Gartner’s Research on GEO is Too Important to Ignore

What is the most effective way to increase visibility on LLMs and AI search engines? What sources do Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity site most frequently? If you’re trying to ensure LLM discoverability, you’ll want to read this issue of our newsletter. We share Gartner’s surprising recommendation, a16z’s PoV, plus the results of research analyzing what sources show up most in queries. We’ll outline specific tips on how to uplevel your GEO strategy. 

PR’s New Role in Achieving Optimal AI Visibility We field a lot of questions about the changing role of PR in the age of AI, as marketers and founders adapt to a rapidly changing landscape.

Gartner analysts shared advice on what to prioritize in 2026. They concluded that, “As organizations adapt to new audience search behaviors, PR and earned media budgets must increase to ensure optimal AI search visibility.” But why? And what type of PR, specifically, moves the needle most when it comes to GEO?

AI’s Favored Source is Surprising Marketers and Founders

According to Muck Rack's Generative Pulse research, journalistic sources account for 24.7% of what AI models cite and third-party earned media accounts for another 24.5%. These two categories (both core outputs of a strong PR program) represent nearly half of all AI citations. 

I was invited to address a group of highly experienced CMOs recently and they were shocked to learn how heavily AI search engines rely on earned media. 

They were even more surprised that trade publications are highly valued by LLM algorithms, especially since many marketers dismiss their value. The trades are considered credible expert sources within each of their respective verticals. We highly recommend taking them seriously. In addition to LLMs, your users often rely on those outlets as they assess product and services.

Meanwhile, press releases account for a small slice of the pie at 6%, although their citations went up fivefold in just five months. So we’ll keep an eye out on that.

Gartner recommends investing in “building and nurturing relationships with influential third-party sources to ensure optimal quality and quantity of narrative coverage.” In order to build relationships with reporters, we recommend serving as a useful source by providing them with unique insights and original data. If you only reach out to reporters when you have product and company news, that’s not building a relationship. That’s a one-way street and they might not be inclined to take it. Reporters are looking for thought leaders and credible original data they can use to break news and/or interpret trends. 

Employee Ambassadors Amplify the Signal

Garnering interest from reporters is extremely competitive these days. We highly recommend a multi-pronged approach to growing your brand awareness. One area that deserves more investment is employee advocacy. When executives and subject matter experts are active through public speaking, LinkedIn articles, opinion pieces, blogs, and video content, they extend a company's footprint organically. 

Encourage your executives and employees to participate. You might need to do some hand-holding. It’s worth the effort. See our guide on how to build a brand ambassador program here.

SEO vs. GEO ⇒ A Two-Pronged Approach

SEO and GEO results are extremely different, which creates challenges and also opportunities. AI search optimization startup (and Si14 Global client) Limy, shared research showing that 90% of sources cited by AI engines were on page 21 or further down in Google results. According to research Limy shared with a16z Speedrun based on 80 million lines of clickstream data, brands are seeing far higher conversion rates from AI engine searches.  

Companies can’t afford to neglect GEO or SEO but they need to understand that they differ greatly and require different approaches.

Si14 Global Communications works with technology companies to build strategic PR programs that drive coverage, credibility, and category leadership. Book a free consultation with us at contact@si14global.com