Monday: Back to basics - some quick tips to make pitching me easier. Also: Some newly published content and what I'm working on this week.
Plus: Gift a subscription is back! Also: A 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions!
Good morning!
Hope everyone celebrating had a lovely Father’s Day weekend. …And now…after a long stretch of back to back..well, to back… holidays…we’re out of gift guide season now for the next few months!
(Collective deep breath…)
Some fun new content to share going into this week. For Travel & Leisure: I Always Wear These Comfy, Wide-leg Amazon Pants on Flights — Plus, 13 More Pairs I'm Eyeing From $12, for Forbes.com: 13 Creative Variations To Try On National Sushi Day (it’s tomorrow!) — for Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack (You’ll love it!) and for Clean Plates: 10 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches Nutritionists Love.
Today, I wanted to go back to basics a bit and give some quick advice for the best (and worst) ways to pitch. This is a SUPER quick list, and please note I go a lot deeper in my paid newsletters and consulting sessions - so if you want to dive a bit deeper, upgrade (or email me!).
Please follow instructions! Every day, I send out my story leads in my free newsletter and ask people to start a new thread and email my personal email address and not the Substack email address. Every single day people ignore those directions. I also often see people ignoring the formatting requests of the pitch, and just sending half or a third of what I need. Or disregarding the deadline. The best way to be included in my stories is, simply, to give me the information I need how and when I need it. It’s that simple.
Emails only. I touched on this above, but it’s something I go through a lot. If you want to pitch me, please email me. Do not text me, Instagram DM me, Facebook message me, or call me. It’s the best way to have your email seen and your pitch used.
Update requests. This is something that I go through often. If a story has already published, it’s not possible at that time to add your client to the list. I can’t turn a roundup of 10 mocktails to 12 mocktails because you didn’t pitch me in time. You can pitch me for FUTURE content that is similar, but once a story is published, it’s done. Too late to pitch me for it. I can’t “squeeze” you in.
Expert commentary. I can’t believe I even have to write this here, but it’s something I have run into for years. If you are responding to a query, you cannot just refer me to your expert’s book or blog post or previously published material. If I am quoting your expert, it has to be content that is fresh and unpublished. If you try to sneak it in and it’s otherwise, I’m going to find out. And it’s going to be an issue. To that end, if I say I need expert sources for a story, please do not send ahead commentary without checking in with me first for guidance and questions (unless I have included those questions in the initial post. You are just wasting your time.) And always include a NAME and title. “From the team at XYZ cookware” is not quotable.
Social shares. SUPER appreciated. If I include you or your client in a story, please share it on social media. And please make sure to take the time to tag me and the outlet. It’s SO appreciated and so helpful.
Samples. This is a big topic all its own. But off the top, please understand that samples are for consideration, and not a guarantee of inclusion. And please always ask before sending something, especially if it’s heavy/large or perishable or requires some sort of signature. Many of us have issues with all of these factors for various reasons and taking a moment to touch base can be incredibly helpful both to the writer, but to you and your client and their budget. No one wants to waste budget on a box of fish only to find out it arrived when the writer wasn’t even home and it just sat and rotted in their apartment building lobby. Right? And yet, it’s happened! A lot…
Please remember that ethics are a thing. No, we can’t let you see the story before it publishes (wait, what?!). Never use phrases such as “in exchange for” or “gifting” in your pitches or invites — it makes us feel gross and it’s not an accurate representation, and remember that journalism is earned media, not a quid pro pro. The best way to have a great story written about you is to have a great story to be told.
Is there someone you want to gift a subscription?
Times are tough all around - they are tough in PR, they are tough in journalism. We’re all struggling. So, I want to try to make things a little easier on everyone and offer a special limited-time offer. For today only, if you purchase a monthly or an annual subscription upgrade, I’m going to give you the opportunity to then email me at alywalansky@gmail.com and choose ANY person to give a subscription of the same value to absolutely free. So, for example, if Judy buys a new annual subscription, please email me and give me the name of a friend or colleague.
