What is GEO and Why Earned Media Matters More Than Ever
For more than two decades, businesses have focused much of their marketing efforts on search engine optimisation (SEO) to improve their rankings on platforms like Google.
But, the digital landscape is dramatically shifting. AI is transforming how people find information, and now, generative engine optimisation (GEO) is paramount for marketers and organisations.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the practice of optimising digital content and brand presence so that it appears in AI-generated responses from tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude.
Instead of offering a list of links triggered by a keyword or search terms, people are asking AI tools direct questions, expecting conversational answers from information synthesised from multiple sources across the web.
This shift in how information is found is presenting PR professionals and communications teams with both a challenge and an opportunity. They now need to take their focus from ranking highly on search engine results pages, to ensuring their brand becomes one of the trusted sources AI tools reference when generating answers.
Why GEO matters
Earned media, created through a strong PR and media relations campaign, is one of the most important signals for brand visibility when it comes to GEO, as it relies heavily on signals of authority, credibility and consensus across the web.
This means brands need to think far beyond their own website and focus efforts on the wider digital ecosystem to become consistently recognised as an authority.
The critical role of earned media
Earned media refers to third-party coverage or mentions out of a brand’s control.
In simple terms, this could be media bylines, expert commentary in key publications, research and reports, reviews or community discussions.
Earned media has fast become central to GEO because independent mentions provide strong credibility signals that both humans and AI trust.
Earned media is shifting, long considered essential for reputation building, it’s now also about being part of AI’s answer.
Research into AI search behaviour carried out by the University of Toronto in their research paper “Generative Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search” found that AI generative search engines heavily favour earned media and independent sources such as third-party journalism, expert commentary and authoritative publications over brand-owned content when determining what information to include in their responses. In fact, an article on Stacker referenced countless third-party studies that found over 80% of AI citations come from earned media.
So, when multiple trusted publications reference the same company, this reinforces the perception that the brand is credible and authoritative. In the same vein, showing up across multiple AI models shows coverage breadth.
In the article in Stacker, the importance of this is explained as showing up within the AI ‘ecosystem’. Their study carried out across 87 stories proved visibility was increased by 5.3% when stories were shared by a third-party (earned media) rather than a brand’s own site.
Why PR is central to GEO
Of course, traditional SEO campaigns still matter, particularly when it comes to technical optimisation and high-quality website content.
GEO, however, requires a broader approach that integrates PR, content strategy and the management of brand reputation.
Media coverage signals authority to AI tools. Likewise, expert commentary positions spokespeople as credible sources and thought leadership articles expand subject expertise. Together, they create a network of independent references that AI systems can draw upon when generating answers.
The future of earned media coverage
As AI-driven search continues to evolve, it’s becoming increasingly clear that earned media helps build the authority signals that generative AI tools rely on.
This presents a significant opportunity for marketers to boost their brand’s credibility across the web through consistent, high-quality media coverage.
A high volume of low-value mentions is unlikely to influence generative engines in a meaningful way, particularly if those sources lack editorial credibility or audience trust. Instead, brands with a small but consistent number of placements in respected publications can have significantly more success, especially when they demonstrate genuine expertise or offer original insight.
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Amplifying your messages with PR strengthens brand awareness and credibility to a much wider buying audience. It helps build trust. It helps grow your brand.
Problematically, there are hundreds of voices clamouring to be heard by national, HR and workplace B2B journalists and influencers, and only a relative few get into the media spotlight each day.
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