United States

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Guide

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Media monitoring helps organizations stay informed about what’s being said across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and other media channels. Whether you're tracking brand mentions, measuring PR performance, monitoring competitors, or identifying emerging trends, our expert guides, best practices, and industry insights will help you build a smarter media monitoring strategy and make more informed communications decisions.

Discover expert media monitoring guides, best practices, and industry insights to track brand mentions, monitor competitors, and stay ahead of the news.

Media Monitoring: Guides, Best Practices & Industry Insights

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.

Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?

The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

How do customers interact with my newly launched product?

How do I increase the productivity of my employees?

How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?

We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.

So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.

But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!

But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.

We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.

Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIn to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

It was an electrifying two days at Summit, jam-packed with stellar speakers, thought-provoking talks, and game-changing announcements.

So as we look forward to the coming months, what does all this mean for marketing and PR pros? We’ve distilled some of the top recurring themes and trends we heard repeated at Summit into an actionable framework for you to continue the momentum with your teams and leaders.

Trend 1: AI is Not Taking Your Job (But it Can’t Be Ignored)

Trend 3: Embrace Authenticity & Human Connection

Trend 4: Influencers Are Essential for Growing Market Share

Trend 5: Misinformation Drivers are Growing in Sophistication

43% of marketers don’t know how to get value out of AI. (Forbes)

Given this, we saw a strong desire among Summit attendees to get a practical view for how AI can be used to have more impact for their organizations, and make teams more efficient. 

Our speakers were more than ready to oblige, with a variety of sessions offering fresh ways to approach AI.

In particular, the audience was captivated by Stephanie Cohen Glass, Senior Director, Communications Strategy & Insights at Microsoft, who gave an in-depth look at using Microsoft Copilot for improving efficiency. She noted that, for those intimidated by AI’s prevalence or not sure where to start, “AI increases how positively today’s professionals feel about their roles, making them more informed and productive. Encouraging a feeling of happiness and confidence intensifies as they use AI tools more and more.” It might seem fluffy, but finding ways to up satisfaction at work is not just for the feels. 

In fact, Microsoft has conducted a Work Trends Index annually since 2020. They’ve found that:

80% of global workforce lacks the time or energy to do their jobs

53% of leaders say productivity must increase

82% of leaders are expected to use AI agents to meet demand for workforce capacity

Leaning into AI is the way to stem the tide of burnout and stress that marketing and comms professionals are feeling on the daily. As one of our other speakers put it: “AI isn’t coming for your job, it’s coming for your busy work.”

Of course, one of the biggest stories out of Summit was the launch of Mira AI from Meltwater.

Mira is more than just another dime-a-dozen generative AI tool. It’s designed to be a true extension of your team, built to answer your questions, write your recaps, summarize coverage, and help you understand what’s happening now. 

This latest innovation, integrated into the Meltwater Suite, learns from Meltwater’s 20+ years of data and expertise in the PR and marketing space, fitting seamlessly inside your current workflows, elevating your insights and reducing strain on your team's time.

New enhancements powered by Mira include:

Mira Studio: This chat-based interface within our social listening solution does everything from uncovering consumer insights to compiling media lists, all with a quick prompt.

Mira Companion: Integrated throughout the Meltwater Suite, these context-specific, pop-out companions streamline and accelerate existing workflows.

Meltwater Copilot: Available for Microsoft-enabled organizations, this chat-based AI assistant within Teams brings Meltwater insights to broader internal audiences.

TIP: Want to learn more about Mira? Check out our Mid-Year Release 2025 blog for more information about Mira and the other innovations we've added to the Meltwater Suite!

The AI discussion is a natural lead-in to our next key trend. Even with AI helping ease burdens on time, teams are still being asked to do more with less. Agility is going to be a key asset for companies looking to grow, expand, and remain competitive.

Orgs are not starting from square one in this regard, however. Marketing and PR teams are getting more and more savvy with using social media and social listening for leveraging powerful insights and we’re seeing much more sophisticated and complex use cases. With that, teams will need to continue upleveling and taking advantage of the insights available. 

In a time of continually shifting news cycles and narratives, organizations can remain agile by compiling more useful reports that are easily adaptable. Additionally, we heard that teams and individuals have to be able to say no. And they have to understand the potential impact of both saying no, and be able to present their case for why another direction will have more impact, sooner. 

