Griswold tries to differentiate "Overheard in Pittsburgh" from similar sites by striving to reflect life in Pittsburgh as best as he can, rather than, as City Paper reporter Justin Hopper wrote, "[…] simply repeat stupid things people say […] with a classist or even mildly racist take like many 'overheard' blogs do." Also distinguishing Overheard in Pittsburgh from most other sites in the genre is that it does not rely on an editorial team of contributors; instead, all entires come from Griswold or the people of Pittsburgh.
Griswold endeavors to differentiate "Overheard in Pittsburgh" from similar websites by aiming to authentically depict life in Pittsburgh, as opposed to, according to City Paper reporter Justin Hopper, merely parroting silly comments people utter […] with a prejudiced or even mildly discriminatory tone characteristic of many 'overheard' blogs. Furthermore, Griswold's site stands out from the majority by not relying on an editorial team; instead, all posts come from Griswold himself or the people of Pittsburgh.