Monday: Self-care tips during trying times + new job leads + pending story assignments!
Also: Final chance to RSVP to Wednesday's webinar + a batch of V-Day gift guide assignments are coming soon - stay tuned!
Good morning, friends :)
Life is still very much, well, life-ing, for so many — and I’m maintaining an ongoing guide to help and resources on my Instagram stories that I’m adding to every few hours each day since the disaster began — but I have a fair amount of work-side of life information to share today so we’re going to try to get through a business-as-usual Monday edition of this newsletter as well as we can while still knowing and honoring that it’s very much not business as usual around us.
I was featured this week in Impact PR’s media moment — check it out if you have a moment this morning. I share fun tidbits like my pitching pet peeves, the most memorable story I ever worked on and my absolute favorite restaurant and nightlife spots in NYC.
Reminder: This Wednesday afternoon is our big Zoom webinar event where we’ll be covering all your questions regarding the upcoming ShareASale to Awin upgrade. We’ll be sending out confirmation emails with Zoom credentials shortly to those already registered but you can still RSVP!
Info here.
Some news!
Every year, Muck Rack releases an annual list of the 10 most-viewed journalists of the year.
I’m so excited to share for the fourth year in a row, I made the list!
(Last year, I actually also topped their list of most popular food writers online, so I hope that happens again this year as well…crossing fingers!).
Thanks so, so much. In a world where being a freelancer can often be isolating and demoralizing, being recognized means all the world to me.
Job leads
One of my very favorite teams, TCF, is hiring part-time digital marketing assistant. Sound intriguing? Here's a link to the job description.
Here’s the nitty gritty: TCF is seeking a remote assistant for 15-25 hours a week starting at $20 an hour. Social Media management skills a major plus. Paid training. Interested parties can email Brian Markowski at brian@contentfac.com with their cover letter and resume (make sure to read the details on the link first to see if you are a fit!)
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!)
Times are really hard right now, and they have been for what seems like forever. If you are trying your best to do business as usual while it feels like the world is blowing up around you, here’s some self-care tips for getting through the day:
Breathe. Sometimes, when my day or night feels extra tough, and I’ve had more of them than I’d love to say in the last few years, just remembering to breathe goes a long way.
Remember to take breaks. As someone who works from home and lives at home (clearly haha) and it’s all in a tiny studio apartment, it can sometimes feel like the walls are closing in on me — especially during trying, stressful times. Do your best to take a few breaks during the day, this can be to take a walk, grab some coffee, or watch your afternoon soap operas. Studies actually have shown taking these mini breaks can help with focus.
Reward yourself. If you just met that big deadline or finished that huge project, give yourself a treat. Treat yourself to your favorite takeout for lunch or an afterwork glass of wine. It’ll help you reset, refocus, and, well, breathe, before focusing on the next big thing.
Maintain self-care rituals. We spend a whole lot of time doomscrolling and stressing, but maintain those rituals any time you can to add a dose of normalcy into your life - whether that’s taking some time to meet your mom for a mani (did that this weekend!), calling a friend for a catch-up sesh or giving yourself an at-home spa treatment, or batch cooking your freezer meal, try to carve out time to do that no matter what else is going on around you - it’ll center you, it’ll focus you, and it’ll remind you that life is still moving forward.
Looking to devote some time to self-care this new year?
Take it from a girl who is one big blonde bundle of anxiety - it’s important!
Give yourselves a head start by entering this AMAZING giveaway.
Details on Instagram!
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!
Newsweek Readers Choice: Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - more categories coming very soon!
Travel & Leisure: A Travel Writer's $10 Amazon Packing Hack for Shoes
Apartment Therapy: 10 Experts Share Their Biggest Decluttering Regrets
Parade.com: How To Use an Air Fryer (Beginner's Guide)
Martha Stewart: 19 Walk-In Pantry Ideas for a More Organized, Stylish Space
Forbes.com: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa Brings Gold Standard Sushi To This Year’s Golden Globe Awards
Forbes.com: 8 Hot Toddy Variations To Try Just In Time For The Winter Chill
Food Network: Starbucks Finally Adds Cortados to Its Menu
Southern Living: Can You Eat Wilted Cilantro?
Today.com: Do drugstore wrinkle creams really work? Experts weigh in
Martha Stewart: 18 Coffee Table Décor Ideas That Blend Form and Function.
Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device
The Spruce: How to Add Storage to Your Kitchen Walls and Make the Most of the Vertical Space
Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders
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.
Southern Living
Working on a story on How Playing "Check-in Chicken" Is A Hack To Get The Best Seats On Flights - would love travel experts and pro travelers to answer a few questions over email!
Apartment Therapy
Here’s a fun one: I’m asking Experts in the Adult Industry for the Best Way to Store Sex Toys: I’d love to speak to experts in the adult industry (performers, toy experts, etc.) and find out the best way to store sex toys and keep them organized as well as any tips on where not to store them because of any issues (cleanliness, etc.)
Forbes
Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it, and I’m looking for romantic cocktails available at bars and restaurants.
Please include:
The name of the cocktail
where it’s available (so, city, state, name of bar/restaurant, URL)
description (not a recipe)
a quote about the cocktail
an image (linked via dropbox, not attached please) with appropriate photo credit.
Deadline for these pitches is EOW this week.
I’m also looking for ways to incorporate caviar into a romantic valentine's day evening, and for this one I’m open to being pitched products but also dish/recipe ideas...like caviar martinis, caviar pasta, caviar sea food tower!, whatever. I’m looking to make this piece a hybrid ofcocktails/dishes at restaurants/bars but also items you can buy/make to have a romantic night at home too.
(And, yes, the caviar cocktails story I mentioned last week will be incorporated into this larger piece…so keep those pitches coming!)
Plate Magazine
I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!
I’m also taking style-related pitches, obviously with the audience in mind: such as the the stories behind chefs who take their style seriously, but also various cooking styles, and how does style play a role, how does plating style affect how a dish tastes and sells? What does it mean to go from one cooking style to another in the course of a career, or operate restaurants that showcase various cooking styles?
Also taking After Dark-related pitches, as in everything that happens after dark—from late-night industry happy hours to night markets, such as the labor and techniques that take place in the kitchen (or parking lot) overnight—from BBQ to sous vide cooking and baking. I’m also looking for noteworthy bartenders to profile.
<3
aly