HubSpot explains RAG for marketers in plain language

HubSpot’s guide breaks down RAG into three steps: retrieve relevant passages from a knowledge base, augment the model’s prompt with those passages, and generate an answer grounded in the retrieved material. The article emphasizes that retrieval-friendly content—clear structure, explicit facts, consistent terminology, and freshness—improves a page’s chances of being cited by AI systems. However, no tactic guarantees retrieval or citation, and answer engines vary in how they retrieve and cite sources. The guide also compares RAG to fine-tuning, recommending RAG for dynamic information like pricing or policies, and fine-tuning for consistent brand voice or specialized tasks. Marketers are advised to audit their most important pages, assign ownership, and maintain a source of truth to support RAG systems.