than ads or endless search pages.
Watch the full video here, then keep reading to see how slowing down, focusing on discovery, and building a smart Reddit + AEO strategy can put your brand ahead of the curve.
When your content, conversations, and brand voice are discoverable across channels, you’re not just visible, you’re unmissable.
Here’s where we come in.
At Tenacious Sales (globally Tenacious AI Marketing), we don’t just run campaigns.
We help founders and brands engineer their presence in the places that matter before their competitors wake up.
Here’s how:
We uncover exactly what your audience is asking, where they’re asking it, and how AI is pulling those conversations.
We translate real user language into AEO/GEO-optimized content that AI loves and humans trust.
We help you listen, join conversations authentically, and establish authority, without sounding salesy or spammy.
We structure your content to surface in AI answers, not just search rankings, part of our Win & Dominate packages.
Forget vanity metrics. Rankings and impressions are yesterday’s game.
The new KPIs for discovery and AEO dominance:
These are the metrics that show you’re winning the invisible game, the one that happens before the click.
You can’t fake Reddit.
You can’t keyword-stuff your way into an AI model’s trust.
Authenticity is the engine.
When you show up with:
You don’t just build community trust. You earn AI trust, too.
Because AI models mirror what real people say. If those conversations are rich, honest, and include your brand or POV, guess who gets cited?
Exactly.
Here’s a quick Tenacious Sales (globally Tenacious AI Marketing) playbook you can start applying:
Use Reddit, forums, and AI tools to find what people actually ask.
Monitor conversations. Observe the language, pain points, and tone.
Offer value. Share insights. Be a participant, not a billboard.
Write blogs, videos, and LinkedIn posts that mirror these questions. Structure them for AEO/GEO.
Use structured headings, schema, FAQs, and conversational phrasing.
Tools and manual checks to see where you’re appearing.
Discovery is ongoing. Keep showing up where AI listens. This isn’t a one-off campaign. It’s a strategic layer that compounds over time.
Digital marketing is changing fast.
But ironically, the way to stay ahead… is to slow down.
At Tenacious Sales (globally Tenacious AI Marketing), this is exactly what our Win & Dominate packages are designed to do.
We help you own the discovery conversation, get cited by AI, and become the brand people (and algorithms) trust first.
Ready to slow down strategically and dominate in 2026?
Book your strategy session with our founder, Dean, and let’s map your discovery advantage.
1. What is the discovery stage in digital marketing?
It’s the early phase where customers research, ask questions, and build trust before buying. This is where AI engines also gather conversational data to shape answers.
2. Why is Reddit important for SEO and AEO in 2026?
Reddit dominates AI citations and search results because it hosts authentic user conversations. Being active there boosts early visibility and AI trust.
3. What is the difference between SEO, AEO, and GEO?
SEO ranks in Google, AEO gets your content into AI answers, and GEO optimizes how AI models summarize and recommend your content.
4. How can brands use Reddit and AEO to dominate in 2026?
Listen to real conversations, join authentically, turn insights into AEO content, and use a Search Everywhere approach to stay visible across platforms.
