Aly's Newsletter: TGIF (Also: Loads of new story leads, including gift guides!)

Happy Friday!

I have an exciting night planned tonight -- I'm going to get to reunite with a close friend I haven't seen in nearly a year, and we're going to visit a local Brooklyn restaurant I've been really looking forward to. Will share photos tonight on Instagram of our food, friendship, and fun! 

The rest of the weekend I have about two weeks of mailings to catch up on (that's what happens when you travel two weeks in a row) and (more importantly) puppy cuddling time to catch up on. It works out because they really enjoy cuddling in front of the TV on a weekend morning, and that's exactly how I like to spend my weekend mornings. (Their channel of choice is the Food Network, which works for me too!)

Special subscription deal!

For one week only, I'm offering a staggering 50% off annual subscriptions. This is a special deal I'm providing just because...we can all use a bit of extra love these days.  Paid subscriptions get you access to added value such as Q&As, industry insight newsletters, and dedicated subscriber Zoom events where you can Ask Me Anything. Already have a subscription? Thank you! This is a good time to send a friend a gift or get a subscription for someone on your team.

Speaking of subscriber Zooms...

The next Ask Aly Anything zoom is Monday, May 16, and there's still some room...if you are a paid subscriber and want more information, please scroll back to the newsletters from earlier this week (or email me!).  I'm so sorry if you can't attend this time, but there'll be others. I do these every few weeks.

CAN YOU HELP?

One of my very dear friends has had her Instagram account hacked. The sh*t-head that did it changed the password and the email address associated, so she can’t even get back in through normal security channels — and now they are trying hold her account for ransom! Unbelievable. Would you perhaps have a direct internal contact at Instagram (or Facebook) who can help? Please email me asap and I’ll put you in touch with my friend. Super appreciate any leads!

Newly published

Clean Plates: 7 Expert-Approved Ways to Avoid a Blood Sugar Spike (without Avoiding Carbs)

Food Network: But, Of Course – Sarah Jessica Parker Is Releasing the Perfect Cosmo

RetailMeNot: 10 Father’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad

The Kitchn: I Tried the New Chocolate Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks and It’s Guaranteed to Be a Summer Staple

If you or your client are featured in any of these stories, I super appreciate any social media shares tagging @alywalansky and the outlet. 

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.

Today.com

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

•  I'm rounding up restaurant chains doing Memorial Day deals/freebies

• Also restaurants open on Memorial Day (and their hours). 

• Restaurant deals/freebies for National Donut Day (which is the first week in June)

• Looking ahead: I'm also going to be rounding up Father's Day and graduation related deals/freebies at chain restaurants (so if you happen to have those now feel free to send ahead!)

If pitching me restaurant deals/discounts for any of these holidays, please be sure to include what the deal is, how to claim the deal, and any disclaimers, as well as exactly how long it lasts and where it’s good. (I run into A LOT of last minute changes on these deals, so please be sure what you are pitching me is actually the deal being offered before proceeding…it helps us BOTH down the line.)

Forbes.com

1 - As promised, I am working on a bunch of Father’s Day gift guides. My topics are:

• Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Foodie Gifts For A Dad Who Loves History

• Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Aspirational Home Chef

• Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Martini Gifts

To pitch me for any of these guides, please email the following:

• Which guide you are pitching

• Name of product

• description

• link where sold, price

• LINK to high-res image (no attachments please)

Unfortunately, due to the volume of responses I receive, if you do not have all these components, you cannot be considered (and if you think a pitch is just emailing me a stack of URLs, then you really can’t be considered).

2 - Unless you've been living under a rock, you are probably aware that Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee is being celebrated over the next few weeks. This is an incredibly historic event. For Forbes, I'm doing a roundup of cocktails/dishes being served at restaurants/bars/hotels around the world in honor of this MOMENTOUS occasion (sigh...what I'd give to be in London to celebrate...I can't even tell you.) - To pitch me for this story, please send me the following:

1 - Name of dish/drink

2 - Where being served (must exist on the menu or as a specialty at a bar or restaurant)

3 - Description

4 - Quote about the drink/dish (please don't forget to include a name of who is being quoted)

5 - High-res image of the dish/drink

Would love it if all pitches for this can be sent by Monday 5/16.

The Complete Guide to Keto

ATTENTION RDs: I'm seeking RDs to comment asap for a story. This is a *print* magazine to be published by Centennial Health in August 2022. I'll be working on a story on Meals for All Eaters -- How to Feed a Food-Loving Family. It's essentially advice on creating meals that allow one person to be on keto while everyone else is eating non-keto meals. Maybe adding pasta to meat and veggies, or making two easy casseroles?. I'd love to talk to an R.D. re: how to do this, and also how to balance nutrition for kids/teenagers/men and a keto dieter.

Basically, for this story, I want to imagine that someone has gone keto and has kids and a partner who doesn't want to go keto. At the same time, we want everyone's meals to be healthy and balanced (in a keto way or in a typical way), so the concept shouldn't be that they just eat more meat, but maybe add almonds or olives to her meal (keep the keto balance in mind) and that a kid could maybe eat a cup of mac & cheese and not all the meat. Or whatever. I would love a nutritionist to comment on what a kid's dinner should look like or any other advice they might have (including that if you're going to do keto you should eat healthy fats not a bag of pork rinds).  I'm also going to do a sidebar on frozen dinners -- those you can find in a grocery store/Walmart/Target/Whole Foods. Deadline for this one - Monday, May 16.

To pitch me for ANY of these stories, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com (and start a new thread, please!).

Virtual consulting sessions...

Recently, I've popped into a fair amount of PR team meetings and made myself available to answer all sorts of questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective.  If you are interested in setting anything up for your own team in the coming months, please email me and we'll get something on the books!

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!)

Download the Substack App!

Good news! This newsletter is now available via app. That means you can keep up with everything you are reading from your phone. Download the app for iPhone and iPad here. For Android users, sign up for the waiting list here.

<3

aly