Do what’s going to drive business forward and rely on data to inform your use of the word “no”. If you can only do a few things, use data to guide you toward what’s really meaningful as a next step for your brand or business.

TIP: Don't miss our on-the-ground coverage of Meltwater Summit 2025! Check out our Day 1 and Day 2 recap blogs for even more insights and takeaways.

Authenticity and human connection in marketing were major themes at Summit this year, and we expect these to continue gaining momentum as we move closer toward integrating AI into our everyday lives.

Brands are under continued scrutiny by consumers, particularly younger consumers, to interact authentically, especially when jumping on trends. 

And, perhaps ironically, technology can help organizations improve how they connect with broader markets and find new audiences. Using consumer insights to augment surveys and other ways of gathering information, expands your understanding of who your customers and potential customers are on a deeper level. These insights can serve to help you craft more relevant campaigns.  

Emphasizing human connection was paramount to astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim’s approach to leadership — he returned to it often during our live Downlink with him from the ISS. He noted that the ability to work as a team, to be vulnerable, and to act with integrity are precious skills that we will need to continue to develop, especially with the proliferation of AI. 

David Oksman, Vice President of Marketing and Direct-to-Consumer at Samsonite also offered a powerful case for how marketing campaigns that appreciate the value of human connection have longevity, even if (or perhaps because) they don’t focus on product-first. Instead having a perspective on “what’s really important” can go a long way toward inspiring powerful brand loyalty.

Speaking of brand loyalty, building it through influencers is another extremely useful channel. This is especially true if your audience spans multiple age ranges or other demographics, or if your brand struggles with finding ways to expand your social presence due to strict guidelines for your corporate account.

Influencers have a unique ability to help these brands and organizations tap into new audiences, easing the burden on brands to stretch their content thin, trying to appeal to different groups — thus allowing them to maintain a much stronger identity. A great example of this came from Gareth Crew, Social Media and Digital Communications Lead at Canon, who noted that an initial challenge the company faced when trying to grow their social media presence — and drive new purchases — was the wide range of skill levels interested in Canon products.

Canon serves everyone from complete amateurs new to photography to professionals, but their social media pages skew toward pros and serious hobbyists rather than beginners. So they decided to tap into an influencer network to bring more newbie practitioners into the fold.

Influencers know their own audiences better than brands, full stop. And it’s important that brands understand this if they want their influencer partnerships to be successful. Insisting on a particular style or format that the influencer knows won’t appeal to the following they’ve cultivated means engagement will be low as will conversions. 

And brands should be thinking long-term when approaching potential influencers — as Wendy Nguyen on our Content Creator Panel noted, organic posts almost always perform better than sponsored, so if brands want to extend their ROI, they need to consider the ripple effect that comes from more organic posts around their products or services. This kind of longevity can inspire more purchases, followers, and other important success metrics.

The threat of misinformation has unfortunately remained a fierce one, and it’s only growing in sophistication. Thanks to AI, narrative attacks are becoming more complex, going after the very fabric of human perception, creating fissures in trusted sources, and taking on lives of their own. These attacks result in real-world consequences for businesses and their stakeholders, such as sudden drops in stock prices or threats against individuals. There now exists tradecraft and a framework behind the manipulation of emotion, said Wasim Khaled of Blackbird.AI on our  Future of MarTech Panel. 

There are a few key strategies that large organizations need to consider to combat these bad actors and prevent future attacks. Increasing user trust in data is a big one. With more unstructured conversations becoming structured, more advanced technology use-cases are emerging, reducing complexities in automation — and AI solutions are getting better at understanding sarcasm and slang. But no matter how accurate data insights become, organizations need to remain vigilant and proactive with a range of strategies, from fostering employee advocates to mapping out crisis plans.  

From a technology standpoint, it’s important to have a framework that looks specifically at risk. Use investigative tools and models to show which actors or agendas are the drivers behind groups who are propping up that narrative. And be aware that sometimes it's knowing when not to react at all. Having these frameworks in place can assist you in identifying these times  — maintaining trust with your stakeholders.

Summit is where the best and brightest in PR, comms, and marketing gather for important insights on the big ideas impacting our industry, perspectives on new technology shaping our workday, and to network with peers. We got some wonderful feedback from our attendees! 

