Monday: New assignments, newly published stories, new job leads! Also: Our big V-Day gift guide AMA is just a few days away
Monday: New assignments, newly published stories, new job leads! Also: Our big V-Day gift guide AMA is just a few days away
Good morning, friends!
Happy Monday!
I’m back in NYC and it’s a BUSY week. I have events or dinners nearly every night this week — and I have back-to-back ones on a few nights — ‘tis the season, I suppose!
Speaking of events or dinners, this weekend I sent out a primer on why Uber vouchers can be essential for getting your best event attendance. You can still check it out here.
This weekend, after I got back from the cruise, we celebrated Scarlette’s 16th birthday! Obviously, there was pup-friendly cake involved (a meatloaf cake, that is — with mashed potato icing!).
Of course, Hanukkah is just a few days away, and I have a lot of content to that end (albeit rather fun research..!). For Forbes.com: Fun Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating Hanukkah and also Celebrate Hanukkah With Fun And Festive Cocktails. For YourTango, The Best Hanukkah Books for Kids and for The Nosher, some inventive ways to enjoy your latkes. And, though matzo ball soup is more associated with Passover, if you want to break out some of the most classic Jewish menu favorites, here’s an Eat This, Not That story on best variations on classic matzo ball soup.
Don’t forget there’s still time to register and RSVP for mine and Alice Dubin’s V-Day gift guide AMA later this week. More information can be found here! There’s still a few spots left!
Job leads
Quinn PR is looking for an Account Supervisor in NY. They also have jobs open in Miami. Here’s the deets: Account Executive – Miami, FL.
Do you have a job lead to share? Sharing job leads is always free, and just my way of giving back to the community by helping connect great people with great jobs. Email me if you have a job or internship you want me to post!
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!
The Kitchn: This $4 Aldi Seasonal Dupe Has Shoppers Buying 3 at a Time
The Kitchn: Aldi Just Brought Back an “Amazing” Holiday Treat That Sold Out Fast Last Year
Forbes.com: Fun Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating Hanukkah
Forbes.com: Celebrate Hanukkah With Fun And Festive Cocktails
The Kitchn: The $4 Viral Trader Joe’s Dessert Is Back, but Only for a Limited Time
Popsugar: How to Get Rid of Pesky Bad Breath, According to Dentists
The Kitchn: Costco Just Added a New Pastry to the Bakery Section and It’s the Best $9 You’ll Spend All Week
Forbes.com: Las Vegas Is Readying For A Lavender Haze As Raiders Play Chiefs
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Cabbage?
Southern Living: Can You Eat Underripe Avocado?
Southern Living: How To Boil Potatoes
Clean Plates: 10 Trader Joe’s Frozen Appetizers Perfect For Holiday Parties
Food Network: Rao’s Is Getting In On Ketchup
Food Network: Popeyes Officially Launches Wings As Permanent Menu Items
Food Network: You Can Buy Just About Anything Inside an Olive Garden – Including Its Cheese Graters
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2023: The Best Gifts For The Meat Lover
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2023: The Best Gifts For The Sushi Lover
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2023: The Best Pink Kitchen Gifts For Barbie Lovers
RetailMeNot: Where to Get Free Food Today (and Every Day of the Week)
Travel & Leisure: I'm a Longtime Solo Traveler, and These Are The 12 Best Personal Safety Devices on Sale at Amazon
Travel & Leisure: Travelers Are Using This Flight Attendant-approved Gadget to Get More Space on Planes — and It Only Costs $13
Travel & Leisure: The Flight Attendant-approved Hack I Swear by for Getting Through the Airport Stress-free Is Just $10 Right Now
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by This $9 Trick for Keeping My Feet Comfortable While Sightseeing
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35
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
I’m rounding up Healthy Hanukkah Recipes Nutritionists Love. This is easy peasy but fun: I’m looking for nutritionist/RDs to link me to their favorite healthy Hanukkah recipes online - and share with me why they love this recipe, why it’s healthy and why it’s a great way to celebrate — as Hanukkah starts in a few days, this is a very quick turnaround one so please try to get back to me ASAP. (And obviously you do not need to personally observe Hanukkah to pitch for this, but you should have some idea of what makes something a Hanukkah recipe.)
RetailMeNot
For RetailMeNot, I’m updating my New Years store hours guide from last season. I’m looking to maintain the same format and the same stores, just needs to be updated for 2023. So: If you or your client was included in last year’s guide, I would so appreciate if you can drop me a quick note and confirm the open/closed/modified hours info is still the same - or if it’s not. Otherwise, I’ll be reaching out soon!
I’m ALSO updating my Stores Open Christmas Day + Christmas Eve Store Hours guide from last year. Same guidelines as above applies!
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!