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Every quarter, we have around dozens of comms and marketing leaders join us at our AI Hub Live events, to talk about how they are using the technology. We always ask for a show of hands on who is using AI search like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini Pro and so on as the first port of call for research.
A year ago, it was maybe 5%. Now, it’s a sea of hands. They usually go to LLMs rather than traditional search engines – particularly when it comes to research, discovery and validating decision-making. And even those using Google admitted they usually don’t scroll past the AI summary.
What’s even more important is that their target audiences are doing the same. AI search accounts for about 15% of searches today (according to Semrush) and, anecdotally, these marketers have also told us they are seeing more leads and enquiries coming directly to their website from AI search.
Bearing these search behaviours in mind, comms and marketing want to know:
Of course, they are very busy working out how AI search fits into their marketing and comms plans. But these two questions are increasingly landing with PR teams, including how earned media influences LLM responses, whether PR teams can prioritise publications that influence LLM outputs, and, in some cases, comms and marketing teams are adding GEO / AI visibility as a KPI.
This is an exciting evolution for PR – creating an opportunity to play a central role in influencing visibility, positioning and credibility, particularly with LLMs being heavily influenced by (and referencing) earned media. It also presents a new challenge as the earned media most influential in GEO aren’t necessarily the ones most influential on Google. New strategies are required.
But one of the concerns we’ve heard from these teams is the risk that PR becomes overly focused on influencing LLM outputs, at the expense of delivering its broader value.
GEO focuses on increasing the likelihood that a brand is referenced, cited or reflected in AI-generated responses. Unlike traditional SEO, which is about ranking on a search results page, GEO is about being present in the answer itself. And what the answer actually says.
In theory, earned media plays well here. Independent, credible coverage contributes to authority signals. If a brand is consistently referenced in respected publications (not just nationals, but some pretty niche trade media as well), that increases the chances it is recognised as relevant and authoritative within its category. So it’s logical that comms and marketing teams are looking specifically to PR for answers.
But there are a few things that PR folk must consider in their own strategy – and feed back to marketing – as they become more accountable for AI visibility.
LLMs do not function like traditional search engines, with real-time indexing of every news article published. That means they tend to struggle to surface very recent articles (i.e., your coverage), and there can be a lag between publication and visibility in AI responses. Sometimes, certain sites can’t be crawled due to paywalls or legal restrictions, which means some coverage may never meaningfully influence GEO at all.
The takeaway?
Just like PR, GEO is a long-term game, so anyone responsible for PR needs to make sure it’s clear that securing coverage does not immediately guarantee AI visibility.
Different LLMs ‘favour’ different media, depending on their training data, partnerships, licences, web authority and a whole load of other factors.
For example, you’ll often see Forbes and mainstream media like Reuters, The Guardian, the FT and The Times favoured by ChatGPT. But there are others they won’t touch:
Again, this could be partly down to certain publications blocking LLMs altogether – check out this piece from my colleague Henrik at Geelmuyden Kiese in Denmark (turn on Google Translate) for more thoughts and evidence on that one – or because AI answers are increasingly shaped by commercial agreements between publishers and AI companies.
The takeaway?
If measuring PR against current AI outputs, PR, comms and marketing need to factor in exactly which media (both traditional and ‘new’) influence LLMs, how that changes over time (for example, remember when Reddit references plummeted overnight due to a change in algorithms), and reflect that accordingly in their strategy.
If you’re really focused on PR to influence your GEO strategy, you’ll need to think about different types of media, publications and websites that now need to be considered. For example, in a recent audit for a client, we found that one of the most influential sources for AI responses was not a ‘traditional’ media outlet at all. It was a website built primarily for SEO and GEO, run by a group of experienced copywriters (so not technically journalists).
The site included affiliate links to products in the category. It published industry news and commentary, but it was not a conventional newsroom. Without an audit, we would not have identified just how influential this particular site was, underlining the need to go beyond assumptions about what ‘counts’ as media. This includes podcasts, YouTube, Substacks and newsletters.
As well as earned media, LLMs are influenced by company websites, blogs, knowledge hubs, review sites, Wikipedia and beyond. If the messaging across those channels is inconsistent, it can dilute the impact of even strong earned coverage.
So to influence AI, PR cannot work in a silo and message alignment is critical. Of course, the entire concept of earned is that you cannot dictate how a reporter covers your story – but you can prepare your spokespeople to land the right message which aligns to your narrative on other channels.
Finally, and tied back to my point at the start: the risk that PR could become overly focused on influencing LLM outputs at the expense of broader value…
Earned media creates impact that extends far beyond one article: trade media often influences nationals – journalists read other journalists’ reporting. Analysts reference credible coverage, partners amplify stories and industry bodies cite authoritative commentary.
That ripple effect strengthens a brand’s presence. Over time, that broader visibility contributes not just to AI outputs, but to real-world credibility and commercial outcomes.
It’s an opportunity, if PR leads with confidence. GEO should not narrow the discipline to chasing AI citations. It should reinforce what strong PR has always been about: building authority, securing credible third-party endorsement, creating consistent category presence and shaping perception over time.
AI visibility has brought a whole new opportunity for discoverability, but it doesn’t replace the fundamentals of reputation building. In reality, GEO highlights something PR professionals have always known. To shape perception, you have to be visible not once, not in one title. That means researching the media landscape and putting in place a strategy that puts you in the most appropriate media, making the best use of your resources and delivering maximum impact. So you appear everywhere that matters, consistently, over time.
Authored by Kate Smith, Deputy MD, Business & Technology
If you’re interested in GEO and how it’s ‘talking’ about your brand, sign up to our event at 5pm on 13th May – details here.
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