AMA Pittsburgh’s Lunch & Learn is a monthly webinar series bringing together marketers, business leaders, and creative minds from across the Pittsburgh region. We invite industry-leading marketers to share their insights and experiences and present real-world strategies, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from experts, exchange perspectives, and build valuable professional relationships.
Bringing the city’s stories to life through local voices
Influencer marketing has matured. It’s no longer about one-off campaigns or chasing quick likes. It’s about connecting with audiences through trusted voices and making sure those collaborations serve a brand’s larger goals. That was the focus of AMA Pittsburgh’s recent webinar, Yinzfluence, featuring Courtney Kuzemchak, Senior Social Media Manager at VisitPITTSBURGH.
Courtney guided attendees through how her team partners with creators to showcase Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, food, and culture in authentic ways. She shared the organization’s approach to strategy, creator selection, measurement, and maintaining the distinctive “yinzer” voice that sets Pittsburgh apart. Throughout, she also answered questions from marketers on budgets, micro vs. macro influencers, and managing partnerships—turning the session into both a case study and a practical playbook.
Why Influencers Matter for Place-Based Marketing
VisitPITTSBURGH’s brand is Pittsburgh itself. Promoting a city requires more than polished advertising; it requires lived-in perspectives. Creators act as storytellers who give potential visitors a glimpse into the real Pittsburgh.
Courtney explained that her team looks for creators who can authentically bring the city to life. The measure of success is not whether someone can recite tourism talking points but whether they can share experiences that ring true to their own followers. That might be as simple as a neighborhood walk-through, a behind-the-scenes look at a local festival, or a meal at a beloved restaurant.
She reminded marketers not to discount small creators. “Sometimes a creator with 5,000 followers gets more meaningful interaction than someone with 100,000,” Courtney said. Audience size matters far less than the trust a creator has built with their community.
Building a Strategy That Fits Your Brand
Influencer work cannot exist in a vacuum. Courtney stressed that campaigns must connect to an organization’s broader goals. For VisitPITTSBURGH, that often means raising awareness about specific neighborhoods, drawing attention to seasonal events, or encouraging tourism during slower months.
The team begins by clarifying campaign objectives, then selects influencers whose audiences and styles align with those goals. This is where the question of micro versus macro influencers often comes up. Larger creators can expand the city’s visibility beyond the region, while smaller, community-based voices may resonate more deeply with locals and repeat visitors.
Courtney added that planning includes thinking through budgets and deliverables. She reminded attendees that influencer campaigns don’t have to be prohibitively expensive. Some partnerships involve paid contracts, while others are based on organic exchanges of experiences or event access. Blending these approaches allows VisitPITTSBURGH to stretch resources while keeping the content authentic.
Vetting the Right Creators
One of the most common questions from marketers is: how do you choose the right influencers when so many options exist? Courtney’s answer was clear—don’t be swayed by follower counts alone. “We look closely at engagement rate and how people interact with them,” she explained.
That interaction is a signal of trust. If audiences are leaving thoughtful comments and the creator is responding in kind, the relationship feels real. If the feed is filled with endless sponsored posts, the connection is weaker and the content risks blending into noise.
Courtney also described the importance of long-term relationship building. “We stay in touch with our influencers year-round, even when we’re not running a campaign. That way when we do ask, it’s a true partnership,” she said. By maintaining contact outside of active campaigns, the VisitPITTSBURGH team ensures that when creators share content, it feels natural rather than transactional.
Defining Success Beyond Likes
In many organizations, influencer work is still judged by surface metrics. Courtney cautioned against this mindset. “Likes and shares are nice, but they don’t tell us if someone actually visited or booked a trip,” she explained.
VisitPITTSBURGH measures outcomes that matter to its mission—hotel bookings, attendance at cultural events, and website visits tied to tourism planning. To do this, the team uses trackable links and codes, connecting specific influencer content back to measurable results.
Just as importantly, they track results in real time. “We check performance mid-campaign so we can adjust if something’s not working,” Courtney said. This agility allows them to double down on what resonates and shift strategies before a campaign ends.
Keeping the ‘Yinzer’ Voice
Perhaps the most distinctive part of VisitPITTSBURGH’s approach is its commitment to local authenticity. “We always want the yinzer voice to come through,” Courtney emphasized. “That’s what makes Pittsburgh different. It’s not polished. It’s real.”
This philosophy shapes every partnership. Rather than forcing creators into rigid scripts, the team encourages them to show Pittsburgh through their own lens. That might mean embracing the quirks of Pittsburghese, highlighting community pride in a neighborhood parade, or sharing an unscripted moment that captures the city’s character.
By leaning into what makes the city unique, campaigns resonate with both residents and visitors. Locals see their culture represented with pride, and outsiders glimpse a side of Pittsburgh they might not encounter through traditional ads.
What Marketers Can Take Away
Courtney’s insights, combined with the audience’s questions, form a roadmap that marketers in any industry can follow when developing influencer strategies. Here are six steps to guide your approach:
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Clarify your goals first. Before reaching out to influencers, define what you want the campaign to achieve. Are you driving awareness, event attendance, or direct sales? Objectives should shape every decision that follows.
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Choose alignment over audience size. Look for creators whose values and voice align with your brand’s. A smaller influencer with genuine credibility may drive more meaningful action than a larger name who lacks relevance.
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Evaluate engagement, not just numbers. Review how influencers interact with their followers. Healthy two-way conversations signal trust. Avoid feeds that are dominated by repetitive sponsored posts.
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Treat creators as long-term partners. Build relationships beyond individual campaigns. Staying in touch year-round creates stronger partnerships and makes collaborations smoother.
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Measure real business outcomes. Likes and shares may look good on a report, but conversions, bookings, or sales are what truly matter. Use trackable links, codes, and dashboards to connect content to measurable results.
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Lean into authenticity. Encourage influencers to highlight what makes your brand or community unique. For VisitPITTSBURGH, that means celebrating the yinzer voice. For your brand, it might mean embracing culture, quirks, or customer stories that only you can tell.
Moving Forward
Influencer marketing is evolving into a more strategic and measurable discipline. As Courtney made clear, the brands that will thrive are those that think beyond vanity metrics and focus on authentic partnerships.
For VisitPITTSBURGH, this means working with creators who reflect the city’s neighborhoods, culture, and people in ways that feel real. By doing so, they ensure that every campaign carries the distinctive yinzer spirit—and they demonstrate a model that marketers across industries can adapt.
