A Million Tiny Whispers: The Psychology of AI Discovery & Digital PR with Logan Freedman

Listen to the Podcast

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Burkett interviews Logan Freeman, Global Head of SEO at ManyChat. Together they explore the evolving landscape of SEO in the AI era, particularly the rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and how it’s changing everything from keyword strategy to attribution modeling. Logan shares tactical approaches for optimizing content for LLMs (large language models), including using FAQ schemas, focusing on off-page visibility, and thinking like a product marketer. They discuss how brand mentions are now more powerful than backlinks, why traditional SEO tools fall short for GEO, and how Logan approaches measurement when attribution is nearly impossible. The episode also explores LLM perception, off-site trust-building, and creative ways SEOs can future-proof their strategies by merging content, digital PR, and product

Key Takeaways

• SEO vs. GEO: Traditional SEO focuses on keywords, while GEO requires optimizing for hyper-personalized, conversational queries used in LLMs.
• LLM Perception Is Real: How AI models “perceive” your brand based on off-site mentions can limit (or expand) your visibility in AI answers.
• Brand Mentions > Backlinks: In the world of AI search, brand visibility across trusted platforms outweighs classic SEO signals like links.
• SEO as Product Marketing: SEOs must deeply understand users and position content like a PMM would—focused on problems, personas, and differentiation.
• Dark Attribution Is Growing: Most traffic influenced by LLMs doesn’t click through—making measurement harder and more reliant on referral glimpses and qualitative insights.
• Go Beyond On-Page Optimization: Embedding schema, FAQs, and latent questions can increase the odds of being cited in LLMs.
• Get Creative with PR: To influence LLM results, you may need broad digital and traditional PR campaigns that shift how your brand is referenced across the web.

Show Links

• Visit Manychat
• Connect with Logan Freedman on LinkedIn
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Time stamps

• [00:00] Introduction to Logan Freeman and the AI shift in SEO
• [04:30] What is GEO and how it differs from traditional SEO
• [10:15] How LLMs personalize queries and the role of latent search
• [16:40] Schema, FAQs, and on-page tactics for LLM visibility
• [23:25] Dark attribution, referral traffic, and measuring GEO impact
• [31:10] Off-site presence and brand mentions in AI-generated results
• [38:45] What is LLM perception and how to influence it
• [46:15] PMM thinking: why SEOs need to understand their users
• [52:30] Building trust through digital PR and unconventional campaigns
• [59:10] Shifting from “ranking” to “appearing” in AI answers
• [01:04:40] Tools, tactics, and experimenting without reliable data
• [01:10:55] Final thoughts on creativity, trust, and navigating uncertainty