Does a Publishing Deal With OpenAI Impact GEO Relevance?

TL;DR

It probably means preferential treatment, but we don't know exactly how much. Outlets with OpenAI deals likely get cited more often because their content is directly integrated into training data or retrieval systems. It's an advantage, but it doesn't make everyone else irrelevant.

OpenAI has signed content deals with major publishers like The Atlantic, Axel Springer (Politico, Business Insider), News Corp (WSJ, New York Post), and others. The question everyone's asking: Does that mean those outlets always get cited over everyone else?

What These Deals Likely Include

While the exact terms aren't public, these partnerships typically involve:

Direct content access: OpenAI gets real-time or early access to articles, bypassing paywalls and indexing delays.

Training data rights: The outlet's content is explicitly included in model training, making it more likely to inform responses.

Preferred citation positioning: When the AI searches for sources, partner content may be weighted more heavily or surfaced first.

Financial compensation: The publisher gets paid, which funds journalism while giving OpenAI legitimate content rights.

Does This Mean Non-Partners Are Screwed?

No, but it's harder. Here's the reality:

Partner outlets have a structural advantage. Their content is ingested faster, indexed better, and likely prioritized in retrieval systems.

But AI still cites the best answer. If a non-partner has genuinely better, clearer, more authoritative content on a topic, it can still win citations. The AI isn't contractually obligated to only cite partners—it just has easier access to partner content.

Quality and structure still matter. A poorly written article from The Atlantic won't beat an excellent, well-structured piece from an independent site—but all else being equal, the partner has the edge.

What This Means for Brands

If you're a publisher: Consider these partnerships if they're available, but don't assume they're the only path to citations. Focus on content quality and AEO optimization.

If you're a brand or independent site: You're not locked out. Create authoritative, well-structured content and make sure it's easily accessible to AI crawlers. You can still win citations—you just need to be better.

If you're watching this space: Expect more of these deals. As AI search becomes mainstream, content partnerships will be table stakes for major publishers.

The Bigger Picture

These deals signal that AI companies know they need quality sources and are willing to pay for them. That's good for journalism. But it also creates a two-tier system: outlets with deals and everyone else.

The opportunity? Most topics and niches don't have dedicated partner coverage. If you're the authoritative voice in a specific area, you can still dominate citations—deal or no deal.

Bottom line: OpenAI partnerships give outlets preferential access and likely boost citation frequency, but they don't guarantee dominance. Quality content that's properly structured can still compete. Focus on being the best answer, not just the most connected one.

Working on AEO strategy? Wild Signal helps brands optimize content for the citation economy.