The Future of PR Measurement: Integrating GEO, AEO, and the New AI Factor
I’ve spent 25 years watching PR measurement evolve. From clip books to social listening to digital analytics. But what’s happening now? It’s different.
Your CEO uses ChatGPT to research competitors. Your target accounts ask AI which vendors to consider. It turns out that the vast majority of brand mentions originate from news coverage and thought leadership, rather than websites. Yet most PR teams still measure success with impressions and AVE.
We need new frameworks to support our involvement in the rise of the Chatbot. I call mine the RISE framework: Research, Integrate, Scale, Evaluate.
Why Your Current Metrics Miss the Mark
Nearly 60% of Google searches now end without clicks. Your prospects ask 23-word conversational queries, such as “which enterprise software handles real-time inventory across multiple currencies with local tax compliance?” AI answers these questions by synthesizing information like a journalist would, pulling from multiple trusted sources.
Here’s the problem: your company ranks first for every target keyword but appears in zero AI responses about your category. Traditional SEO metrics can’t capture this shift. Neither can standard PR measurement. We’re optimizing for systems that matter less while ignoring the ones that matter more.
R – Research Your Current State
Start by testing exactly what your prospects see. Open ChatGPT. Search how they would: “Best [your solution] for [specific problem].” Try ten variations. Document which competitors appear in and what sources AI cites.
Next, check if AI understands what your company actually does. Many brands discover AI misclassifies them entirely, routing qualified prospects elsewhere. One financial services firm found AI describing them as a consumer lender, despite their exclusive focus on serving the mid-market B2B sector.
Your media coverage matters more than you think. Document where your executives appear in trade publications. Track competitor thought leadership. This becomes your baseline.
I – Integrate Your Efforts
Your earned media strategy IS your AI visibility strategy. This structural change means PR teams now drive more AI citations than SEO teams. Stop treating generative engine optimization as separate from everything else.
When marketing says one thing, PR says another, and sales uses a different language entirely, AI synthesis surfaces these inconsistencies. I’ve watched AI responses highlight messaging conflicts that confused prospects for months before anyone noticed.
Create a single source of truth. One way to describe your company, your products, and your value. AI systems flag conflicting information as unreliable and can toss it out altogether.
The visibility split I’m seeing works as follows: 20% technical foundation (schema markup, structured data), 40% thought leadership (executive articles, speaking engagements), and 40% earned media (press coverage, industry mentions). Technical optimization forms the base. Authority building delivers results.
S – Scale What Works
I like to say one Forbes article beats 100 optimized landing pages for AI citations. Trust signals matter more than technical tricks.
For earned media, develop repeatable approaches. Create original research. Provide expert commentary on trends. Share client success stories. Use journalist sourcing platforms to respond to reporter queries.
Un-gate all of your marketing, except for product demos. AI can’t cite what it can’t access. Your whitepapers and guides need to be freely available. Prospects complete 99% of research before contacting you anyway.
E – Evaluate Differently
Traditional metrics miss AI’s impact entirely. I now track media intelligence metrics like coverage quality and reach, thought leadership placements, executive mention frequency, and competitor share of voice.
Create specific attribution for AI-influenced prospects. “Saw you in ChatGPT” carries 10x the conversion value of “clicked from Google.” These prospects arrive fully educated. While direct AI traffic might show as 5%, pipeline influence often reaches 47%.
Test regularly how AI describes your company. Track improvements in category association, competitive positioning, and use case understanding. This becomes your new scorecard.
The Shift That Matters
AI visibility isn’t about gaming algorithms. It’s about earning recognition for authority. The brands with the strongest thought leadership and media presence dominate AI responses.
The question isn’t “How do I optimize for AI?” It’s “How do I become the source AI turns to in my category?”
That’s what RISE helps answer. Focus your limited budget on high-leverage earned media and thought leadership. Build the authority that AI systems recognize, synthesize, and cite.
Because the future of PR measurement isn’t counting impressions. It’s tracking whether AI recognizes you when your prospects ask.
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