LPi promotes Matt Inkmann Vice President of Ad Sales

In February of 2025, LPi promoted Matt Inkmann from Senior Director of Ad Sales to Vice President of Ad Sales. With his recent accomplishments still fresh, we couldn’t resist sitting down with Inkmann to learn more about him, his journey, and life at LPi. 

Q. Hi Matt! What is your new position and how does it fit into LPi’s goals for the future? 
A. I accepted a newly created position at LPi, the Vice President of Ad Sales. I’m now officially a member of the company’s leadership team and will be leading our ad sales teams — inside, outside, and renewals. I’ll be working closely with our leaders to develop strategies that fill our ad space in print, drive digital growth, and expand into new markets. 

The cool thing about this unique role is that advertising is the driving force behind LPi’s success as an organization, so I get to directly support the mission of LPi as well as all of our publishing partners! I’m very grateful to be in this new role, and it’s humbling because it’s a big responsibility to lead this team. I take it seriously that we are all working together to build a bright future for LPi. 

Q. Of all the companies out there, why LPi? 
A. I’ve been with LPi for a total of seven years. My background is in print and digital advertising, and I first joined LPi as an advertising sales manager. 

The greatest endorsement I can give LPi is that after LPi sold its WeShare and WeGather products, my team and I moved to the company that acquired them, Ministry Brands — since the teams for those products were part of the sale. That said, I didn’t leave LPi at that point by choice — and when given the opportunity, I jumped at the chance to come back! That speaks volumes as to how special LPi is. Of all the companies I’ve worked for, LPi is the most meaningful to me, and it’s all because of the people and customers who I work with here. The relationships we build and investment we have in each other at LPi are unlike anywhere else I’ve worked. 

Q. What makes working in sales at LPi different? Give us a tip when it comes to succeeding in sales! 
A. One of the best parts of our business model is that it’s a win-win-win. Our publishing partners get what they need for their communications almost entirely at no cost, advertisers connect with a hyper-local audience that is already invested in supporting them — since their ad supports an organization their audience already loves — and we all get to build careers doing something meaningful. I advise our teams that if they ever struggle with what to say in a sales conversation, just tell the story of LPi. Once people understand what we do, they see how unique and valuable it is. 

Another key to success in ad sales? Be human. Making a ton of calls is part of the job, but it’s easy to slip into robotic mode. I always remind our teams: take a breath, reset, and approach each conversation as if you were sitting down with the person at a restaurant. Business owners get bombarded with sales calls every day, but what makes you stand out is how genuine you are and how passionate you are about what you do. 

Q. What are you excited about when it comes to this upcoming year at LPi? 
A. This year, I’m excited about my expanded ability to work with our teams and drive new opportunities — especially with the launch of our digital products. These open the door for new advertisers and fresh ways to sell advertising that benefit both our customers and our revenue growth. 

Two big focus areas are digital expansion and growing our customer base. I’m also looking forward to working with my team on innovative solutions for the church merger challenges in the Catholic space. We have a strong customer base there, and it’s important to nurture those relationships while continuing to evolve. 

Q. Tell us a little about your life outside of LPi! 
A. I’m a huge sports fan and still play basketball whenever I can. I grew up playing sports and I love competition. You won’t catch me on a treadmill to work out — I’d much rather play a sport like basketball for hours and be around people to stay fit! 

I’ve also become really interested in the business side of the NBA, things like contract dynamics, salary caps, and the rules that GMs need to navigate. I’ve even taken courses to understand it better, just because I find it fascinating. One of my bucket-list goals is to attend a national conference for basketball business nerds and really dive into the behind-the-scenes world of the sport. 

My downtime is also extremely centered around my family, especially my two daughters, who are 9 and 6. Whether it’s dance parties in the basement or playing Barbies, I cherish every moment with them. Life is busy, so I try to maximize my time with family as much as possible! 

Q. Do you have any good book recommendations? 
A. One of my favorite books is “Turn the Ship Around” by David Marquet, a former Navy officer. The core message is that great leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. That idea really resonates with me, especially when leading a 200-person team. Making big changes isn’t about telling people what to do — it’s about empowering others to take ownership and lead. We’ve seen that firsthand with the launch of our ad CRM, where we focused on getting the team invested in the process rather than just enforcing change. Leadership at LPi isn’t about just one person — it’s about building the next wave of leaders! 

Q. Thank you, Matt! Before we close, is there anyone you’d like to thank? 
A. Absolutely! I owe a lot of my leadership growth to Tim Potrikus, LPi’s CRO, who challenges and pushes me outside my comfort zone on a regular basis. His encouragement has helped me grow to the point where I can confidently take on this new role. I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m ready to have a blast as the new Vice President of Ad Sales! 

Thank you, Matt, for your time and congratulations on your new position. We’re proud to have you on the LPi leadership team! 

 
Interested in a career with LPi? Visit our careers portal here: www.4lpi.com/careers