The large language models (LLMs) behind generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are learning from social media platforms and creators. To optimize their presence in chatbots conversations, brands should focus on social media as well.

GEO for brands

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is becoming more important for brands, as adoption of chatbots by consumers increases.

• ChatGPT is expected to reach 111.5 million monthly users in the US by 2029, according to an EMARKETER forecast.

“GEO is a huge area of interest for brands right now,” said our analyst Max Willens on a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers." “You've got about a quarter of the US population using ChatGPT at least monthly. We think that's going to rise to closer to 1-in-3 over the next couple of years.”

He added: “With this increasing adoption, brands are just obsessing over how to make sure that they appear in the right light in these new environments and contexts.”

Where AI responses originate

In order for marketers to optimize the presence of their brand in chatbot responses, they have to know the origin of those responses.

“If you looked at the top 10 domains that were baked into responses by ChatGPT, 3 of the 10 most commonly cited domains were social networks,” said Willens.

• Reddit was the top source for genAI responses, contributing in some form to 40.1% of replies to chatbot queries, according to a June 2025 Semrush study.
• Wikipedia (26.3% of genAI citations) and YouTube (23.5%) came in second and third, per Semrush.

“If you add in Google, which is a kind of a side door to some social content, because public Instagram posts are indexed and can be surfaced through ChatGPT queries, that kind of puts social networks over the edge,” Willens explained.

He added: “And brands are also spending on creator content already to satisfy a bunch of different strategic imperatives. They're using them to drive discovery and consideration and even conversion in the case of using them for affiliate [marketing], for example.”

Creators' role

Creators are major sources of content populating social media, meaning they can play an important role in brands’ GEO strategy.

“Creators will be the kind of main raw material that [marketers] use to figure [GEO] out because of how favorably creator content is treated by lots of social networks, and to a certain extent by search engines as well,” Willens said.

As chatbots can make the connection between creators and brands more explicit, an important part of marketers’ GEO strategy could be to pursue relevant creators and partnerships.

“AI has proved to be a very good researcher and gatherer of creator accounts for brands,” said Willens.

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