AI is fundamentally changing how people search, how information is retrieved, and how brands show up. At PRNews’ recent Artificial Intelligence for PR Workshop, I gave an essential industry briefing on this shift, along with Edelman’s Mirza Germovic – in particular, how Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are reshaping the search landscape, and the impact it has on PR Strategy.
If you’re a CEO or CMO, you’re already hearing a lot about AI. But one of the most urgent shifts to understand – especially when evaluating your PR and communications strategy – is how AI is transforming search and brand visibility. We’re not just optimizing for Google anymore. We’re optimizing for AI-generated answers.
This shift changes how visibility, trust, and influence are earned. And it demands a very different kind of PR partner – one that understands not only how media works, but how AI interprets and sources it.
Here’s what you need to know – and what questions to ask when you’re choosing the right firm to help you lead through it, in the format AI agents love most: Q&A.
Q: Why is AI search different – and why does it matter for your brand?
Traditional search engines give you a list of links. AI search gives you a summarized answer.
That answer is shaped by a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Gemini. These models crawl the internet – including licensed media, your website, Reddit threads, and more – and deliver their best version of the “right” response.
If your brand doesn’t appear – or appears inaccurately – you don’t get a second shot.
Q: So what is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
GEO is the strategy behind showing up in AI-generated responses.
Unlike SEO, GEO isn’t about ranking on a page. It’s about visibility, sentiment, and authority in a system that doesn’t send people to your site – it tells them what to think about you before they even click.
Your PR and content strategy need to adapt to this fast.
Q: What’s the real risk of not optimizing for GEO/AIO?
We’ve seen clients blindsided by this. A brand searches for itself on ChatGPT or Perplexity and discovers the top information source is… Reddit.
LLMs pull from wherever they can get data. And thanks to partnerships between OpenAI and platforms like Reddit, Condé Nast, and News Corp, they have deep access to content you might not be monitoring.
If you’re not telling your story in the right places, someone else will tell it for you.
Q: What does this mean for PR strategy?
It means PR has to evolve beyond “coverage.”
Modern PR must focus on:
- AI-focused media placements: Getting placed in the right media ecosystems LLMs actually crawl, crafting content that reads like an answer (not a pitch), and making sure third-party sentiment reflects the brand you’ve built
- Collaboration with brand content and creative teams to produce AI-optimized content for all channels
- Collaboration with SEO teams with expertise in AIO/GEO – those that know how to implement technical optimization for AI, across all owned channels
We’re not just reaching people anymore. We’re shaping what machines say about us.
Q: Which signals are most important to AI platforms?
LLMs don’t care about keyword stuffing or backlink counts. They’re looking for:
- Natural, semantically rich language
- Mentions in trusted sources
- Clarity and helpfulness of the content
What that means in practice: Your brand needs to show up in credible media, speak in a language AI understands, and frame your messaging around the kinds of questions your audience is actually asking.
Q: Do earned media placements still matter?
Absolutely. In fact, they matter more – especially from outlets with direct data-sharing agreements with OpenAI and others.
These include:
- Reuters
- The New York Post
- The New York Times
- The Wall Street Journal
- Forbes
- Business Insider
- AP News
- People
- Yahoo Finance
What’s new: Affiliate content and paid reviews are currently treated the same as earned media in many AI models. That may evolve, but for now, both can influence how your brand shows up.
Q: What should I expect from a modern PR partner?
If you’re hiring a PR firm today, ask them:
- Can you audit my brand’s presence across AI search tools?
- How do you optimize media coverage for LLMs, not just Google?
- Are you placing stories in the outlets that LLMs prioritize?
- Do you collaborate with SEO and digital teams to align messaging?
- How are you measuring sentiment and visibility inside platforms like ChatGPT?
If they don’t have an answer – look elsewhere.
Q: What can I do right now?
Here’s where I recommend starting:
- Connect your teams: Your PR, SEO, and content teams need to be in sync. GEO lives at the intersection of all three.
- Audit your content: Look at your website and blog content. Is it conversational? Does it answer questions clearly? Would it make sense to a machine?
- Evaluate your media strategy: Where have you been placing coverage? Are those outlets being crawled by the models your customers are using?
Final Thought: You’re Competing for Narrative – with Algorithms
AI isn’t replacing human influence. But it is reshaping how influence works.
The brands that win in this next era will be the ones that understand this shift early – and adapt faster than their competitors. That requires more than a press release. It requires a partner who can help you speak to both the public and the platforms shaping public opinion.
This is what we do every day at Avenue Z. If you’re ready to evolve your influence strategy, we’re ready to help.
