A Decade of Shifts, Stories, and Survival

LVPR is ten! Woah! 

Despite the namesake of this column, I’ve actually been part of the LVPR team for a few years now, and have enjoyed every minute of it. From securing press wins, to pivoting campaigns that aren’t sticking, to evolving practices to fit the times, working at a boutique agency has been a breeding ground for pure, concentrated PR chaos and the ideas and learning that come with it. 

Cheesy? Maybe. Readers, take your pepto. You know her, you love her, I chatted with Ali Karsch to get the scoop on the past decade: more on entrepreneurship, lessons learned, and how building an agency that stands the test of time. 

Ten years ago, what was the big PR industry fear? What were you worried about?

“Ten years ago, the biggest shift was influencer marketing. Brands knew they needed to be in the space, but nobody really knew how it worked yet. 

We got into it really early, especially around retail launches. We were running influencer campaigns that drove people into major retailers, and those retailers could actually see products moving off shelves because of it. At the time, that was a huge proof-of-concept moment for the industry.

Because influencer marketing was still so undefined, we were able to get ahead of it fast. We ended up consulting for private equity firms and portfolio brands that wanted help understanding how to actually execute in the space. Looking back, trusting my instincts early has probably shaped the entire agency. Usually when I feel a shift coming in media or consumer behavior, it’s already started.”

It’s fun to reflect on how something so commonplace now once felt like a giant, scary void. Gen Z, in many ways, is defined by uncertainty. We grew up during rapid shifts in tech, media, culture, labor, all of it. We really know nothing but the void. Developing the instinct to feel a shift happening, or at least learning how to move alongside uncertainty instead of freezing because of it, feels critical now.

What does that mean for industry fears? Keep up. Learn from the people who’ve lived through earlier versions of disruption. Then figure out what comes next.

What were you worried about?

“Personally, though, my fears were much less glamorous. I was just a freelancer with no roadmap. I had to figure out pricing, cash flow, taxes, contracts, all the backend operational stuff nobody teaches you. I started out invoicing net-30, which completely wrecked my cash flow.

I was also building the business while surviving a lot personally at the same time. Entrepreneurship looks very shiny from the outside, but there were definitely years where it felt more like survival than success.”

So, what was something you did, or a practice you followed at the time, that you look back on now and cringe?

“Selling myself short is one of my biggest regrets from those early days. When you go out on your own, especially as a woman, I think you can confuse being accommodating with being strategic. I would lower my rates, overdeliver, or take on brands at reduced retainers because I wanted the work and believed loyalty would eventually translate into respect. It doesn’t always.

The example that sticks with me most is Native Deodorant. We worked with them for years and helped take the brand from startup to acquisition by Procter and Gamble. Right before the deal closed, they actually asked us to reduce our retainer. That one really stayed with me because I knew exactly how much PR had contributed to building not just the brand, but the category itself. When we started working with Native, natural deodorant wasn’t even really a recognized category yet. By the end, it was everywhere. The brand sold for $50 million.

I look back now and realize I should’ve advocated for our value much earlier and much more confidently. I think a lot of founders learn that lesson the hard way.”

An important lesson indeed, I’m a big believer that good, honest work eventually comes back around. I would rather take a financial L knowing we did right by a client than optimize for profit.

That said, there’s a difference between being collaborative and undervaluing yourself. Strategy has value. Experience has value. Taste, instincts, relationships, time all have value. Part of growing professionally is learning how to recognize that value in yourself, even before other people do.

What is something you did back then that you continue to do now?

“Storytelling has always been the core of what I do and honestly probably my biggest strength. What’s the story? What actually makes this brand different? Why should people care? And if the story isn’t there yet, being honest about that too.

That directness has never changed. I think it’s a huge reason LVPR has stayed referral-only for ten years (huge). We’ve always treated clients like partners, not transactions, and I’ve never been interested in overpromising just to win business.

The other thing that hasn’t changed is knowing when to walk away. Whether it’s a client who isn’t kind to my team, a brand that isn’t ready for PR yet, or simply not being the right fit, I’ve learned protecting the agency culture matters more than chasing every opportunity.

The most empowering part of building my own business has always been choosing who I work with and how I’m treated. I built the kind of agency I wish existed when I was coming up. One where founders and challenger brands don’t have to fit some polished mold to be taken seriously.”

In an industry built around visibility, these are the things that actually make a business future-proof. PR relies on stories and connection. The strongest campaigns aren’t manufactured in a vacuum or engineered solely for virality. They work because there’s a real understanding of the brand, the audience, and the cultural moment surrounding it.

That connection has to be nurtured, paid attention to, evolved alongside. People can tell when something is forced. It’s understanding how brands move through culture as a whole.

“And the industry itself has changed so much. Ten years ago, brands hired PR firms mostly for press. Today they need partners who understand visibility, conversion, affiliate, retail strategy, AI discovery, founder positioning, all of it. PR became much more intertwined with actual business strategy, and honestly, I think that’s made the work more interesting.”

Thank you, Miss Ali K. Getting to learn the industry from women who have adapted alongside it, and helped shape it, has been incredibly special.

Here’s to ten years of LVPR and to whatever version of the industry we’re all navigating next.