[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang] An analysis said owned media such as corporate websites and in-house blogs is gaining importance in the AI era.

Axios reported this on March 26 (local time), citing an analysis report by the Penta Group.

The analysis found that about 60 percent of the content cited by large language models (LLMs) is in-house content produced directly by companies. Traditional media accounts for about 25 percent. The rest is made up of user-generated content and third-party platforms.

For typical search queries, earned media accounts for 28 percent and owned content for 22 percent.

A key point is that LLMs prefer content that is closer to journalism than marketing copy. Clear headlines, a frequently asked questions (FAQ) format, named authors and regular updates are cited as factors that raise the likelihood of being quoted by LLMs. The Penta Group analysis said content structure and freshness are variables communications teams can directly control.

Andrea Christianson, a partner at Penta, said, "In an era when people turn to LLMs more than websites, websites should be designed to answer the questions people ask."

Owned media strategies also matter in competitive terms. Penta Chief Executive Matt McDonald said, "Since how competitors appear in AI answers is a key variable, you need to understand how your company is being surfaced." Another strength cited is that companies own their content, allowing them to speed up production and feed structured information directly into AI systems.

The report said brands are shifting their focus from a 'borrowed audience' to 'borrowed expertise'. The core idea is to work with authoritative sources in niche areas to secure original insights and raise the chances that a company's viewpoint is cited in AI answers.

Exactly how LLMs select and cite information remains unclear. Jim Prosser, a principal at Tamalpais Strategies, said, "Owned media was already an effective strategy in search engine optimization (SEO). In the end it is a combination of SEO and good communication," adding, "Only the name has changed to generative engine optimization (GEO)."