Online – October 23, 2026 -- Small PR agency Approach has built more than 80 custom AI agents for clients, and says the real figure is probably higher now, according to its leader Megan in a podcast interview with host Doug.
Every client gets a five-agent stack built by account leads
Each client receives a standard stack of five agents, including one that tracks what reporters are discussing in real time and feeds custom weekly content into client team inboxes. Client experience directors, who are not coders, must build and customize the agents for their accounts. A hired consultancy then helps them work through bugs.
Daily sales data links events to ROI for a multi-location client
Approach pushes clients to share sales and foot-traffic data so it can connect PR work to business outcomes, which the agency has found hard to do without performance-marketing tools. One multi-location client granted access to real-time daily sales reports. An agent now produces a daily report on a nationwide community engagement program, covering results from events such as 13 held in a single day, plus spend, dwell time and food and beverage totals. Based on those reports, the agency can drop underperforming formats, such as sports sponsorships, in favor of bar crawls.
Weekly power-user rankings and town halls drive staff adoption
Approach circulates a weekly power user list that stack-ranks employees by AI adoption. It also holds town halls every weekend with the consultancy present, where staff bring client challenges and ask whether a tool can solve them. Account leads are accountable for ensuring their teams use the agents. Megan says she was advised to treat the rollout as a change-management exercise, particularly for a senior team with decades of established habits.
AI usage policy now sits in every master service agreement
On the advice of an advisory board member, the agency adopted an AI usage policy early, published it on its website and sent it to all clients. The policy is now part of Approach's standard master service agreement and every scope of work it signs. Megan says it covers how AI and client data are used, and that it protects both clients and the agency.
Megan says Approach's small size lets it adopt AI faster than larger agencies, though it cannot match their resources.