Friday: On those unexpected perishable deliveries, upcoming Zoom discussion, and more!

Good morning!

Happy Friday! I have exciting plans tonight to check out a new Brooklyn-based restaurant and rooftop bar that I’m super excited about (and yes, the air is breathable again!), so bring the weekend onnnnn…

I wanted to take a few minutes to have a quick chat (yes, again) about perishable deliveries.

A while back I had been having an email exchange where I was offered a sample of a perishable (it’s meat!) product. The publicist said they’d circle back with tracking, and that was the end of the chain.

Yesterday, I came home to see that product had been delivered via Instacart. I was not told it was sent, was not aware it was sent, did not know when or how it was arriving…and, of course, when I opened it, it was warm to the touch and I had no idea how long it had been outside. I’d love to tell you this is a one-off, but stuff like this happens ALL THE TIME.

I think the topic of perishable deliveries comes up A LOT in my conversations - both consulting calls and private text threads with friends in the industry - especially those of us who focus mainly on food and travel often — and I think we need to have a larger conversation. Getting this right is all about communication and planning ahead — this is what is coming…this is when it’s coming…do you want it? will you be there to receive? — and this is true whether we’re discussing unsolicited perishable mailings (don’t do that), or mailings/deliveries/couriers that we may have discussed but don’t know the where/when/what. The inverted pyramid of deliveries, if you will! (Couldn’t resist, J-school friends!)

To this end, I’m hoping to do a Zoom discussion on the topic of food/spirits deliveries and the factors to consider when executing these deliveries — both in the aforementioned situations, but in many others. Are you planning a food-related Zoom? Are you have media drop for your fast food client’s new promo or campaign or menu item?

I obviously know everyone’s summer schedule is so hectic and I’m trying my best to be respectful of your time and agenda. I want to give everyone some time to plan ahead and do this at a time it works best for the most people - so I’m looking right now at Thursday, June 15 if you want to consult your schedules.

I’m going to place a poll below of several time options, please tell me what is better for you. I can fit up to 100 people in a Zoom room on my Zoom account (unless anyone wants to donate their corporate account to me so we can extend the opp to more people to attend?…I’ll give your team a free subscription upgrade!), and priority will go to paid subscribers, but if there’s room and interest following paid subscribers, I will OBVIOUSLY open it up to free subscribers as well.

I hope to help as many people as possible. (Which would obviously help me as well since it breaks my heart to have to throw out good food when there’s so many hungry people out there, not to mention everyone’s budget is tight — why waste budget on samples that have to be discarded? All that waste can be avoided if we learn to communicate more effectively!)

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!

PS: I love doing podcasts! Check out my guest appearance on the Italian Wine Podcast this week, where we discussed all things Substack. Other recent podcast appearances include the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast with the incredible (and super fun!) Lexie Smith, where we chatted about everything from press dinners and events and trips to, well, sippin’! I’ve recorded a few others that should be live soon as well and I’m always open to doing more — email me at alywalansky@gmail.com.

• RetailMeNot: The Best Father’s Day Sales and Deals to Shop in 2023

• Food Network: I Tried TikTok’s Dirty Martini Pasta – And It Belongs in Your Weeknight Pasta Rotation

• Food Network: Coca-Cola’s Newest Flavor ‘Ultimate’ Tastes Like Leveling Up

• Food Network: Taco Bell Unveils Its First Fully Vegan Entrée Item – No Modifications Needed

• Food Network: Pizza Hut’s New Pickle Pizza Is a Big Dill for Pickle Lovers

• Food Network: This Distillery Is So Proud of Their Gin, They Found a Way To Wear It

• Forbes.com: This Retreat Is The Perfect Getaway For Meat Lovers This Father's Day

• Forbes.com: Martini Lovers Headed To NYC Have Found Their Dream Retreat

• Forbes.com: 9 Cocktails To Celebrate Dad This Father’s Day

• RetailMeNot: Father’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts To Stock His Freezer

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Dad Who Loves To Grill

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

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Culinary Traveler

  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.

Southern Living

I’m doing stories right now on both English cucumbers and white peaches (different stories!). Looking for produce experts, chefs, farmers, dietician/nutritionist and a botanist or similar professional etc, to weigh in on both. Please do not send commentary without emailing me first, I have a specific list of questions for each. Thanks!

RetailMeNot

All the Best Fourth of July 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, 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 this story from last year: 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 Father’s Day, I’m looking for chefs to share one way their own dad or a father figure in their life inspired their work as a chef. Perhaps it’s a kitchen technique or recipe or even a philosophy about an ingredient or food or cooking in general. Please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have chefs open to giving commentary (even better if they can share some sweet photos of them and their dad in the kitchen!)

Outlander is coming back soon (and droughtlander is finally ending!) so I was wondering if there’s any bar/restaurants doing fun cocktails in celebration of the return? Let me know!

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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