The media and public relations landscape has undergone a massive transformation in the past decade. Traditional channels, like print magazines and newspapers, have given way to digital-first strategies, making efficiency and automation more critical than ever.
With the sweeping changes in the industry, companies like NisonCo—a PR and SEO agency focused on the cannabis space—have had to rethink how they operate. Evan Nison, NisonCo's founder and a Zapier customer since 2009, has long relied on automation to streamline operations.
We've always looked for ways to streamline processes. Automation has been a part of our DNA for years, and Zapier has played a big role in that.
Evan Nison
With a leaner team than in previous years, NisonCo needed a way to scale without adding headcount. That's when Evan discovered Zapier Agents, part of Zapier's all-in-one automation platform, that's transformed his business operations.
NisonCo's results, by the numbers
48% increase in leads: AI automation boosted lead generation from 270 to nearly 400 per week, reducing the need for multiple part-time researchers.
$30,000 saved annually: AI-driven workflows cut costs by $2,500 per month across research, outreach, and follow-up tasks.
Hours saved on content creation: Social media posts are now generated and published in minutes rather than hours.
Stronger CRM management: Automated follow-ups ensure no leads slip through the cracks, improving client engagement.
About NisonCo:
Company size: 10 employees
Industry: Media
Location: East Brunswick, New Jersey
Automating lead generation at scale
One of the biggest challenges for NisonCo was manually tracking new businesses entering their target industry. Previously, a team of three to five part-time researchers scoured press releases, trade publications, and business directories to find potential leads. With Zapier Agents, that process is now fully automated.
How it works:
An AI agent scans Google News and industry-specific sources daily for press releases about new businesses.
It extracts key details such as company names, websites, and leadership teams.
The agent then compiles this data into a Google Sheet, identifying potential clients.
Another tool takes the names and companies from the sheet and initiates targeted outreach.
What used to require a team of researchers now runs with one part-time employee. We're actually generating more leads with fewer resources.
Evan Nison
Before implementing AI automation, NisonCo's team of three part-timers generated around 270 leads per week. With Zapier Agents and other AI tools, that number has increased to approximately close to 400 leads per week—a 48% increase, all while requiring only one part-time employee.
The cost savings have also been substantial. "Probably about $2,000 per month for the research agent specifically," says Evan. "And then the call assist agent saves additional time and money—probably another $500 per month at least."
AI-powered social media management
With content marketing playing a crucial role in building brand authority, Evan needed a way to repurpose blog content efficiently for social media. Instead of manually drafting posts, he built an AI-driven workflow with Zapier Agents.
How it works:
The agent takes a blog URL and generates tailored social media posts for platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
It presents each post for review before publishing, ensuring quality control.
If an image is required, the agent pulls the featured image from the blog or prompts the user to provide one.
"I tested it out, and within minutes, I had posts ready for every platform," Evan shares. "I just had to approve them. It's a massive time-saver."
Evan first built this AI agent to help a friend with a podcast, where it cut down content processing time by an estimated two to three hours per episode. Seeing its success, he's now rolling it out at NisonCo, anticipating similar time savings and efficiency improvements.
Automating call follow-ups with emails and CRM updates
Client management is another area where Zapier Agents has made an impact. Before, Evan's team manually tracked call follow-ups, proposal requests, and prospect information—often leading to missed opportunities. Now, an AI assistant handles it all.
How it works:
After a call, an AI agent reviews the transcript and identifies key action items, such as sending a proposal.
It then logs the prospect's details in their CRM, Relatable, which sends an automated Slack notification.
Another agent drafts follow-up emails based on the conversation, which are then placed in Evan's Gmail drafts folder for review before sending.
Before this, we'd often forget to follow up on casual commitments made during calls. Now, nothing slips through the cracks.
Evan Nison
To make his CRM agent even more powerful, Evan built another AI agent to track hourly costs by calculating the estimated wages tied to each scheduled call. "It's been a great way to get a clearer picture of our expenses and make more informed decisions about our meetings," he explains.
Business growth and the future of NisonCo
With the rise of digital media and shifting industry demands, NisonCo has adapted by streamlining its operations. Focused on creating an efficient team structure, the firm has maintained—and in some areas, even increased—its productivity.
"On the business development side, we're doing more with fewer people," says Evan. "Zapier Agents has helped us automate so much that we can focus on high-value tasks instead of repetitive manual work."
Evan continues to experiment with AI-driven workflows. He's currently working on an automation that:
Conducts SEO research on competitors and industry trends
Generates content briefs based on keyword insights
Sends these briefs to an AI writing model to draft high-quality blog posts
We're always looking for new ways to streamline work. Zapier Agents isn't just a tool—it's a game-changer.
Evan Nison
