As AI reshapes the digital landscape, marketers can no longer rely on hashtags to drive content discovery. The announcement of Google’s NEW “AI Mode”, along with the growing influence of “AI Overviews”, signals a massive shift in how people search and how content is found.
Forget hashtags. Long-tail keywords are the new discovery engine, and how you brief your creators and influencers just became a critical piece of your marketing strategy.
Google’s AI Mode Has Changed the Search Game
At Google I/O 2025, CEO Sundar Pichai unveiled “AI Mode”, a major step forward in generative search. This new feature combines a “Large Language Model (LLM)” with traditional search, allowing users to ask complex, conversational questions and receive full-page AI-generated responses with integrated web links.
For marketers, this means one thing: AI search is no longer looking for short, punchy SEO phrases, it’s parsing full, natural-language queries. People are asking two to three times longer search questions like:
- “Is this protein powder good for post-workout recovery?”
- “Which skincare product actually reduces redness for sensitive skin?”
- “What do parents think of [brand] nappies?”
To show up in AI search, your brand needs “answers” to those questions, not just ads. And increasingly, those answers are being pulled from social content, not just your website.
Captions Are the New Copywriting Brief
When briefing influencers or internal teams, it’s no longer just about what’s in the video or the image. The caption now plays a central role in content visibility.
Here’s what’s changed:
Keywords in Captions Drive Discovery
Today’s algorithms are scanning captions for relevance, authority, and context. Captions written in natural, informative language that mirror how users search are more likely to be surfaced in AI-generated results.
Think:
- “I tested this serum on my rosacea-prone skin for two weeks and here’s what happened.”
- “These are the best gluten-free snack options I’ve found for school lunches.”
These captions are indexable, rich in keywords, and answer questions people are genuinely asking online.
Alt Text = SEO Gold
Originally designed for accessibility, alt text is now playing a powerful secondary role in content indexing. Platforms like Instagram allow creators to write detailed alt descriptions, and these are now being scraped by search engines and AI models to better understand the content.
Use alt text to describe:
- Product features
- Use cases
- Locations
- User intent (e.g. “Wearing this look to a wedding as a guest”)
Alt text gives AI more to work with, and more reasons to surface your content.
Hashtags ≠ Discovery
Instagram’s own Adam Mosseri has confirmed that “hashtags no longer boost reach”. While they can still be useful for niche community categorisation, they are no longer a reliable discovery tool. Shift your focus to semantic content, real words, real value, real answers.
Say It Out Loud: Spoken Keywords Matter Too
With YouTube already indexing spoken words for search and AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews pulling from video transcripts, creators need to go beyond keyword-rich captions, they need to say those keywords in the video itself. Spoken mentions of product features, brand names, or common search phrases help AI models surface your content more accurately in search. To truly optimise for AI discovery, your message needs to be both written and spoken.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
We are now living in a search-first and AI-curated world. If your content doesn’t include the kinds of keywords that match real questions, your brand risks being invisible.
The rise of zero-click searches means that social posts, product reviews, influencer captions, and alt text are being pulled directly into AI results. The more complete, informative and natural your language is, the better your chances of showing up.
What Marketers Should Do Now
- Update your creator briefs: Make sure captions and alt text are part of your influencer content strategy.
- Think like a searcher: What would your audience type into Google or ask a voice assistant? Use those phrases in your content.
- Repurpose and optimise: Take high-performing UGC or influencer posts and reframe them with keyword-rich captions and SEO-friendly alt text.
- Track AI visibility: Keep an eye on how your brand appears in AI Overviews and Google’s AI Mode (when available in Australia). Adjust your content strategy accordingly.
TL;DR: Content Must Be Findable, Not Just Beautiful
As AI reshapes search, it’s not enough for your content to be creative, it has to be relevant, readable, and rich in searchable language. Keywords in captions and alt text are your new superpower.
In the world of AI discovery, what you say is just as important as how you show up.