FIR Interview: Generative Engine Optimisation with Stephanie Grober

GEO – generative engine optimisation – is suddenly everywhere. Is it the new SEO, a passing fad, or simply good communication practice in disguise? In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson talk with Stephanie Grober, Marketing & PR Director at Horowitz Agency in New York, about why GEO matters, the competing narratives surrounding it, and how communicators should prepare for the impact of generative search. What we discussed What GEO actually is – and how it differs from (or builds on) SEOThe hype versus the reality: is GEO a genuine discipline or simply “snake oil”?The importance of authority, credibility, and tier 1 media coverage in shaping generative search resultsWhy trade and niche publications are still crucial for visibilityPractical steps for PR and comms professionals to get ahead, from media training to message consistencyThe evolving role of content marketing, press releases, and multimedia in a GEO-driven environmentHow law firms and professional services balance credibility with regulatory and compliance requirementsWhere GEO may be heading over the next 12 months About our Conversation Partner Stephanie Grober is the Marketing & Public Relations Director at Horowitz Agency, an integrated marketing and public relations agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, and Vancouver (B.C.). Her team works with law firm clients ranging from BigLaw to boutiques, designing and executing content and communications strategies that generate bottom-line growth in measurable ways. Leveraging deep relationships with the press, she delivers high-quality earned media placements for clients and utilizes her extensive marketing background to amplify these results through a multi-channel approach. Stephanie joined Horowitz Agency in 2021 after serving as Marketing and Communications Manager for a Top 50 accounting firm in New York City. Follow Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegrober/ Relevant Links https://searchengineland.com/what-is-generative-engine-optimization-geo-444418 https://www.geekytech.co.uk/what-is-generative-engine-optimisation/ https://www.reddit.com/r/seogrowth/comments/1m6k4gx/is_anyone_actually_doing_generative_engine/ https://zapier.com/blog/generative-engine-optimization/ https://a16z.com/geo-over-seo/ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/stop-trying-to-make-geo-happen/554629/ Audio Transcript Shel Holtz (00:01.989) Welcome everybody to a For Immediate Release interview. I’m Shel Holtz. I’m here with Neville Hobson and our guest today, Stephanie Grober, who is marketing and public relations director at Horowitz Agency. Stephanie, it is terrific to join you today. Stephanie Grober (00:19.33) Thank you guys very much for having me very excited to be here and chat a little bit about what we are calling GEO. Shel Holtz (00:27.471) We are, even though some people are disputing that particular moniker. But before we jump into this, Stephanie, I think our listeners would appreciate knowing something about your background. Stephanie Grober (00:40.748) Absolutely. So at Horowitz Agency, we specialize in working with law firms and select individuals. So very much rooted in legal marketing. I’ve been in professional services marketing for about six years now, and I’ve been a marketer for my entire career across several different industries. So I was fortunate to be able to continue honing my craft, focusing on communications and now communications, marketing, NPR for law firms and leading attorneys. Shel Holtz (01:13.837) And what got you into studying this field of AI and generative engine optimization? Stephanie Grober (01:22.7) Well, it’s a very exciting time for public relations professionals. When you are talking about AI and generative engine optimization, you’re going to hear the words authority and credibility, right? And authority and credibility are core principles of public relations. So that right there should signal, wow, this, this sounds like a PR play. And so as research has come out and we’re learning more about generative engine optimization and essentially the AI overviews that are populated when somebody puts a search term into a search engine, we’re finding that the AI is creating a brief summary using sources from the internet. And what are those sources? Well, a lot of them are authoritative sources from top publications where you may have a PR professional working with you to get you quoted. So it all circles back to PR, makes it a very exciting time for PR professionals. Those who have already engaged the services of PR consultants or may have PR services happening in-house are a little bit ahead of the curve right now because they’re already going to be appearing in the authoritative sources that AI likes. @nevillehobson (02:50.272) Great. That’s a very good overview. We talked about this topic, actually, as you know, Stephanie, in the regular episode of this podcast, where we looked at this ...