Gigi García Russo Says GEO Is Reshaping Earned Media in the Age of AI
As artificial intelligence reshapes how consumers find and engage with information, public relations professionals face a transformative new challenge—and opportunity. Gigi García Russo, Chief Transformation Officer at HUNTER, is helping lead that evolution by aligning earned media strategy with how AI tools are changing the search landscape.
At the heart of this shift is the emergence of GEO—Generative Engine Optimization—a new discipline focused on tailoring content to be discovered and surfaced by AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, rather than just Google. “It’s such an interesting time for PR,” said García Russo in a recent interview. “All of a sudden, we have this new tool to help us amplify stories… but it’s also a challenge because we have to double down on getting the right message out there.”
With more consumers turning to conversational AI for answers, the battleground for brand visibility is shifting. AI-generated search summaries often highlight only a few trusted sources. “You’re only going to get maybe three sources,” she said. “So it’s first, identifying who are the most trusted sources for a brand, and then putting the resources behind building those relationships.”
García Russo should know. Having joined HUNTER more than two decades ago as an Assistant Account Executive, she’s since built the agency’s multicultural practice, led diversity initiatives, and earned industry recognition from the Bronze Anvil Awards, the SABRE Awards, and PRSA-NY’s Big Apple Award for Leadership in Diversity & Inclusion.
Now, as the agency’s transformation leader, she works across creative, digital, influencer, and data teams to integrate intelligence and insight into communications campaigns. “We’re changing the way we write press releases, editing social copy, even updating the language on websites,” she said. “It’s a nice new frontier.”
That frontier is powered by AI’s role as an “agent,” as García Russo puts it—someone’s virtual partner in discovering information. “It’s fun. The way it gives you information is very easy to understand and conversational,” she explained. “That’s why people are gravitating towards it.”
GEO isn’t about gaming AI systems but about aligning language and message with the way people naturally ask questions. García Russo champions a no-nonsense approach: “If you’ve met anybody that knows me, you’ll know that I literally red-pen any kind of marketing speak. How would you explain this to your grandmother or your neighbor? That’s how people want to understand things.”
For earned media professionals, that means the value of PR may be rising, not shrinking. As AI curates content, having trusted relationships with media outlets becomes more critical. “I think there’s going to be even more importance on our industry,” she said. “We’re the ones who have those relationships and can control that. The content brands put out has to be easy to understand, accurate, and delivered more frequently to stay relevant.”
As generative engines continue to shape consumer behavior, forward-thinking communicators will need to think not just about being found—but being featured. And for that, GEO may be the new key to PR success.
