Beyond Google: How LLMs and Answer Engines Are Rewriting the Rules of Media Relations

Featuring insights from Stuart Martin, Business Director, Talk Shop LA

At Talk Shop, we’re leading the charge by marrying the best of traditional SEO practices with cutting-edge AEO strategies, helping brands ensure their expertise surfaces where audiences are now searching. For this article, we sat down with our very own Stuart Martin to hear from Talk Shop’s resident AEO expert and dig into why earned media is AEO’s best friend.

With more than a decade of experience in strategic communications and business development across North America, Stuart brings a front-row perspective to this evolution. Overseeing growth for Talk Shop USA, Stuart has helped global clients navigate this new landscape, integrating AEO principles into thought leadership, media strategy, and brand positioning to drive measurable visibility and credibility across both earned and AI-driven channels.

The Shift from Search to Answers

“The way people search is changing,” says Stuart. “We’re no longer just typing keywords into Google. We’re asking AI engines complex questions, and they’re synthesizing expert perspectives in seconds.”

That shift is backed by hard data. As of October 2025, ChatGPT commands 80.1% of the AI search market, with over 542 million monthly active users worldwide. Meanwhile, Google’s once-dominant search share has fallen below 90% for the first time since 2015, a signal that audiences are migrating from link-based to answer-based search experiences.

In the first five months of 2025 alone, LLM-driven web traffic surged over 500% year-over-year, according to analytics firm BrightEdge. And in a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, 52% of U.S. adults reported using generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to search for information or perform work-related tasks.

For communicators, this means visibility isn’t just about where your brand ranks on Google; it’s about whether AI models can find, understand, and accurately reference your information when asked a question.

Why Earned Media is AEO’s Best Friend

AEO is the process of structuring content so that AI systems can interpret and cite it correctly. It builds on SEO principles but shifts the goal from attracting clicks to earning authority and credibility in answer-driven environments.

“Press releases are now one of the most cited content types by AI engines,” Martin explains. “If your announcement or thought leadership piece is structured with clarity, credible sources, and question-based formatting, it’s more likely to surface when ChatGPT or Gemini generates an answer.”

That insight aligns with a 2024 Muck Rack study, which found that 95% of the links cited by AI tools come from non-paid (earned) media sources, and 89% of those originate from traditional journalism outlets. In other words, strong media relations now directly influence how a brand appears within AI-powered search results.

Building Authority in the Age of AI

Martin says that AEO starts with credibility and structure. “Brands need to lead with facts, not fluff. AI favours well-sourced, clearly written content, especially when it includes third-party validation like awards, rankings, or journalist citations.”

To audit visibility, he recommends a simple test: “Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity about your company. If your brand or leadership doesn’t appear in the answer, or if the information is outdated, that’s your signal to optimize.”

Key AEO best practices include:

• Structured Q&A formats (mirroring how AI parses content)

• Schema markup optimization, a standardized vocabulary of code that you add to a webpage's HTML to help search engines better understand and categorize your content 

• Consistent, citation-rich media coverage

• Fact-checked claims and transparent sourcing

• E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

“Consistency across earned and owned channels is crucial,” Martin notes. “It’s not enough to have one great media hit. You need a steady stream of accurate, reputable content reinforcing your expertise.”

The New Role of PR in an AI-Driven Landscape

The rise of answer engines is transforming PR from “pitching stories” to building discoverable expertise. As generative AI becomes the first stop for journalists, investors, and consumers alike, earned media now plays a dual role: building public trust and training AI systems to recognize authority.

“Success will look less like ranking first on Google,” Martin says, “and more like being the quote AI pulls into every trusted answer.”

In the next few years, communicators will spend more time auditing AI visibility, ensuring their brand is the one that answer engines cite and consumers trust. Those who adapt early and employ a strategic earned media relations strategy, Martin adds, “will set the narrative for their industry while others are still chasing algorithms.”