Don’t miss out on 2026 — early bird tickets will be announced soon!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My question for <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeseW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReeseW</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/Meltwater?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Meltwater</a> SUMMIT was one of 2 audience questions selected! Forgive the video quality, I was a little star struck!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeltwaterSUMMIT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MeltwaterSUMMIT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Meltwater?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Meltwater</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WalkWithPurpose?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WalkWithPurpose</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYC</a> <a href="https://t.co/PgC0KHdwG8">pic.twitter.com/PgC0KHdwG8</a></p>&mdash; David Clarke (@WriterClarke) <a href="https://twitter.com/WriterClarke/status/1919777467654357328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/POV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#POV</a>: You’re walking alongside our Director of Communications, <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_wiese?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kris_wiese</a>, to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Meltwater?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Meltwater</a> Summit event in NYC. 🗽 Big conversations, bold ideas, and meaningful connections start right here. Let’s make an impact, together. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeltwaterSummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MeltwaterSummit</a> <a href="https://t.co/C16d0ef5U3">pic.twitter.com/C16d0ef5U3</a></p>&mdash; United Way of Greater Nashville (@UWNashville) <a href="https://twitter.com/UWNashville/status/1922300554832969775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJZ0rFQRh9g/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJZ0rFQRh9g/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJZ0rFQRh9g/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by kaylee muchow (@kayleemuchow)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Loved seeing <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeseW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReeseW</a> at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/meltwatersummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#meltwatersummit</a>! Her enthusiasm and drive are truly inspirational! 🩷 <a href="https://t.co/WNKeCigHka">pic.twitter.com/WNKeCigHka</a></p>&mdash; Amy Earl (@amylearl) <a href="https://twitter.com/amylearl/status/1920074726791073870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">...I am a simple man, &quot;floating microphone&quot; will impress me every time. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeltwaterSummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MeltwaterSummit</a> <a href="https://t.co/rPbrSmLD30">pic.twitter.com/rPbrSmLD30</a></p>&mdash; Michael Andersen (@mjandersen) <a href="https://twitter.com/mjandersen/status/1920104448640114872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Our biggest-ever Meltwater Summit would not have been possible without the support of our many valuable sponsors. Please join us in thanking our Premier Sponsors, Cyabra and Snap Inc., as well as the following sponsor organizations:

Meltwater Summit is more than another conference. It’s a highly catered event for those leaders and rising stars in PR and marketing who know that success and longevity means staying in-the-know and ahead of the constantly evolving trends affecting our industry.  

We’ll soon be releasing the first ever Summit Playbook — a detailed overview of the top sessions and takeaways from our most impactful speakers. 

We’re also looking ahead to Summit 2026! Stay tuned for more information including early bird tickets, keynote announcements, and more. See you next year!

The Top 5 Trends from Meltwater Summit 2025

At Meltwater, we believe in making insights more accessible to everybody, not just data analysts. That’s why we’re pleased to announce Meltwater Agent, bringing the power of Microsoft AI technology to our unparalleled data and analytics. 

The Meltwater Agent for Microsoft is an AI teammate that works in Microsoft Teams and Office apps, allowing your entire organization to access insights from the Meltwater platform through the tools you’re already using in your daily workflows. 

The best part is that you don’t need to be a Meltwater expert or learn any new skills. When you want to pull data from the Meltwater platform, you can ask questions in plain English as if you were chatting with a coworker. This empowers your teams by streamlining workflows and providing fast, easy access to the answers they need whenever they need them. 

Explore how Meltwater Agent for Microsoft can give your team greater access to insights.

Too often, insights that could benefit the entire organization and drive real business impact have been siloed in a single team. This means that other departments either have no ability to use the data or must direct their requests to an over-stretched insights specialist and then eagerly await their response. 

So, instead of insight, many businesses are left to rely on hindsight. They’re often given information about what happened in the past, whether it’s how their campaigns performed, how their messaging resonated, or how their brand was discussed.

This kind of historical data can be useful for analysis and help inform future strategies, but a modern, agile business also needs to understand what’s happening right now, in real time. And, more importantly, teams need to be able to decipher real-time data so that they can draw insights that can quickly assist them with making informed business decisions, responding to changing conditions, and staying competitive.

Speaking at Meltwater Summit in 2024, Microsoft’s VP of Communications Strategy, Steve Clayton, said, “We’re bombarded with information. Nobody is asking for more information. What we need is more insight.”

So, while having access to a comprehensive array of online data sources is a good thing, it’s equally important to be able to identify what subset of that ocean of data is relevant to your business. That’s where AI can help — it’s able to extract the most relevant data, organize and rank it by importance, and present it to you in a format that’s easy to understand. 

