A savings alert for NYC commuters (and a bit of This Is Us discussion)
Oh, work stuff too.
So much to talk about today...
First of all, as we all attempt to recover from the harrowing day that was yesterday, I wanted to share a link in the hope of helping Brooklyn in some small way.
For anyone who is afraid to take the subway right now, or is experiencing subway difficulties, Lyft is temporarily offering discounted rides throughout all of NYC. Rides can be accessed using the code NYCHELP22, valid for two rides up to $15 each. Rides are available from now until 4/15/22 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
It's a small thing, for just a few days, but if it can give even one person some peace of mind...it's a good thing.
Speaking of ride shares (and how they can be prohibitively expensive even during a point in time we feel like we have no other choice but to embrace them), for Her Money I wrote a story about how to save money while using various rideshare apps (doing what you are already doing anyway!).
Yesterday was pretty stressful for anyone who lives in NYC (or just loves NYC or cares for the people in it), but I was so grateful to get to spend some time with cherished friends last night.
When times are scary and stressful, there's nothing like being able to see a friend and get a hug or share a meal -- I think the last few years of not always having that option has taught us that more than anything.
After I got home last night from my dinner with my gal friends, I caught up on this week's new This is Us and...wow. It was certainly a doozy. All that time jumping and the insane amount of plot movement in one episode was pretty darn bewildering...which kind of mirrored Kate and Toby's own reality. (And also...I'm beginning to have hope that Kevin and Sophie are indeed end game!)
Some housekeeping
This weekend, I sent out my weekly paid edition of the newsletter. There, I shared the details about my next subscriber-only Zoom event. You can still check it out here.
Here's what I'm working on:
Be sure to read the below list carefully. Many are stories I posted about yesterday, but some of yesterday's stories are no longer listed and a few new ones have been added since yesterday. This (below) is everything that is still a currently open opportunity as of today.
AllRecipes
For AllRecipes, I'm going to be working on a roundup of drinking glasses - everything from those regency-era coupe glasses I'm obsessed with to, like, stuff for water or juice (hydration is important, you guys). My categories of drinking glasses will include (in the event this is helpful in your pitching) stuff like: "Best Overall for Everyday Use," "Best Budget," "Best Unbreakable" (think water glasses for these first few), "Best Insulated," ... then stuff like "Best for Bourbon and Whiskey," "Best for Beer," "Best for Wine," and "Best for Champagne". For each item I include, I will be touching on a few specs (for glasses, specs would probably be Material:, Dimensions:, Capacity:, and Quantity:), i'm going to try to do a range of retailers for these, but limit to the major ones (think amazon, walmart, target, etc)
Clean Plates
I'm working on a roundup of the healthiest fast food orders for when you're on a road trip according to dietitians. I'm thinking of combos like Wendy's, Subway, Dunkin, Taco Bell, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Starbucks (those sous vide egg bites?), etc... I'm ultimately going to do a fast casual version of this later so I'm going to keep this to proper fast-fast places, and when sending expert input, please feel free dip into the breakfast menus / make a meal out of sides!
Forbes.com
I said it was coming and here it is, I'm working on a bunch of Mother's Day gift guides for Forbes. Here's the topics:
Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Mail-Order Gifts For A Mother’s Day Meal At Home
Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Foodie Gifts For The Mom Who Loves To Travel
Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Luxury Kitchen Gifts
Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Celebrity Chef Merchandise For Home Cooks
To pitch me for any of these, please be sure to start a new email thread, email alywalansky@gmail.com (NOT my substack) and let me know which one(s) you are pitching for. please be sure to include:
name of product
where solid, link, price
description, and why it's a good fit for this theme
and a LINK to a high res image (dropbox preferred...just please make sure you are SHARING the image and not just cut and pasting a URL...that will ensure I actually GET it and not ... a dropbox home screen lol.)
Today.com
I'm rounding up deals at restaurant/food chains for MOTHER'S DAY. (This is weeks away obviously, so I have a bit of time to play with this one) - for either of these, please be sure to send the name of the chain, what the deal is, and how customers can claim it. (Do they need a promo code? A rewards app? A QR code? etc)
To pitch me for ANY of these stories, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com (and start a new thread, please!).
Are you confused about affiliate marketing?
If you are having trouble learning how to navigate issues of affiliate marketing (trust me, we've all been there!), you may want to try out my friend Sarah Karger, a publicist, and former editor Dana Baardsen (and all-around fab girl!)'s Ultimate Masterclass and Introduction to Affiliate Marketing for Publicists. It's a brilliant course and it'll answer all your questions (including some you didn't know you had!)
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<3
aly