Monday: How I apply Newton's first law of motion to maintaining productivity momentum.
Good afternoon!
Fun fact: The second week in February is Freelance Writers Appreciation Week. Now would be a good time to reach out and give your freelance writer friends a virtual hug — goodness knows we all could use one of late.
So, about last night: I don’t normally tend to watch the Super Bowl. I don’t entirely understand football, to be honest. But last night, I was *into* it. And, yes, part of it was I got emotionally involved with the real-life rom-com that is Taylor and Travis, but it really was a very exciting game!
I even paid tribute to all I do know about Super Bowl historical lore by making slow cooker chili last night as per the inspiration of the most pivotal This Is Us episode ever (which while not a happy episode, was absolutely an important one, and involved both a Super Bowl and chili in a slow cooker.)
Took a break from normal routine this morning to record a fun appearance on a close friend’s podcast (will share the link in a few days!), and now it’s time to get started with the business of the day…
Lots of new content went live over the weekend, including for Travel & Leisure, I wrote a bit of a deep dive into while I’m so obsessed with packing cubes: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Is My Secret to Packing for a Week in a Single Carry-on Bag
Also, for Forbes.com: 7 Anti-Valentine’s Cocktails For Those Who Are Not Feeling The Romance as well as 30 Romantic Dishes To Savor On Valentine’s Day and finally an unexpected but interesting stat: Taylor Swift Has Had A Surprising Influence On Game Day Pizza Orders.
In honor of Valentine’s Day being this week (as well as Galentine’s Day, as well!), I’m going to be offering 50% off paid subscriptions for the remainder of the month of February. This is the biggest discount I’ve ever done and is good on either annual or monthly subscriptions — meaning that upgrading and getting the value of AMAs and industry insights emails and all the other subscriber benefits will now cost you roughly as much as a monthly cup of coffee, as my Valentine’s Day gift to you!
So honored to see Muck Rack included me in their 2024 list of top ten most popular freelance journalists. Check out the list here.
Today’s productivity tip
There's no mystery to productivity. It's not reinventing the wheel or learning how to bake bread. We know what we need to do, we just need to DO IT.
And that's about momentum. It's not about activity, it's about productivity. It's a means to an end and not just looking very busy and telling people how busy you are (which actually just takes away from doing things you need to do). And what's all about going into deep, focused work.
That’s the most important lesson I ever learned about productivity and one I want to share with all of you: Focus is the most important part of the whole game.
That's why it's incredibly rare you'll see me away from my desk during workday hours -- I'm all about staying in the zone, and that gives you consistency, but also makes you reliable and someone clients can count on. The reason I get so many fast-turnaround stories isn't because I'm smarter or faster or better than a lot of other people out there, it's largely because people know they can always count on me to be at my desk during specific hours, on my email, and available.
Be that person, regardless of your field and concentration.
Things move rather quickly here. You may have noticed I did a call to action fo Super Bowl restaurant deals Wednesday morning last week. That story was not only wrapped up later that same day, but published by the next day. Things like that happen all the time. In fact, many of my stories never even make it to this newsletter as a pending piece because I am assigned it, write it, and it’s published too quickly. Usually in a few hours.
Something to keep in mind.
Remember Newton's first law of motion: Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.
We're always cautioned against yo-yo dieting, because stopping and starting just doesn't work.
Don't be a yo-yo at work!
Job leads
bread & Butter is hiring for a ton of great positions — Digital Coordinator (SF), Travel Account Director (NYC), Commerce Content Director (NYC), and Account Director (ATX)!
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’m a Travel Writer, and This Is My Secret to Packing for a Week in a Single Carry-on Bag
Forbes.com: 7 Anti-Valentine’s Cocktails For Those Who Are Not Feeling The Romance
Forbes.com: 30 Romantic Dishes To Savor On Valentine’s Day
Forbes.com: Taylor Swift Has Had A Surprising Influence On Game Day Pizza Orders
The Kitchn: Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and More of the Best Food Deals for Super Bowl 2024
Southern Living: A Guide To Enjoying Leftover Salmon
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane
Forbes.com: 25 Creative Pies To Try On National Pizza Day
Forbes.com: 25 Cocktails Perfect For A Super Bowl: Taylor’s Version Viewing Party
Forbes.com: 30 Hot Pink Cocktails For A Fetch ‘Mean Girls’ Viewing Party
RetailMeNot: 5 Superstar Ingredients for Your Meal-Stretching Pantry Starter Pack
Forbes.com: 40 Romantic Cocktails That Will Add A Little Love On Valentine’s Day
Today.com: Say goodbye to wrinkles with these expert-approved drugstore creams — starting at $12
Food Network: Oreo’s New Cookie Will Take You to Outer Space
Clean Plates: The Healthy Trader Joe’s Sauce I Use in *Everything*
RetailMeNot: Affordable Valentine’s Day Gifts That Show Lots of Love on a Budget
Martha Stewart: 8 Storage Mistakes That Are Keeping Your Home From Being Organized
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Most Romantic Kitchen Gifts
Today.com: 27 healthy fast food items at popular US chains, according to dietitians and doctors
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Brussels Sprouts?
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Heart-Shaped Food Gifts
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Bougie Culinary Gifts
Clean Plates: 7 Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less
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
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.
Clean Plates
In preparation for the spring holidays, I’m working on a story on how gathering with loved ones is good for our mental health (we all can relate to how big an issue loneliness can be!). For example, the Passover seder tradition — it’s very much about tradition and eating and drinking, but it’s foremost about gathering, and I’d love to speak to some experts about why that’s so important.
Forbes
National Margarita Day is coming up very soon and I’m looking for bars and restaurants that are doing really interesting, fun, unique spins on the margarita — this can be cocktails and also margarita-inspired dishes. Please pitch me by Friday with the name of the drink/dish, description, where it’s served/available, a bartender/chef quote and an image. Thanks!
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.
Have a great day!