How PR Can Improve Your GEO Strategy

Generative AI is changing how audiences discover brands, experts and information. As people increasingly ask AI tools questions rather than relying solely on traditional search, businesses need to think differently about online visibility.

This is where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in and PR has a surprisingly important role to play.

Earned media still matters

GEO isn't simply about creating content stuffed with keywords. AI systems need reliable information to draw on, which makes credible third-party coverage particularly valuable.

A company can describe itself as an industry leader, but independent recognition carries much more weight.

Being quoted in respected publications, appearing in industry interviews and contributing expert commentary all help establish a brand's reputation beyond its own channels.

PR teams are already doing much of this work.

Build recognisable areas of expertise

One of the biggest opportunities for PR is creating strong associations between experts, brands and specific subjects.

Rather than trying to make an executive a general commentator on everything, identify the areas where they have genuine expertise.

If an organisation consistently contributes useful commentary on renewable energy, for example, its executives can become associated with that subject through interviews, opinion pieces, research and media coverage. The aim is to build topic authority.

Create information worth referencing

Original research can be particularly powerful. A strong report or survey can provide statistics for journalists, generate media coverage, support thought leadership and create conversations across an industry.

Instead of producing content simply to fill a content calendar, PR teams should ask:

"What can we create that other people will want to reference?"

That might be original data, a genuinely useful industry insight or a distinctive expert perspective.

Think beyond the individual piece of coverage

GEO encourages PR teams to look at the bigger picture.

One article is useful. But a consistent pattern of credible coverage around the same subject is much more powerful.

Over time, those individual pieces contribute to a broader digital narrative about who a company is, what it knows and where it has expertise.

That's why GEO should be seen as an extension of PR strategy rather than a separate discipline.

The strongest GEO strategy may simply be excellent PR - done consistently and with a clear point of view.