Friday Newsletter: Hello from Louisville (And some tips on how to work from an airport during a flight delay!)
Good morning from Louisville!
I woke up before sunrise this morning so I could finish a story that was on deadline for later today before starting my day’s schedule here (basically the only way I can make fun research trips happen!), and now I'm going to send out a quick and abridged version of this email before heading out on the day's schedule.
(Or as close to abridged as I ever get...)
BTW: If missed my Industry Insights edition on how to work from a hotel room, you can still see it here.
Yesterday was one of those travel days that remind us the Pan Am era of glamorous flying is long behind us. My flight was delayed about two hours (in 15-min increments, which was uniquely frustrating), only for us to finally board...and sit on the runway for over an hour. And then we discovered we were on a flight without wifi - or working seatback power outlets!
I know, I know, in the scheme of things, these are completely first world problems, and I did arrive safe and sound (albeit hours after the first thing on my schedule!) and now all is well.
Since my experience yesterday is the norm for so many frequent travelers these days, I wanted to do a quick roundup of tips on how to stay productive during a flight delay:
1 - Get on top of your inbox. This time of year, I take a coffee break and come back to a mailbox implosion. So you can imagine what a travel day looks like. Use that unexpected downtime to get on top of your emails for the day. and remember my tips for working offline while traveling - if you can prep Google docs and email apps to have all your email downloaded and pending docs set to work offline mode - you can still get things done even when technology and scheduling is working against you.
2. Make some quick phone calls. I don't mean to whine to all your friends about how your schedule is all up in the air because of delays. Though I do that too. I am human. But I mean take this opportunity to push back or reschedule anything you have pending that may be impacted by your schedule change.
3. Set a timer. This is SO important. Working in airports can feel as a kind of time vacuum. Almost like working in a casino cafe (which, I've done too...)...you don't want to get so in the zone with work that you lose track of time and miss your flight!
4. Do a brain dump. I don't know about you but my mind races when things don't go according to plan. Use that race. Jot down new project or story angles, they may be the nuts and bolts of your next great project!
5. Inventory the things you are currently working on. Yesterday, I was finishing up those National Coffee Day deals. I went through my list and made sure I had appropriate run dates and necessary claiming codes and all that for everything I was including. Do this for whatever you are working on. The most important part of doing what you need to do is to start by figuring out what has been done and what has not!
6. Find yourself some fun airport freebies. This week I wrote a story for Her Money about all sorts of free things (and experiences) you can get while at an airport. A layover or a flight delay is the perfect time to do some exploring, walk off those airport snacks, and see what your airport has to offer.
All in all, I got to Louisville safe and sound, albeit behind schedule, and am already having a lovely time! This morning, I'm off to a cooperage and distillery tour, then a bourbon brunch, followed by a bourbon and cheese pairing class — before I return back to work on my computer for a few hours (truth be told the other stuff IS work too, it’s just FUN work!), and then I’m set to see a Memphis 901 FC at Louisville City FC game tonight. (Yes, I have no idea what even to call it or what the rules are..game…match…? But I’ll learn!)
More on my Instagram stories shortly...
Refer a friend!
I’ve enabled the referral program on this Substack, though I’ll be honest and am not 100% how it works as of yet. The gist is that paid subscribers will get an email alert that they can gift a limited-time subscription to a friend.
I’ve already been doing an informal referral program for a while where I upgrade subscriptions weekly of someone who has shared the newsletter with a friend, so this is just a more formal version. To my understanding, now that it is enabled, paid subscribers will begin to receive an email with a link to a Gift Rewards page on their Substack account. Lets see how this goes, we’ll all be learning together!
Newly published …
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!
Forbes: These Rosh Hashanah Treats Are A Delicious Way To Wish Someone A Sweet New Year
Yahoo Life: Japanese restaurant 101: From tempura to tofu, here's what to order as a beginner
The Kitchn: Kroger Recalls More Than 20 Products Due to Listeria Concerns
Taste of Home: Dairy Queen’s Secret Menu Has a Sprinkle Core Dipped Cone—Here’s How to Order It
Her Money: How To Get Free Stuff At The Airport
The Kitchn: New Halloween Cups from Starbucks Are Here
Taste of Home: Why Is Some Cheddar Cheese Orange?
Forbes: The Las Vegas Strip Has A Cool New Must-Try Food Hall
The Kitchn: This Quick and Simple Hack Will Revive Stale Cereal in Minutes
RetailMeNot: 7 Ways To Save More on DoorDash
RetailMeNot: How to Shop at Aldi: A Guide for First-Timers
RetailMeNot: 10 Ways to Save More on Uber Eats
Her Money: Ways To Save On Hotels That You Never Knew Existed
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.
What I’m working on now:
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.
RetailMeNot
Fruit Cakes We're Absolutely Nutty For - I'm actually updating a story I wrote last year. If you represent any great fruitcakes sold online that are shippable in time for the holidays (or just have a favorite I should know about), please let me know! And if you represent any of the ones already included, and there's updated information I should have (pricing, availability, ingredients, what have you, please contact me as well.)
Her Money
1. How to Secure an Upgrade on Your Hotel Room -- looking for travel experts to weigh in. Specifically looking for to include ideas, hacks, tips "that you didn't know" or "that you've never tried" etc.
2. To Book or Not to Book?: Does Timing for Hotel Bookings Really Matter? Would be curious to know if time of day and day of week matter in terms of when you make the reservation (I've heard Tuesday mornings are good, but maybe that's BS??) and then also curious how far in advance is too far in advance? Would love experts to weigh in on this.
