AI is no longer “trending” or reserved for the most technology-driven fields; it’s here, shaping the future of all industries and professions.
The great news for PR pros? Generative AI loves earned media, meaning we – yes, PR-loving humans – are positioned to play a significant role in how the brands we serve gain visibility in AI-generated answers.
So what do you need to know?
The Lingo
First, let’s get the acronyms and basics out of the way. Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO, is the strategic practice of shaping digital content and web presence to be cited and surfaced in AI search engine answers (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.).
When diving into this topic, you’ll undoubtedly encounter other terminology for the same concept across the industry, including:
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- Generative Search Optimization (GSO)
- Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO)
For consistency, we’ll stick with AEO in this post.
When reviewing the structure of an AI platform’s response to a provided prompt, you’ll notice inline citations throughout. Typically, there’s also a “Source” button at the bottom of the returned answer that opens a dedicated side panel list of all cited links.
The PR Connection
Upon analyzing over 1 million links cited by generative AI tools, PR software provider Muck Rack found that more than 89% of links cited by AI are earned media. This data illustrates the weight and importance AI engines assign to credible, mainstream news outlets and industry-specific trade publications, making PR a pivotal component of establishing and improving AEO.
Digging deeper, a quick PR campaign or singular national media hit won’t trick the hive mind and indefinitely reward brands in AEO. Recency, repetition and consistency are key, meaning strategic and sustained earned media efforts are required to shape a brand’s visibility in AI outputs.
Going forward, AEO must play a role in media relations strategy, media targeting and messaging, which opens the door to an entirely new realm of PR reporting. In addition to tracking traditional PR metrics tied to brand mentions and competitive share of voice across the traditional media landscape, professionals in our field will be tasked with providing AEO-aligned KPIs. Examples include quantifiable mentions in AI responses, sentiment represented in AI responses and more. PR agencies and in-house professionals who adapt quickly stand to gain an invaluable competitive edge.
The To-Dos
The world of AI is a lot to take in, but, as you’ve read here, PR pros are primed to play a high-touch and human-centered role as it relates to the future of our industry. To help, here’s an approachable yet actionable to-do list to consider:
- Simulate fitting AI prompts to analyze how the brands you serve show up (or don’t) across generative AI platforms.
- Review the citations included across the provided outputs to power press list builds and audits.
- Seek out educational articles, webinars and courses from industry media, associations and vendors.
- If your company or agency utilizes a PR reporting platform, check in with your account rep to discuss and review any recent product upgrades that support AEO efforts.
- Connect with relevant marketing leads to ensure brand, product and/or service messaging is clear, concise and consistent across website, social media, newsroom, PR and content.
As you dive deeper into AEO, resources we recommend include dedicated reports from Muck Rack and SimilarWeb, as well as articles from Search Engine Land and Forbes.
If you’d like to explore how earned media can fit into your marketing and AEO strategy in 2026 and beyond, we’d love to connect to discuss!
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