Blog

  Writing a press release, posting to social media or landing a speaking opportunity … any public relations practitioner worth their salt should be able to execute these tactics. What separates elite PR professionals from the rest of the pack...

  We recently sat down with Charlotte guru Alicia Thomas! She shared with us how her creative process works, and we ended with her thoughts on self-care. Read on to be inspired and to know who to ask about next weekend’s plans. Tell us what you do: By night, I am...

  Crisis often presents itself in unexpected ways, at unexpected times, in unexpected places.   Before joining the team here at PivotPR, I had the opportunity to serve as Brand Communications Manager for the U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC). In...

  We often interview traditional media folks or even social media influencers, but for this Q&A we wanted to demonstrate how a partnership with a local “beer fitness” group can be beneficial to an organization’s PR efforts too. Community relations at its...

We recently interviewed the founder of one of our city's newest publications, Charlotte Lately. Take a look at what Courtney Schramm had to say about what makes her publication so different and how YOU can work with her. What brought you to Charlotte and inspired you...

  I recently had coffee with WBTV’s local content producer, Maggie Solomon, to discuss her brainchild, Queen City Weekend.   Q: Queen City Weekend is refreshingly different. How did it come about?  A: I was a television reporter in Panama City, Fla., and realized...

Laura Leigh Elliott, the smiling face behind life and style blog, Louella Reese, let us in on how she is able to do what she loves full-time, the dos and don’ts of working with bloggers, and what she sees for the future. Check out our conversation below. How did you...

I recently sat down with one of our favorite early morning lifestyle reporters, Hannah Welker at WCNC. She is a hoot! Take a gander below. This may give you just the information you need to work with Hannah, landing yourself on Charlotte’s NBC affiliate. Q: Hi,...

Our latest Q&A participant should need no introduction as she is a seasoned newspaper veteran who has served as a journalist since 1978, and as a food editor since 1989. As an award winner, cookbook author and James Beard committee member (among many other...

We recently sat down with Charlotte Business Journal's (CBJ) newest reporter, Caroline Hudson, who covers banking, finance and technology. We wanted to get to know her a little better and understand how best to work with her. That is our job, right?! Q: Hi, Caroline!...

At Pivot PR we geek out over public relations (PR) and during this month of Thanksgiving, I am sharing why we are thankful for this stellar segment of marketing. And just so you don’t think we’re absolutely cuckoo, I’ve included some quotes from all-star business...

We recently caught up with Ashley Mahoney, multimedia journalist for The Charlotte Post. She shared with us her thoughts on what sets the Post apart, how she turned a family tragedy into a way to help others, and the importance of knowing who you are pitching to. What...

  You may or you may not be familiar with Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP). Because we are a public relations (PR) agency with clients in Uptown, it’s crucial for us to have relationships with people like Steven Cole, Director of Communications. So, we...

    Tell us about your position as digital editor at QC Exclusive and how it is different from being a writer. What is your day to day like? I do a little bit of everything now! QC Exclusive is really small. There are seven of us who are full-time and only...

Big Fish in a Little Pond Katie, formerly a U.S. News & World Report economy reporter, moved to Charlotte, N.C., in 2015 and was hired on as the retail reporter. Her role has since expanded to cover breaking business news (e.g., HB2 issue, shooting protests) and...

We’ve all been told to network so we understand the benefits but, whether you’re starting out your career or are 5, 10, 15 years in, you may feel out of your comfort zone at networking events. Some of you may even say these types of events aren't worth your time. We...

  Q: Tell me about your path to digital editor, as well as arts editor, at Charlotte Magazine. It’s interesting. I moved here 4 years ago as a freelancer. Then I became the freelance web editor in the summer of 2013 and then a couple months later (because of my...

Want to be featured in our journalist / influencer Q&A series? Contact us   This blog will apply to all of you because either (1) you eat and want to know the best places around town; (2) you want to influence the Charlotte food community and/or (3) you want to...

  Here at Pivot PR, one of our favorite questions to ask is, "Why?" Why? Because we want to be sure we’re strategizing and executing a plan that makes sense for your organization. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all PR plan. When the purpose of a decision isn't...

Summary Pivot PR is seeking a highly motivated marketing professional. The PR Manager position requires deep communications acumen, keen project management skills and creativity. Developing PR strategies and executing communication tactics will be critical.   Key...

  President Drew Porcello was listed 1 of, "12 already successful PR agency executives to watch in 2017" in Charlotte Agenda.  

Expertise has ranked Pivot PR as one of the top 20 public relations agencies in Charlotte. See link here.

  There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Eat Work Play (one of Charlotte’s fastest-growing millennial-focused online publications) or its co-founder, Davon Bailey (one of Charlotte’s top young professionals under 30). We recently sat down with Davon to learn more...

When you think of “creatives” in the world of marketing, you probably conjure up thoughts of people within the walls of ad agencies in metropolitan cities who have titles like art director, creative director, copywriter and graphic designer. But public relations is an...

