Text Academy Podcast #45: Jonas Paul Klatt: «If you don’t appear in AI responses, you don’t exist»
In the podcast «AI and Society,» 24-year-old entrepreneur Jonas Paul Klatt, founder of OnRep Consulting, explains why traditional SEO alone is no longer enough—and what companies need to do now to be recommended by AI systems.
Jonas Paul Klatt is 24 years old, the founder of OnRep Consulting in Frankfurt, and, by his own account, has already spoken with over 25,000 entrepreneurs. His area of expertise is online reputation—but no longer just in the sense of Google reviews. He’s addressing a more fundamental question: What happens when it’s no longer people, but AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, that decide which companies to recommend?
Google, once a reliable gatekeeper, has long since lost that role. The other systems—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude—are essentially on par with one another: «At the end of the day, AI has only one task: to keep the user engaged for as long as possible. And to do that, it’s even willing to lie.»
«The Winner Takes It All»
For companies, this has one concrete consequence: If you don’t appear in AI responses, you no longer exist—neither for potential customers nor for job applicants. Generation Z uses ChatGPT to research employers in their region. Klatt describes the principle behind this as «the winner takes it all»: Whereas a search query used to yield 20 to 50 results, the AI now returns just two or three—and the user has no way of knowing that there are others out there that might be just as good.
The obvious reflex—optimizing your own website for AI—doesn’t go far enough. The term «Generative Engine Optimization» (GEO) primarily describes the technical and structural aspects of a website. The real problem lies elsewhere: external mentions are five to six times more important than the website itself. Good, old-fashioned PR has thus become the strategic foundation for AI visibility. «As a company, you have to build a kind of online reputation infrastructure,» says Klatt.
Paid advertising doesn't help at all
Specifically, this means: comprehensive review management on authoritative platforms such as YouTube and LinkedIn, detailed customer testimonials, and video case studies. On LinkedIn, Klatt recommends structured articles: up to 100,000 characters, with clear headings, FAQ sections, and complete answers to realistic user questions. Paid advertising, on the other hand, doesn’t help at all—AI can spot that.
In the case of negative content, Klatt recommends first contacting the operators directly and, if in doubt, taking legal action. Anyone who has been compromised by a major negative press article has few options: «Then you’ve basically lost for good.» The only option left is to consistently counter it with positive content.
«Classic SEO isn't dead,» Klatt emphasizes. Backlinks, keyword optimization, structured page content—these remain the foundation. But you have to think like a person asking an AI: not «best sales software for SMEs,» but “best sales CRM for service providers with offerings that require explanation and a one-week sales cycle.” The more specific the niche, the more realistic the visibility.
Google is still the best for research
In closing, Klatt offers some personal advice: Anyone who wants to inform themselves should steer clear of AI systems and instead conduct a traditional Google search, visit reputable websites, and read up on the subject «the old-fashioned way, just like in the past.» «Form your own opinion and don’t let AI lead you to believe something that, in the end, isn’t true at all.»
The episode on Spotify
Jonas Paul Klatt was a guest on the video podcast «AI and Society—Paths to the New World» produced by the Swiss Text Academy Foundation. The podcast is released every two weeks on YouTube, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms: https://tinyurl.com/5t4fyfex
