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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

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

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.

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!

What Is Data Analytics?
How can I grow my business? 
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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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?

Sydney's Redfern precinct played host to Meltwater’s first Summit on Tour: Sydney, bringing together communications, PR, and marketing leaders from across Australia to discuss a common challenge: how do organisations navigate a world where brands are being shaped by more voices, across more channels, and at greater speed than ever before?

From traditional media and social platforms to online communities and AI-powered answer engines, the conversations throughout the afternoon pointed to a communications landscape that is becoming increasingly complex. Yet despite the pace of change, one theme emerged consistently: success depends on understanding the narratives shaping organisations and knowing when and how to respond. Here are five key takeaways from the day.

Marketing and Communications Teams Are Entering the Intelligence Age

Brands are Being Shaped Across a Multi-Voice Landscape

Reputation Intelligence Is Becoming More Predictive

AI Visibility Is the Next Brand Visibility Challenge

What This Means for Marketing and Communications Leaders

Opening the event, Meltwater Chief Product Officer Chris Hackney highlighted how marketing and communications teams are entering a fundamentally different operating environment.

We're all entering a new age of narrative intelligence — a new age where organisations discover signals, understand the narratives within them and take action at the speed of those narratives and the media environment as it exists today.

Chris Hackney, Chief Product Officer, Meltwater 

For years, communications professionals focused on monitoring media coverage, tracking conversations, and measuring campaign performance. Today, Hackney noted, monitoring alone is no longer enough.

Reputation is increasingly shaped across a network of news outlets, social platforms, online communities, creators, and AI-powered answer engines. Understanding what is being said remains important, but organisations must also understand how narratives form, evolve, and spread across channels.

Hackney pointed to a new generation of intelligence tools designed to help teams move beyond reactive monitoring and towards earlier signal detection, trend identification, and faster decision-making. The message was clear: the challenge is no longer simply keeping up with conversations, but identifying which signals matter before they become reputation outcomes.

That theme carried through discussions on Australia's changing media environment.

A panel featuring Oren Fixler (Telstra), Rory O'Connor (Commonwealth Bank), David Eisman (Capital Brief), and Ashleigh Thomas (Nine) explored how dramatically audience behaviour and information consumption have changed.

The panel discussed how, while Australia's media market remains relatively concentrated compared to many global markets, audience attention is becoming increasingly fragmented, particularly among younger Australians who consume news and information across social platforms, creators, online communities, and traditional publishers.

One standout discussion point is that the traditional idea of a channel mix no longer reflects reality.

I don't even think about it as [a] channel mix anymore. It's like layers of influence. We still have to be in most of these places, but we have to think really deeply about who we're trying to influence and how effectively we can use that channel to do that.

Oren Fixler, Head of External Channels & Media, Telstra

Stories now move fluidly between news outlets, social platforms, online communities, creators, and AI-generated answers. A discussion that begins in a niche online forum can quickly become a mainstream media story, influencing audiences across multiple channels simultaneously.

That dynamic has also increased the challenge posed by mis- and disinformation. O'Connor shared an example of a fabricated video appearing to show a Commonwealth Bank executive walking out of a television interview. While entirely fake, the content was convincing enough to gain attention online, highlighting how quickly misinformation can spread and how difficult it can be to contain.

The ability to identify this sort of content quickly and then address it needs to be a key part of our arsenal – and is something that companies like Meltwater are helping us do.

Rory O'Connor, Lead, Newsroom, Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Later sessions featuring Suzie Shaw (We Are Social) and Joanna Stevens (Meta) reinforced the idea that audiences increasingly experience media, social content, creator influence, and corporate communications as part of a single narrative.

Brands are built or broken online now. That's where reputation is.

Suzie Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, APAC, We Are Social

The result is a communications environment that is simultaneously fragmenting and converging, with more channels, more voices, but increasingly interconnected narratives.

If the earlier sessions focused on how narratives spread, the next discussions explored how organisations build enough trust to withstand them.

Melissa O'Neill, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Bunnings, shared how one of Australia's most trusted brands approaches reputation and community engagement. Rather than treating trust as a communications initiative, O'Neill described it as something built through long-term consistency, community investment, and stakeholder relationships.

The University of Sydney offered a different perspective on trust during periods of sustained disruption. Reflecting on a year that included student protests, cybersecurity incidents, policy debates, and intense public scrutiny, Clare Masters and Johanna Lowe discussed the importance of authenticity during moments of pressure.

People will remember tone as much as they will remember what was said so a focus on really authentic human statements is really important for any institution. 

