Friday: Final call for several ongoing assignments - including gift guides!
Good morning!
Happy Friday!
I wasn’t planning on sending out an email today, because Summer Fridays and all, but I have a few stories I want to wrap up in the next few days — and that means I’m sending out a final call-to-action for my EOW laptop warriors.
Scroll down to my pending assignments section for more, and get those emails to me ASAP.
Reminder: I have an exciting panel coming up next week in NYC, and you’re all invited (email the address in the photo for an invitation and more information!) - a bunch of you have emailed that you are registered to attend the conference, and our panel, and I’m so excited!
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available the remainder of 2026!
I can join your team on Zoom, a phone call, or in-person and do a team Q&A and answer any of your questions about planning events, mailers, trips, pitching, followups, etc — giving you a very necessary media perspective. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you are interested in chatting more and setting something up :)
We can switch it up in any way you or your team needs. While most of my calls do end up being virtual, I just did one where we did our session over a martini lunch! I’m available for whatever your team prefers. Lets chat.
Be sure to follow me on the Yahoo Creators platform. I’m writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!)
Limited-time deal on ad placement!
I’m offering a seasonal special on advertising in this newsletter. I’d love to place your sponsored posts and advertising in this Substack, which goes out to more than 10,000 media professionals every single day.
Note: I do limit advertising to only what would be of interest to my readers, but am open to both short paragraph blurbs and dedicated posts - if you are interested in chatting details and scheduling something, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com today!
Tools of the Trade
It's June now and we're in the last weeks of dad/grad gift guide season, but holiday season is going to be here very soon. Now is when it's most crucial to hone our pitching skills and put our best effort forward. The Recipe for Press Media Directory is a one-stop resource for everything you need to do just that. It's an essential and affordable database aimed toward top editors, digital editors and freelance writers in home, food, fashion, travel, business and lifestyle. Founded by former editor and author Amy Flurry in 2014, the directory features emails, titles, active social media addresses, and a notes section with submission guidelines. It's created for people in the trenches by someone who knows how editors want to be pitched. This is why leading publicists, editors, and entrepreneurs across the country, including me, widely use and recommend it! Annual subscription price is $195.
I partnered with Pitchcraft to be able to share a special offer just for my readers: Use code ALY200: new users will get $200 off their first month of the monthly PR Membership or code ALY400: This one offers new users $400 off their first year of the annual PR Membership. This is a great network to join because it’s a community of both PR professionals and journalists working together to find better ways to work together and share opportunities, and you know how much I believe in all of that
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who you’ve seen as the star expert panelist for several of our gift guide pitching workshops!) - she launched her new course, Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based PR for Publicists - It’s built specifically to help PR pros and agencies add affiliate management as a core capability, something we all know is completely essential in today’s media landscape.
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.
Yahoo Creators: Check out my author profile (I have several new stories a day across the lifestyles umbrella, so that’s the best way to stay updated!)
Southern Living: I’ve Tried Every Way To Bake A Potato—This 1 Wins Every Time
Southern Living: This Store-Bought Baked Beans Brand Was The Clear Favorite Among Southern Chefs.
Dining Out NY: Vegas is Taking Over New York, One Flashy Dinner at a Time
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Baked Beans Without Ruining The Texture?
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They’ve Upgraded Their Seat—and It’s Only $35
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Frequent Solo Traveler, and This Genius Safety Device Gives Me Peace of Mind in Every Airbnb
Food Network: 20 Restaurant Deals To Snag for Memorial Day
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And My Friends And I Are Obsessed With This App For Tracking Each Other’s Flights
Travel & Leisure: I Fly Around the Country for Work, and This Roomy Tote Is My No. 1 Airport Essential for Looking Put Together.
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler of 25 Years, and These Are the 18 Products I Swear By for Personal Safety in 2026
Travel & Leisure: Traveling Alone Can Be Expensive—Here Are 15 Budget-friendly Hacks That Save Me Money
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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.
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
Food Network
I’m rounding up chain restaurants and QSRs doing special freebies, deals, and discounts in honor of Father’s Day. Same format as my usual deals roundups (see a recent one here: 20 Restaurant Deals To Snag for Memorial Day), just send me what the deal is, where it is valid, how to claim it, and any related images and social media links by end of next week.
Forbes.com
It’s almost International Sushi Day, and I’m looking for the best and most creative/interesting sushi experiences, sushi rolls, and sushi presentations around. I’m also doing the same for National Caviar Day, International Falafel Day and National Lobster Day, as well as, of course, my personal favorite — National Martini Day (now, think out of the box on this one, amazing creative martinis are fab, but so are amazing dishes INSPIRED by martinis!)
To pitch for any of these please include:
Name of drink/dish
description
quote from chef/bartender about dish (and name and title of person being quoted)
and LINK to image, with an identifying file name, and any appropriate photo credits included
(I know I give these guidelines over and over, but every day I get dozens of pitches that disregard them, so it bears repeating! <3)!
Yahoo Creators
I’m sourcing for Father’s Day gift guides. To pitch me for these, please be sure to include name of product, description, link to imagery, price, and retailer availability - even better if it’s available at Amazon or another major online retailer. If it’s available at several retailers, please share all the links.
Leaning toward gadget, tech, office, travel, culinary wellness, and home gifts in these ones. I’m also specifically working on a guide geared toward the dad who loves to make music or play with his band in the garage - think man cave, with purpose.
Thanks!