Monday: Lots of new assignments pending + a quick primer on the most effective way to submit images to journalists

Also: The RPZL x ALY Valentine’s Day capsule hair accessories collection launch party is just days away!

Good morning!

I’m back in NYC and gearing up for a BUSY week.

We have our NYC launch party for the RPZL x ALY Valentine’s Day capsule hair accessories collection in a few days (it’s going to be SO cute! — refer back to this post from last week on how you can attend!), and I also have a ton of new stories I’m working on pending — scroll down for more on that, below.

There’s also lots of newly published content to share today, including for Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane — my roundup of all my favorite personal safety items you’ll want to fly with on your next trip.

In less serious but totally fun news, for Forbes.com, I rounded up 30 Hot Pink Cocktails For A Fetch ‘Mean Girls’ Viewing Party, and — as everyone knows, I’m all about stretching your food budget and shopping your pantry. For RetailMeNot: 5 Superstar Ingredients for Your Meal-Stretching Pantry Starter Pack, and because we all just keep on aging — for Today.com: Say goodbye to wrinkles with these expert-approved drugstore creams — starting at $12.

An important reminder about sending images

This weekend, I was working on a pretty large gallery of photos for a cocktail roundup. I found I ran into the same issues time and again, so I thought it may be a good idea to do a really quick primer on the best practices for submitting images to media.

1. Label your photos. I get a lot of photos that have file names like image03. You can imagine how that can create complications if sent in a gallery of photos (which, also, avoid, please) or even among a grouping of 2 or 3 other images of other cocktails being pitched. The best way to avoid the wrong photo being used and creating a big drama after the fact is to just label your photos so that there's no question. i.e. if you are sending me a hibiscus margarita, do not name it image401 but maybe something along the lines of NameofRestaurant_HibiscusMargarita.

2. Photo credits. If you need me to include a photo credit, please do tell me what it is. I realize it'll often just be the name of the bar or restaurant or hotel. But please tell me.

3. Make it a usable photo. A blurry out of focus photo, or a photo of said cocktail being pitched in a group with a bunch of other cocktails (people won’t know which one is the one we’re talking about!), or one that is way too small, or a photo of some other thing altogether (say, the cute restroom at the bar), will not be usable.

 4. When possible, send images via a dropbox or drive, rather than embedding or attaching. Makes life easier for us all! And double check on those links that expire in a few days. If it's days later, and a weekend, when I'm working on that story and downloading that image, you don't want me to have to email you on Saturday afternoon looking for the image. See also: Please make sure it's not a gallery or image link that will require permissions to open or a broken link (because then I'll also be doing the same!)

Hopefully with these quick and easy tips, we can all help each other in a meaningful way.

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

• 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.

Clean Plates

How to Clean the Fridge: Obviously, tied to spring cleaning, this is a piece on ow (and why) to clean the fridge, and I’d love home/kitchen organization or cleaning experts to weigh in as far as how long it can take so you can plan, what types of products to use to clean (if any), and then how to reorganize.

RetailMeNot

Grocery Saving Tips That Actually Work: I’m working on a detailed guide on ways you can save on groceries. Looking for experts to weigh in with actionable tips, anything from actions to take wherever you shop, to suggestions on particular stores/chains to shop.

Meal Prepping Products That are Actually WORTH It: TikTok and Instagram are full of meal-prepping products (storage, kitchen tools, etc.) But there's always the possibility someone might be inspired, buy a bunch of this stuff, use it once and then let it collect dust. I’m looking for chefs/food writers/grocery shopping influencers to weigh in re: some products you swear by to keep meal prep easy. It can be aspiration stuff, or just simple things that are not glamorous.  If sending thoughts, be sure to include: Why it's a meal-prepping essential: what this thing does and why it helps with meal prepping. Why it's a good value: Maybe it's durable? Multifunctional? A good price? Where to buy it.

Forbes

National Pizza Day is coming up very soon, and for Forbes, I’m rounding up creative spins on the traditional pizza (and I say this as someone from Brooklyn, where they take pizza SUPER seriously). If you are doing a really fun pizza - please email me with the name, where it can be found, description, a chef quote about what makes it truly unique, and an image with appropriate photo credits. Deadline is this Friday, February 2.

The Super Bowl is coming up and now we OFFICIALLY know it’ll be Taylor-adjacent, making it extra fun to plan those viewing parties. I’m looking for fun cocktails available at bars and restaurants in honor of the Super Bowl that maybe also have a bit of Taylor inspiration going on as well. If you have anything that fits, please email me the name of the cocktail, a description, a bartender quote about it and an image with photo credits. Deadline is Friday, February 2.

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!

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