Generative & Answer Engine Optimization — PR’s New Frontier

Contributing Author – George Assimakopoulos
Founder & Managing Principal @ Metric Centric

Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm, saw the dynamics of search shifting dramatically and knew its product would have to change — or risk its clients falling behind.

With AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity now delivering direct responses instead of just search results, Edelman realized a simple truth: everyone has access to the same AI tools, but not everyone will be the answer those tools provide.

“You can’t buy your way to the top of an AI-generated answer,” said Brian Buchwald, Edelman’s global head of AI and product. “If brands don’t take an active role in shaping how they appear, they risk being misrepresented or left out entirely.”

That thinking prompted Edelman — which works with brands like Heinz, Starbucks, Microsoft and Samsung — to launch its own Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tool earlier this year: GEOsight.

The service enables its clients to benchmark where they stand today across major AI search tools by assessing a brand’s presence across platforms, offering methods for optimizing content, monitoring the changing narrative around the brand and providing misinformation response.

This isn’t just Edelman’s pivot — it’s a signal of an industry shift. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Edelman or a public relations team of one, the need remains the same.

Both GEO and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) are becoming vital for public relations because PR today isn’t just about securing coverage — it’s about making sure your organization’s answers are the ones people actually see and trust when they search.

First, let’s clarify some definitions:

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): This is the practice of tailoring content (e.g., using structured formats, including metadata like “llms.txt”) to increase the chance of being cited in AI-generated responses.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Instead of targeting search rankings, AEO helps brands ensure that AI systems assemble accurate, authoritative information in response to queries. Once you are visible, how are you being perceived?

AEO is to modern PR what press releases were in the past — a direct channel to influence public understanding. For decades, traditional SEO wasn’t seen as a PR issue, but GEO and AEO are because we know that earned media placements in trusted outlets are what AI sources rely on. Without it, you risk letting someone else define your story in search results and AI summaries.

Here’s how PR’s role is becoming increasingly critical in determining visibility in both traditional and emerging search landscapes: 

1. From SEO Backup to Being in the Driver’s Seat

Backlinks from trusted media have long helped with SEO, but PR used to take a backseat while marketing focused on keywords and ranking algorithms. Now, AI systems synthesize direct answers rather than just listing links. Reputable media coverage is feeding into the knowledge banks of AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity — and PR is back at the wheel.

2. Turning Earned Media Into AI Fuel

PR content is becoming more than message delivery — it’s shaping the training and reference material for AI systems. Outlets like The Independent, LA Times, News Corp, and the Associated Press are licensing content to AI developers like OpenAI and Google, feeding these models with high-quality, vetted content. Over 90% of AI search summaries are coming from earned media.

PR teams that secure coverage in such reputable outlets are directly influencing how AI presents and understands brands.

3. Strategic Messaging for Both Machines and Humans

PR isn’t just about compelling stories anymore — it’s also about structuring them for algorithmic retrieval. This includes:

• Crafting data-rich, quotable narratives
• Ensuring consistent brand mentions and metadata
• Thinking not just of coverage volume, but of retrievability and resonance in AI contexts

This dual-focused approach helps PR reach both human audiences and AI systems effectively.

4. Faster, Smarter Content Creation and Influencer Collaboration

GenAI is driving a resurgence in influencer marketing for PR by helping brands and creators produce content faster, target the right audiences more precisely, measure results more accurately, and scale campaigns strategically — all while still keeping the human authenticity that builds trust.

GenAI streamlines creative workflows at every stage:

• Drafting and scripting: Influencers often use tools like ChatGPT to create first drafts, script outlines, or concept ideas, which they then refine in their own voice. This accelerates content development without compromising authenticity
• Enhancements and editing: AI-driven features — auto-captioning, transcript-based video editing through tools like Descript and generative fill in Photoshop help polish content faster. These efficiencies mean influencers and PR teams can produce high-quality content more quickly and scale campaigns more effectively

These efficiencies mean influencers and PR teams can produce high-quality content more quickly and scale campaigns more effectively.

Why AEO matters for PR teams

We realize how difficult it is to pivot, especially from practices that have been long-standing and trusted. But AEO has been changing the landscape at a rapid pace, so your strategies should change, too.

Here are five reasons why AEO matters for any PR team:

1. Search Behavior is Shifting

People increasingly ask Google, Bing, and AI-driven tools questions instead of just typing keywords. Search engines now display direct answers — in featured snippets, knowledge panels, or AI-generated summaries — before users even click. If your brand doesn’t optimize for these “answer boxes,” competitors or less credible sources may speak for you.

