Monday: Back in NYC and lots of work to do...
Good morning!
I’m back in New York City after great few days in Vegas and I’m gearing up for a super busy week.
I packed a lot in to those few days, from incredible food to an epic CBD spa treatment — and even managed to wrap up the weekend by sneaking in a spontaneous 7 am breakfast date en route to the airport with my gal Alice Dubin, who was also in town! - but the main event of my visit was attending the opening of Guy Fieri’s new restaurant, and it was SUCH a fun time.
I have more summer travel plans coming up in the next few weeks, including my first-ever visit to Kansas City (where, during my interview with Guy Fieri this weekend, I learned is his preferred BBQ style), and a return to one of my favorite cities, Nashville, in August!
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 Media Circus Podcast with Taiisha Bradley last week, as well as the Italian Wine Podcast recently, 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.
Clean Plates: The Best Kirkland Products At Costco That Are Seriously High Quality
Clean Plates: 13 Trader Joe’s Dairy-Free Items That Actually Taste Good
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
How healthy is cottage cheese, really? - Cottage cheese is getting a lot of attention right now, as the “it’ ingredient in all sorts of healthy TikTok recipe - but is it really deserving of so much hype? Would love an RD to weigh on on the health benefits of cottage cheese - but also some factors that make it not always the best answer, as well as some of those buzzed-about TikTok cottage-cheese centric recipes.
Forbes
National Tequila Day is coming up and I’m rounding up creative and Instagram-worthy tequila-based cocktails around the country. Please don’t send me a basic margarita - if you are going to send a margarita, let it be a unique and interesting one. If you have anything to pitch for this, please send:
Name of drink
where available (city, state, name of restaurant — it MUST be on a bar/restaurant menu or be a special that someone can order)
Description (a recipe is not necessary)
Quote about drink (please remember to include who is being quoted)
LINK to image and appropriate photo credits (even better if you include those photo credits in the file name of the photo)
National Caviar Day is also coming up and I’m looking for bars/restaurants doing creative things with caviar. This can be out of the box - are you serving it with fried chicken or fries or on top of tator tots? Is it a garnish for your pasta dish? If you have a restaurant incorporating caviar into cocktails or dishes in a creative way, please send me the following:
Name of drink/dish
where available (city, state, name of restaurant — it MUST be on a bar/restaurant menu or be a special that someone can order)
Description (a recipe is not necessary)
Quote about drink/dish (please remember to include who is being quoted)
LINK to image and appropriate photo credits (even better if you include those photo credits in the file name of the photo)
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!
