Aly's Newsletter: Fri-yay Edition!

Hello, friends!

Happy Friday, and may the April Fool's Day pitches in your inbox be as bearable as possible.

(Bryce is still recovering from the dessert mayo one I forwarded her the other day...be sure to send her your best wishes during this trying time.)

So far, my favorite April Fool’s pitch of the day today? And the day is young…A sex toy company that is abandoning their discreet packaging for new INDISCREET packaging - because even though privacy is our right, so is sharing our fun! Love it.

This was a busy week, but I had a lot of fun thrown in. Some event highlights this week included a lunch and learn seminar I attended with a wine brand, where we all enjoyed lunch together on Zoom and enjoyed an informal (but very informative!) Q&A with the winemakers. 

I also attended my first real-life totally-not-a-Zoom-thing group press dinner in MONTHS this week, and it was a fantastic time.

A bit of advice to those planning dinners and events during these times: The people hosting this dinner sent everyone attending an Uber voucher to cover the rides to and from the event. This is something that might seem like a minor consideration, but for someone like me, who is avoiding subways right now but can find frequent rideshares to get prohibitively expensive, it's a godsend and ABSOLUTELY makes the difference when on the fence about attending an event.  But also, it's just so NICE to sit at a table and enjoy wine and food together and just...talk.

I got to be reacquainted with people I hadn't seen in years, or people I had only met on Zoom or email. And, yes, aside from the point of the event, we did cover the new season of Bridgerton ...extensively...in our chat! It's important current events!

Aly on the move...

I mean, FINALLY. After taking a bit of a travel hiatus, I am happy to share that I have a few press trips coming up this spring (variant-palooza permitting. always get travel insurance!) - but I'll be in Vegas the last weekend in April for an exciting opening and in Kentucky a few days later for the Kentucky Derby! (PS: WHAT SHOULD I WEAR TO THE DERBY?? STILL DECIDING. BUT THIS FEELS LIKE MY DUCHESS MOMENT -- and yes, a fascinator will be involved.)

 If you are in either of these places and want to try to connect, please do drop me a note. Note: I'm still being super selective about what I say yes to and avoiding indoors-crowded-closed-in situations, but I am so excited to be reunited with so many friends that I've missed dearly.

Newly published:

• Very often, I’ll make something in my slow cooker on my Instagram stories, and immediately get a bunch of DMs asking why there’s a plastic bag in my pot. It’s not a plastic bag! It’s a liner…and it’ll change your life. But I figured it’s about time I explained what I was doing! So, my new story for AllRecipes: I Use My Slow Cooker Nonstop, and Liners Have Changed Everything

• And because we can’t exist on slow cooker white bean chili alone (but, really, can we??? Maybe…) my latest for Forbes: 11 Beautiful Cocktails To Enjoy This Easter

• I know it sounds like I’m ALWAYS waxing poetic about Trader Joe’s, but it really is my favorite place to shop. For Clean Plates, I rounded up my favorite plant-based items in the store, and had nutritionists weigh in: The Top 11 Plant-Based Items at Trader Joe’s Nutritionists *Love*

• And some fun for those of us who are really into the teen rom-com genre, my new story for The Kitchn: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse Test Their Food Knowledge in the Cutest Way

If you or your client are featured, please be sure to share on social media and tag me. It's very appreciated!

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.

RetailMeNot

For RetailMeNot, I'm updating this story about stores closed on Easter Sunday (+ Easter Store Hours for 2022) -- I realize this reads like the flip side of the Today.com story I was just working on, but there's a few subtle differences. So if you represent any of the stores in it, I would love it if you can contact me to let me know if your hours have changed or not for Easter, or when you will know. While the TODAY story is just restaurants, this is all sorts of stores, from grocery stores to department stores. Please assume that something needs to be a chain to be included, so your one-off location of a sushi shop doesn't really apply.

HerMoney

For HerMoney.com, I'm working on the following:

1 - Mother's Day gifts under $100 that will make her have a better day every day - 

2 - Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas to celebrate Earth Day Right

3 - A roundup of some expert tips  on how to find great wine for special occasions and dates, but affordably. Like how to research wine and find a "good one" but have it not be pricey. Like can a $10 bottle BE a great bottle? And how to find those gems. I'd love expert input (obviously I have my own input!)

Today.com

I'm looking for restaurant chains nationwide doing special deals/discounts for tax day. If you have any, please email me with what the restaurant is (chains only please), what the freebie/discount/deal is, and how to claim it.

Forbes.com 

 For Forbes.com I'm rounding up Kosher For Passover wines and spirits for an upcoming story. I'm also doing a story on fun finds in Kosher For Passover snacks/treats/new products. These items must exist online and they MUST be shippable. And please please make sure the item is kosher for passover certified (that's a different thing than kosher, so if something is kosher, it's not necessarily KFP) - I'll do a dedicated newsletter soon explaining the difference for anyone who doesn't quite understand. But meanwhile, you can always email me questions. And, please, pitch me!

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