From SEO to GEO: LinkedIn targets AI-partnered publishers

GEO belongs in your media plan: How LinkedIn targets outlets for AI search

Traditional SEO taught PR teams to think about backlinks and domain authority. AI search changes the frame. Large language models pull answers straight into chat summaries, which means the outlets you pitch can influence how your brand appears in those answers.

For Catherine Fisher, vice president of global consumer communications at LinkedIn, AI visibility is now one factor in every earned media decision. It doesn't replace audience fit. It adds a new filter to prioritize outlets that will be seen by people and by models.

What changed with AI search

SEO sent users to a list of links. AI search serves an answer on the screen and reduces the need to click. Many publishers are responding by licensing content to AI companies to secure new revenue streams.

OpenAI has inked agreements with major media groups including People Inc., Axel Springer, News Corp, The Financial Times, Vox Media and Hearst. These relationships matter because LLMs can preferentially cite and learn from licensed sources. If your story runs there, it's more likely to be summarized and cited where your audience asks questions.

If you need a refresher on how these systems work, see this overview of large language models.

Case study: LinkedIn's Top Colleges and Town & Country

LinkedIn's team needed an outlet for its Top Colleges list. Town & Country, a Hearst publication, was a natural editorial fit. The OpenAI-Hearst partnership made it even more strategic.

"It's not that we're only going to be working with outlets that have high level of visibility, because there's still a role for media that is potentially not crawled by AI," Fisher said. "But it is a really strategic part of our media mix."

Her team saw results show up in AI summaries quickly. "The content shows up so quickly, so there's no longer a lag with GEO. It happens right away," Fisher said.

How to execute GEO in earned media

• Reverse-engineer the query. List the exact questions your audience asks (e.g., "best colleges for career outcomes," "top schools for networking"). Run those queries in AI tools and note which outlets and authors appear in citations.
• Map outlets to AI partnerships. Prioritize media with licensing deals or stated collaborations with major AI platforms. Confirm whether their content is accessible to LLMs.
• Lead with audience fit. GEO only works if the outlet already covers your topic and the readers trust it. Build a pitch that fits their format and voice.
• Structure for summarization. Make it easy for models to extract facts: clear headlines, numbered lists, concise data points, definitions, and plain-language takeaways. Avoid jargon.
• Provide assets. Include quotes, data tables (as text in the email or press page), FAQs, and concise bullets the reporter can lift. That same structure helps AI summarize accurately.
• Time your release. Coordinate embargoes and publication times to increase the odds that multiple reputable outlets publish in a tight window-LLMs pick up signals fast.
• Check the crawl path. Ensure your newsroom post is indexable, the canonical URL is correct, and there's no technical blocker preventing models from seeing your content.

Skills that still win

Media relations fundamentals drive the outcome. LinkedIn's Town & Country hit worked because the story fit the outlet's audience and content format. The pitch was specific, timely and useful.

GEO can amplify a placement's reach inside AI answers, but the placement must exist-and be credible-first.

What to monitor

• Presence in AI answers: Run your core queries in leading AI tools and look for mentions, citations and link cards.
• Outlet mix in citations: Track which publishers are most cited for your queries; update your target list accordingly.
• Traffic and mentions: Watch referral traffic, brand mentions in summaries, and shifts in sentiment.
• Pitch-to-pickup speed: Note how fast AI surfaces new coverage and whether structured assets improve accuracy.

Keep a balanced media mix

GEO is an additive layer, not a replacement. You still need social distribution, niche outlets that reach buyers, and audience-focused storytelling. Add GEO filters to your planning, test weekly, and refine your target list based on what shows up in answers.

As Fisher put it: treat GEO as a strategic part of the mix. Choose outlets that your audience trusts-and that AI sees.

Quick start checklist

• List 10 real audience questions and test them in leading AI tools.
• Identify the top 15 outlets cited and note any AI partnerships.
• Draft a pitch that fits one outlet's proven format for the topic.
• Publish a newsroom post with clear headings, bullets and quotable data.
• Monitor AI answers for two weeks; update your target map based on citations.

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