3. How to do a Friendsgiving on a budget. Would love entertaining experts to weigh in!
Forbes.com
National Taco Day is a few weeks away and I’m looking for fun, unique, inventive tacos. If your restaurant has something really cool and interesting and delicious, please send me the following: Name of dish, where sold, description, quote from chef about the dish, and a high res image.
TODAY.COM
I’m rounding up freebies, deals, and discounts at food chains in honor of the following upcoming food holidays:
National Taco Day (10/4)
Please send me the deal, when it’s good, what the deal is, how to claim it, and any other details. (Is it only good during specific hours, is it only good at specific locations? This is all helpful to know!)
Share the Love!
Every morning, I share what I’m working on that day and links to newly published stories and send it right into your inbox — for free! I also share productivity tips, job leads, links to volunteer and mentoring opportunities, recipes, and more — all always free.
Please share this newsletter with a friend or colleague today. Every Friday, I randomly choose one new free subscriber who signed on that week. They will be automatically upgraded to a paid subscription for free — and, if they tell me who referred them to this Substack, that person will as well! These opportunities only get better if we share them with our friends.
Paid subscriptions get additional benefits, such as my weekly industry insights newsletters, subscriber Zoom chats, and much more.
Virtual 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 (This summer, I even joined in on an agency’s team retreat right here in Brooklyn — it was so fun and I made so many new friends!) 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.
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!
Potential new availability: A few people have reached out to me and asked if I was also open to doing consulting for freelance journalists in addition to the PR consulting sessions I currently do, and I am absolutely considering it. I need to spend some time thinking on what a session like that may look like and be structured, but after 20+ years in the industry, I’ve seen a whole lot change and it may be interesting to share my own experiences with someone just starting out. So, stay tuned!
On the fence over whether this is a good fit for your team? Here’s some feedback I received from people who I have worked with recently:
"Aly’s advice and insight is invaluable to our team, not only is she incredibly knowledgeable, she is approachable, generous, and kind too. While we read every one of her newsletters, we decided to go one step further and invited Aly to host a Q&A with our agency. During the session, we felt comfortable asking her everything and anything. She went above and beyond, providing examples and reasoning for each answer, and the team walked away with an abundance of new insight, tips, and tricks, plus a new confidence in handling some of the most crucial parts of our jobs." Sacha Bell, Rachel Harrison Communications
"Looking for a brilliant writer that always goes above and beyond? Look no further than Aly! She is an incredible teacher, tells it exactly how it is and is so generous in sharing her knowledge. She knows what she wants from publicists, is very clear on her needs and expectations, and how to best support one another. Most of all, her kind personality jumps off the page, and her giggle and smile are infectious. In this consistently changing world of media, it’s so refreshing to know someone so genuine.” Kirsten Wanket
“Aly spoke to our team to help us all gain a better understanding of the media side of our business. Whether it was the best ways to pitch media or understanding the editorial process of content, she gave us tremendous insight into a vital relationship for mutual success. We were thrilled and our team came away with not only a deeper understanding, but with greater empathy for our colleagues in the media market. Definitely would recommend Aly for any agency looking to better work with their media counterparts.” Dawn Britt, Founder/Managing Partner/CEO of OneSeven Agency
“Aly has very kindly agreed to join a few sessions for us talking to both smaller and larger internal groups, and it has been incredibly helpful for our team to understand more about her process, and garner best practices that we leverage as we work on various programs. From sharing dos and don’ts for virtual and in-person events to pitching tips, Aly is a pro and always so thoughtful in her responses. And her own first-hand knowledge has helped us all to better understand the work process for freelancers and how we can most effectively work with other freelancers like Aly. We always appreciate her time and insights!” Erin Delahanty, Edelman
“I would highly recommend booking a virtual consulting session with Aly for an agency of any size! She offers up to date perspective on everything from the affiliates to how to get your pitches read to timing your pitching correctly. These virtual consulting sessions literally save you time trying to figure out what the media is looking for and give your team an immediate edge. Aly took her time and answered questions from the team. She is super friendly and you can tell she genuinely wants to create a win-win relationship between the media and publicists. Our team loved having Aly on and we cannot wait to have her back! It was a blast!” Leah Cybulski, ChicExecs
“Aly was able to join our agency for a PR Perspectives chat and not only was it so much fun, but it was so informative! Keeping a pulse on the constantly changing media landscape is so important and we loved the insights and expertise Aly was able to share with us. Highly recommend setting up a chat with her!” Jennifer Haile, Dentsu Creative PR
“I am always looking for ways to share new ideas and learning opportunities with our team to improve how we pitch and offer value to journalists and in turn their audience. Aly's no nonsense approach gave us accessible advice about the best way to communicate to media, what formats works best, and basically how we can share our client news in a way that will get us noticed and included in stories. Would do again in a heartbeat!” Samantha Davidson, Say My Name Communications
“For my team’s first hybrid media event for a product launch in the COVID era, Aly quickly jumped on a Zoom and dropped great insights that drove many of the event elements. The direction she provided helped us increase attendance and gave her journalist colleagues a more memorable experience. It was a bonus that she was so easy and fun to talk to.” Apryl Ash, Approach Marketing
Now, it’s your turn! Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com to get something on my schedule for this fall.
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!)
That’s it for today! Have a great day and I’ll see you same place, same time, tomorrow!
<3
aly
Happy Friday!!! Hope you have the best weekend and happy (early) Rosh Hashanah, friend! xx Shanah tovah!