How GEO and AEO Are Giving Media and PR Its Moment: Using Owned Content to Boost Visibility, Shape Reputation, and Drive Results
Media and Public Relations in the Age of AI-Driven Discovery
In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, media and public relations is undergoing a transformation, one that reasserts its strategic value in shaping brand narratives, elevating thought leadership, and driving measurable results. At the heart of this evolution are two emerging imperatives: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
While traditional SEO has long influenced content development, GEO and AEO represent a significant shift. These models are not just about keyword density or backlinks; they’re about being the source—the trusted, structured, and strategically positioned voice that is cited, summarized, and surfaced by AI-powered tools. For marketing and communications pros, this presents a unique opportunity: to ensure that owned content, including thought leadership and press materials, is not only created—but discovered, contextualized, and leveraged across new and intelligent channels.
“Beyond the chat window, where you’re fighting for footnote scraps, this sort of snatchable, remixable GEO-focused content might also improve your chances of showing up in “position zero” — that is, in a search snippet or AI Overview, which now appears at the top of many Google Search result pages, above links and even ads. ”
This shift is not theoretical. 79.8% of chatbot referrals to websites now come from ChatGPT, signaling a fundamental change in how audiences find and trust digital content. If your brand’s voice isn’t represented within these generative systems, it risks invisibility.
GEO was discussed last week in John Herrman’s New York Magazine article, “SEO Is Dead. Say Hello to GEO”, the piece outlines how traditional search strategies are being replaced by optimization techniques designed to surface content through AI-powered engines.
Understanding GEO and AEO: A Strategic Imperative
Generative Engine Optimization refers to the practice of crafting content so that it can be accurately interpreted, cited, and elevated by AI-driven platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s Search Generative Experience. Answer Engine Optimization focuses on structuring content in a way that directly addresses specific user queries, often through well-framed explanations, definitional clarity, and domain authority.
Together, GEO and AEO form the foundation for how today’s knowledge-driven platforms evaluate expertise and assign visibility. They do not simply parse data—they interpret trust, clarity, and intent.
This is where owned content becomes the fulcrum. When developed strategically, owned assets such as: byline articles, blog articles, newsletters, and press releases become the source material AI tools use to synthesize answers, inform users, develop authority, and shape perception.
Thought Leadership as the Cornerstone of Visibility and Trust
To influence reputation and visibility in a GEO/AEO environment, organizations must shift from sporadic content creation to building robust, structured thought leadership ecosystems. A strong program does more than publish opinions - it positions subject matter experts as recognized authorities within their disciplines and sectors, providing clear answers to real-world questions.
This means:
Identifying relevant and timely topics aligned with industry discourse
Addressing those trending topics through a lens of utility, insight, and clarity
Ensuring content is structured with semantic signals that AI and search engines recognize as credible, high-quality, and useful
Unlike promotional content, thought leadership anchored in this way performs double duty: it builds brand equity and acts as fuel for both earned and algorithmic amplification. This is no longer optional. In a recent survey conducted by GrowthLoop, 90% of marketers reported that AI could accelerate their growth compared to current strategies, underscoring the need for marketing and communications functions to operate with greater sophistication and agility. And to do that, thought leadership must be positioned for both human and machine interpretation. For further context, Harvard Business Review’s analysis of modern thought leadership reinforces this shift toward credibility and clarity over pure opinion.
The Undervalued Power of Press Releases
Press releases, long considered routine or reactive, are gaining new strategic importance under this paradigm. As structured, high-authority content often hosted on reputable domains such as GlobeNewswire or PR Newswire, press releases are frequently crawled and referenced by generative tools. When properly formatted and tied to substantive organizational insight, not just announcements, they contribute to a broader web of digital credibility. The press release becomes part of the attribution model rather than solely depending on the distribution entity to provide the data.
Far from being relics, modern press releases function as:
Launch points for thought leadership narratives
Signal boosts for brand visibility
Anchors of GEO relevance, especially when linked to owned content and expert commentary
To maximize their impact, press releases should not be treated as endpoints. They must be part of an integrated communications strategy that includes cross-linking, syndication, and visibility mapping.
From Content to Context: Executing with GEO in Mind
The process of optimizing content for GEO and AEO is not mechanical, it’s intentional. Strategic and tactical teams should approach each piece of content by asking:
What is the primary question this content answers?
How will AI tools interpret and contextualize this content?
Is the content sufficiently specific, structured, and authoritative to be cited?
This means avoiding vague headlines or overly clever intros, and instead leading with clarity, context, and purpose. Citability, both human and machine, is the new currency of thought leadership.
The ROI: Visibility, Influence, and Measurable Outcomes
Organizations that embrace this integrated, AI-aligned approach to public relations and content strategy are already seeing measurable returns:
Increased visibility in both traditional and algorithmic channels
Enhanced brand authority through expert-driven narratives and citations
Quantifiable impact on reputation, lead generation, and share of voice
This isn’t about chasing trends or repackaging old tactics. It’s about aligning communications efforts with the platforms and behaviors that now define how people and LLM machines discover, trust, and act.
Furthermore, AI isn’t just automating tasks, it’s elevating strategy. According to PwC, 79% of executives say their organizations are already adopting AI agents, with 66% reporting measurable productivity gains. Thought leadership and public relations are no exception—they're becoming more accountable, measurable, and central to competitive differentiation.
A Strategic Shift Worth Making
The rise of GEO and AEO isn’t an inconvenience. It’s an inflection point. Media and public relations is no longer a downstream function, it’s a source of upstream strategy, reputation capital, and market influence. But only for those who understand that content must now do more than exist, it must be structured to be found, designed to be cited, and worthy of trust.
For organizations ready to invest in a strategic content program that bridges thought leadership, owned content, and media visibility, the opportunity is here. And the timing is now!
Whether you're building a thought leadership program from the ground up, refining owned content for greater visibility, navigating the evolving media landscape, or integrating AI into your communications strategy, I'm here to help. I work with teams at every stage of the content process to align messaging, structure for discovery, and ensure that subject matter expertise translates into measurable impact. If you're ready to elevate your brand’s visibility and credibility through strategic content, thought leadership, and media relations, let’s chat.