It was an innovation-filled year for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership with new events like Picklesburgh and the launch of BetaBurgh. Learn more.
We Are Brands
Someone forged my signature three weeks ago. They stole my credit card. This is the second time in three years I’ve had a security breach. Those thieves’ forged my John Hancock, and now I have no faith in my ink mark. Think how easy it was for someone else to sign my name. Humans have been signing things since they could pick … Read More
Community Matters
We are grounded by the space that we move into and out of every day. But, what happens when that sense of place is disrupted or even ripped out from under us?
Let’s Create a Manifesto!
Maybe you’ve been told you’re not a special snowflake, but actually you are. You are a special snowflake. Each of us is special and unique. Each of our companies or organizations is unique, with a certain way we look at the world and our market and ourselves. But when the world looks at us, we rarely look unique. We all blend … Read More
How to start your awesome blog (for the absolute beginner)
A few weekends ago, I presented a couple of sessions at PodCamp Pittsburgh 9. The first was Blogging 101, a novice-level session. Here’s a video of the session, plus the written notes I prepared ahead of time.
Behind the Scenes: How Shift Secured a Two-page Spread in the Trib
by Therese Joseph, Shift PR Fellow Yesterday, on November 2, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review distributed its Sunday paper, as per usual. However, unlike its usual paper, this edition contained a two-page, cover-spread story, the longest in the paper’s memory, on the behind the scenes making of Franksgiving, the Film Factory winning screenplay produced by Steeltown Entertainment Project. Anyone who’s attempted to … Read More
PR Part 3: Resolving a Media Crisis
Whether it’s the latest professional athlete scandal, a revealing political bashing, or a brand not holding true to its values, we’ve all heard a media crisis story. The response to these crises often sets the stage for whether the organizations will be able to recover from their crises. Every brand, business, and person can face a public relations crisis. The … Read More
PR Part 2: The Social Frontier
by Therese Joseph, Shift PR Fellow As public relations professionals, it is our job to monitor and manage the reputations of the businesses we represent. Traditionally, this was managed by working with media outlets to spread positive press about the businesses. While these tactics are still employed, research shows that people trust the opinion of a friend over advertising and … Read More
PR Part 1: The Media Pitching Process
by Therese Joseph, Shift PR Fellow Public relations professionals have to acquire many skills to manage the public image of their clients including a solid media pitching process. The most successful PR professionals most often acquire and perfect these skills through an apprenticeship model. While this model of learning helps PR professionals to learn their skills without ruining a client’s … Read More
“Find your niche”: Thoughts from the Pittsburgh Women Bloggers panel
Back in June, I spoke on a panel of Pittsburgh-based women bloggers put together by NAWBO of Greater Pittsburgh (National Association of Women Business Owners). The panel included a great mix of savvy women: R’Chelle Mullins of Creatively Yours by Ro Media and fashion stylist Suzanne Mauro Mercedes Howze, the Movie Scene Queen Heather Hopson of Diary of a First … Read More
Website Design PT4: Competition in a Digital World
by Therese Joseph, Shift PR Fellow Just as technology is advancing the way we do business, so it is also advancing who we are competing against. In order to retain your competitive edge in the digital landscape, you need to be aware of who your new competitors are and how you are measuring up against your competition. Who are your … Read More
The joys of not always being on-message in your blog
Jenna McGuiggan at The Word Cellar shares a sweet and thoughtful post about how blogging can be surprisingly loaded.