Monday: Please pitch me your cooling fans or sleep trackers (but read this first for more info!). Plus: Many other pending stories and a lot going on this week.
Also: I think I found something super fun for those planning virtual events!
Good morning!
It’s the Monday-iest of Mondays.
I have a ton on my plate (and on my mind, TBH) this morning, but I’m just trying to plow through all this mental noise and pull my odds and ends together because in a few hours I’m leaving to work remotely from the Jersey shore for the rest of the week!
(For work, it’s not like Aly is getting a vacation…but, sometimes my work looks a little like a vacation, so we’ll take it…)
In some fun news, I have a new piece out that feels extra special that I’m excited to share.
Speaking of, well, plates: It’s my first piece for Plate Magazine!
I penned a piece in their Experiences issue about a steakhouse in NYC that does vinyl and wine pairing dinners. Read more about it here.
In other new content in the last few days, for Southern Living, I covered the proper way to wash and store grapes and for RetailMeNot, I wrote a huge guide to spots around the country that offer college student discounts.
A fun addition to virtual meetings and events
A friend of mine recently sent me a care package of these really cool My Drink Bomb original cocktail bombs to try out.
It reminds me a lot of those hot cocoa bombs that were super trendy a few years ago, but this is in cocktail form.
(Which is obviously even more fun.)
To enjoy the bombs, you choose your preferred flavor — they have a ton of options, ranging from mimosa to margarita and add it to cold sparkling water and then top it off with a few ounces of your spirit of choice. You can even order it as part of a gift set that includes fun handcrafted martini glasses with assorted cocktail bomb options, like Cosmo - I’m totally considering that for Sex and the City viewing parties come the next season of And Just Like That… Anyway, at that point you just add some ice, add a fun garnish, and you have a seriously fancy looking cocktail ready to enjoy, with minimal effort.
But it got me to thinking, I’m so often invited to virtual desksides or meetings or even old-school style virtual cocktail parties and events. Sending these ahead of any of those would be such a fun idea and add a cute, interactive (and tipsy) element to all of these sorts of engagements. And that’s always a winning combination for building a rapport (and breaking the proverbial ice)!
Just food (er, drink…) for thought…
The steepest discount I’ve ever offered on consulting sessions
In exciting news, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m currently offering 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions. Times are really tough and I am hoping to make these insights as accessible as possible to any of you who are interested. If you want to schedule a session for yourself or your team, to discuss anything from planning an event, media dinner, or press trip to mailers, pitching best practices, followups to…well… anything else…drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com and lets chat!
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!
Forbes.com: 50 Creative Ways To Celebrate National Caviar Day
RetailMeNot: 55+ College Student Discounts
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious Dishes To Enjoy On National Fried Chicken Day
Travel & Leisure: I'm Stocking Up on Comfy Travel Pants Thanks to These Sweet Fourth of July Deals on Amazon
Today.com: Do drugstore wrinkle creams really work? Experts weigh in
RetailMeNot: How Bulk Buying Helps Me Maintain My Household Grocery Budget – and Stay Well-Stocked
Travel & Leisure: This Genius Gadget Is the Travel Accessory Everyone's Wearing to Stay Cool in the Heat — and It's 20% Off
Clean Plates: 7 Cookout Faves from Trader Joe’s That Dietitians Love
Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe’s, According to RDs
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 6 Travel Writers for Their Best Packing Hacks, and Their Tips Are Ingenious.
Travel & Leisure: I Always Wear These Comfy, Wide-leg Amazon Pants on Flights — Plus, 13 More Pairs I'm Eyeing From $12
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35
Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack
RetailMeNot: Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home
Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler
Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits
RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible
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.
I’m participating once again in the panel of experts for the Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards (you may recall I recently participated in nominations in the best gourmet subscription box category and best outdoor grill. As part of this program, I’m part of panel of travel/food experts who helped to create nominee lists for the Readers Choice Awards in a variety of categories, and my next categories will be best mattresses and best apres ski spots. If you have any you think should be on my radar, drop me a line!
Yahoo! Health
I’m working on two roundups and I have very specific sourcing needs for each one.
Best cooling fans of 2024: For this, I’m looking to find the best cooling fans for sleeping —I’m looking for a variety of different types and styles of fans that could accommodate different needs. I’d love to speak to a few sleep experts (coaches, researchers/scientists, MDs specializing in sleep) to discuss why/how a cooling fan might be able to help with sleep. Also: I’m sourcing cooling fans to test. I’m looking ultimately for about 10 categories of cooling fans, such as bladeless, bedside, portable, budget, tower, floor fan, pedestal, oscillating, best for large spaces, best smart fan, most versatile, 2-in-1 (for instance, fan/air conditioner, fan/alarm clock or fan/air purifier, etc.)
Best sleep trackers: I’m rounding of the best sleep trackers of 2024. First, I’m looking to interview sleep experts (scientists/researchers, MDs specializing in sleep, etc.) to discuss the use of sleep trackers, how they do/don't help, how to know if your tracker is accurate, etc., and then test in various categories such as sleep tracking ring, wristband, 2-in-1 fitness and sleep tracker, mattress sensor, contactless, app - i’m looking for most accurate, most comfortable, best value, best for tracking sleep stages, best for sleep coaching, and best for babies (this is a slightly different category, so for this one, when pitching, keep in mind that sleep tracking devices for babies have a different reason/purpose, and the insights are important for parents' use/information/may be helpful to provide to pediatricians.)
Food Network
I’m putting out feelers for a roundup of restaurant chains/food brands doing fun/cute Olympic tie-in food/drinks/products. If you have anything, please email me :)
RetailMeNot
This month, I’m working on a story regarding how to stock up on spices and save at Costco, as well as some general tips on how to stock up on spices and streamline your spice cabinet and spend less but have more, make your own blends, and so fort. I’ll have updated details as far as what exactly I need very soon, but will be open to both expert sources and products to link to for this one.
Apartment Therapy
I’m working on two kind of personal projects!
I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Cluttered Medicine Cabinet — Here's How They Fixed It: I’m looking to get advice from a pro organizer on how to fix my "cluttered" medicine cabinet, then fix it! Email if you are game and I’ll send a photo to give them a better idea of the space.
I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Messy Kitchen Junk Drawer — Here's How They Helped Me: Similar! Also..about me. And being messy. I’m looking to get advice from a pro organizer (just one) on how to fix my messy kitchen junk drawer, then fix it! I will send them a photo to give them a better idea of the space.
Forbes.com
I’m looking for fun cocktails and dishes inspired by or in honor of the upcoming Paris Olympic games. These must exist on a menu at a bar or restaurant, even if only for a limited-time special. Please email me if you have anything that may fit!
Going forward, I’m also working on roundups for National Oyster Day and National Tequila Day. Let me know if you have a dish/cocktail that may be a fit. These must exist on a menu at a bar or restaurant, even if only for a limited-time special.
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<3
aly