Over the years, I have seen the terms marketing and public relations used virtually interchangeably. But there’s a difference. For a definitive explanation, I turned to Ashley Steinberg, founder of Pulse10 Consulting in West Mt. Airy. Pulse10 works with businesses, authors and personal brands “to align their brand, strategy and story so every move is grounded and built for impact.”

“Marketing focuses on driving sales and promoting products through campaigns that pay for advertisements and consumer research,” Steinberg said. “Public relations focuses on managing your brand’s reputation and building long-term trust through ‘earned’ media, like pitching journalists and influencers for news stories and strategic communications, rather than paying for ad space. We do both publicity and marketing; they work best when in sync so that one builds on the other and vice versa.”

Steinberg, who formerly worked as a literary agent, and also as an editorial assistant at Warner Books, started her own company two years ago. She has clients, authors and “thought leaders,” in Georgia, California, New York City and Arizona, and a business partner in London. Steinberg is currently developing what might be called a self-help program to teach authors how to find their audience and enhance their own marketing skills.

“The first thing they’ll do is look at their social media profile. How do you develop that, even before they finish their book?” she said. “I have been working with an author who is writing a book about using AI as part of a support system and tool to develop skills and a path forward.”

Steinberg grew up in Atlanta, where she attended public school, and graduated from Mt. Vernon Seminary and College in Washington, D.C., with a degree in art history. Her mother, Irene Kraas, was a literary agent. A former intern at the National Endowment for the Arts, Steinberg was offered an internship at Christie’s auction house. “I didn’t take it,” she said, “because I found out that you pay them; they don’t pay you.”

Steinberg’s background was firmly planted in the arts and literature. Her parents were art collectors. “I learned that you can have a good art collection without spending a lot of money,” said Steinberg, who has lived in Mt. Airy with husband Howard Steinberg for eight years, and in Chestnut Hill for three years before that.

Howard Steinberg, a Havertown native, is an architect and developer whose firm, Onion Flats Architecture, has had offices in Kensington, Fishtown and Northern Liberties. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he is known for developing projects with green roofs and solar panels.

“Mt. Airy is very walkable,” said Ashley Steinberg, who volunteers at Allens Lane Art Center, Hilltop Books, and has written two children’s books. “We thought we’d move to Center City but found property here and fell in love with Mt. Airy more every year. Mt. Airy has a great personality, energy and spirit. I love this neighborhood.

“Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill are two sides of the same coin, although one is a little more posh,” she continued. “I previously lived in Portland, Oregon, for nine years, which is like Mt. Airy.”

Steinberg formerly taught Pilates at Urban Athlete in Mt. Airy, which offers small group and personal training. Her experience in the exercise system inspired the name of her firm. In Pilates, the 10 pulse rhythm is a breath-and- movement pattern designed to build strength in the practitioner’s core.

”I believe business works the same way,” Steinberg said. “A company is only as strong as its core. At Pulse10, we help clients strengthen that foundation.”

For more information, visit pulse10consulting.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.