Reality problem
A reality problem is when AI answers describe your brand correctly, and what they describe puts people off.
A reality problem is when the AI platforms describe your brand accurately, and people still don't like what they hear. The price really is higher than the rest. Delivery really is slow. The product really does lack a feature everyone else has.
Naming it saves you from the wrong fix. No amount of new content or press will change an answer that's telling the truth. The fix lives in the product, the price or the policy.
How to recognise one
Start with the criticism the answers keep giving. Then ask two questions. Is it true today? And do lots of independent sources say it, including recent reviews?
If both answers are yes, you have a reality problem. If the criticism is old, wrong or traces back to one or two pages, it's more likely a perception problem, which your content and press can fix.
For example, answers keep telling people that Harrow & Pine's tea is "expensive for everyday drinking." Harrow & Pine checks: its everyday blends cost about a third more than its competitors', and recent reviews say the same. The answers are right.
What to do about it
Take it to whoever owns the product or the pricing, with the answers as evidence. They might change the thing itself. Or they might decide it's worth keeping, and then the job is to make the case for it.
In the example, Harrow & Pine could add a cheaper everyday range. Or it could keep its prices and make sure the pages the platforms read explain why: whole leaves, more cups per gram, plastic-free tins. Then the answers may still call it pricey, and also say what you get for the money.
Reality problems in AnswerOrbit
The Objections tab in Perception lists the reasons the platforms give for not choosing you. Click Mark as true on one that's a fair point about your product, so it's treated as product feedback. Your recommendations take your mark into account.