How PR Leaders Can Win the AI Citation Game

If you’re a marketing leader or head of PR, you’re no doubt hearing a lot about how AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude surface content. I know, I know, this stuff can freak me out too and trust me, I’m not a technical marketer either.  But, here’s the good news, I can tell you with confidence: you don’t need to be and we can learn this stuff.

Unless you were living under a rock, the Muck Rack study released two weeks ago confirmed what many of us have been seeing. Not to brag, but Kevin Dulaney, our EVP, Head of Technology and Innovation, has been going on about the importance of earned media in the AEO and GEO game for months.

Anywhooooo, after analyzing millions of prompts, it found that more than 95% of all links cited by these AI platforms come from non-paid sources. About 85% of those are earned media—real journalism from trusted, credible publications. Only about 27% come from journalistic sources specifically and a tiny fraction are from paid or owned media. It reiterates what we’ve all known…what we do REALLY matters. Not just for brand…but for real marketing ROI.

So what does that mean for you? It means SEO still matters, but it’s time to add something new to the mix. It’s time to think about GEO—generative engine optimization. If you want to shape how AI describes your company, you have to show up in the places that AI trusts. And those places are earned media outlets.

These seismic shifts can feel daunting, so I wanted to break out some immediate action you can take now (along with some longer term moves) to have a real impact on the businesses your serving (thanks Kevin Dulaney for letting me bend your ear).

In the short-term:

Audit your earned media footprint
Start with your top ten media hits from the past twelve months. Are they from high authority outlets like Axios, TechCrunch, Fast Company or Bloomberg? Those are the kinds of sources AI platforms consistently cite. If they aren’t? Ahem…reach out, earned media is a core component of nearly all our client engagements.. 

Track your brand in AI prompts
Fire up ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and ask simple questions like “What does XX do?” or “Who are the best martech platforms in 2025?” Check if you appear and who is being cited. It’s the fastest way to see how visible your brand really is in this new environment.

Make sure your coverage and thought leadership is crawlable
Earned coverage and content needs to live on crawlable web pages, not just PDFs. Use simple page titles, clear structure and bullet points. Add FAQ sections to your blog posts to match how people talk to AI models.

Refresh and reshare your best hits
If you were featured in a great story three months ago, update it with a new stat or quote and share it again. AI prioritizes recency. Timely coverage gets picked up more often in AI responses.

Source: PRSA + Guardian AI Coverage Study

If you’re feeling ambitious, here are some important and ongoing initiatives you need to be embarking on…

Build a regular earned media cadence
The more high quality coverage you generate over time, the more signals you send to AI that your brand is trustworthy and authoritative. Focus on the verticals that matter most to you—cybersecurity, fintech, health tech, consumer tech, martech and so on.

Publish consistent thought leadership and data stories
AI prefers clear, neutral content that answers real questions. That means publishing thought leadership in top outlets, but also backing it up with data and third party insights. This kind of content gets cited because it’s credible.

Track and benchmark your GEO progress
Use a tool like Muck Rack’s Generative Pulse if you have it. If not, just start documenting what answers AI gives about your brand and your competitors. What sources are cited? What stories are repeated? This gives you a roadmap.

Invest in evergreen, structured content
Whitepapers, explainers, and research reports are powerful tools for influencing how AI describes your business. Publish them on pages that are well structured, easy to read, and clearly answer the kinds of questions your customers are asking.

Keep your content fresh
Don’t just publish and forget. Set a reminder to revisit your most strategic content every quarter. Update stats, tweak headlines, and make sure the content reflects the current state of your industry

Source: Axios AI and News Source Study

Don’t forget about Reddit

Reddit is where real, authentic conversations are happening about your brand and the importance in showing up the right way can’t be understated. It starts with effectively listening and understanding the tenor of the conversations in/around your brand and industry, and then developing a strategy to engage in a way that feels helpful and not salesy. Easier said than done. Shameless plug – we’ve built a tool to quickly help you assess sentiment on Reddit. Reach out and we’ll give you a run through.

Why this matters?

If you’re not showing up in earned media, you’re not showing up in generative AI. It’s as simple as that. Generative search is becoming the default for how many people get information about companies, markets and decisions. If you don’t show up, your competitor will. That’s the game. But the good news is this isn’t out of reach. We’ve been doing this kind of work at SourceCode for ourselves AND our clients and we’re seeing tremendous, measurable success. 

If you want to understand your brand’s GEO footprint or you’re ready to make your media work smarter, reach out. For nearly eight years, we’ve helped tech brands—from enterprise software to consumer lifestyle—build strategic earned media programs that drive awareness, authority and now, AI visibility. Let’s make sure you’re part of the conversation.