PR and Search – What Really Matters When Advising Clients

In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer talks with her guest Katie Robbert, CEO of Trust Insights, about how SEO and GEO (generative AI engine optimization) affect PR work.

Robbert explains GEO as serving a new “business to machine” audience—LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude—which summarize information from sources such as listicles and quoted articles, making PR placements and strong SEO fundamentals still essential.

Rather than throwing out playbooks, she recommends reverse-engineering AI results by asking for sources, targeting high-quality publications (including trade media), and measuring impact via analytics segments and “how did you hear about us” form fields.

They discuss EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness), avoiding low-quality AI content, and making “machine-readable” content more detailed across owned and Google properties.

Robbert also notes using constrained-source tools like NotebookLM and improving accessibility to help machine readability.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:16 Why GEO Matters Now

02:00 Defining GEO vs SEO

03:29 Trust Insights GEO Course

06:46 SEO Not Dead Explained

11:05 No Need to Overhaul PR

13:19 Paid Placement and Authority

16:18 Measuring LLM Discovery

20:01 Are LLM Leads Better

24:30 PR Priorities for SEO GEO

27:07 Avoiding AI Content Slop

29:21 Google AI Mode Question

29:42 Critical Thinking vs AI

30:27 Sniff Test and Skepticism

33:27 Ask for Sources

34:07 Control the Inputs

35:10 Notebook LM Workflows

37:11 Trade Media Strategy

40:49 Press Releases for Machines

43:24 Wire Services and GEO

46:16 Start Your Own Publication

47:42 Be Everywhere for LLMs

50:50 Accessibility as SEO

52:14 Final Optimization Takeaways

Show notes:

Katie Robbert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katierobbert/

Trust Insights GEO 101 course: https://academy.trustinsights.ai/courses/geo-101-for-marketers

Trust Insights site: https://www.trustinsights.ai/

Follow the host: 

Website: www.michellegarrett.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs

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Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal

Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now

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About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results, an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.