Hi Little Loves - we blinked and it’s December. This happens every year, we know it’s coming, yet every year we are surprised and racing to the finish.
Our office always closes for 2 weeks at the end of the year which is pretty common now-a-days but we have done since LVPR started. The refresh this brings for the team and myself, personally, is so needed. As I head into the new year, I have already booked a weeklong trip in February with my family which is unheard of for me.
I want to focus on sprinting when I need to, and taking time off when I want to this year ahead. As a business owner it seems like we can’t - so join me this year on slowing down and valuing the time personally you deserve. I say it often - we only have one life.
Xx, Ali
Inside this issue:
A little bit of everything for your end-of-year brain: 2026 hot takes, our current obsessions, holiday traditions, an interview with Substack royalty, and a tip to decking the halls like a pro.
‘Tis the season to shine, and we know how to make brands sparkle. Fill out this form and let’s start unwrapping ideas.
2026 Planning Isn’t About Bigger Budgets — It’s About Smarter Ones
As brands head into 2026 planning and budgeting season, we’re seeing the same miss on repeat: emerging channels and long-tail visibility are still being treated like “nice-to-haves” instead of core growth drivers.
PR is often the first line to get trimmed, which is wild considering where discovery is heading. With AI-powered search, large language models (LLMs), and shoppable editorial now shaping how consumers find and buy products, earned media isn’t just about credibility anymore — it’s search visibility, conversation data, and AI brand indexing. If your brand isn’t showing up in trusted editorial and product roundups, you’re invisible to the algorithms driving purchase discovery.
Social continues to dominate conversion, primarily through UGC and TikTok Shop. We’re seeing lean creator programs outperform traditional influencer spends — testing with UGC, funneling winning content into ads, and scaling long-term ambassador relationships is producing measurable ROI without massive budgets.
And finally: retail + marketing planning still lives too siloed. The most significant missed opportunity heading into 2026 is not building truly omni-channel calendars that connect PR, social, retail moments, email, paid, web, and agency activations into one cohesive machine.
Planning today isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about aligning visibility, conversion, and storytelling across every channel where consumers — and AI — are paying attention.
Invest where discovery happens. Build where trust converts—scale where community lives.
That’s how brands win 2026.
Psssst. More on this later, stay tuned for a major 2026 glow up to our service offerings, including new marketing calendar creation and GEO Optimization capabilities.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Here’s what we’re currently obsessed with:
What the Little Ladies are Reading:
Meredith and the Media by Meredith Klein: A PR legend shares the latest on what’s getting coverage and interviews top journalists.
Pass the Salt by Ilze and Ashe: Fabulous weekly rundown of internet culture and the latest news and trends built for those locked in to the zeitgeist.
How Not to F*ck Up Your Face by Valerie Monroe: Advice, thoughts and stories from a former beauty editor from a guiding and gentle perspective (IG: @thisisvalmonroe)
What the Little Ladies are Listening to:
The new(ish) album, The Art of Loving from Olivia Dean
The very not new album, Midnights by Taylor Swift
CTA passenger gossip
Slack voice notes from Ali. It’s basically like getting paid to listen to podcasts.
What the Little Ladies are Obsessing Over:
Cookie Dough Stuffed Dates
Visiting a new coffee shop each week to fully romanticize remote work.
(totally unrelated) people watching in the coffee shop to re-energize the work flow.
Finding the perfect winter lip balm: is it Rhode? Glossier? Summer Fridays? Lip Smackers??
Paper/honeycomb holiday decor
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Duh.
Limited Edition Holiday Peppermint Graham Cracker Goldfish. Trust.
Hallmark Movies. ‘Tis the darn season.
What the Little Ladies are Up To Over Break:
Holiday traditions and tentative plans for when our wfh offices close for the season
Make a feast of Mexican Food on Christmas eve (Enchiladas, tamales)
Wrap presents for the dogs (multiple people in the office do this)
Wear matching PJs with the fam
Chef up some cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning
Make homemade cookies with family! Snickerdoodles!! Press Cookies! Yum!
The Little Ladies’ List:
Our fave gift guides from the season / what has had us certified ‘influenced’
Mersenne Studios: Hot Rich Auntie Gift Guide. (IG: @mersenestudios)
Actually Good Things by Theresa Holland: Product Recs delivered straight to your inbox (dangerous for some of us) from a commerce writer who has seen it all. (IG: @theresatrees)
Becca Crossley’s Style Guides on Tiktok
What’s your current cold-weather fixation? Spill in the comments so we can add it to the rotation.
INDUSTRY BABY
Meet Sarah, our Gen-Z Account Exec: she’s talking to industry pros to figure out what’s actually popping.
A Return to (Long) Form
…And we’re back on my unending quest to understand Substack. My nightly routine now revolves around reading often melodramatic personal essays from eloquent 20-somethings. My very dorky PR-heart lit up when I scrolled upon a whole community of comms/media girlies getting in on the action. I feel more connected with my general domain in my Substack circles than I ever do on my overly-optimized LinkedIn.
