Friday: Timely need for sleep expert commentary (yup, again) + thanks for coming to yesterday's AMA event!
Plus: Grab the recording from last week's holiday gift guide workshop event!
TGIF!
Thanks so much to everyone who came out to yesterday afternoon’s Zoom AMA session with
, covering all things freelance writing, strengthening PR/media relationships, and how to most effectively use Substack in your work.We had a great turnout and such a fun time — and can’t wait to do it again!
After a WHIRLWIND of a few days, I’m pretty excited to get back to business as usual. And, as happens from time to time, that includes an extra timely call for sources.
Yesterday, I had a sleep expert drop the ball on me (after leaving me hanging for nearly a week…which is a great way to make me miss my own deadline), and so I’d be incredibly grateful if you represent a sleep expert (unaffiliated with a mattress brand, please) who can answer some questions for a pending story over email by EOD today - please email me?
Scroll down to see specific details on what I’m looking for in that and other pending stories is in the section below!
During yesterday’s Zoom AMA session, I got a few requests to share new photos of baby Tony in today’s email — and I have some!
He actually went for his first vet visit yesterday and he now weighs 3.2 pounds (a half pound more than when he joined the fam just 2 weeks ago!) — also, yes, I did a vet visit, a consulting session, and an AMA session in one afternoon…and I live to tell the tale!
Also, thanks SO much to my lovely friend Emma at Visit Phoenix (who you may recall hosted Jill, Alice, and I for a fun girlfriends getaway this past spring), for sending a lovely care package for Lily and Tony, including treats and this fun toy that Tony is already napping with!
I always tell people how this newsletter’s intent is so much more to me than a place to share sources and leads — it’s a community full of friends, and we share so much with one another day in and day out. I’m so grateful for all the friends I made here and value you all so much!
Grab the full recording of last week's Virtual Everything You Need To Know About Pitching Holiday Gift Guides Workshop!
Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who came to our holiday gift guide pitching AMA workshop last week, which I co-hosted with my very favorite gals (and fab lifestyles journalists) and . We had an amazing group of attendees who came armed and ready with truly engaging questions. I think everyone came away really primed and feeling more ready for a productive and exciting holiday gift guide season.
If you missed out — no worries. We do have a recording of the session available for for free (yes, free!) as an exclusive benefit to anyone who is a paid subscriber of all three of our newsletters.
(It’s almost like downloading an intensive course taught by three industry experts, just in time for the must crucial of testing times!)
If you want to opt in to receive this recording right in your inbox, please scroll down below the paywall at the bottom of this email, and fill out your name and email address at the bottom of the opt-in form we created (this is actually the same form we used to RSVP for the session itself, so scroll beneath the thick black line to add your name for the recording link!).
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!
Travel & Leisure: 50 Best Madewell Labor Day Sale Deals 2024
Forbes: 30 Great Dishes To Try In Honor Of National Cheeseburger Day
Apartment Therapy: The One Thing You Always Travel with That’s Actually Disgusting (And How to Keep It Clean)
Travel & Leisure: I Tried Amazon’s ‘Magical’ Sleep Mask on a Long-haul Flight — and Now It’s the Most Important Item in My Bag.
Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Frequently, and This $18 Gadget Makes Me Feel Safer in Hotel Rooms
Food Network: 16 Back-to-School Restaurant Deals and Freebies
Plate Magazine: A Traditional Israeli Street Food Inspired This Shawarma-Meets-Foie-Gras
Today.com: The best drugstore eye creams to tackle wrinkles, dark circles and dryness, according to experts
Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Messy Kitchen Junk Drawer — Here’s How She Fixed It
Yahoo Life: The best cooling fans of 2024, tested and reviewed
Travel & Leisure: These Arch Support Sandals Are the Only Shoes I Wear in the Summer — and They’re Only $47
Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Cluttered Medicine Cabinet, and Here’s How She Fixed It
Travel & Leisure: You Don't Want to Step Foot in a Waterpark Without These 18 Essentials From Just $9
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.
Clean Plates
Is fridgescaping for you? I'm working on a story on fridgescaping. I’m personally inspired by this angle about why it's good -- but if you read the TikTok comments, people say it's insane, wastes space, impossible if you have a big family, etc. So, to that end, I’m looking at covering the advantages and potential disadvantages, and maybe best practices -- so if full-scale fridgescaping isn't realistic for you, what are some elements you can incorporate? I’d love to speak to an organization expert for this one.
Fall TJ's products RDs love: For Clean Plates, I’m also doing a roundup of great fall products at Trader Joe's. But I’m also very into savory items (they have a gluten-free pumpkin ravioli I've been eyeing for instance...). Everyone is so into pumpkin spice and maple and such for fall - I’m rounding up picks at TJ’s hat RDs love that have the spirit of the season without being super high in sugar/calories. So, if you have an RD, have them email me a rundown of some of their favorite flavors of fall products at TJs and why they are great to try - and maybe even how to incorporate them into fall meal/menu planning in a household.
Saatva blog
Are You a Light Sleeper? Here's What to Do About It: Would love to chat with a sleep expert for this one as well, as far as the concept of being a light sleeper and how to deal with it, what causes someone to be a light sleeper, how to manage being a light sleeper, etc.
Forbes
I’m putting out feelers for a potential piece on how to get a dorm room prepped to cook/prep healthy well-balanced meals, as well as how to stock dorm fridge/freezer. These fridges/freezers tend to be smaller and not hold as much, so you want to make sure you use their real estate best -- keeping in mind the common appliances you'll find in a dorm kitchen (and those you probably wouldn't). I'm looking for value, so think products that you can get at a good price and easily ship vs. fancy stuff a kid wouldn't need (so, no wagyu or caviar or lobster for this one), but also, commentary/ideas for what they will need, and what they will actually use. So, think, foods that will fill them up and keep them healthy and happy and will be easy to pull together to make meals they'll actually enjoy (tall order, I know!) Also, looking for dorm-friendly small appliances — with the understanding that dorms and dorm communal kitchens usually have certain restrictions in place.
I’m rounding up unique lobster dishes National Lobster Day. ANYTHING pitched for these stories MUST exist on the menu at a bar or restaurant. Please keep in mind the following parameters: Name of dish, name of restaurant (city, state, URL), description, quote about dish (and who to credit for the quote), and an image (with photo credit) — via dropbox link, not as an attachment. (Please make sure to have ALL these components before pitching.)
I’m rounding up fun cocktails for Emmy Awards viewing parties. Let me know if you have anything! Same parameters as above, please — that means the cocktails must exist on a bar or restaurant menu (there seems to be a touch of confusion about this in my inbox currently).
You may have recently seen my pieces about celebrity chef airline menu partnerships and everything from high tea to caviar service inflight. To that end, I’m also researching for a Fine Dining At 30,000 Feet roundup with the most luxurious dining options on different airlines. Please email me if you represent an airline and have something that may be a fit!
Plate Magazine
I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!
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!)
<3
aly