Friday: Hello from London! Also: MANY new assignments pending and newly published stories

Good afternoon (or evening across the pond…)

I’ve been in London for just about 7 hours and I’ve already hit the ground running in the most exciting of ways.

A retrospective of things that have happened so far on this wild and crazy journey, as told by a few photos (and it’s just day 1!)

I got to hang out in the cockpit of the plane last night on my Delta flight from JFK to London, and even got to wear the pilot’s hat!

I went to afternoon tea basically straight off the plane, and even has a fascinator for the occasion (it’s actually a rewear, of the one I wore to the Kentucky Derby last year — who knew that Kentucky Derby and the coronation of a king has so much fashion overlap?

I saw a lot of flags and coronation regalia.

And, most importantly to a gushy sentimental girl such as myself, I was reunited with my dear friend Alice Dubin!

To think this is just the first day and it’s still daylight. I can’t even begin to imagine what tomorrow - coronation day! - will involve!

So considering all that was going on here in London, I didn’t really anticipate I’d be able to send today’s email out as scheduled…but then I got a whole bunch of new assignments.

It’s funny, Jill and Alice and myself have a daily text thread, and just yesterday I was saying how it is funny how I had like 10 assignments pending at once when I was in Ireland two weeks ago, but now this week was sort of quiet. Alice had been like, just watch, tomorrow you’ll be bombarded! And she was right!

I have four new Father’s Day gift guides pending, as well as several stories pegged to July 4th. All the details are below in the pending assignments section. I also have a BUNCH of new stories that published since yesterday — including one I’m super excited about. Chrissy Teigen gave me the exclusive interview (for Forbes!) about her upcoming brick and mortar bakery popup in LA! Check out the whole story below.

I’m off to explore some coronation-themed cocktails (my job is hard, you guys)…more soon!

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!

• TODAY.com: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with these spicy restaurant deals and freebies

• Forbes.com: Chrissy Teigen To Bring Cravings Baking Mixes To Life With New Pop-Up Bakery In Los Angeles

• Forbes.com: Cocktails Perfect For Celebrating Mom On Mother’s Day

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

• Best Life: 6 Things You Should Never Have in Your Bathroom When Guests Come Over

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

• HerMoney: TikTok Made Me Buy It (10 Products We Can’t Live Without)

• Forbes.com: Fun Cocktails For A Cinco De Mayo Celebration

• Best Life: The 6 Most Dangerous Foods to Put in the Microwave, Experts Say

• YourTango: 25 Gifts Moms Who Are Hard To Shop For Love Most

• Parade.com: Can You Really Keep a Jar of Honey Forever? Food Experts Settle the Age-Old Debate

• Parade.com: This No-Tears Method Is How You Should Actually Cut an Onion, According to Chefs

• Everyday Health: Is Blue Matcha Good for You?

• RetailMeNot: 11 Gorgeous Pieces of Mother’s Day Jewelry Under $150

• Forbes.com: Planning A Coronation Viewing Party? You'll Need Cocktails Fit For A King

• Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Mail-Order Dinners

• Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Pantry Staples For From-Scratch Cooks

• Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Grilling Gear

• Forbes.com: Fairmont Hotels Has Launched A Tea Blend Perfect For Sipping During Coronation Viewing Parties

• Food Network: Panda Express and Cult-Favorite Fly By Jing Join Forces On New Menu Item

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

• YourTango: 20 Very Important Habits Of People Who Age Extremely Well

  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 all about berries…apparently there’s A LOT of types of berries out there other than the half dozen or so that we are most familiar with. Ultimately, I’d love to chat with a few experts over email as far as types of berries (I’m looking to do a rundown of 27-30, health benefits, etc) - obviously I don’t need any one expert to give me ALL the types tho! But if they can cover a bunch of types of berries (as well as how many types of berries there are in total), health benefits, what are the healthiest types of berries and why, what types of edible berries are there — is watermelon a berry, and why is it considered a berry (yes, that one BLEW MY MIND TOO), I’d love if you can email me! alywalansky@gmail.com

RetailMeNot

I’m 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 Cookbooks

• 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!

<3