Good morning!
I’m about a third of the way through my flight home from London, and what an amazing whirlwind of a weekend this has been!
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw a whole lot of posts this weekend (sorry not sorry about that!), including time with new and old friends, delicious cocktails, and a whole lot of royal chatter. It was absolutely one of those memories-that-will-last-forever kind of weekends, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it.
But it’s Monday morning and I’m going to have to hit the ground running this week because it’s going to be a busy few days. I get home to Brooklyn later today and tomorrow I head into the city for a few days to prep for the big event I’m playing chef-host at this week!
Until then, I have a lot of writing to work on, so please scroll down to the pending assignments section below to see more…
(Also, a bunch has published since Friday, including a few Mother’s Day gift guides!)
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: Molly Yeh Shares Why Partnering With Blue Apron On A New Limited-Edition Meal Kit Made Perfect Sense
Forbes.com: Chrissy Teigen To Bring Cravings Baking Mixes To Life With New Pop-Up Bakery In Los Angeles
Forbes.com: Cocktails Perfect For Celebrating Mom On Mother’s Day
Clean Plates: 7 Expert-Approved Ways to Avoid a Blood Sugar Spike
Best Life: 6 Things You Should Never Have in Your Bathroom When Guests Come Over
Clean Plates: 11 Trader Joe’s Foods That Fit in the Mediterranean Diet
HerMoney: TikTok Made Me Buy It (10 Products We Can’t Live Without)
Best Life: The 6 Most Dangerous Foods to Put in the Microwave, Experts Say
YourTango: 35 Gifts To Be Your Mom's Favorite Child
YourTango: How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
Parade.com: Can You Really Keep a Jar of Honey Forever? Food Experts Settle the Age-Old Debate
Parade.com: This No-Tears Method Is How You Should Actually Cut an Onion, According to Chefs
Everyday Health: Is Blue Matcha Good for You?
RetailMeNot: 11 Gorgeous Pieces of Mother’s Day Jewelry Under $150
Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Mail-Order Dinners
Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Pantry Staples For From-Scratch Cooks
Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Grilling Gear
Clean Plates: 13 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches You Need to Buy
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.
Parade.com
I’m working on a roundup of 35 best road trip snacks you can buy on Amazon. Also interested in RDs, chefs and other relevant experts to chat about the kinds of snacks they like to bring on road trips, healthy road trips snacks, how to pack snacks for the car, great snacks to leave in the car, classic road trip snacks, and good foods to pack for a long trip. If pitching me a road trip snack, make sure to include the name, price, description and a link to it on Amazon (and please only pitch items currently available and in stock.)
RetailMeNot
I’m updating these two July 4th stories from last year (that I wrote, so I’m updating myself!)
Please look at last year’s version for an idea of format and what I’m looking for - and if I included your store hours or sales last year, feel free to reach out and give me updates!
Forbes.com
For Forbes, I’ve been assigned FOUR Father’s Day gift guides. They are:
The Best Gifts For Grillers
The Best Cookbooks
The Best Gifts To Stock His Freezer
The Best Gifts For Culinary Travelers
To pitch for ALL these gift guides, please be sure to submit in this format:
Name of product
retailer where sold, link, price (I’m open to smaller retailers, I want to have really unique great finds)
few sentences description
LINK to image
Please no commentary of gifting experts telling me their favorite gift ideas. NOT looking for experts to quote or commentary for this story. And due to the extreme volume of responses expected: ONLY pitches that follow the above format can be considered.
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!
I've been loving the photos!!