“At Meltwater, our goal is to ensure technology serves the needs of our users. Our focus is on empowering our customers to achieve remarkable outcomes with solutions that truly simplify their workflows and effort levels.” — Chris Hackney, Chief Product Officer, Meltwater. 

This democratization of insights can lead to greatly improved decision-making and better outcomes, not just in the PR and marketing teams but across the entire business. It also frees up the data analysts to focus on more sophisticated, valuable work. 

We can’t wait for you to start using Meltwater Agent with Microsoft Teams. Find out more on the product information page here: www.meltwater.com/en/meltwater-agent.

Bringing Insights to Everybody - Meltwater Agent for Microsoft

Meltwater Summit Day 2 kept the energy flowing with a stellar lineup of speakers, including the truly inspiring Dr. Jonny Kim who joined us live from the International Space Station! 

Here’s a breakdown of some of the days highlights for you to revisit:

Talking Leadership in Extreme Conditions with NASA

Station, this is Houston. Are you ready for the event?

Meltwater Summit, this is Mission Control Houston.

In a thrilling kickoff to Day 2, we were privileged to speak with astronaut Jonny Kim via a live Downlink with the ISS!

With his impressive background that includes being a Harvard-trained physician and a US Navy Seal, there are few who are more qualified to speak on the topic of leadership under extreme conditions. 

Kim discussed his firm belief that forging and maintaining human connection are cornerstones that should fuel all aspects of leadership and teamwork. He espoused the importance of seeing beyond barriers and differences and grounding leadership style in the understanding and appreciating of the universal human experience.

Human connection was a theme that permeated all through Day 2, with speakers highlighting its necessity in multiple aspects of business — and in particular how much more important it is now that AI is a standard part of our lives.

Kim also shared his passion for the role that vulnerability plays in effective and well-rounded leadership. Stating that while yes, it’s vital that emotion play a role, there are circumstances where compartmentalization is essential. He went on to discuss the nuance here, and that it’s important not to mistake emotional transparency with emotional liability.

Our interview ended with a look to the future. A future we can’t even imagine yet, with technological advances beyond our wildest dreams. Kim acknowledged that that thought can cause some to feel anxious, but he had an optimistic view.

"No one knows what the future will be, but humans will be part of it.“ 

He cautioned that while this is true, the rapid advancement in technology means the human connection will be more important than ever. With automation and AI, the ability to work as a team and to be vulnerable — to act with integrity — are precious skills that we will need to continue to develop. 

Jonny Kim wasn’t the only one delivering impactful takeaways on the second day of Summit. The Main Stage alone featured sessions with expert speakers from Burger King, Equifax, and Microsoft. Download our Summit PR & Comms Playbook and the Marketing Playbook for a full breakdown of those sessions’ insights.

It’s nearly impossible to sum up all of the highlights of the day. You just had to be there — and next year you can be! But here are three themes that emerged throughout the day:

More than one speaker on Day 2 espoused the importance of maintaining human connection in marketing and communications today. Humans crave connection more than ever these days, and brands should lean into that as they think about their campaigns.

Brittany Brown of NASA explained how she looks at human connection when planning campaigns to attract young people to the space program. Working to expand their understanding of all the ways people contribute — and the many diverse skill sets that work together toward a common goal.  

Temeka Easter Rice of Vanguard noted that for executive comms, a personal touch can make all the difference, especially on social media. Not only does it humanize your executive team but integrating personal flair on social serves to drive better results. 

David Oksman, Vice President of Marketing and Direct-to-Consumer at Samsonite, spoke about when Covid hit the brand was faced with a myriad of challenges, but one thing was clear: our need to be together was stronger than ever. 

With the “Travel is a Gift” campaign they made a decision to lean into the emotional. Selling travel wasn’t the goal. Nor was focusing on their product. Instead they wanted to focus on travel’s importance in our lives — as a means to connect with our families, friends, and to create unforgettable experiences.

This celebration of human connection shaped future Samsonite campaigns, and helped them forge an identity for the modern traveler while maintaining the legacy of their 150 year old brand.  

Another common theme we saw was the challenge of marketing across the generational divide, in particular for legacy brands and organizations. 

Another heartstring-tugging campaign from Samsonite sought to bridge the gap between travel styles, after learning from younger generations that they wish they could travel like their parents used to — without being constantly online. 

