Friday: Tons of newly published content + some guidelines for sending messengers
Friday: Tons of newly published content + some guidelines for sending messengers
Happy Friday!
Lots of new content to share today, including just published for Forbes.com: Celebrate Purim With 10 Festive Cocktails And Dishes (these are SO fun! - and happy Purim to all celebrating this weekend!) - and for those who have some shopping in the works, for Travel & Leisure, I rounded up some killer bargains on comfy footwear: Comfy Spring Shoes Are Up to 64% Off at Amazon This Week — Shop the 20 Best Deals for Travelers.
New for Food Network: Hostess Launches Meltamors, The First Snack It Explicitly Suggests Microwaving, for RetailMeNot: 20 Easter Sales That Shouldn’t Be Missed for 2024, and for YourTango: 25 Cheap Spring Break Trips That Are Really Fun.
So, that’s a fair amount of weekend reading, should you be interested!
Can we talk a bit about messengers?
This is something that was obviously much more present back when many people receiving packages were working in offices. But I receive messengers quite often - to my home.
And…this is fine!
I don’t mind at all if you choose to do a messenger vs. mailing certain things, especially if you, your product, and me are all located in the same city.
(Which, clearly, being based in NYC is often the case!)
But, if you are going to send a messenger to someone’s home, it’s a good idea try to make sure they are HOME THAT DAY — or it’s a good time for them to receive something that needs to be signed for.
Just about every week, I get a call or an email about a messenger who tried to drop something off and couldn’t because I was not home to receive it (alas, I am not living in a doorman building!).
Just yesterday I was on an important call and a messenger started aggressively ringing my bell and insisting I come downstairs right that moment (I live in a 4th floor walkup) to receive the package - clearly I couldn’t at that very moment, and it was a rather awkward moment in my call.
Best practice is always just to drop an email first and ask the journalist if there’s a time window that I’ll be home to receive before scheduling — or if they even want to receive. Yesterday’s messenger? There was no note or card, and I don’t know who was sending it or why! HA!
(And, same goes for if you are sending over an Instacart of product samples or for an upcoming Zoom class — if you randomly send groceries to an apartment building and don’t first make sure there’s someone there to receive, you may just end up with shrimp rotting in the street. Gross imagery, I know, but a little piece of reality that doesn’t often get considered…)
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!
Communication is always the right answer.
You can still grab the recording of our Mother’s Day Gift Guide AMA Zoom Event!
Thanks for attending last week’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide AMA Zoom Event, cohosted by my dear friend and badass journalist Alice Dubin. We had a blast and a full house and dozens of amazing questions on everything from helping your pitch to stand out, to better email subject lines to followups and photo submission best practices and SO MUCH MORE. You can catch more information on what we covered and how to access the recording here.
So honored to see Muck Rack included me in their 2024 list of top ten most popular freelance journalists. Check out the list here.
In just about the coolest news that can happen to a girl who grew up in Brooklyn, there’s a pizza named after me! It’s inspired by my Dirty Aly martini and it’s at Gelso & Grand in Little Italy. Please go check it out and tell me what you think <3
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!
Forbes.com: Celebrate Purim With 10 Festive Cocktails And Dishes
Travel & Leisure: Comfy Spring Shoes Are Up to 64% Off at Amazon This Week — Shop the 20 Best Deals for Travelers
Food Network: Hostess Launches Meltamors, The First Snack It Explicitly Suggests Microwaving
RetailMeNot: 20 Easter Sales That Shouldn’t Be Missed for 2024
RetailMeNot: 20+ Stores Closed on Easter Sunday (and 20+ That Will Stay Open)
Forbes.com: Patrick Mahomes And Travis Kelce Partner On Upscale Kansas City Steakhouse
Forbes.com: Hop Over To These 11 Bars Nationwide To Try Their Fun Easter Cocktails
Travel & Leisure: Zappos' St. Patrick's Day Sale Has Us Feeling Lucky — Hoka, Birkenstock, and More Are Up to 55% Off
Food Network: Del Monte’s Newest Pineapple Is Made for One
Forbes.com: The Settepani Rainbow Cookie Croissant Offers A Fresh Spin On A Dessert Classic
Forbes.com: A Soup Made With Louis XIII Cognac May Be The Ultimate Luxury For Seafood Lovers
Forbes.com: 10 Relaxing Nightcaps To Enjoy In Honor Of National Sleep Awareness Month
RetailMeNot: Savings Star Origin Story: How I Learned to Eat Well (In NY!) On a Shoestring Budget
Best Life: 11 Things You Should Put Away When Guests Come Over, Experts Say
RetailMeNot: How to Save on Groceries: Tips That Actually Work
RetailMeNot: Meal Prepping Products That Are Actually WORTH It
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Is My Secret to Packing for a Week in a Single Carry-on Bag
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane
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.
RetailMeNot
How to Save on Food Delivery Apps: You may have picked up that everyone is noticing that food delivery is VERY expensive. What was a lifeline during the pandemic and then a habit has become a huge budget drain for many. But the reality is — sometimes you just have to order food delivery (maybe you're sick, maybe you want the convenience factor). So what steps can you take to make sure you save the most you can? So I’m looking for expert tips (actionable) on saving money on food delivery.
Budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter: As you all know, I write a lot of content for RMN related to budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter. I’m going to be working on a monthly column on the subject of cooking/eating well on a budget, and I’d love you to pitch me products/ideas to consider for it - maybe a new meal-stretching product that is a good deal at a grocery store, an awesome product to try that may cut my meal prep time in half, other themes as far as saving money on food/cooking/eating and doing it in a way that is smarter.
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’m available for PR team virtual meetings to answer questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts.
<3
aly
Have a great weekend Aly!