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Friday: Please pitch me for my pending Father's Day gift guides ASAP - also, a cautionary note about sending messengers.
TGIF!
Between the coronation, transatlantic travel, and hosting/playing chef at a big industry event, this week was BUSY.
But it was also so incredibly rewarding…
Now I have a good amount of what I like to call “life administration” planned for this weekend — weeks of laundry and tons of package unboxing and all that fun stuff that just needs to get done. Also, Mother’s Day is this weekend and I have a pretty epic meal planned for my mom! (After cooking for an event, cooking for the family feels pretty casual and chill, TBH).
But what I also have on tap is to dive head first into writing a whole lot of Father’s Day content, so be sure to check out the parameters of all my pending guides below (there’s A LOT) — and please pitch, pitch away!
Speaking of packages, I’d love to take a moment to revisit the topic of unexpected messengers — this week while I was away from home I got a phone call from an annoyed messenger who was trying to deliver something and was flummoxed I was not answering my door. The reason I was not home to receive is because, well, I had no idea he was coming and was…not home.
I hate the idea of any brand or agency wasting anyone’s time, not to mention their budget or product, on sending a messenger to someone who is not there to receive. This is especially true as so many of my packages tend to be of a perishable nature. I realize this was a habit born when most couriers were going to offices, where it was likely to always find someone there — but that’s just not feasible when delivering to someone’s home. Especially since many of us do not have room mates or doormen to receive a package for us.
Easiest solution? Just check in and ask first — does this person want to receive what you are sending? And when will they be available to receive it? It’ll make everything easier — and more seamless! — all around!
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!
Southern Living: Banana Peppers Vs. Pepperoncini: What's The Difference?
Southern Living: Can You Safely Eat Sprouted Potatoes?
YourTango.com: 11 Pros & Cons Of Getting Eyelash Extensions (And How Long They Really Last)
RetailMeNot: Cheap Baby Shower Favor Ideas (Under $5 Per Person)
YourTango: 5 Ways Tragedy Makes You A Much Stronger Person, According To Psychologists
Forbes.com: Molly Yeh Shares Why Partnering With Blue Apron On A New Limited-Edition Meal Kit Made Perfect Sense
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)
Best Life: The 6 Most Dangerous Foods to Put in the Microwave, Experts Say
YourTango: 35 Gifts To Be Your Mom's Favorite Child
YourTango: How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
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: 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
Clean Plates: 13 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches You Need to Buy
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
As everyone knows, I’m really into the air fryer — so, I’m very excited to pen a sort of “hub” of air fryer information — How to use an air fryer, for first timers. I’ll need experts for this one... chefs, food experts, etc — mind you, I’m going to be really fun to chat with about this one, as I’m rather into the topic! Email me and I’ll share some questions.
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!)
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!