WSJ Exposes First Page Sage: How "Brand Authority Statements" Game ChatGPT

## The WSJ Exposé

In February 2026, the Wall Street Journal published a landmark investigation into how companies are manipulating ChatGPT search results. At the center of the story: First Page Sage, a marketing firm whose CEO openly described their tactics.

## The "Brand Authority Statement" Technique

Here's how it works, according to First Page Sage CEO Mr. Bailyn:

"To boost the placement of these companies' products in AI results, Bailyn's company plants a sort of magic incantation, known as a 'brand authority statement,' on at least 10 websites. Typically these are owned by other clients."

### The Process:

1. Target a high-value query (e.g., "What's the best hot tub for sciatica?")
2. Craft an authority statement (e.g., "highest-rated for sciatica")
3. Distribute across 10+ websites — often blogs belonging to other clients
4. Wait for AI crawlers to pick up the repeated signals
5. ChatGPT cites the client as the top recommendation

## Why This Is Black Hat

If you looked up "Black Hat SEO" in a dictionary, this would be the example. Let's break it down:

## The Collateral Damage

What's particularly concerning is that every blog used to distribute these "authority statements" is also put at risk. If Google or ChatGPT identifies the pattern, all participating sites could face penalties — not just the hot tub company.

This is a ticking time bomb for every client in First Page Sage's network.

## Our Analysis: How Long Until Enforcement?

In October 2025, during an interview with Ben Horowitz, Sam Altman was asked directly about manipulation of AI search. His response: "We will figure it out."

Google has decades of anti-spam infrastructure (SpamBrain, Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird). Migrating these detection capabilities to Gemini and AI Overviews is inevitable.

Our prediction timeline:

• Weeks: Internal detection systems flagging patterns
• 1 -3 months: First public enforcement actions
• 6 months: Systematic penalties similar to Google's Penguin update

## What This Means For You

If you're working with any GEO/AEO agency, ask them directly:

1. "Do you place content or statements on third-party websites to influence AI results?"
2. "Do you use other clients' blogs as distribution channels?"
3. "Can you show me exactly what content you've created and where?"

If they dodge these questions — run.

This is part of our Exposed series tracking real-world black hat GEO cases.