2. Control of the Narrative

PR teams work to shape brand perception, but if the most visible answers to public questions are outdated, incomplete, or negative, your messaging gets lost. AEO ensures accurate, authoritative, and up-to-date responses are tied to your organization — whether it’s about your products, leadership, policies, or industry stance.

3. Authority and Trust Building

Answer-friendly content signals expertise to both search engines and audiences. The academic paper which coined the term “GEO” concluded that using authoritative language alongside references could boost visibility in chatbot responses by up to 40%. Consistently ranking as the “go-to” source for industry answers reinforces thought leadership and brand credibility — a PR core objective.

4. Crisis Communication

In a PR crisis, people turn to search first. AEO allows you to prepare pre-optimized, factual answers that can surface quickly, helping to correct misinformation before it spreads.

5. Integration with Modern PR Strategy

Media coverage alone doesn’t guarantee visibility — journalists themselves often Google background facts. AEO works hand-in-hand with digital PR, SEO, and content strategy to ensure your messaging is discoverable, quotable, and trusted in every stage of the information cycle.

Here’s a step-by-step checklist designed for PR teams to optimize AI-driven visibility:

1. Align PR and SEO Strategy

• Collaborate across teams: Ensure PR and content teams coordinate to transform earned media into site assets (e.g., press releases, blog posts, newsroom posts)
• Conduct a monthly search and sentiment audit: Track keyword performance, AI citations, and media coverage together to inform strategy

 2. Make Your Brand AI-Citation-Friendly

• Structure expert quotes clearly: Use simple, jargon-free language that AI tools can easily parse and cite accurately
• Create a “Citation Hub”: Build a dedicated page that outlines your firm’s key POVs, includes recent press mentions and links to authoritative sources. This acts as an AI-ready content reference

3. Leverage SEO Fundamentals for AEO

• Target intent-driven questions: Identify what your clients and audiences are asking (e.g., “How do PR firms measure media ROI?”). Use tools like Google Search Console, AnswerThePublic, or analyze FAQs and actual customer language
• Use a Q&A format with clear, concise answers followed by richer expanded content to enhance snippet-readiness
• Implement FAQ schema, Article Schema, and other structured data to help AI engines interpret and surface your content effectively

4. Conduct a “mine sweep” analysis

• A “mine sweep” analysis is a thorough search of all publicly available digital content — news, blogs, social posts, forums, reviews, regulatory filings, and more — to uncover anything that could damage a brand if resurfaced by a Large Language Model (LLM)
• Since LLMs can revive old controversies, strip context, and amplify obscure mentions, the process involves identifying high-risk topics, scanning relevant sources using keywords and AI tools, reviewing and prioritizing results, and then taking steps to correct, remove, or outweigh harmful content
• The goal is to identify hidden content assets that can be repurposed — or to spot and address potential reputation “landmines” before they can be picked up and spread by AI-generated responses

5. Create AI-Ready Content

• Write in conversational, natural language: Use direct answers supported by clear context — AI loves clarity and brevity
• Organize content with structured headings, bullet lists, and short paragraphs for readability by both humans and AI
• Focus on semantic structure: Highlight entities and keywords naturally and in context, boosting the chance of citation
• Build content hubs around themes to allow generative AI tools to pull comprehensive answers (part of broader GEO strategy)

6. Monitor and Measure AEO Impact

• Track where your brand is cited across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot
• Monitor performance beyond traditional SEO metrics — focus on visibility, citations, and traffic attribution from LLM sources

By following this checklist, PR teams can not only earn traditional media recognition but also secure AI-powered citations, placing their expertise front and center when users ask generative tools for information.

As AI-driven search becomes the new front page of the internet, PR must evolve from reactive storytelling to proactive influence. Generative and Answer Engine Optimization are no longer optional. They’re foundational tools for ensuring brands are accurately represented in the AI-powered narratives that shape public perception.

For PR teams, the future isn’t just about making sure their clients are heard — it’s about helping them become the answer.

If you would like to hear more about how our checklist above has helped many PR teams embrace AEO and GEO practices, reach out to us at Metric Centric.

This article is one of several authored content pieces that Metric Centric will be sharing on the topics of GenAI, AEO and GEO. Next up in our article series: How to build structured, trusted content for AI engines.