Monday: It's just another Manic Monday - but with a cherry on top!

Good morning!

As someone who works for myself (and yet has a ton of “bosses”!), it’s easy to feel isolated at times, and for so much of what we all do to feel thankless or unseen.

While none of what any of us do is for accolades or applause, it feels really good when every once in the while, a note in our inbox isn’t “why didn’t you?” or “I’m disappointed you didn’t…” but rather something beautiful like this:

Dearest Aly,

I know you follow your passion in your writing. I can tell by every word in every one of your emails, and I read all of them. I follow mine, too in my work. Today, a dream of mine was realized, one I wasn’t sure would ever become a reality.

Thank you for seeing me in my work. I feel like thanking you would never suffice for the gratitude I feel down in the depths of my soul. But, still, thank you. Thank you so much for including me in this piece.

That note showed up in my inbox last night at a time I really needed to hear it from a chef I had included in a recent story - and meant the world to me. The sender is a subscriber of this newsletter, and I know is reading it right now, so thank you so much - you gave me a much needed-smile and I am so glad I did the same for you!

None of us do what we do for thank yous, of course. But we’re all humans and feeling seen and appreciated…it matters, and is all such a valuable part of building and maintaining long-standing relationships.

Lots of newly published content today!

For Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12 - I scoured Amazon for comfy travel-friendly (but also work friendly) outfits and had the best time doing so. For Forbes.com: 6 Ways To Honor Culinary Wanderlust This Father's Day.

As a reminder, I’m on the panel of travel and food journalists who chooses the nominations for Newsweek’s Readers Choice Awards. Several categories I contributed nominations to in the Newsweek’s Readers Choice Awards are now live. This includes Best Sheets 2025, Best Vacuum Cleaner, and Best Mattress.

For Yahoo Life, check out my DEEPLY intense deep dive into cooling fans (important if like me you are living an AC-less existence): The best cooling fans of 2025, tested and reviewed.

More newly published content to share - scroll down to see what I’ve been working on and if you or your client has been included…

Limited-time deal on ad placement!

I’m also 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!

Did you know? Here's how referring friends can get you fun benefits and rewards!

Thank you so much for your ongoing support with my newsletter — it’s that support allows me to keep doing this work, especially during these increasingly difficult times in this industry.

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Thank you for helping get the word out!

We loved how many of attended you took the time to attend our webinar event last month, covering the upcoming ShareASale to Awin migration. We covered an overview of the migration process and timeline, pricing of networks, and choosing a network for your specific client needs. If you missed it, we do have a recording available for paid subscribers. Email if interested and I’ll share how to grab that recording as well!

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!)

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.

• Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12

• Forbes.com: 6 Ways To Honor Culinary Wanderlust This Father's Day

• Forbes.com: How To Plan The Perfect Father’s Day For The Carnivore In Your Life

• YourTango: Frequent Travelers Are More Likely To Succeed At Work Because They Share These 7 Traits, Experts Say

• YourTango: 14 Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades That Instantly Transform Your Space, According To Experts

• Saatva: Top Tips on How to Fix a Squeaky Mattress & Bed Frame

• Yahoo Life: The best cooling fans of 2025, tested and reviewed

• Forbes.com: 10 Pride-Inspired Cocktails To Make At Home This June

• Southern Living: Popeyes' Latest Menu Addition Comes In 3 Bold Flavors

• Forbes.com: New York City's Best Salads To Enjoy This Summer

• Southern Living: Can You Freeze Cabbage?

• Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free

• Travel & Leisure: Travelers Swear by This Personal Safety Device

• Travel & Leisure: 13 Best Solo Travel Safety Devices on Amazon From $10

• Forbes.com: The Dirty Martini Has Entered The Breakfast Game

• Southern Living: Can You Eat Unripe Avocado?

• Southern Living: Can You Freeze Baked Beans?

• Food Network: 11 Restaurant Deals for the Grad in Your Life

• Forbes.com: 17 Lemon-Centric Cocktails To Enjoy All Spring

• Today.com: Best drugstore wrinkle creams 2025, according to experts

• Forbes.com: Chefs Nationwide Are Honoring Ramp Season In Some Delicious Ways

• HerMoney: How To Get Cheap Hotels When You Travel.

• 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: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $25 Right Now$150 and Under

• Apartment Therapy: I Tried the “Weight Rule” for Decluttering, and It Keeps My Small Apartment Clutter-Free

• Travel & Leisure: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $25 Right Now.

• HerMoney: How To Save Money On Groceries By Buying In Bulk

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device

• Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off

• Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane

• Southern Living: The Unexpected Reason I Always Travel With Duct Tape—And You Should Too

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.

Forbes

National Lobster Day and National Martini Day are fast approaching. I’m also rounding up some creative sushi rolls/presentations/dishes around the US in honor of National Sushi Day. Creative spins on omakase are great too. Have anything fun for me for any of these? Email me with a description, location, chef quote, and an image. Thanks!

<3

aly