So. I’m Humbled and honored to announce that I got to chat with Recovering Girlboss Juliette Dallas-Feeney (IG: @juliettedallasfeeney ) who’s also a brand consultant, media mogul, and Substacker. Her publication is as relatable as it is insightful. As a younger PR pro with high (very high) ambitions I find her work incredibly salient.
I kept my questions simple because I wanted to get to the core of it: why do this? As Ali has said, PR is traditionally a “behind-the-camera” career, but in the social media age, a platform like Substack feels like a sanctuary for media pros to take center-stage and connect.
Q: What drew you to Substack, and why now?
I was an early adopter of Substack, back when it was simply a newsletter-sending app and not yet the ecosystem it’s become. I wrote a few entries for my first Substack in 2023 about using cannabis as a kind of modern ritual and tool for creativity. But I felt like I needed to widen the aperture and create a space that gave me more space to play. So I created Recovering Girlboss, a space to explore ambition, identity, beauty, and digital culture with a little more honesty and context.
After spending 15+ years shaping storytelling for media companies, tech startups, and beauty brands, I wanted a medium that allowed for more depth and nuance. Beauty, to me, has always been a mirror for culture: how we construct identity, how we perform selfhood, and how we express care. Substack gives me a place to write about those intersections — where discovery is guided by connection and curiosity, not (at least yet) by algorithmic noise.
There’s something magical about Recovering Girlboss and other pubs like it. It speaks the Substack language while still capturing the personality of its author. As media and comms pros, we’re used to tailoring messages to fit each channel. But as social media gets noisier, Substack feels like a sanctuary.
Behind the camera or not, PR has always been about relationships. How we maintain those relationships has changed (a great idea for another column). But in an age where curiosity now feels rare online, feeds are hyper-tailored, echo chambers cycle the same things repeatedly and the mystique of the algorithm reigns supreme, Substack can be a return to a vaguely familiar, long-form space where media pros can thrive with room for depth and fully thought-out ideas.
Which leads me to my next question...
Q: What do you feel it offers you as a creator/media pro?
It reminds me of the early days of blogging! Before social media shortened our attention spans and optimized every thought for engagement. Writing was my first love, and Substack makes space for that again. I’m drawn to how Substack offers a way to lead with ideas, to own your audience, and to use long-form writing as the creative foundation that everything else can ladder back to.
I’m too young to have lived through the true blogging era, but I totally see the potential within slowing down and lingering on an idea. Analog has been kinda trendy lately, it’s refreshing to read and write something that follows a thought to its natural conclusion.
Unlike the blogging era, today’s internet runs on niches. I’ve got my comms circle and a digital playground built just for me. The platform’s always happy to keep the content coming.
Good for community? Absolutely. Good for our attention spans? Debatable. But it plays perfectly into the attention-scarce economy we’re all trying to outsmart.
Q: What’s the value or purpose you hope to bring to your readers through it?
Recovering Girlboss is my way of processing what it’s meant to spend my entire career inside the social media ecosystem, as both a participant and an observer. I’ve been online since the earliest days of brand social, and I’ve watched every shift in how we perform identity, seek validation, and measure worth. I’m interested in unpacking those paradoxes — what it means to be both the creator and the audience, the seller and the sold-to — and helping readers reclaim their attention so they can engage more consciously with the culture we’re all part of.
And there you have it, folks. I wholeheartedly agree and LOVE when media pros get on Substack.
I forecast a hunger within the collective consumer for creative ideas. Not just snackable bites for social, but full-course cheffed-up conversations that build community and explore ideas deeply.
The language of Substack — its culture, tone and norms — feels incredibly timely. In an age of AI, short-form content, and convenience culture, a platform that values language, thought, and connection is only going to grow in demand.
But what do you think? Do you find yourself craving more from your media? Do you see yourself living out your writer fantasy in a newsletter of your own?
Chat soon,
Sarah
P.S. Want to yap with Sarah or see your takes in the next Industry Baby? Hit the button below!
We normally use this section to brag about our industry friends, but in the spirit of giving our brains a break this season, we’re spotlighting a little side project close to home: the Seasonal Haus Collective (yes, co-founded by myself and Robin Clark, retail genius and our Dir. of Ops)
See the above “how is it already December?” spiral, the last thing anyone has bandwidth for is reinventing their home décor. SHC takes holiday chaos off your plate with curated, elevated styling that makes your space feel intentional without needing a 47-step Pinterest board.
Beyond the pumpkins and porch moments, SHC serves as the creative directors behind tablescapes and party styling, kids’ craft zones, bar cart and charcuterie setups, gift-wrapping studios, DIY nights, and more little holiday details that make a season feel special. It’s thoughtful styling, creative intention, and a gentle reminder that you don’t have to do everything yourself.
SHC is currently servicing North Texas, including Frisco, Prosper, Little Elm, Flower Mound & Lantana.
A little ease goes a long way this time of year. Peek the seasonal packages if you’re craving a holiday setup that feels festive and effortless.
Cheers to 2026! Give yourself grace, make memories, make sure to advocate for yourself and a project you’re passionate about, and be kind - the universe rewards us.
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