Attribution of AI Visibility to PR Activities is the ROI methodology for connecting GEO and AI Communications efforts to measurable Citation Share lift — answering "did our owned-content strategy, earned-media push, or research drop actually move the needle in AI engines?" It's the bridge between activity and outcome.

Methodology: (1) Establish baseline Citation Share before the campaign (quarter N). (2) Run the program (owned content, earned media push, research publication, thought leadership, data drop). (3) Measure Citation Share at campaign end (quarter N+1). (4) Compare lift (12% → 14% = 2 points of Citation Share lift). (5) Isolate the PR contribution from concurrent activities (paid search, product updates, competitor activity).

Isolation is the hard part. Many variables move Citation Share simultaneously. A brand's Citation Share could rise 3 points from: owned-content investment (1 point) + major award (1.5 points) + competitor stumble (0.5 points). The PR program can't claim all 3 points. Good methodology uses control groups, historical trends, and competitive benchmarking to estimate the PR contribution accurately.

In CFO conversations and ROI justification, Attribution of AI Visibility to PR Activities is essential. It answers the board question: "What did the $500K GEO program actually produce?" A methodology that credibly links $500K investment to 2-3 points of Citation Share lift — which compounds over time into visibility moat and revenue impact — justifies the spend and secures continued budget allocation.