Monday: Prime Day is almost here and I have a ton of content to share. (Also working on a bunch of new non-Prime related content!)
Also: So many of you ask why you weren't included in a particular story. Here's your answer. Ready for it?
Good morning!
I wrote a ton of Prime Day related content over the long holiday weekend (as a dog mom who herself has a greater than fair share of anxiety, I am very much not a fan of fireworks and was very happy to check out from festivities and focus on work!), and while some focused on early Prime deals, which are now in a few cases somewhat outdated as actual Prime Day is finally almost here (yay! doesn’t it feel like it’s been almost-here for weeks?), many still apply.
This includes for Travel & Leisure, 15 Best Amazon Safety Gear Sales for July 4th and Amazon Prime Day Kicked Off Early With These 72 Incredible Travel Essentials Deals—Up to 70% Off, and for Yahoo, so many that I’m just going to direct you to follow my author page, where you will see them all (which is constantly being updated, including today!), but includes deals on robot vacuums (so many!), air fryers, luggage, super cute travel purses, pet gear, cookbooks, tech gadgets, and lots more.
In non-Prime Day related news (yes, the rest of the world is still happening out there!), as I’ve mentioned previously, I am on the panel of travel and food journalists who contribute nominations to the Newsweek Readers Choice Awards. The most recent categories I have contributed to include best buffet chain, best food hall, best mattress, and best sheets— take a second and see if you or your client is included!
Whew.
OK. Can we chat for a second?
You’ll notice I write a ton of food and cocktail roundups. You may say it’s kind of…my thing. In fact, in this one email you will see I have a handful of newly published ones and am also sourcing for a bunch of new ones.
Great, right? These are totally fun to work on and write, no doubt.
But every time I publish these pieces, I’ll get an onslaught of emails asking me why your client was not included. So…lets quickly get into that, and maybe it’ll help you next time.
1. You didn't meet the deadline
Those deadlines aren't arbitrary. If I'm working on a story on Monday, chances are I hardly even remember it by later in the week. And pitches that come in after I'm done writing it and submitting it are much like adding cheese to a burger after it's been eaten. It's over. It's done.
Your best bet to be included in a story is not to pitch me after the deadline, but before the deadline. And, in fact, the earlier the better. Once I get everything I need, I wrap things up.
2. You didn't follow directions.
I try my best to be extremely specific about the parameters I need for a particular story. If you are pitching me a cocktail, and I ask for 5 specific questions to be answered about it and you only answer 2 of them, that means I can't consider your cocktail, even if it looks like it’s super cool.
EVERY one of my calls for sources has very specific formatting instructions and I have to be honest: A good half of you aren’t following them. They are there for your benefit!
If I say a photo has to be a Dropbox link, please don’t just ignore me and embed or attach it. If I say it needs to include photo credits, please don’t ignore me. If I say I need a description or a URL or a city and state where it is located, or a chef’s quote (and the name of the specific person quoted, as well as their title), this is not arbitrary. Please do not ignore it. If you check all the boxes, and do so in the format I request, you actually have a pretty solid chance of getting included.
Do you know why? Because so many people aren’t doing that!
3. It wasn't a fit.
It happens, I'm sorry! If you are pitching me a banana and I'm writing about oranges, this won't work. (True story, remember that tea-based cocktail story I was working on a few weeks ago? I got more than a few emails asking me to “expand my scope” and include espresso martinis as well.) I love espresso martinis! I order them all the time. I’ve written about them many times. But the assignment is what the assignment is.
Here’s the deal: I love a Negroni. But If I'm working on a roundup of pink cocktails...it's not going to be a fit. Unless of course it's a very cool and unique spin on Negronis that actually IS pink, in which case I want to know!
4. You did everything right.
Wait, what?
Yes. For the average story, we get HUNDREDS, sometimes thousands of pitches.
We may have 10 or 15 or 20 spots available for inclusion.
