Monday edition: Are you ready for a totally Manic Monday?
PS: Grab the FREE recording of last week's blockbuster Zoom webinar event covering pitching, trends, and all things holiday gift guide season.
Hi, friends!
Hello from Westlake! I had a GORGEOUS weekend at Malibu Food & Wine (as well as some fabulous area spots y’all recommended), and now I’m getting my ducks in a row before heading over to West Hollywood in a few hours.
There’s a fair amount of content I’m sourcing for today but before we get into all that, here’s a few photos from this weekend:
Check out our complete holiday gift guide pitching recording - it’s available right here, right now!
For those who missed out, you can grab the whole recording of our best practices for pitching holiday gift guides this season webinar for free (yes, completely free!) as a benefit for upgraded subscribers - it’s well over an hour of commentary, Q&A, and tons of information you can use this season. Grab the details here.
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available for September!
I can join your team on Zoom, a phone call, or in-person and do a team Q&A and answer any of your questions about planning events, mailers, trips, pitching, followups, etc — giving you a very necessary media perspective. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you are interested in chatting more and setting something up :)
I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform, writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!)
Limited-time deal on ad placement!
I’m offering a seasonal special on advertising in this newsletter. I’d love to place your sponsored posts and advertising in this Substack, which goes out to nearly 10,000 media professionals every single day.
Note: I do limit advertising to only what would be of interest to my readers, but am open to both short paragraph blurbs and dedicated posts - if you are interested in chatting details and scheduling something, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com today!
Tools of the trade
Press Hook is where journalists, newsletter writers, and podcasters source expert quotes, hi-res images, product samples, affiliate info, and brand story angles — all from vetted brands in one searchable hub. It connects journalists and brands in what feels like a really user-friendly, organic way and I use it often to browse for sources and products aligned with my current projects and I’ve often found precisely what I need, when I need. Give it a try!
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who recently was a star expert panelist for our big holiday gift guide pitching workshop!) - she just launched her new course, Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based PR for Publicists - It’s built specifically to help PR pros and agencies add affiliate management as a core capability, something we all know is completely essential in today’s media landscape. This is in-depth training that equips publicists with the exact strategies to:
Set up affiliate programs for clients
Pitch commerce editors with confidence
Deliver measurable ROI through performance-based PR
It’s a must-have for anyone trying to navigate this ever-changing biz!
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.
Yahoo Creators: Check out my author profile (I have several new stories a day across the lifestyles umbrella, so that’s the best way to stay updated!)
Food Network: One of Chipotle’s Most-Sought After Menu Items Is Coming Back
Travel & Leisure: I'm a Travel Writer, and This $7 Bed Bug-finding Gadget Is 'Essential' for Even the Nicest of Hotels
Forbes.com: Whiskey Sour Recipes You Can Make At Home Anytime
Southern Living: How To Cook A Perfect Steak Every Time, According To Southern Chefs.
Food Network: Starbucks’ Fall 2025 Menu Starts Now
Food Network: Burger King's Cini Minis Are Finally Coming Back
Travel + Leisure: These $15 Earplugs Relieved My In-flight Ear Pain.
Apartment Therapy,:The $6 Office Supply a Travel Pro Always Puts in Their Suitcase
Southern Living: Southern Bartenders Reveal The Summer Cocktails They Actually Drink Themselves
The Kitchn: This “Brilliant” $10 Le Creuset Storage Gem Is a Game-Changer for Your Pots and Pans
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious And Creative Ways To Enjoy Potatoes
RetailMeNot: 41 Best College Student Discounts
Travel & Leisure: This Portable Door Lock Is Traveler-loved
Food Network: A Beloved KFC Side Is Finally Returning Nationwide!
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Travel & Leisure: 15 Amazon Business Casual Clothes for Summer Travel.
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by These Packable Ballet Flats for Comfort, Support, and Long Days on My Feet
Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off
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.
Newsweek Readers’ Choice
As a reminder, I’m on the panel of travel and food journalists who chooses the nominations for Newsweek’s Readers Choice Awards. I’m working on the following categories and seeking suggestions for me to consider for the nominations I submit in the following categories:
The theme is Distillery. And my five topics are: Best Whiskey, Best Distillery Tour, Best Vodka, Best Bourbon, and Best Cocktail Mix.
Forbes
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
One of my favorite comfort foods is queso - you’ll always see me ordering it when my soul needs a hug, and National Queso Day is soon. So, I’m looking for fun queso presentations at bars and restaurants around the country. What fun things are you doing with YOUR queso? Please pitch in this format:
Name of dish
Restaurant, city, state, website
Description of dish
Quote from chef about dish (plus name and title of person quoted)
Image and photo credit (I prefer links to attachments!)
Also beginning to source for Halloween-inspired cocktails, National Cheeseburger Day, National Guacamole Day, National Coffee Day, and National Taco Day.
thanks so much, and have the best day <3
aly
Looks fabulous!! Enjoy Cali!!
Malibu looks good on you 💞