Monday: How to create more relevant pitches + what I'm working on this week.

Plus: Give yourself the gift of education this HGG season

Good morning!

Back from a fun weekend in Chicago and ready to dive head first on this busy final full work week before Thanksgiving break.

(And wait until you see the exciting plans coming up soon after — can’t wait to share!)

You’ll notice that I’ve wrapped up all my pending gift guides since our last email. Most of my guides have published (scroll down to the recently published stories section to see!) and the rest will publish in the coming days - but all are done with the research and writing - that’s not to say other last-minute holiday content won’t end up materializing…so, stay tuned. You’ll know when I know.

Pitching tip of the day: Be relevant!

The key to getting your pitches stories and your news covered is to always be relevant. It’s not just about what your client is doing, but how it fits into a larger trend or a larger picture or a larger news climate.

It’s always easier to pitch your client’s product or service or destination as part of a larger trend than making that product itself the news.

Think about it: When you read stories, how often do you see large features about one single product from one brand? Unless it’s a straight up first-person product review, not that often.

Add value, don’t always assume that the value is inherent.

Give yourself the gift of education this HGG season

As we're in the throes of gift guide season right now, a lot of people are asking a lot of questions about affiliate marketing and how to implement it into their pitching and PR strategy. One fabulous option I've come across is Praize's Affiliate PR Masterclass. 

This masterclass is full of value:

Turn Brand Awareness Into Trackable Revenue. Pitching is of course all about spreading brand awareness, and that's super important, but when you boil it down—is it actually resulting in sales? If your PR efforts are still leaving you wondering about ROI and struggling to justify the performance of the coverage you're securing, learning more about Affiliate PR might be a game changer.

Emma Grace Moon, founder of Praize, discovered a breakthrough approach in 2019 that removes the guesswork from traditional PR. It's a proven system for securing high-quality media coverage that actually drives revenue. She's helped DTC brands like Great Jones, Kinfield, Jones Road, and Dame transform their press coverage into a trackable revenue channel. 

Her masterclass will unlock practices that can help you generate more revenue from PR coverage, increase the amount of high-quality press features you secure, and all the while build a profitable and scalable PR channel with clear ROI.

This masterclass goes beyond traditional PR, from understanding publication affiliate ecosystems to crafting compelling pitches and optimizing coverage for search. Get practical tools, including step-by-step guides, an Affiliate Marketing Dictionary, and real-world examples from successful DTC brands. Ready to transform your PR efforts? Click here to sign up for the masterclass that unlocks revenue-driving PR, and get first access when it launches on December 1. 

*This has been an ad for Praize's Affiliate PR Masterclass. Interested in placing your own ad, email me. I have a policy of only advertising products and services I truly believe in and find value in for this community - so tell me more about what you are working on!

Give yourself the gift of great hair this holiday season

My besties at RPZL are offering a staggering 30% off sitewide as their pre-Black Friday sale. This is something that never happens and a great time to stock up on hair accessories (including pieces from my collection!).

Did you catch that I’m currently offering a 50% off deal on subscriptions — and you can lock in that price now…forever? Upgrade your subscription now!

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!

• Newsweek Readers Choice: Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - more categories coming very soon!

• Plate Magazine: This Colorful Tuna-Watermelon Combo Lightens Up Fall Menus

• Her Money: The best time to save on hotel bookings

• Parade: How To Use an Air Fryer

• Travel & Leisure: This $7 Luggage Accessory Helps Me Feel Safe When Traveling — and I'll Never Have to Replace It

• Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Martini Lover

• Southern Living: Brussels Sprouts With Bacon Recipe

• Forbes.com: 11 Creative Dishes Inspired By The Flavors Of Thanksgiving

• Food Network: Cult-Favorite Bonne Maman Gets Into the Pie Filling Business

• Forbes.com: Holland America And Sur La Table Create Cooking Classes Inspired By Global Ports

• Southern Living: My recipe for air fryer pumpkin seeds!

• Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Starter Kitchen

• Forbes: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Beefy Texas-Inspired Gifts For The Southwestern Carnivore

• Food Network: Trader Joe’s Finally Has a White Queso Dip and It Was Well Worth the Wait

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

Chefs Share Their One Essential Cleaning Tip for Holiday Hosting that Keeps Them Organized - I’d love if you can reach out and share it!

Unsafe Kitchen Design Trends Contractors Wish You'd Stop Doing: For this, I’d love to speak to a few contractors about kitchen trends they deem "unsafe" — either because they create problems down the road or because they are things that actually no one should be DIYing. This can be a mix of DIY trends (from TikTok, Instagram, etc) and standard trends that contractors deem unsafe because of possible problems down the road or that they're just too dangerous to DIY. 

Yahoo Life

I’m rounding up the best pedometers for counting your steps. This will likely include a smartwatch and fitness tracker, but would primarily be basic-style pedometers that you can clip to your waist or wear on a lanyard, etc.. this will be a tested roundup like the stories I did on cooling fans and sleep trackers, so I’ll need to be calling in a bunch to try over the next few weeks…if you have one, please email me with more info now to get a beat on the rush. I’ll be testing each one for factors such as reliable, accurate, and easy to use, but once I have all the details of this assignment pegged out, I’ll also be seeking some expert sources to ask some requests regarding pedometers and what to look for - I imagine this will likely include personal trainers, coaches, fitness experts, exercise physiologists, and so forth.

Saatva Sleep Enlightened blog

It may seem so far off right now, but I’m going to be working on a story on how to sleep better when Daylight Saving Time BEGINS in March — will need sleep experts to weigh in. I’m looking to cover Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins on Sunday, March 9 when we "spring ahead." Although many people get excited about the extra hour of daylight in the evenings, most health experts agree DST is actually worse for your sleep and health than standard time, and I’d love some experts to speak to that, as well as strategies for coping with the upcoming time change so you can keep your sleep schedule on track.

Forbes.com

I’m rounding up the most exciting restaurant/bar openings happening in Vegas later this year/early next. I have some great ones on my radar already, but trying to round it out a bit more.

Also: Do you know of an airport lounge that has an especially interesting F&B offering/feature? I want to hear about it!

For Forbes, for National Espresso Day, i’m looking for fun espresso based cocktails - not necessarily just the traditional espresso martini but other riffs. These must exist on bar/restaurant menus. Please include mame of rest/bar, where it’s located, link to their website, description of the cocktail, and a quote from a bartender/mixologist/chef about cocktail/dish as well as a good-quality photo and appropriate photo credits.

Plate Magazine

I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!

<3

aly