Early AM Edition of Aly's Newsletter: Please Help Me Choose My Kentucky Derby Hat!

Hello from Louisville!

Good morning from Louisville!

I just arrived yesterday afternoon, and I'm having SO MUCH fun and learning so much already.

In the space of just one afternoon and evening yesterday, I took a class on how to make a proper Mint Julep (I mean, obviously), visited the Kentucky Derby museum, went for a hat fitting with a for-real milliner, and took a betting and handicapping lesson.

(Apparently choosing a horse to bet on based on "but his name sounds kind of royal!" is not what I'm supposed to do...)

All that was tons of fun, so much fun that I didn’t open my computer for much of yesterday…which means, I’m doing exactly what I mentioned last week responsible writers have to do on press trips in order to stay afloat…I set my alarm for 4 am this morning, and am doing emails and a bit of work before I start my day in Louisville. It’s a balance, of course, and totally worth it.

Yesterday's newsletter was pretty heavy, and I feel like we need to find balance and joy whenever we can in this wild world.

So, TODAY, I'm going to let y'all choose my hat for the Derby!

Note: There's two hats to choose from, and both are now mine to own and love forever. However, I have only one head. So, one will be worn tomorrow to the Kentucky Derby (woohoo) and the other will be worn later today for the running of the Kentucky Oaks.

You decide...just tell me in the comments whichever hat you like best, and why. (And yes, I have my favorite already, but I want to hear yours.) Please don't be shy - this is deeply scientific research that will directly impact the cuteness factors of all selfies from the Derby tomorrow.

Thank you for your support.

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.

The Complete Guide to Keto

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. I'm also going to do a sidebar on meal delivery services. Deadline for this one - May 15. (Yes, I know I gave a slightly later deadline yesterday, but my deadline was moved up, so yours was too!)

Clean Plates

For Clean Plates,  I need RDs to comment asap!  I'm working on a story on Ways to Make Simple 15-Minute Dinners from Trader Joe's. This can be a mix of healthy recipes and products that go together in an easy way. For instance, the TJs cauliflower gnocchi + their seriously bomb pesto = great base for a meal. (This one would be great with suggestions of adding, say, their organic green vegetable foursome and some of their frozen shrimp or chickpeas for protein).  Would love RDs to comment! For guidance as to the format this story will take and the kind of comments I'm seeking, please take a look at this similar story I did recently.

Retailmenot

For RetailMeNot, I'm rounding up Memorial Day store hours for 2022. This is the Memorial Day version of the Easter store hours story I did for them, so take a look at that one for format, but I'll have 3 sections - Stores Open on Memorial Day + Store Hours, Stores Closed on Memorial Day, Restaurants Open on Memorial Day + Hours. This Memorial Day story is an update of this piece from last year. So if you represent a store or restaurant in that story, it'd be so helpful if you can reach out with your Memorial Day info if you have it handy.

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!

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