Perhaps it’s a new member of your team? I’ll give that person a comped one year annual subscription. If Shelly buys a monthly subscription, I’ll comp the person of her choice a one month subscription upgrade.
If they are already a free member, they’ll get an upgrade. Call it a scholarship, call it a fellowship - this is a way of trying to add value to everyone - including those who may not have budget to subscribe right now but still want its benefits.
If you buy a group subscription (which is already at a 50% discount currently) - then everyone in the group person gets to choose a person to give this scholarship to!
Hope it’s helpful!
This newsletter goes out to well over 8,000 engaged publicists, business owners, and journalists each and every day. If you are looking to sponsor a daily installment of this newsletter or have a dedicated section about your client or product (assuming it’s an organic fit for the interests of my audience!), that is now available. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com to discuss.
The steepest discount I’ve ever offered on consulting sessions
In exciting news, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m currently offering 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions. Times are really tough and I am hoping to make these insights as accessible as possible to any of you who are interested. If you want to schedule a session for yourself or your team, to discuss anything from planning an event, media dinner, or press trip to mailers, pitching best practices, followups to…well… anything else…drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com and lets chat!
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: I Always Wear These Comfy, Wide-leg Amazon Pants on Flights — Plus, 13 More Pairs I'm Eyeing From $12
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35
Forbes.com: 13 Creative Variations To Try On National Sushi Day
Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack
Clean Plates: 10 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches Nutritionists Love
Food Network: Is Panda Express’ New Hot Orange Chicken Really Even That Spicy?
Forbes: Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Has Finally Arrived In New York City
RetailMeNot: Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home
Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler
Forbes: 40 Cocktails To Enjoy In Celebration Of National Martini Day
Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits
Clean Plates: 7 Grocery Store Shortcuts for Fast, Easy Lunches
Southern Living: The 9 Best Brown Sugar Substitutes That Will Be Just As Sweet
Clean Plates, 11 Mediterranean Diet Foods You Can Get at Trader Joe’s
RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible
RetailMeNot: How to Save on Food Delivery Apps: 10 Tips That Actually Work
RetailMeNot: How Growing My Own Herbs At Home Has Helped Me Keep Meals Creative Without Busting My Budget
Clean Plates: How to Clean and Organize Your Fridge for Spring
RetailMeNot: Savings Star Origin Story: How I Learned to Eat Well (In NY!) On a Shoestring Budget
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.
Apartment Therapy
I’m working on a story - The One Item Pro Travelers Would Never Pack in Their Carry-on Again - for this story, I’m looking to chat with professional travelers (so, travel writers, but also travel agents or flight attendants) about the one item they've packed in their carry-on that they never would again. Maybe it's shoes they'll never wear, or a super heavy coat, or too many skincare products? But who knows! Please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have someone game to weigh in.
RetailMeNot
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. The next column in this series will focus on bulk buying groceries and household essentials, which is something I personally SUPER believe in. I am constantly buying in bulk to save on per unit cost and benefit from the best deals. I even buy family packs of meat and fish to portion and freeze. I’d love some expert commentary on why bulk buying (rather at the supermarket on sales or at warehouse stores), is a great way to maintain a household meal plan and also live within our food budget.
Forbes.com
National Caviar Day is a few weeks away, and I’m starting to round up some fun dishes AND cocktails involving caviar! This is going to be more fun than in years past because caviar is just seen in SO MANY unexpected places these days. If you have a drink or dish involving caviar (must exist on a bar or restaurant menu), please send me name of dish, where it can be found, description, and a quote about the dish with name of person being quoted (and a photo, also with appropriate credits).
We’re in salad season. I’m looking for fun summer salads that the salad chains are doing (these are takeout “create a salad” type chains in major cities) for the warmer months. If you have something, please email me with what the salad is named, what’s in it, how long it’s available for, and an image, and how this mix of flavors calls for summer desires (would love someone to quote!). thanks!
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aly