Dara Kaplan
Dara Kaplan

For years, marketers obsessed over keywords, backlinks and Google rankings. Then came TikTok virality and influencer ROI reports. PR was often treated as optional, the glossy feature you showed off rather than the engine that fueled growth. But with the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the rules of visibility have changed, and PR now sits at the center of it all.

SEO relied on optimizing for algorithms. GEO is about being cited by AI, and even more importantly, put into AI summaries. According to Gartner, by 2026 more than 80 percent of consumers will interact with generative AI before making a purchase decision. A recent study from HubSpot found that nearly half of consumers already use such AI platforms as ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews to research products and services. This means that the brands winning today are not the ones with clever keywords, but the ones with credible press mentions that feed into AI models.

Here is how it works in practice:

  • PR placements build credibility, and AI engines cite them.
    Every credible mention in outlets like Forbes, Vogue or TechCrunch does more than reach readers. It creates a digital footprint that AI models pull from. If your brand is absent from the press, it is absent from the data set that AI uses to generate answers.
  • Structured storytelling makes brands more AI-friendly.
    Quotes, expert commentary, and Q&A formats are easier for AI to parse and repeat. When brands prioritize structured narratives, their likelihood of showing up in AI-generated summaries rises significantly.
  • Momentum matters.
    One mention is good, but consistent mentions across multiple outlets signal authority. AI engines are designed to reward repetition and consensus, which is exactly what PR provides.
  • The outcome is visibility that converts.
    When consumers ask ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews a question, the brands that appear are those with consistent PR strategies. Because AI surfaces trusted sources, that visibility translates directly into consumer trust and, ultimately, sales.

At Wunderlich Kaplan Communications, along with my partner and co-founder, Gwen Wunderlich, we see this shift daily. One of our lifestyle clients experienced a measurable surge in AI-driven e-commerce traffic within weeks of being cited by multiple outlets. In hospitality, a client is now featured in Google AI’s recommended travel itineraries. These placements cannot be bought. They are earned through credibility, and credibility is built through PR.

I have always said platforms will come and go, but credibility never loses value. Bill Gates famously said that if he had his last dollar, he would spend it on PR. In the era of AI, that is not just advice, it is a roadmap. GEO has overtaken SEO. The brands who understand this are not scrambling to game search algorithms, they are doubling down on PR to ensure they are part of the AI conversation.

The takeaway is simple. SEO may be fading, but PR has never been more essential. GEO is the future, and PR is how brands win it.

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Dara Kaplan is president and co-founder of Wunderlich Kaplan Communications.