GEO is taking over the PR industry. Here’s how professionals are adapting.
The PR industry is thrilled with the advent of GEO — optimizing content and media coverage to appeal not to search engines or people, but to the LLMs which are increasingly part of the information ecosystem. Its reward of earned media and well-structured content elevates the skills of the profession to levels not seen in decades.
But how is the industry actually adapting to AI search?
Here’s a handful of responses from when we asked on LinkedIn, lightly edited for style and brevity.
Move over, Reddit — it’s all about LinkedIn
Sarah Bertness Glawe, VP of digital strategy at Powell Communications.
Three words: investing in LinkedIn.
The latest data shows LinkedIn is the second most-cited source across multiple AI chatbots. Which means our clients’ company and leader LinkedIn profiles and content are more critical vehicles than ever to shape their comms for GEO success.
Allison Wilson is a communications consultant.
We started creating original research and formatting it so engines can actually use it. Specific numbered stats with clear attribution, FAQ-style findings and short declarative summaries at the top get pulled into generated answers. If you own the data but bury it in dense paragraphs, you’re still invisible.
Understanding visibility
Nikki Festa O’Brien, CEO of Greenough Communications.
We stopped writing for clicks and started writing for comprehension. That means structuring content so the answer is explicit, not buried. This means clear definitions, direct takeaways and language that mirrors how people actually ask questions. If an AI can’t summarize your point in a sentence, neither can your audience.
Joseph J. Nuñez is senior director, global communications, at Smartly.
I’m taking a continuous look at which publications, outlets and channels the LLMs are citing when I ask questions related to our key initiatives and seeing what is driving the results. I analyze that information and implement it into our communications approach — target publications, specific language, messaging. I also partner closely with our growth marketing team to understand how we show up across AEO/GEO and work together to identify how to influence our share of voice among competitors.
Amanda Vela, social media manager at Group 1001.
Consistency in brand messaging and brand spokespeople. I have emphasized consistent phrasing and key messages for our brand, including tightening and clarifying our brand positioning statements and creating a sharper, less ambiguous “About Us.” Also, using consistent spokespeople in media, social content and on the website.
Deanna Tomaselli is vice president, client services and director of analytics & client engagement at The Motherhood Inc.
Incorporating keywords into the influencer marketing strategy, informed by past campaigns. Knowing what people search for helps with briefing documents and weaving those keywords and phrases into content to become more discoverable.
Leah M. Dergachev is founder at Austley.
We build content refreshes into our content calendars. It has the same priority as net-new content. We revisit top-performing pieces, update stats, tighten the messaging, rework headlines, etc. It’s all part of our overarching comms strategy.
Traditional media relations still work
Kerry McClenahan is CEO at Strata.
The good news is, if your comms program is already built around relevant, data-backed, trustworthy information that your audience values, you don’t need to reinvent it for GEO. You’re already aligned with how LLMs evaluate sources. What does matter more now is where that information shows up. Visibility in credible, high-signal environments like trusted media and expert communities is what actually carries through into AI-generated answers.
Katelyn Holbrook is chief client officer at V2 Communications.
We’ve stopped equating media prestige with AI influence. Generative engines favor content that clearly answers questions, so we’re building visibility across sources AI can easily interpret and often cite — like niche blogs, community forums and other historically “low” priority properties, alongside the typical power players to appeal to both humans and bots.
And a reminder to us all
Matt Prince is founder of The Path Project.
I say “please” and “thank you” when talking to the robot overlords.
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