'Businesses should see PR as a channel that builds reputation and reputation builds sales'

‘The global understanding of the media has allowed me to work with clients in varied markets’ - Vaishali Gauba

For many brands, getting media attention is one challenge; getting journalists to see a story as genuinely worth covering is another. Vaishali Gauba, Founder and Director, Vaishali Gauba Media Inc., came into PR from the other side of that equation — the newsroom. After working with news organisations including CNBC, CBS News and NBC News, Gauba turned her understanding of what makes a story newsworthy into a boutique PR and consulting business.

Founded in 2024, Vaishali Gauba Media began as a solo consulting practice and has since grown into a small, intentionally built team working across North America and India. The agency focuses on earned media for founder-led brands across edtech, SaaS, wellness, hospitality and CPG, with clients securing coverage across publications including Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, The Globe and Mail and The Times of India.

But Gauba’s journey raises a more interesting question than simply why a journalist chose PR. What changes when someone who has spent years deciding which stories deserve attention starts helping brands make that case? Does newsroom experience translate into better PR counsel, and how does a founder maintain that editorial lens while building a business?

In this conversation, Gauba speaks about making the transition from journalism to PR, using her newsroom experience to identify what makes a story genuinely newsworthy, building an earned-media-focused agency across two markets, and the lessons from growing a business while staying close to the craft of storytelling.

Excerpts:

What convinced you there was room for another PR agency in an industry already crowded with established players? What opportunity did others overlook?

I started working as a PR consultant five years ago. At the time, while working with clients from India, the US, UK, and parts of Europe, I noticed many brands felt stuck regarding PR: they were either paying high premiums, failing to gain earned, meaningful coverage or lacked education on how PR works. That showed me the gap. I knew my competitive advantage was being a journalist-turned-PR-founder and using my newsroom experience from CNBC, CBS News, and NBC News to land genuine coverage for brands. I also had media experience in India and in the US where I studied journalism. This global understanding of the media has also allowed me to work with clients in varied markets. 

How difficult was it to win your first few clients, and did your age or experience ever become a hurdle during client conversations? What almost made you quit?

I tapped into my network and experience from working in communications at the Max India Group and later as a PR consultant to secure my first few clients. Early on, a senior journalist turned PR professional told me not to use my former journalism background. That initially made me question myself. But I turned it into a differentiator instead. I realized my newsroom experience — knowing what journalists want, how they pitch editors, what makes a story newsworthy — gave me an edge and shouldn’t be something I need to hide or erase. This experience is exactly what makes my clients’ pitches land in top-tier outlets like Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Forbes, or TechCrunch. It didn't make me consider quitting, but that moment jolted me into proudly owning my background instead of downplaying it.

Where do young agencies genuinely outperform established firms?

Younger agencies move faster since they need fewer approvals and have a quicker turnaround time. Additionally, based on what our clients tell me, younger agencies have the advantage of a personal touch and paying greater attention to clients across the board. 

Does the industry give enough room for first-generation founders? What assumptions about younger agencies do you wish clients would stop making?

When you come in backed by real experience, a track record, and a genuine willingness to understand clients’ pain points and educate them where needed, that speaks louder than age or simply "first-timer" status. As for assumptions, this is true for younger and more established agencies, but I wish that clients would stop assuming a few things: PR is marketing or advertising; PR isn't needed if you're active on social media; or that PR is all paid media today. What I wish they'd start believing instead: PR is a channel that builds reputation, and reputation builds sales.

Many independent agencies begin with the founder's personal reputation. What systems have you built that don't depend on you?

This is an ongoing evolution for me. PR is a creative industry, and like many founders in this space, I thrive on the creativity of the work but had to deliberately sharpen the operational side of the business. I've been listing out every workflow in granular detail to deduce what can run independently of me and put that into motion. AI has also been a valuable tool during this process. Building systems is active, deliberate work, and I'm glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to do so. 

How do you measure your agency's contribution to the industry, whether through employment generation, supporting startups, creating new specialisations, or economic growth?

It shows up most clearly in the founders we work with — many of them Indian-origin entrepreneurs building in edtech, SaaS, wellness, hospitality, and CPG, either growing in US, Canada, UK or expanding from India into North America. Helping them earn credibility and become an authority in their market through media coverage supports their fundraising, reputation, and growth. That's the multiplier effect that shows our contribution.

Looking ahead, how do you see young independent agencies becoming significant contributors to the PR economy?

I hope that more founders, especially first-generation and cross-border entrepreneurs, backed by real experience enter this industry. I also hope that through education about PR, young and independent agencies can change how misunderstood this industry is and show the real and unmatched power of PR.