Late night legend Johnny Carson used to do a bit called Carnac the Magnificent, a psychic who possessed the power to provide the answers to questions in “hermetically sealed” envelopes.
Right now, a lot of businesses are probably wishing they had this unique gift.
Instead, the more we all learn about AI, the more questions seem to arise.
Most public relations agencies, social media experts and marketing professionals understand traditional SEO alone doesn’t cut it because customers increasingly turn to AI tools for guidance on vendor, product and service selection. That’s prompting brands to try to better understand generative engine optimization (GEO) and assess what to do differently in the age of AI.
Why? Because brands that don’t adjust to this new reality will suffer if AI provides the wrong answers about their companies or solutions. AI may not even know that your company exists!
Yet there’s no one thing, or standard list of actions, that a business must take or follow.
The best GEO strategy depends on what business outcomes you are looking for, says Curtis Sparrer, adding that what may work for DeepSeek may not work for Claude or another AI tool.
That’s just a sampling of the conversation during Bospar’s Politely Pushy podcast, “The Shift to GEO: Understanding the New Roles of PR, Social Media and Marketing,” hosted by Eric Chemi.
Check out a few of the key takeaways below, or click here to listen to the podcast, featuring:
- Sparrer, cofounder and principal at Bospar
- Connor Grant, vice president of social media at Bospar
- Jennifer Devine, founder of Freshwater Creative, a Bospar partner
Understand AI is Upping the Stakes of Your Social Media
Social media has long been viewed as a distribution channel, says Grant. Now social media platforms have become training grounds for AI tools. Social posts and conversations are all signaling AI what your company, your teams and your solutions do and what you care about.
Reddit, which Grant says AI views as an archive of questions that have been answered really well, may be worth exploring if you aren’t active on this platform. But, he adds, you can’t apply the approach tyou use on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Reddit requires advocates and ambassadors to bring up your company in relevant threads and add value to conversations.
However, you don’t have to be on Reddit, adds Devine. Reddit may be sourced a fair amount today, but that doesn’t mean that will remain so in the future, Devine notes. The best approach, she continues, is to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket in terms of platform or strategy.
Make Sure Your Company “About” Pages Are Current
Schema on your website is important in signaling to AI tools what your company is and what you offer. Once these tools know that, they may go deeper into the content on your website.
The About page on your company website is also key. Make sure it is up to date and uses to-the-point language to explain what problems you solve, how you solve them and why that’s unique.
AI also consumes company bios that live elsewhere, so ensure that your company description is current in your LinkedIn description and on Crunchbase, Dun & Broadstreet and other websites.
Leverage Press Releases to Inform Media Outlets and AI
When you post press releases you are successfully sending a signal to AI, Devine explains.
Posting a press release on Business Wire, for example, can create an even stronger signal.
Sparrer notes that AI has given wire services a new lease on life because AI sources them so often. He adds Bospar now counsels clients to do press releases and post them on the wire. We can help clients do more of that by assisting in content creation and optimizing content for AI.
Be Aware That Third-Party Media Reports Pack the Biggest Punch
However, research indicates third-party media reports are most important to AI, Devine notes.
Muck Rack’s December 2025 Generative Pulse report “What is AI Reading?” indicates:
- Most links cited by AI are non-paid coverage, with ~25% coming from journalist sources
- AI prefers sources published in the last year, with highest citation rates within seven days
- Outlet authority matters for GEO; Reuter is an example of a high domain authority site
With a politely pushy PR agency on your side, you can secure high-authority, non-paid coverage.
Dedicate the Proper Resources To Get the Best AI Results and Grow Your Business
Understanding how AI is impacting business and how people live is essential today, Devine notes. Even if you have a good handle on the impact of AI, she adds, refining how you approach marketing, public relations and/or social media can position you to benefit from better results.
Some organizations may dedicate an in-house resource to ensure they appear in AI inquiries in the best possible way. Others may want to bring on a partner to do research and give guidance.
Whatever the case, thinking about the role you want AI to play is important for every business.
