_{Day 195/100}

Hey—It's Tim. 

I’m knee-deep writing the Wave One Launch Bonus: Everything I know about ranking in AI Overviews.

It felt wrong not to show you the build, because it’s the premise we’ve built the new Penfriend on. This is, in essence, the DIY version.

So today, you get Chapter One - the overview and how to get started. The full thing stays with Founders/Wave One, but this will move needles by itself.

The game has changed (but not how you think)

AI Overviews don’t “rank” pages the way blue links did.

They compose an answer, then cite sources. Your job isn’t to out-SEO a list; it’s to earn the card inside that answer.

Two truths that rewired how we write at Penfriend:

• A citation is the new impression. We track it as CP100 (citations per 100 prompts). If you’re not showing up, content volume won’t save you.

• Pinned beats footnote. Cards shown above the fold drive most of the traffic; footnotes are a kindness, not a funnel.

I keep seeing my old, good but messy, posts get lifted into an AI answers - then a newer, sharper answer one steal them from me.

The difference?
The second page handed the model an answer-shaped chunk and receipts.

The goal moved. It’s now how to make your prose answer-shaped.

Get the first chapter here.
No email needed. No sign up. No spam.

Why we rebuilt for AIO

We rebuilt the writing system around this reality:

• Bloom gives you MECE topic maps (no more keyword spray).

• Outlines force the Core Answer block up top.

• Evidence prompts nudge you to add sources, methods, and limits.

• VIBE Score reward lived experience, citations, and clarity.

• Knowledge Base (wip) auto-pulls your CEO podcasts, product docs, and case studies so your claims aren’t floating.

After the launch I’m updating ~80% of our blog with new content using the new Penfriend to prove I’m right. You’ll see the play by play here.

✌️ Tim "3….. 2…… 1…….." Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

Same brain, different platforms: X, Threads, LinkedIn.

P.S. The quickest win for your content?

Put a single sentence near the top of your blog that reads:

“In 2025, [claim], because [mechanism].”

Right now the models are latching onto cause-effect type paragraphs. A nice way to do this is in image captions. The captions are getting pulled into AIO’s way more than I would expect.

Penfriend.ai
Made by content marketers. Used by better ones.