Clare Masters, Head of Public Affairs, University of Sydney

Lowe also shared how the university identified and addressed a student results issue after conversations began emerging on Reddit, demonstrating the growing importance of early detection and rapid response.

For the university, data has become an important tool for distinguishing genuine reputation risks from short-term noise.

Don't bring a hunch to a data fight. Bring out the data — it's your superpower in the room.

Johanna Lowe, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, University of Sydney

Both sessions highlighted how trust is earned long before organisations need to rely on it.

Tip: Learn more about Trust in the Age of AI and understand what consumers really think about AI-generated content.

Reputation Management Is Becoming More Predictive

As trust becomes increasingly valuable, communications leaders are also looking for better ways to understand and measure it.

Meltwater Executive Director David Hickey challenged the idea that reputation scores alone provide enough insight for modern communications teams.

Reputation is formed before it is measured.

David Hickey, Executive Director, APAC, Meltwater

While reputation benchmarks remain valuable, Hickey highlighted that they often capture outcomes after perceptions have already been shaped in real-time communications channels.

To illustrate the point, he highlighted Bunnings' ability to maintain strong reputation scores despite navigating several high-profile reputation challenges. The example demonstrated that reputation metrics can reflect the result without revealing the work required to achieve it.

This discussion formed the basis for Meltwater's newly announced APAC partnership with RepTrak, which aims to explore how media intelligence and reputation measurement can work together to identify stronger connections between narratives, channels, and reputation outcomes.

It will help [organisations] stop chasing their tail so much. Stop feeling that they need to respond to every single thing that's out there.

Kate Hamilton, Vice President - Advisory (APAC), RepTrak

The goal is not to replace reputation measurement, but to make reputation intelligence more predictive and actionable.

One of the most popular sessions focused on one of the fastest-moving developments in communications: AI-powered discovery.

We. Communications' International Head of Insights and Analytics, Brian Keenan talked about how AI answer engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are becoming a new layer of influence.

Earned media was the OG, next came social and influencers, and now you have generative engines.

Brian Keenan, EVP, International Head of Insights and Analytics, We. Communications

As more people use AI-powered search and answer engines to discover information, evaluate products, and make decisions, organisations face the new challenge of understanding how they are represented within AI-generated answers.

Keenan argued that organisations today increasingly need to "double code" for influence — creating content not only for human audiences, but also for the AI systems that discover, interpret, and surface information.

Importantly, he highlighted that AI visibility is not solely a marketing challenge. AI systems frequently draw on owned websites, earned media, executive thought leadership, expert commentary, FAQs, and corporate messaging, areas traditionally owned by marketing, communications, and other teams across the organisation. Improving visibility in AI-generated answers will require a coordinated effort across functions.

For organisations still early in the journey, his advice was straightforward: start by auditing how your brand currently appears across AI platforms before attempting to optimise for them.

The conversations throughout Summit on Tour: Sydney pointed to an Australian communications landscape that is becoming more complex, but also more interconnected.

Media, social platforms, creators, communities, and AI-powered answer engines increasingly influence one another, creating a multi-voice environment where reputation is shaped continuously and often simultaneously.

For communications leaders, success will depend on more than monitoring channels. It will require understanding how narratives move between them, identifying meaningful signals before they become outcomes, and building trust long before it is needed.

The intelligence age is no longer approaching. It has arrived, and the organisations best positioned to succeed will be those that can turn insight into action faster than the narratives around them evolve.

FAQs About Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026

What was Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026?

Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026 was a half-day event held in Redfern that brought together communications, PR, marketing, and corporate affairs leaders to discuss reputation management, media trends, trust, and the growing impact of AI on brand visibility.

What were the main themes discussed at the event?

The event focused on five key themes: narrative intelligence, Australia's evolving media landscape, trust and reputation management, predictive reputation intelligence, and the rise of AI-powered answer engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.

What was announced at Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026?

Meltwater announced a new APAC partnership with RepTrak to explore the relationship between media intelligence and reputation measurement. Speakers also discussed new capabilities designed to help organisations identify emerging narratives, monitor AI visibility, and improve decision-making through real-time intelligence.

Who spoke at Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026?

Speakers included Chris Hackney (Meltwater), David Hickey (Meltwater), Melissa O'Neill (Bunnings), Joanna Lowe and Clare Masters (University of Sydney), Brian Keenan (We. Communications), Upali Dasgupta (Meltwater), Oren Fixler (Telstra), Rory O'Connor (Commonwealth Bank), David Eisman (Capital Brief), Ashleigh Thomas (Nine), Suzie Shaw (We Are Social), Joanna Stevens (Meta), and Kate Hamilton (RepTrak).

