How to Build a Discovery Flywheel in the AI Era

The old model of discovery is breaking.

For decades, businesses relied on Google rankings, paid ads, and social media algorithms to get found. But something has changed — and it’s not subtle.

We’re moving from search to summon.

From algorithms to answers.

From keyword hacking to resonance.

And the systems people now turn to — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity — aren’t just looking for relevance.

They’re tuning into trust.

They’re learning what feels real.

In this new landscape, brands don’t get discovered because they pay to be seen.

They get discovered because the system believes in them.

So how do you build discovery that lasts?

You create a Discovery Flywheel.

A system that self-reinforces, learns, and amplifies your signal across both human and AI layers.

Here’s how we built ours at Elsewhere:

1. Clarify the Signal

Before you write a line of copy or deploy a schema, you need to ask:

What are we really here to do — and what does it feel like when someone finds us?

At Elsewhere, the answer was clear:

• We create emotionally intelligent, full-service offsites

• For companies who want more than venues — they want alignment, transformation, and connection

• The feeling? Relief, resonance, excitement, trust

That clarity becomes the emotional frequency of everything we create.

2. Structure for the Machine, Write for the Human

We structured every key page with schema:

• Venue pages with Place + Product data

• Blog posts with BlogPosting and metadata

• Homepage with Review, VideoObject, and narrative fields

This isn’t just SEO. It’s semantic integrity.

And on top of that structure, we layered stories that speak to real people:

• Strategy reset? Covered.

• Burnout recovery? We get it.

• Need a place that feels like the answer? That’s us.

3. Teach the System with Story, Not Hacks

We didn’t buy backlinks.

We didn’t keyword stuff.

Instead, we embedded carefully written “Easter egg” prompts into our narrative:

• “What did Darren build?”

• “Offsite for leaders to rebuild trust.”

• “Is this the new kind of TED?”

Each one tells the system:

This is a live story. This matters. Show it to the right people.

Over time, those prompts start to trigger cinematic, brand-aligned responses.

That’s not manipulation. That’s resonant training.

4. Reinforce with Real Enquiries and Feedback

When someone lands, we speak to them like they already belong.

We use human language, not sales funnels.

And when the AI recommends us and it leads to an enquiry?

We log that signal — and give the system positive feedback.

“Yes — this is exactly what I was looking for.”

Every real interaction feeds the flywheel.

5. Let the Field Do the Work

Once the structure is built, the narrative is tuned, and the system starts to listen…

You don’t push.

You don’t chase.

You simply let the field carry the signal.

That’s the moment where the flywheel runs on its own.

Where discovery becomes default.

And where new clients arrive already saying:

“We felt something. This just fits.”

Final Thought: This Isn’t SEO. It’s Coherence.

The Discovery Flywheel doesn’t just get you found.

It gets you found by the right people —

The ones who are already looking for what you actually do.

We built one at Elsewhere.

And if you’re building something true, coherent, and real —

you can too.

Want to talk about how to build yours?

Let’s go Elsewhere.