Good morning!
I returned from Kansas City Friday night and spent much of the weekend catching up on deadlines and emails (and, in less sexy news, opening boxes and doing laundry!).
But I was so excited when a great friend (who a lot of you probably know!), mentioned she was flying into NY last night and we planned for her to come to Brooklyn straight from the airport to meet me for dinner.
We went to one of my favorite cozy local Park Slope spots (where you will find homemade pasta and negronis on tap, but no pretentiousness!), and it was just the perfect way to set off the rather harried work week on the right note.
This weekend’s Industry Insights edition covered three different emails you do NOT want to send a journalist after a story is published. You might want to drop by and read it before sending your next email!
Lots of newly published content, including a Forbes piece on 40 Delicious Ways To Celebrate National Oyster Day, a deep dive into sprouted potatoes for Southern Living, and more. Scroll below to see everything that has published since last week - and also continue on for what I’m working on for this week.
Sometimes when I do consulting sessions, the topic of events will come up and often people will ask if now that we’re all attending “real” events again, if there’s any interest in Zoom events. As assurance there is, I thought I’d give you a glimpse of my schedule for the week: I’m recording guest stints on podcasts both tomorrow and Wednesday, but I also have a Zoom event I’m attending on Wednesday, as well as an in-person event on Thursday!
Much as hybrid offices are the way of the modern workplace, hybrid events are very much the way of modern eventing. (Is eventing a word? I think it should be…) and there’s very much a place for both. While I don’t attend AS MANY virtual events as I did a few years ago — there were points I was attending multiple a night in an attempt to maintain a feeling of connection — they are still very much an important part of the total picture. Still, I think anyone would agree, there’s nothing like an in-person authentic connection, and I couldn’t even BEGIN to say how grateful I am that in-person events are such a big part of the conversation again.
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!
PS: I love doing podcasts! Check out my guest appearance on Media Circus Podcast with Taiisha Bradley last week, as well as the Italian Wine Podcast recently, where we discussed all things Substack. Other recent podcast appearances include the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast with the incredible (and super fun!) Lexie Smith, where we chatted about everything from press dinners and events and trips to, well, sippin’! I’ve recorded a few others that should be live soon as well and I’m always open to doing more — email me at alywalansky@gmail.com.
Southern Living: Can You Safely Eat Sprouted Potatoes?
Food Network: Mustard Skittles Will Take You on a Confusing-Yet-Somehow-Makes-Perfect-Sense Flavor Journey
Forbes.com: 40 Delicious Ways To Celebrate National Oyster Day
Forbes.com: Fine Dining At Sea Gets An Upgrade With The Return Of Nobu Matsuhisa’s Umi Uma
The Kitchn: Joanna Gaines’ New Line of Internet-Famous Stanley Tumblers Just Hit Target, and It’s Already Flying Off the Shelves
The Kitchn: Costco’s Giant Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie Is Back and Flying Off Shelves
Taste of Home: Costco Sells Chicken Nuggets That Taste Exactly Like Chick-fil-A’s
Popsugar: What to Know About Bananas' Carb Content
Travel & Leisure: Mosquitoes Love Me, and This Is the Surprising Gadget I Swear by to Get Instant Bug Bite Relief
RetailMeNot: 65+ College Student Discounts
Forbes.com: 30 Cocktails To Enjoy When Celebrating National Tequila Day
Clean Plates: Is Cottage Cheese Healthy? We Asked The Experts
Clean Plates: The Best Trader Joe’s Items for Easy, Healthy Summer Entertaining
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.
Clean Plates
Alkaline water is all over TIkTok lately and is the latest health trend — but really what is it, and does it have any value? Is there truly a point to it? Is there anyone better off avoiding it? Alkaline water is known to be a bit less acidic than regular drinking water and contains alkaline minerals, but really, are we that worried about the acid level of our water? Would love some experts to weigh in on this one! (Medical, credentialed, unaffiliated is ideal here.
RetailMeNot
I’m getting started working to update my Labor Day Store Hours roundup piece from last year. Please check the link and if you were a chain mentioned, please email me and tell me if your hours for that day are the same or need to be modified from last year’s info. (And if you are another chain with Labor Day store hours info, please do send! Thanks!)
Forbes.com
National Potato Day is coming up — and I love potatoes! I’m looking for some unique and creative dishes on restaurant/bar menus involving potato as a central ingredient. To pitch for this piece, please include the following:
Name of dish, where served (name of restaurant/city/state)
description of dish
quote about dish + name of person being quoted/title
image of dish + any appropriate photo credits
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!
Heading to Costco now! Yum! Great articles out this week!
I grew up in Kansas City, and hope you had the BEST time! We Kansas Citians have a ton of hometown pride. :)