Our Higher Education panel discussed the challenge of marketing to very different demographics from one source. Alumni and donors are in extremely different phases of life than current or prospective students. And your internal social media teams, PR teams, and faculty span a multitude of generations, so how do you manage your message? 

The panelists agreed that a key step is to hire a diverse age range — it helps to make sure all voices are represented as you craft stories and social media posts. Creating different buckets of content designed to appeal strongly to each group is another helpful tactic, allowing you to speak directly to your intended audience with a point of view.

Vanessa Mbonu, VP of Marketing at the NAACP noted that while the brand held strong cultural significance among older generations, they initially struggled with gaining engagement among younger generations on social media. It wasn’t until the BLM protest that this began to change, and they worked to update their social media strategy for this new younger audience. She noted while their social media is heavily intended for a specific demographic of young African Americans — leaning into memes and references — their email list is and older and wider demographic, so they cater their messaging differently when communicating through that channel. 

Influencers meet consumers where they are

The often bemusing world of influencer marketing was another key theme on Day 2, with speakers and panels attempting to strip away the mystification and make the case for this unique and valuable marketing channel. It’s actually quite apt, as tapping into an influencer network would be a powerful way to achieve success in the other two themes: finding human connection and growing market share across generations.

Influencers have the ability to broaden consumer bases and develop trust in your brand. 

The Content Creators panel, Alex Wong, Wendy Nguyen, and Alyssa McKay, all agreed that users swipe away on ads or obviously sponsored content so trusting influencers to speak to their audience in their own voice is critical to success when working with influencer partners. 

Alyssa noted that she’s seeing brands come around to the nuance of measuring conversions from influencer campaigns, and highlighted that looking beyond audience size and having clear KPIs in mind helps generate positive ROI. Wendy added that brands should think more long-term when hiring influencers. Considering the ripple effect of inspiring more purchases or conversions from organic posts after a sponsored campaign — organic posts almost always perform better, she said, so brands need to consider the evolution of content from the influencer. 

Gareth Crew, Social Media and Digital Communications Lead at Canon discussed how he uses influencers to broaden the reach of Canon products, which appeal to a wide range of skill levels: from amateurs to professionals. In particular for the iPhone user, scrolling through while watching TV. 

Engaging a creator network was a key component of engaging this "second screen" audience, while their brand-owned socials could focus on a more polished look, attractive to hobbyists and professional photographers.

The day rounded out with a high energy and inspiring fireside chat with Melissa Layton, Vice President of Global Communications for Crocs. She highlighted that sometimes accepting your own reputation instead of trying to fabricate a different one is the key to success. Once Crocs leaned into the fact that they were the butt of the joke, everything changed. They turned their faults into assets by simply appreciating and owning their own quirkiness.

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 2

On Tuesday, May 6, more than 1,400 PR, comms, and marketing professionals from around the world gathered in Manhattan for the highly anticipated, third annual Meltwater Summit. Offering attendees a mix of sessions ranging from the practical to the visionary, the event delivered on its promise of new perspectives from expert speakers and opportunities to connect meaningfully with peers. Here’s a slice of what you missed (or want to revisit) from Day 1 of Summit 2025.

The morning kicked off with the official launch of Meltwater’s newest innovation, Mira, the first comprehensive AI intelligence engine designed to help PR, communications, and marketing teams get from insights to impact even faster. After a rousing welcome by VP of Culture Zubair Timol, keynote speakers Chief Strategy Officer Alexandra Bjertnæs, Chief Executive Officer John Box, Chief Technology Officer Aditya Jami, and Chief Product Officer Chris Hackney each took to the stage to unveil this latest innovation integrated into the Meltwater Suite. 

Now powered by Mira, new enhancements announced include:

Mira Studio: This chat-based interface within our Meltwater social listening solution does everything from uncovering consumer insights to compiling media lists, all with a quick prompt.

The excitement around Mira carried over to the next segment as Meltwater VP of Marketing Jenny Force welcomed Summit’s celebrity keynote speaker Reese Witherspoon. While globally known for her acting career, Witherspoon’s mastery of storytelling extends to her business ventures Hello Sunshine, Draper James, and Reese’s Book Club. In a thoughtful conversation touching on leadership and staying true to your mission, she emphasized the importance of grounding business decisions in core values.

Figure out what your values are and keep it to five things. Get laser-focused on what your mission is, what you want to accomplish, and how you treat people. 

