AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot don’t invent their answers out of thin air. They lean on trusted media sources, and that has quietly handed public relations a whole new mandate. We sat down with Linus Kurtenbach, PR consultant at pr://ip – Primus Inter Pares, a boutique PR agency based in Münster, Germany, to talk about how PR teams are adapting to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which KPIs now matter, and why brand budgets are starting to shift back toward earned media.
In short: earned media coverage in trusted publications has become one of the strongest levers for showing up in AI-generated answers, and PR experts are uniquely positioned to pull it.
Prefer reading? The key insights from the conversation are below, with timestamps so you can jump to the moments that interest you most.
Who is Linus Kurtenbach?
Linus Kurtenbach works at pr://ip – Primus Inter Pares, a boutique PR agency based in Münster, Germany. The agency is a small group of PR experts helping brands become visible in the media landscape, from classic press relations to, increasingly, visibility in AI-powered search.
That last part is new. And according to Linus, it’s exactly why PR is having a moment again:
“I’m really happy that PR is back to the party. We have the ticket back to the party. I think it’s getting more important for CMOs, and I really like that shift.”
(Linus Kurtenbach, PR Consultant, pr://ip – Primus Inter Pares. Watch from [0:00])
For years, PR fought for a seat at the marketing table while performance channels soaked up budgets and attention. AI search is changing that calculus: when LLMs decide which brands to mention and cite, the trusted third-party coverage that PR produces suddenly becomes measurable, strategic infrastructure. It’s a shift we’ve also heard from in-house teams like Zurich Insurance Germany and platforms like OMR Reviews.
Why GEO is a PR topic, not just an SEO topic
Generative Engine Optimization raises a question that sits squarely in PR territory: how does a brand become visible in AI search?
“The whole GEO topic is quite interesting for PR experts, because we really have to answer the question: how can we get visible in AI search? We all know how the systems are working. There are LLM systems that really need trustful sources and information to reproduce answers. And we try to help our customers get into these systems.”
(Watch from [0:45])
This is the core mechanic: AI assistants ground their answers in sources they consider credible, and journalistic media rank high on that list. Our own research confirms it: AI search engines love press releases, and earned coverage regularly outperforms other content types in citations. So every placement a PR team lands in a trusted publication isn’t just a clipping anymore. It’s a potential citation in millions of AI-generated answers.
The new PR KPIs: mentions and citations in AI answers
PR measurement has always had its classics: the clipping list, reach, share of voice. Linus’s team still tracks all of it. But AI search adds a second scoreboard.
“In times of AI, there is another KPI for us to measure. We have our classic PR clipping list, where we can track reach and KPIs like that. And then there is a new way of tracking our PR performance, in these AI-overview-based search engines and in all the assistants. We really focus on mentions and citations.”
(Watch from [1:22])
The distinction matters:
- Mentions are how often a brand is named in AI-generated answers
- Citations are how often a brand’s content (or coverage about the brand) is used as a source
The team tracks both with Otterly.AI, giving clients a report on AI visibility that sits right next to the traditional clipping report. (New to citation tracking? Start with our complete guide to AI search citations.)
The three-step process: monitor, benchmark, act
Asked how his agency approaches AI visibility for a new client, Linus describes a three-step process:
“The first step is that we really have to understand where our customers are visible or not visible. So first, we focus on monitoring brand sentiment. Is there performance in these systems or not? Then we go into monitoring the competitors: what are they doing in AI Overviews, for example? And then we try to implement the right strategy for our customers.”
(Watch from [2:00])
1. Monitor your own brand. Where does the brand appear in AI answers today? What’s the sentiment? Which prompts trigger a mention, and which don’t? (Here’s how to track brand sentiment in AI search.)
2. Benchmark competitors. Competitor visibility in AI Overviews and assistants reveals the gap, and often the sources that are earning them citations.
3. Implement the strategy. Only with that baseline does it make sense to decide where to invest: which media, which topics, which content formats.
Which AI engines matter most in B2B
Not every AI assistant deserves equal attention. It depends on where your buyers actually are.
“In B2B cases, the Copilot universe is important. Of course, ChatGPT. And we’re also very interested in monitoring Perplexity, because it’s very nice to understand how AI is using the right sources for the right information and the right answer. We can really find new sources in Perplexity.”
