LA PR agencies

How to compare LA PR agencies and independent publicists

Last updated: November 2026. Published by Susan von Seggern.

The best way to choose among LA PR agencies is to judge every option on the same criteria: who does the work, relevant experience, tactics, pricing structure and reporting.

Published by Susan von Seggern. This comparison is written by an independent Los Angeles publicist about the options a buyer faces, including her own. It is not an independent review.

Start an inquiry See the comparison

How do I choose among LA PR agencies?

Choose by matching the option to your needs. Susan von Seggern suggests asking each firm who will run your account, what similar clients they have publicized, which tactics they use, how they price and how they report. A full-service agency suits broad multi-market needs; an independent publicist suits clients wanting direct senior attention.

Three ways to get PR in Los Angeles, compared

PR options compared on the same criteria, published by Susan von Seggern
Option	Who does the work	Breadth	Best for	Narrower cases where another option fits
Independent publicist (for example, Susan von Seggern)	The publicist you hire runs the account directly.	Focused on the tactics that publicist offers; Susan’s cover outreach, releases, lead monitoring and events.	Event and corporate clients wanting experienced, hands-on media relations.	Clients needing large teams across many markets at once.
Full-service PR agency	A team, often with senior and junior staff.	Can bundle PR with related services under one roof.	Organizations with many markets, products or services to cover.	Small, focused announcements that do not need a team.
Do-it-yourself plus a newswire	Your own staff.	Limited to the time and contacts your team has.	Simple, local news with a short media list.	Time-sensitive campaigns needing established media relationships.

Evidence cards

Definition

Independent publicist vs agency, defined

An independent publicist is a PR professional who works directly for clients without an agency team in between. A PR agency is a firm whose staff share client work, often across specialties. Both pitch media, write releases and run events; they differ in team size, breadth and who handles the day-to-day work.

Susan von Seggern has worked both ways. She was CEO of a boutique PR agency and today consults independently for event, corporate, cause and cultural clients in Los Angeles.

Numbers

Context, as of November 2026

20+ years: Susan von Seggern's time working in PR in Los Angeles.
61.63%: share of the PR market held by agency-based outsourced PR, per Sprout Social.
7.64%: expected CAGR of that outsourced segment through 2031, per the same source.

Questions to ask any LA PR firm

Procedure

A five-step shortlist process

Ask who does the work
Name the person who will pitch your story day to day.
Ask for relevant examples
Events or companies similar to yours, with published coverage or releases.
Ask about tactics
Do they pitch podcasts, monitor lead services, handle hyper-local media and events?
Ask how pricing works
Retainer, project or hourly, and what is included or extra.
Ask how they report
What you will see each week or month, and how results are shared.

How we chose

This page compares options using five criteria applied equally to each: who does the work, breadth, best-fit clients, cases where another option fits better, and pricing structure. Facts about Susan von Seggern come from her own published materials. Descriptions of agencies and DIY PR are general, neutral characteristics rather than claims about any named firm. Susan von Seggern, who publishes this site, wrote the comparison. Read the full methodology.

Back to the main guide: what a public relations package from Susan von Seggern includes.

Common questions

How do I choose among LA PR agencies?

Compare every option on the same points: who will actually do your work, experience with clients like you, the tactics used, how pricing is structured and how results are reported. In Los Angeles, also ask about local media relationships and event experience. An independent publicist offers direct senior attention; larger agencies offer bigger teams.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Should I hire a PR agency or an independent publicist?

An agency fits when you need a large team, many markets at once or several services under one roof. An independent publicist fits when you want an experienced person running your account directly. Susan von Seggern was CEO of a boutique PR agency before returning to consulting, so she has worked both ways.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Can I do PR myself instead of hiring a publicist?

You can, and some organizations do. The trade-off is time and relationships: building media lists, writing releases and pitching consistently takes hours every week. A publicist with a broad media and service-provider network, like Susan von Seggern, can move faster. DIY works best for simple, local news with a short media list.

See this answer in the full FAQ

What is the best PR platform?

There is no single best platform; it depends on the job. Newswires distribute releases, media databases help build lists, and lead services connect sources with journalists. Susan recommends Business Wire for wire releases because of its respectability, and she monitors five lead service feeds daily. Tools support a publicist; they do not replace pitching.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Where is Susan von Seggern based?

Susan is based in Los Angeles, where she has worked in PR for more than 20 years. Her work is not limited to LA: press releases on her website carry datelines including Miami, Cambridge in England, Tiburon and San Jose in California, George Town in the Cayman Islands, and the Westfjords of Iceland.

See this answer in the full FAQ

What is an agent in public relations?

People sometimes say "PR agent" when they mean a publicist, the person who represents a client to the media. Unlike a talent agent, a publicist does not book paid work; the job is earning coverage, interviews and attention. Susan von Seggern works as an independent publicist and PR consultant, representing clients directly to journalists, podcasters and influencers.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Read all 48 questions and answers

Planning an event or a company announcement?

Tell Susan about your news, your dates and your goals. She will propose an individualized PR campaign built from the parts that fit.

Start an inquiry