If there’s one acronym PR professionals should be obsessing over right now, it’s this: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).

But instead of embracing it as a foundational shift in how content gets discovered, many PR pros are treating it like a shiny add-on. A new digital product. Something new to “sell.”

Here’s my take:
GEO isn’t a PR product. It’s a fundamental reason for PR. And if PR practitioners don’t speak the language of GEO fluently, they’re going to quickly get left behind.

GEO Isn’t SEO 2.0 

Traditional SEO was about ranking in search engines. GEO is about being chosen by AI engines when prompted by a user to build a travel itinerary, show a proven change management approach or offer insight into a medical procedure.

ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude: These tools are now the front door to information, and if a brand’s narrative isn’t structured in a way that generative engines can understand, reference and trust, it quickly becomes invisible.

PR teams are at the forefront of guiding organizations through this shift – in other words, PR may never have been more important!

PR Has Always Been About Influence — GEO Simply Modernizes It

For decades, PR’s job has been to help brands:

  • Establish credibility
  • Get cited
  • Shape narratives
  • Generate third-party validation

Those are the exact same signals that AI platforms rely on when generating query responses. So instead of treating GEO like a separate line item, PR professionals should emphasize it for what it is: A reinforcement of why strategic communications matters in the first place.

Stop Selling GEO. Start Talking GEO.

Clients don’t need another service package. They need a partner who can explain how generative engines pull and prioritize information; understand which content formats improve GEO performance; connect PR outputs (media hits, thought leadership, POV pieces) to engine visibility; and develop strategies that reinforce brand authority in a machine-readable way.

PR Teams Are Uniquely Positioned to Lead 

GEO loves the same things as us PR pros: Clear positioning, high-quality thought leadership, credible citations, updated brand messaging and expert-driven content. But it requires a shift in mindset from “How do we get attention?” to “How do we make sure we’re the authoritative answer?”

GEO isn’t a trend – it’s infrastructure. And now the time for those of us in a position of PR influence to stop selling it and start owning it.