Narrative intelligence refers to the ability to identify emerging signals, understand the narratives forming around a brand or issue, and take action before those narratives become reputation outcomes. It was a central theme of Chris Hackney's opening keynote.

Why is reputation becoming more difficult to manage?

Speakers highlighted that reputation is no longer shaped through a single channel. News media, social platforms, creators, online communities, and AI-powered answer engines all contribute to how organisations are perceived, creating a more complex and interconnected communications environment.

What role does AI play in brand visibility?

AI-powered answer engines are increasingly influencing how people discover information, evaluate brands, and make decisions. As a result, communications and marketing teams need to understand how their organisations are represented in AI-generated answers and what sources influence those responses.

A roundup of the top discussions and trends shaping Australia's marketing and communications landscape, from the first Summit on Tour: Sydney.

5 Takeaways from Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026

Now that the first matches have been played, have predictions changed for which teams are likely to win? While France is still widely expected to come out on top, early favorites, Brazil and Argentina have lost the confidence of some commentators, allowing Spain and England to rise to second and third place respectively. 

Analysis of media and social discussions highlight Neymar’s calf injury as a key driver of Brazil’s drop down the list of potential winners, while questions over Messi’s fitness shed doubt on Argentina’s chances. Conversely, positive coverage of Spain’s rising young star, Lamine Yamal, boosted sentiment for the national team.

Meanwhile, England appears to have risen to third favorite based largely on good vibes and the overwhelming optimism of English fans generating high volumes on positive online discussions.

Matchday 3 triggered a massive conversation spike

One of the most significant developments since our last analysis is the sheer increase in discussion volume. The dashboard now shows more than 6.2 million pieces of content, generating 14.2 billion views and more than 360 million engagements across tracked sources.

Most notably, June 13 (matchday 3) became the single biggest day of conversation in our analysis window, generating 1.06 million+ pieces of content, driven by Brazil vs Morocco, and Qatar scoring its first ever World Cup point, by securing a draw against Switzerland. 

This surge reflects a common pattern we observe around major sporting events: as uncertainty turns into reality, audiences shift from speculation toward immediate event-driven discussion. In this case, attention moved away from long-term predictions and toward opening matches, ticketing issues, travel stories, squad news, and final preparations.

In our first analysis, the World Cup’s opening match, Mexico vs. South Africa stood out as one of the most anticipated opening fixtures.

Five days later, it has become one of the defining stories of the entire tournament, with a Match Heat Score of 96, driven by several converging narratives:

The return of the World Cup to the iconic Estadio Azteca

Mexico opening the tournament on home soil

South Africa's first World Cup appearance since 2010

Significant fan travel activity documented across both countries

The opening ceremony and opening match have become major conversation drivers across both traditional and social media, illustrating how historic context often matters as much as on-field expectations.

The "GOAT Farewell" narrative is getting stronger

When we first published our findings, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were already among the biggest drivers of engagement. That trend has only intensified.

The dashboard now identifies "GOAT Farewells" as one of the dominant themes across all groups. Conversation around Argentina and Portugal is being driven less by tournament predictions and more by the possibility that fans are witnessing the final World Cup appearances of two of football's greatest players.

Some of the strongest engagement signals in the dataset are tied directly to these narratives:

Messi-related farewell content generated approximately 89,000 engagements

Argentina vs. Algeria has become one of the tournament's hottest fixtures, with a Match Heat Score of 89

Colombia vs. Portugal has risen to a Match Heat Score of 92

The lesson for marketers is clear: emotional storytelling continues to outperform purely performance-based narratives.

Host nation pressure is becoming a global story

The host nations were already generating significant attention in our original analysis, and now, they have become one of the tournament's defining themes.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada are all facing heightened expectations as kickoff approaches. Coverage increasingly focuses on questions of readiness, crowd support, and tournament atmosphere rather than purely football-related performance.

One of the most discussed stories in the dataset questioned demand for the U.S. opener against Paraguay, generating millions of potential impressions and triggering widespread debate around soccer's popularity in America.

Mexico remains one of the most discussed teams due to the opening match

Canada's home opener against Bosnia has become the hottest fixture in Group B

Host nation narratives now rank among the most important drivers of overall World Cup coverage

Brazil vs. Morocco discussions remain heated

Not everything has changed, and one prediction from our original post has only become stronger.

Brazil vs. Morocco remains one of the hottest group-stage matches in the tournament with a Match Heat Score of 96, maintaining its position as the most-discussed fixture worldwide.

Strong engagement from both Brazilian and Moroccan audiences

The Meltwater Blog

5 Takeaways from Meltwater Summit on Tour: Sydney 2026

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