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For the longest time, there was a public relations (PR) problem nobody wanted to fix. Ask any entrepreneur who’s paid five figures a month for PR what they got in return, and you’ll likely get a shrug. Maybe a feature that didn’t drive clicks. Maybe a “visibility campaign” that went nowhere. The problem with traditional PR isn’t the concept, it’s the contract. Retainers build on vague promises and soft metrics are still standard practice, even as brands demand proof of impact and flexibility in how they spend.
Jonathan Jadali, CEO of Ascend Agency, saw this disconnect early. “The traditional PR model is broken,” he says. “Brands are being sold effort, not outcomes.” So he built something different.
Ascend Agency, now a top-20 Inc. 5000 firm with over 7,500% revenue growth in just two years, thrives on one idea: make PR accountable, accessible, and agile. In short, treat clients like partners, not captives.
Why À La Carte Works, Even for Fortune 500s
Ascend’s service model is structured less like a law firm and more like a marketplace. No long-term retainers, no bloated packages. Just targeted PR and marketing services that clients can mix and match.
This model, once dismissed as “low-touch,” now attracts both startups and Fortune 500s because it meets brands where they are. “One week a founder needs press,” says Jadali. “Next week, they need ad spend optimization. The system should flex with them.” With no fixed contracts, clients only pay for what they need, when they need it.
Ironically, it’s this flexibility that has driven client retention. “When you let people leave, they tend to stay,” notes Brauch Owens, a Partner at Ascend. The agency’s stickiness doesn’t come from locking clients in, but from showing results fast enough that they don’t want to leave.
The Secret B2B Flywheel Most PR Firms Miss
Here’s what most agencies won’t tell you: some of their clients are other agencies. In Ascend’s case, that’s the point.
The firm’s quiet advantage lies in its B2B model. Other PR firms, especially those built around relationships but lacking in digital infrastructure, white-label Ascend’s guaranteed placements and CPC-driven campaigns. “We’ve become the execution arm for dozens of firms that focus on strategy but don’t have the bandwidth to scale fulfillment,” says George Nellist, Ascend’s CRO.
This second-order revenue stream, invisible from the outside, has fortified Ascend’s position as a back-end powerhouse. It’s the kind of model that compounds.
Rethinking Visibility in the Attention Economy
Jadali’s team leans into performance metrics with the same intensity as a DTC brand watches ROAS. If a campaign doesn’t convert into engagement, they count it as a failure, even if it looks great on a portfolio. “It’s not enough to land a placement,” says COO Amir Bakian. “It has to spark movement. Visibility with no velocity is useless.”
That’s where their emphasis on CPC marketing comes in. Paired with exclusive media partnerships (think Hearst and Tribune), Ascend turns PR from a cost center into a revenue lever that places stories where they’ll be seen, clicked, and acted on.
A Take Away for Brand Owners
Ascend Agency’s rise is about removing friction from the process of getting seen and heard. That lesson applies to every brand struggling to justify its PR budget. Access has become the real advantage, since efficiency beats paying premiums for exclusivity.
Accountability is another pillar. If a PR firm cannot tie coverage to tangible results, that should raise questions.
And finally, flexibility drives faster growth. Brands that thrive are not bound to retainers; they remain loyal to value. As Jadali puts it, “Visibility fades. Relevance sticks. We’re not here to chase buzz. We’re here to create impact.”