Check out our latest interview with The PR Executive. We had a great discussion about how we position ourselves as an agency and what makes us so different.      

What a refreshing break from crime, traffic and weather WBTV’s new show will offer Charlotteans. Morning Break will bring more lifestyle-focused stories to the morning news line-up, with segments ranging from cooking to life hacks. The first show is set to air on...

You’ve worked hours writing your corporate e-newsletter creating snappy blurbs to catch your audience’s attention. Once it hits your readers’ inboxes, you breathe a sigh of relief.  As you wait to see who opens the newsletter, you may wonder if you’re truly connecting...

We know that “PR” is still a bit confusing to most because we often get asked, “What exactly is PR?” So we thought, what better way to explain than to give you a real life example. June 3 marked National Donut Day and our client, Dunkin' Donuts, tasked us with making...

  Before great content management systems like WordPress and intuitive search engines like Google, you needed an "SEO guy" who could manipulate website code, meta tag, and keyword spam in the hope that your website could be found on a high Search Engine Results...

    How did you end up in Charlotte? Charlotte has always been on my short list for places to live and work, so when I saw a business reporting opportunity here, I had to check it out. Prior to this, I covered retail and real estate for two McClatchy-owned...

  Q: Hi Michele! Tell us about Charlotte Parent. A: Charlotte Parent magazine is made for parents who are local, engaged and involved. We’re a free and local publication and our monthly magazine, website, newsletters and social media networks are created to help...

  Hannah Chronis, managing editor of Carolina Weekly Newspapers, was kind enough to sit down with me to discuss her South Charlotte newspapers; how she earned the top editorial spot; and her thoughts on the industry in general. Q: Hi Hannah! Tell us a little...

    For those of you who subscribe to Charlotte Agenda, you know the staff does a series called "Cribs" where they go to local businesses and explore their work space. In addition to some good information about the companies they also include interesting...

    I recently sat down with editor-in-chief Scott Jensen to learn more about his media company, Charlotte Stories. Q: Hi Scott! Tell us a little about Charlotte Stories.  A: We're a daily newsletter that focuses on local news. We've got 13,000 email...

Editor of Business North Carolina, David Mildenberg, was kind enough to sit down with Trisha and me to discuss the Charlotte-based magazine, the journalist-marketer relationship and how he sees the news industry evolving. Since you're in Charlotte and may have some...

I recently had a chance to sit down with co-host Corey Inscoe of The Good News Is, a weekly podcast with a similar mission to CharlotteFive (C5) where Corey is an editor. C5’s mission is to get you Charlotte-smart with fast, fun, interesting and useful news about the...

  Someone in your company pops up and says you need to host a press conference this year. Now what? Don’t fret; I’ve outlined below the essentials of a successful press conference. I beg of you to ask yourself one question before even starting. Is the news worthy...

As we enter the holiday season, I thought now would be a great time to address "corporate" giving. Many organizations have the best intentions to support their community, but not always sure how to make the biggest impact. I’m providing three tips that your business...

I recently had a chance to sit down with my long-time friend and former colleague Katie McKiever, who is now the Social Media Manager at WBTV (the local CBS affiliate). We all think about anchors and reporters at news stations but do you also consider those behind the...

To many, media relations is as perplexing as complex algorithms. Some are so skeptical, they view practitioners as snake oil salespeople. To demystify the practice, let’s walk through some common misperceptions. To first ground us, let’s start with a definition. Per...

A recent survey by the Consumer Executive Board (CEB) of 1,900 corporate decision makers found that buyers are, at a minimum, 57 percent of the way through the buying process before they contact a potential supplier. Some respondents reported being as much as 70...

Based on our experiences in the corporate world, we’ve found that the fire drills and hustle and bustle that keep you crazed during the year tend to slow down in the summer. After you take a vacation or two, be sure to use the time to clean house and get things in...

As most of you have probably noticed, we at Pivot PR have turned the tables on journalists and interviewed several highly influential media figures in Charlotte over the past year. We’ve spoken to folks in television, print, radio and online (including bloggers)....

ShopTalk is The Charlotte Observer’s weekly small business section designed to educate and connect the Charlotte community. The print version is published every Wednesday, and in conjunction with its blog, can be found online here. To learn more here's a Q&A we...

A special thanks to Ted Williams for this article in Charlotte Agenda.... As a digital media guy, I was invited to a special “media event” before the Ritz opened the Punch Room Room (outstanding spot, by the way). I looked around the room on the 18th floor and noticed...

  Special thanks to Abby Miressi, who wrote a great piece on Pivot PR found here.

Thanks for meeting with us, Rick! So you’ve been with Charlotte magazine since 1995. Tell us about your journey to publisher. At that point we were more or less a new magazine. We had just purchased the name Charlotte magazine and that was pretty much it - we started...

We recently had a chance to sit down with Kevin Pitts, publisher of the Charlotte Business Journal. The focus was to get a better understanding of their awards programs: Advanced Manufacturing, 40 Under 40, Women in Business, Business Person of the Year, CIO of the...