Aly's Wednesday Newsletter: This Is Us Recap, What I'm Working On, And Getting A Little Regal...
Bunches of new stories pending for various outlets
Good morning!
Fair warning: The next paragraph or so will discuss last night's This Is Us. If you have not watched yet, please scroll to the next section so that you get today's story leads and newly published stories, but are not spoiled!
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Last night's This Is Us was heavy...but so beautifully done.
While I'm so glad we got our Jack and Rebecca reunion, there's a lot of things I am sad didn't happen -- we didn't get to see Kyle and Miguel got a fraction of the send off he deserved.
"You're my favorite person."
"Aw!"...walks away.
That said, it was a poignant, beautiful, and incredibly sad episode (and how perfect that we revisited the caboose theme from earlier in the season) and I'm already dreading having to say goodbye to this incredible series next week.
Back to work
But...I get it. You aren't here to read about my feelings on my favorite TV show nearing its end. You are here for today's story leads, and I have a bunch! Thanks SO much for the RDs who reached out yesterday and helped me meet that fast-turnaround deadline. It is very much appreciated.
Today, I'm looking for dermatologists, vegans (for a crowd source, so just any reader who happens to be vegan), and plant-based chefs to do the same.
Getting with the crown, er crowd
Fun fact: I was just writing the phrase crowd source above and I instead wrote crown source. Is it because I just published a roundup of cocktails for the Queen's jubilee? Maybe.
Or perhaps it's because tomorrow is the 4th anniversary of Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal wedding?
Whatever the case, tiaras are very much in my headspace today...
Then again...when aren't they...
This morning, my Facebook Memories reminded me that four years ago tonight, Amber and I were at this gorgeous press event at the Plaza Hotel in honor of the night before the Royal Wedding.
That year, I had been obsessed with all things royal wedding. For MONTHS leading up, I was writing stories like “this cupcake is inspired by the royal wedding cake” and “is THIS the wine that will be poured on the big day?” - so obviously, this event was like the Super Bowl Sunday pregame show and NYE all wrapped up in a tiara and a glass of English sparkling wine for me.
The setting of the night was perfect, because anyone who was a Meghan Markle fan in her pre-duchess days knew that her character Rachel on Suits actually had said many times she fantasized about getting married at the Plaza, and her end of the run on the series (because of said real life marriage to a prince) was marked by her character on the show getting married.
But I remember that night as an example of everything I love about the media community and the ability to truly connect over something special at a pivotal moment in time. Of course we can write about things happening, and we can talk about them on social media, but getting to experience them together, it’s just something I will always treasure and that particular night is one I’ll never forget.
50% off special subscription deal!
Today is the FINAL DAY that 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.
Newly published
TODAY.com: Where to score food freebies and dining deals on Memorial Day
Forbes: 10 Regal Cocktails Perfect For Toasting To Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Clean Plates: The Healthiest Fast Food Orders For When You’re On a Road Trip, According To Dietitians
Clean Plates: 7 Expert-Approved Ways to Avoid a Blood Sugar Spike (without Avoiding Carbs)
The Kitchn: Bean Box Is Releasing a Line of Seinfeld-Inspired Coffee
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.
Clean Plates
For this story, I'm rounding up the Best Plant-Based Meats for The Grill, According to Vegans -- instead of interviewing nutritionists/dietitians, I'm interested this time in just which grilling products vegans actually seriously *love*. SO I'm doing a crowdsource: if you are a vegan, know a vegan, etc, please have them email me! And I'd LOVE to hear from some plant-based chefs for this as well. For people who aren't famous - but are regular folks who are currently plant-based, I'd love to know how long they've been plant based. So an example:
Aly W, a writer who lives in Brooklyn, has been vegan for 0 years. "My favorite vegan meat is actual steak," she says. "Because I could go vegan if my life depended on it."
Got it?
Also, just kidding. Please only respond if you are currently plant based and not just being obnoxious like me.
Also for Clean Plates, I'm working on a story on Why you should avoid certain sunscreen types for your health, according to dermatologists: This story will focus on chemical vs physical sunscreens (think physical blockers w/o nano particles). I'm looking to chat with environmentally-minded derms for this one. While I FULLY agree any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen, I'd love to focus on what's actually good for us in this one.
RetailMeNot
This just in: Working on 3 new stories for June for RetailMeNot:
1. The Best Father's Day Sales to Shop Now: I'm looking for the biggies for this one, places like Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ancestry, 23andMe, Fitbit IF they are throwing a sale. I'm looking for retail sales only for this one (NOT restaurants - I have a different story at a different outlet for that). TO pitch for this one, please include what's on sale, how to shop it, the promo code.
2. Fourth of July Store Hours + Stores Open Fourth of July (similar to the Easter and Memorial Day store hours roundup I did for this same outlet). This is for major retailers, look at my versions for other holidays for an idea of what I'm looking for.
3. Stores That Let You Bring In Your Old Clothes for Recycling - quite simply, I'm going to round up retailers that let you bring (or mail) in your clothes for recycling. To pitch me for this one, please send me detailed instructions about how to take advantage of these services, so if the retailer gives any kind of reward (discount? coupon?) if you bring clothing in for recycling? and a link to learn more (whatever URL makes the most sense for the reader to go for more info).
Today.com
For Today.com, I'm working on the following stories:
I'm rounding up restaurant deals/freebies for National Donut Day (which is the first week in June)
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
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 -- This can go in a lot of different directions. Perhaps it's a food or spirit with some incredible history behind it (tell me what that history is) - but maybe it's also a food/drink that celebrates a moment in history, like a commemorative bottle of wine or whiskey from some historic event.
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).
To pitch me for ANY of these stories, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com (and start a new thread, please!).
Virtual consulting sessions...
Over the last six months or so, 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!
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Listen while you work
My friend Alice was just featured in Join Our Vida Loca famly travel podcast. Listen to it here. Great workday background listening (plus she's a delight).
<3
aly
Love the tiara