Friday: A new-to-me outlet, fun podcast news, and another reader question answered!

TGIF!

This week saw several fun events and dinners, recording 2 different podcast guest stints (they should both be live in a few weeks), and a story in a new-to-me outlet. Not bad for a sleepy week in May!

The new-to-me outlet that I referenced above was Runner’s World, where I wrote a pretty in-depth feature about determining your nutrition solutions for maintaining energy levels before and after your run. As I said on my Facebook feed yesterday — if you ever see me running, chances are someone is chasing me — but still an exciting opportunity to get to write this important story for such a respected outlet!

I also want to say thank you for all the AMAZING feedback to yesterday’s newsletter about hidden costs of press trips. I loved reading those emails and I’m so glad it was helpful.

Speaking of reader emails, I’m going to share another reader question today!

Q - When is enough enough when it comes to hearing about the same product? 

A - This is a complicated question because you have a job to do, and your job is to pitch that product. But if you’re sending out the same pitch again and again, it can indeed start to read as stale. I think the key is to try to add new details about that product each time you pitch. Perhaps it is being expanded to offer a new flavor or shade or there’s a special seasonal price change for a holiday or occasion. Maybe it recently won a best-of-whatever-that-product-is award, or was seen or used or chatted about in the news or on some sort of popular TV show everyone is talking about. Maybe there’s some new stat or research study that ties in to what this product offers or does. There’s always a way to take what feels a little stale and freshen it up, so to speak. Hope that helps!

Special May deal

Another month, another super fun headband deal at my beloved RPZL - they are offering those SUPER CUTE cloud comfort headbands (which I think feel very Princess Kate) at 50% off if you use code GETREADY50. I personally have this headband in black and also in pink and highly recommend getting it for a low-lift summer haircare option.

Newly published or freshly updated

Since people are often asking about the status of stories from a while ago, and I only share stories in this newsletter that were published or updated in the current week, I have created a list of my author pages at various publications to which I contribute. Bookmark it and make your life a bit easier.

This list will live on my Substack URL and be updated as necessary. That way, you can see what I’m doing at any publication, at any time, from types of stories to general structure of stories to even volume and frequency of my content at that outlet.

This can also help you to target pitching a bit better. That makes your job easier, and mine too!

• Runner’s World: How Your Prerun Fueling Affects Energy Levels

• Yourtango: How To Use Dry Shampoo The Right Way In Between Washes

• Mashed.com: Tips For Making The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

• Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Cookbooks To Add To His Collection

• Southern Living: Banana Peppers Vs. Pepperoncini: What's The Difference?

• Southern Living: Can You Safely Eat Sprouted Potatoes?

• Parade.com: There Are Over 400 Types of Berries, but These Are the Ones With the Best Health Benefits, According to Nutritionists

• RetailMeNot: Cheap Baby Shower Favor Ideas (Under $5 Per Person)

• Clean Plates: 7 Expert-Approved Ways to Avoid a Blood Sugar Spike

• Clean Plates: 11 Trader Joe’s Foods That Fit in the Mediterranean Diet

• Clean Plates: 7 Foods People in Blue Zones Eat That Increase Longevity

• Everyday Health: Is Blue Matcha Good for You?

• Clean Plates: 13 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches You Need to Buy

• YourTango: What It Means To 'Doomscroll' — And How To Take A Break From The Anxiety-Inducing News Cycle

  If you or your client are featured in any of these stories, I super appreciate any social media shares! Please remember to tag @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.

Please remember when pitching me: Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com - do NOT just hit reply on this newsletter, or there’s a good shot your email will be lost in the heap. Give your email a subject line that makes it clear which story you are pitching me for — it’ll help you in the long run.

Please consult my industry insights guides on submitting expert commentary, sending emails that will catch a journalist’s attention, how to craft pitches journalists will say ‘yes’ to, and the right and wrong way to submit photos, if you need any extra guidance before sending your pitches.

Parade.com

I’m working on a story on craziest wedding food trends and I’d love wedding planners, caterers, chefs, etc, to weigh in. Please drop me an email!

RetailMeNot

The Best Father's Day Sales to Shop Now: I’m working on an update of this story from last year.  A lot of these might change, so note any run-through dates IF the retailer has those when pitching me. Otherwise, it's OK to describe the sale as "for a limited time." I’m going to try to include spots such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ancestry, 23andMe, Fitbit IF they are throwing a sale. If pitching me for this one or the July 4th version below, please be sure to include what's on sale, how to shop it, the promo code (if any). Maybe the promo code is storewide, so that makes it super flexible. Whatever the shopper needs to know about how and WHY to shop the sale.

I’m also updating these two July 4th stories from last year (that I wrote, so I’m updating myself!)

• All the Best Fourth of July Sales to Shop Now

• Stores Open Fourth of July + Fourth of July Store Hours

Please look at last year’s version for an idea of format and what I’m looking for - and if I included your store hours or sales last year, feel free to reach out and give me updates!

Forbes.com

For Forbes, I’ve been assigned FOUR Father’s Day gift guides. They are:

• The Best Gifts For Grillers

• The Best Gifts To Stock His Freezer

• The Best Gifts For Culinary Travelers

To pitch for ALL these gift guides, please be sure to submit in this format:

• Name of product

• retailer where sold, link, price (I’m open to smaller retailers, I want to have really unique great finds)

• few sentences description

• LINK to image

• Please no commentary of gifting experts telling me their favorite gift ideas. NOT looking for experts to quote or commentary for this story. And due to the extreme volume of responses expected: ONLY pitches that follow the above format can be considered.

Looking to up your affiliate marketing game?

Affiliate marketing is complicated, and it seems that the landscape keeps changing. If you are looking to be prepared for gift guide season and all other shopping-related content, you may want to try the 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!)

Virtual (and now in-person!) consulting sessions...

Looking for a consult as you plan your next event or trip? Or just want someone to take a look at the pitches you’ve been sending and give some feedback?

I've been popping into a lot of PR team virtual meetings and some other fun stuff and making myself available to answer all sorts of questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective.  I like to keep these things chill and comfortable and relaxed all by sharing perspective and learning from one another. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat!

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! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts. If you are a freelance publicist and want to join in with a few other freelance publicist friends and set something up, we can do that as well!

Have a great day!

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