That means 90% of those pitches are NOT included. I go for the best fits. Not all the fits. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with the item you pitched, it just wasn't AS good as another. It doesn't mean it won't work out next time!
5. Oh, and about updates...
No, we can't squeeze your client into a story that already happened. See aforementioned: “Saw your story published, can you add us in?) emails.
It's not an option. (See the comment about post-burger cheese above.) If you want to be included, follow tips 1-4 next time.
6. You were difficult to work with
This is something we don’t often talk about, but it bears repeating. I don’t need to be thanked, I don’t need you even to be friendly. I know you are just doing your job, as am I. (I mean, I try to always be nice anyway, but I get that’s not everyone’s morning latte.)
But if you are rude and aggressive or demanding or downright mean (and yes, that happens more than you’d imagine and it remains shocking), it doesn’t mean that I won’t work with you in the future. (See: Sending me the wrong information, and then sending a barrage of IMMEDIATE CORRECTION NEEDED NOW emails after, blaming me when I only used your information.)
But it does mean I won’t be as eager if there’s someone else offering exactly the sort of commentary/product you are offering, but not offering stress and aggravation in the process.
Be a person who is easy to work with (or at least not HARD to work with) and people will jump on your emails faster!
Limited-time deal on ad placement!
I’m 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!
Tools of the trade
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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.
Forbes.com: Elevate Your Order Of Fries Just In Time For National French Fry Day
Forbes.com: 12 Delicious Ways To Indulge On National Fried Chicken Day
Forbes.com: 13 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Caviar
Yahoo.com: Do you want fries with that? Here's 11 spots to score free fries on National French Fry Day. (This story is still being updated if you have any more free fry deals I should add!)
Travel & Leisure: 15 Best Amazon Safety Gear Sales for July 4th
Travel & Leisure: Amazon Prime Day Kicked Off Early With These 72 Incredible Travel Essentials Deals—Up to 70% Off
HerMoney: The Best Timing for Hotel Bookings: How To Save On Your Stay
Apartment Therapy: 10 Things I Got Rid Of After 45
Apartment Therapy: Summer Packing Tips from People Who Travel for a Living
Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe's, According to RDs
Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12
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
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
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: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off
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.
Yahoo
You may have noticed over the days leading up to Amazon Prime Day, I’ve been doing a ton of new content on Yahoo across the lifestyles umbrella. Currently working on a story on how to choose a budget-friendly sofa/loveseat for a small space (i.e. a tiny apartment, studio apartment, dorm, etc), as well as suggestions about ones that will do fit the role (good sofa at a good price but also handles the takeaway/delivery, for those of us who live in walk-up situations where there’s just no other way). Pitch me any thoughts as far as products that may be a fit but also expert input on the process!
Also, because we’re in the cycle of never-ending infernal heat waves, I’m doing a roundup of the best deals online on compact air conditioners for small spaces (ideally those that people can have delivered and installed).
I’m working on a roundup of must-have toiletries, beauty, hair, skin, and otherwise to keep as staples in your carryon when you travel. This, too, will have a first person element and there’s some of my faves I travel with non-stop that I’m absolutely including.
Forbes
I’m working on a story I hope to turn around in a day or two on Ideas For Your Summer Picnic Charcuterie Board - would love some experts to weigh in on charcuterie board ideas for the summer, so far as meats/cheeses/nuts/seeds/fruits/veg to include, what wine would go well with the board idea, and so forth.
I’m accepting pitches for fun and unique presentations of CHICKEN WINGS in honor National Chicken Wing Day and BURGERS in honor of National Hamburger Day at restaurants/bars nationwide. To pitch me for any of these, please make sure your pitch includes ALL of the following in this specific below format.
Name of dish
Where found (so: restaurant name, city, state, URL)
Description of dish
Quote about what makes this presentation special (plus name and title of person being quoted)
Image of dish and appropriate photo credits
** I’m also still accepting pitches for National Mac and Cheese Day (creative mac and cheese dishes) - but that one will wrap up in the next few days! Same parameters as above!
<3
aly