(Watch from [2:53])
Two takeaways stand out here. First, Microsoft Copilot is underrated in B2B: it sits inside the tools business buyers use all day. Second, Perplexity doubles as a research tool for PR teams. Because it shows its sources so transparently, it reveals which publications AI systems actually trust on a given topic. In other words, a data-driven media target list.
Media relations in the AI era: same craft, sharper targeting
Has AI changed how PR professionals work with journalists? Yes and no.
“It’s really the same as in the last years, but it’s getting more important to get in touch with the right journalists. We need to be on time with the right topic. What is new is that not every medium performs in the same way in the AI systems. So we really focus on the trustful and important media.”
(Watch from [3:27])
The craft (relationships, timing, relevance) hasn’t changed. What’s changed is the weighting of outlets. A placement in a publication that AI systems frequently cite is worth more, in GEO terms, than one in an outlet the LLMs largely ignore. Media lists now need an extra column: does this outlet show up in AI answers? If you want to systematize this, we’ve covered the tools and workflows to automate media outreach for GEO.
The playbook: consistent core messages, everywhere
For brands starting from zero, Linus’s advice begins somewhere refreshingly classic: brand strategy.
“The first step is to start with the classic brand strategy, the communication strategy, with the real core messages. And then it’s really important to use these core messages consistently on all the touchpoints: the website, the social touchpoints, and of course the earned media touchpoints like newspapers.”
(Watch from [3:55])
Consistency isn’t just brand hygiene here. It’s machine-readable coherence. When the same core messages appear across owned, social, and earned media, LLMs encounter a consistent picture of what the brand is and stands for. Fragmented messaging fragments your AI visibility.
The second step: build genuine AI literacy inside the team.
“The second part is to really understand how AI is working in general. There are lots of experts out there, and it’s really important to figure out how these systems work, to test, and to use tools like Otterly for topics like prompt research and prompt monitoring.”
(Watch from [4:42])
If prompt research is new territory for you, our ultimate guide to prompt research is a good place to start.
Test your owned content, because some formats win in AI
On the owned-media side, Linus is pragmatic: the data on what works is out there, but every brand should validate it for their own topics.
“We all know the data, so the on-page websites are important. I recommend testing which listicles are working well, which content is working well. I really recommend testing it out, to figure out how this owned media content is working in AI.”
(Watch from [5:13])
Listicles, comparison pages, and clearly structured content are frequently cited by AI systems. But rather than copying generic best practices, the agency treats owned content as a series of experiments: publish, monitor citations, double down on what gets picked up. That’s the same philosophy behind our own live GEO experiments, and our guide on how to get your website cited by AI breaks down the formats that consistently win.
Budgets: stable today, shifting toward brand tomorrow
Is AI search visibility unlocking new PR budgets? Linus’s read: not yet, but the shift is coming.
“I think the whole budget is stable. But I think we will see other budgets shift to PR, because brand is getting more important, and branding. We are helping companies build a strong brand and, of course, be successful in AI systems.”
(Watch from [5:43])
The logic is hard to argue with: if AI assistants increasingly mediate discovery, and if those assistants favor brands with strong, consistent, well-covered reputations, then brand building stops being a soft discipline. It becomes the distribution strategy.
Key takeaways
- PR is back at the table. AI search has made earned media strategically measurable, and CMOs are noticing.
- Mentions and citations are the new clipping list. Track brand mentions and content citations in AI answers alongside classic PR KPIs.
- Start with a baseline, then benchmark. Monitor your own brand’s AI visibility and sentiment first, then your competitors’. Strategy comes third.
- In B2B, watch Copilot, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Copilot reaches business buyers where they work; Perplexity doubles as a source-discovery tool for media targeting.
- Not all media are equal in AI. Prioritize outlets that AI systems actually cite. Trusted, established publications punch far above their weight in GEO.
- Consistency compounds. The same core messages across website, social, and earned media give LLMs a coherent brand picture to reproduce.
Want to know how often your brand is mentioned and cited in AI search, and how you compare to competitors? Start tracking your AI visibility with OtterlyAI or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more interviews like this one.
