AI Search Results and Your Reputation

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Dear reader,

If you’ve asked ChatGPT what it knows about your brand, you might not have liked the answer. You’re not alone…

As artificial intelligence becomes the first point of contact between people and information, shaping what these systems say is becoming an urgent priority for communicators.

Enter "GEO"—generative engine optimisation—a new discipline that’s as much about reputation management as it is about visibility.

In this week’s edition of Wag The Dog, I speak with Paul Stollery, co-founder and creative director at Hard Numbers, about their latest report: Introduction to GEO, or How to Change What ChatGPT Says About Your Brand.

We cover what GEO means for the future of PR, why AI’s outputs are more malleable than many think, and how communicators should be preparing for a world in which crisis comms might start with a prompt.

Warm greetings from the UAE ☀️

Table of Contents

• Shifting Priorities

• Active and Reactive Crisis Communication

• LLM Friendly Formats

• Practical Quick Wins

• Ethical Approach

• Let’s meet!

Shifting Priorities

Your research shows that earned media accounts for 61% of content about brands in large language models. How does this shift the priorities for PR professionals managing brand reputation in the age of AI?

This is less a shift in priorities – more a validation of what PR has always been about. Everyone predicted digital would kill traditional media twice – first with social, then with AI. They were wrong.

What this research shows is that earned media is still king. AI is actually becoming an amplifier for editorial authority. So PR pros need to double down on what they've always done well: building relationships with journalists and securing quality coverage in respected publications.

Your report mentions that "LLMs aren't people, but if they were, they'd be quite naïve" when processing company information. How might this characteristic affect how organisations need to prepare for and respond during a crisis situation?

LLMs take things at face value – they don't apply the scepticism a journalist would. So when a company puts out a statement saying, "We're committed to transparency," the AI accepts it rather than questioning it.

During a crisis, this means your direct communications (owned media) carry more weight than they might with human audiences. If you can quickly publish clear, straightforward crisis messaging on your own channels, LLMs will likely incorporate that narrative without the cynicism you'd get from traditional media.

Active and Reactive Crisis Communication

With AI systems potentially amplifying editorial content, how do you recommend organisations balance their reactive crisis communications with proactive reputation management through GEO strategies?

The beauty of good GEO is that it creates a foundation of positive, authoritative content that acts as a buffer during crises. It's like reputation insurance.

Proactively, you should be building out structured content around your key values and strengths. Create robust FAQ sections that address potential vulnerabilities. Establish clear schema markup so AI systems understand exactly who you are and what you stand for.

When a crisis hits, this foundation gives you more control over the narrative. Rather than starting from zero, you're working with an existing framework of positive content that LLMs are already familiar with. Your reactive communications then build on this foundation rather than trying to establish it from scratch during a crisis.

LLM Friendly Formats

Your research highlights² the importance of structured formats like FAQ pages and schema markup. How might these technical elements specifically help organisations maintain control of their narrative during reputation challenges?

These technical elements are powerful because they speak directly to how AI systems process information. They're essentially providing pre-packaged answers to the exact questions people might ask during a reputation challenge.

FAQs are particularly valuable because they mirror how people interact with AI – through questions. If someone asks, "Is [company] trustworthy?" and you have a well-structured FAQ that directly addresses trust issues, there's a good chance the AI will pull from that.

Could you elaborate on how the principle of "updating or archiving old content" becomes particularly critical during or after a crisis situation when information evolves rapidly?

This is absolutely critical. LLMs don't inherently understand time the way humans do. They might pull from outdated crisis statements or present old information as current.

Organisations need to systematically update content as situations evolve. Don't just add new statements – modify existing ones with clear timestamps and status updates.

Practical Quick Wins

For communications professionals with limited resources, what are 2-3 practical "quick win" actions they could implement immediately to improve how their organisation appears in AI-generated responses?

First, create a simple FAQ page addressing key reputation questions directly. The research shows LLMs love FAQ formats, and they're relatively easy to create. Focus on questions like "Is [company] trustworthy?" or "Does [company] offer good value?"

Second, conduct a quick audit of how your brand appears in AI responses now. Ask the same 4-5 reputation questions across multiple LLMs and document what sources they're citing. This gives you an immediate picture of what content is influencing your AI reputation.

Third, understand the overlap between SEO and GEO. They’re not the same, but they overlap a lot. This means a small tweak from how your SEO team approaches content might have a large impact on how LLMs talk about your brand.

Ethical Approach

Looking ahead, how do you see the relationship between AI-generated responses and crisis communications evolving? Are there ethical considerations PR professionals should be mindful of when optimising for AI systems?

We're heading toward a world where AI becomes an additional stakeholder in crisis management – one that needs its own communication strategy.

PR professionals need to be transparent about their AI optimisation efforts. There's a fine line between helping AI systems accurately represent your organisation and manipulating them to suppress legitimate criticism.

The best approach is to focus on clarity and accuracy rather than control. Help AI systems understand the full context of your organisation – including past mistakes and how you've addressed them – rather than trying to game the system with keyword stuffing or other manipulative tactics.

References and further reading.

1  Introduction to GEO. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/636933f6dcaf938352e7a71a/67e578b4707c2d1be1d6c5a2_Intro%20to%20GEO%20Guide.pdf

2  Research - Reputation in the Age of AI. (2024). Hardnumbers.co.uk. https://www.hardnumbers.co.uk/research-reputation-in-the-age-of-ai

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What I am reading/testing/checking out:

• Conference: World Crisis and Emergency Management Summit – Video Feed

• Tool: Genspark AI, an agentic approach to generative AI

• Cartoon: A new series called “Adventures of a Crisis Communicator” 😅

Let’s meet!

PS: I hope you've enjoyed this newsletter! Creating it each weekend is a labour of love that I provide for free. If you've found my writing valuable, the best way to support it is by sharing it with others. Thank you for reading!

_{Parts of this newsletter were created using AI technology to draft content. In addition, all AI-generated images include a caption stating, 'This image was created using AI'. These changes were made in line with the transparency requirements of the EU AI law for AI-generated content. Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase; however, I only promote tools and services that I have tested, use myself, or am convinced will make a positive difference.}