— Reese Witherspoon, Author, Producer, and Founder of Hello Sunshine

Witherspoon’s keynote, with its focus on authenticity and moving with intention, set the tone for the rest of the day’s sessions.

Witherspoon wasn’t the only one delivering impactful takeaways on the first day of Summit. The Main Stage alone featured five sessions with expert speakers from Havas, We.Communications, dig Human, Point 600, Microsoft, Heineken, Crumbl, and Yahoo. Download our Summit PR Playbook and the Summit Marketing Playbook for a full breakdown of those sessions’ insights

From presentations in the breakout rooms to the conversations in the halls, it’s impossible to sum up all of the highlights of the day. You just had to be there — and next year you can be! Instead, here are three themes that emerged throughout the day.

Staying agile in today’s quickly-shifting PR, comms, and marketing landscapes was a recurring theme. In her session ‘Navigating Career Advancement in Communications: Insider Strategies for Securing Your Next Role’, Brooke Kruger, founder of KC Partners, noted that comms hiring is steady but more competitive than ever. With hiring processes growing longer and more rigorous, candidates not only need to be prepared for interviews and references, but also need to stay agile and responsive with example projects and ideas at the ready. 

Lyndsey McFail, Director of Social Media at Broadcast Music Inc., highlighted the importance of preparation to remaining agile in her presentation ‘Harmonizing Social Media: Crafting Compelling Video Content with Limited Resources.’ Along with sharing the methods behind some of her most successful social videos, she illustrated how planning tools like lists, posting schedules, and capture plans (like her signature 5-for-1 Method) help solo and small teams maximize limited resources. 

You don’t need a big team to make a big impact — you need big intention. 

— Lyndsey McFail, Director of Social Media, Broadcast Music Inc.

From the data side, Will Swope, Associate Director of Issues Management and Monitoring at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, demonstrated his three-step process for building more insightful reports. Beginning with the first step of creating a basic search and improving it, next he digs into key insights, and finally chooses the right report template. With that process, he explained, organizations can remain agile throughout news cycles as narratives and objectives continually shift. 

Having the right data is important, but as multiple presenters emphasized, that data can’t exist in a vacuum. Jerrod Lew, Manager of Crisis and Issues at Philip Morris International, urged attendees of his session, Turning Social Listening into a Crisis Management Powerhouse, to shift to their PR reporting to have more contextual emphases with analysis of engagement and impression trends. Context around data was also a touchpoint in the day’s Communications Panel: Data-Driven Strategies for Effective Media Relations, featuring SHEIN US’s Head of Brand PR Lisa Zlotnick, and Accenture’s Insights Lead, Corporate Communications, Colleen McGroarty, moderated by Nicole Schuman, Managing Editor at PRNEWS. Attendees of that session learned how contextualizing data within real-world business impacts is essential for communicating impact to executives.

Cyabra CEO Dan Brahmy and Edelman Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Crisis Dave Fleet also spoke to the importance of context through the lens of misinformation in their talk Manipulated Narratives: Navigating the Reputational Maze of Misinformation. Along with identifying the actors behind harmful content and exposing the coordinated behaviors behind them, Brahmy and Fleet highlighted the need to contextualize misinformation in wider narrative landscapes to better understand how to respond. 

Marketing

The Top 5 Trends from Meltwater Summit 2025

Bringing Insights to Everybody - Meltwater Agent for Microsoft

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 2

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 1

How Early You Should Get to the Airport, According to Social Media

How Brands Are Responding to Dating App Fatigue

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics 2025

Three Crucial Luxury Fashion Resale Insights for Marketers

Social Media & Marketing Trends to Watch in South Africa in 2025

Duo Is Dead: The Data on Duolingo’s Viral Campaign

Digital 2025: The essential guide to the global state of digital

Marketing

The Top 5 Trends from Meltwater Summit 2025

Bringing Insights to Everybody - Meltwater Agent for Microsoft

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 2

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 1

How Early You Should Get to the Airport, According to Social Media

How Brands Are Responding to Dating App Fatigue

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics 2025

Three Crucial Luxury Fashion Resale Insights for Marketers

Social Media & Marketing Trends to Watch in South Africa in 2025

Duo Is Dead: The Data on Duolingo’s Viral Campaign

Digital 2025: The essential guide to the global state of digital

Interested in learning how Meltwater can help you? Fill out the form to learn more.