Monday: Timing is everything -- here's why. Also: Sourcing for lots of new assignments!
Good morning and happy Monday!
Wanted to start off with a funny throwback photo I came across last night while making room in my photos folder on my phone!
That’s from my college newspaper days, and while I know it all looks very edgy, i must also note that I was a massive Buffy fan back in the day (and I really wish I still had that t-shirt!).
Anywho…
We have a lot to get into today (including a bunch of new sourcing needs!), but I wanted to take a moment to chat about timing.
Timing is incredibly important — imagine a comedian or a musician with poor timing. Or, hell, a pastry chef. Or a poet. But when we talk about timing in media and PR relationships and interactions, it comes up a lot.
Just think of a few examples:
I’m always asked what the best time of day (or time of week) is to send pitches or followups. (Want the answer to that? More on that here.)
DEADLINES: This is the biggie that we’re going to get into time and again. Remember to consider a journalist’s deadline and send any deliverables - so far as high res images or commentary being quoted or background information before it. If you miss our deadline - or ghost us entirely - we can miss our deadline. And that can easily impact our livelihood as freelancers.
Holidays: We are running into this a lot right now because I’m getting a lot of trip and event invites that overlap with the Jewish high holidays the coming weeks, and it’s some stuff I’m really sad to miss. Take a moment to Google important religious or cultural events before scheduling events that will ultimately exclude some people that would have otherwise loved to have attended and covered. Again, timing.
Related: The Importance Of Inclusive Scheduling When Planning Events
Mailers and samples: If you are sending a mailer as part of pitching, remember that timing does matter. If I’m working on a story this week, sending that sample for it in a month isn’t going to help either one of us — that story is long written and filed. And if you are sending a perishable mailer of a product that may or may not be tied to a story, it can’t just arrive any old day…people need to know when it’s coming so they know if they will be home to receive. Most of us don’t have doormen and many of us live alone and don’t have a person who can accept for us if we’re not around…
Regarding trips/events…if I’m going to your event or press dinner tonight, it’s stressful to be waiting on that promised Uber voucher or other event specifics an hour or two before. It’s also stressful if you are hosting a press trip in two days and haven’t sent an itinerary or maybe even flights yet. Considering timing and how it impacts everyone involved, always.
There’s SO MANY more instances of how timing impacts all of our relationships…but that’s a good start for a Monday morning…and something to keep in mind as you go about your day.
Related: Industry Insights: Here's Why You Were Not Included In That Story (And How To Up Your Odds)
Remember, timing is everything, and it can make the difference between an amazing relationship with media or a difficult one — and help you get included in a lot more stories!
I have a few fun new pieces that were published or updated in the last few days to share, including brand-new today for Travel & Leisure: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $27 Right Now and for Forbes.com: Cocktails To Enjoy While Viewing The 2024 Emmy Awards, as well as for Today.com: 11 healthiest fast food breakfasts, according to dietitians and for Forbes: 30 Great Dishes To Try In Honor Of National Cheeseburger Day.
Want to see your client in stories like these? Well, I’m working on a bunch of new content for a half dozen outlets and I’d love your pitches! Scroll down to the pending assignments section below for details on all the stories I’m currently working on, as well as my sourcing needs.
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: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $27 Right Now
Forbes.com: Cocktails To Enjoy While Viewing The 2024 Emmy Awards
Today.com: 11 healthiest fast food breakfasts, according to dietitians
Forbes: 30 Great Dishes To Try In Honor Of National Cheeseburger Day
Apartment Therapy: The One Thing You Always Travel with That’s Actually Disgusting (And How to Keep It Clean)
Travel & Leisure: I Tried Amazon’s ‘Magical’ Sleep Mask on a Long-haul Flight — and Now It’s the Most Important Item in My Bag.
Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Frequently, and This $18 Gadget Makes Me Feel Safer in Hotel Rooms
Today.com: The best drugstore eye creams to tackle wrinkles, dark circles and dryness, according to experts
Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Messy Kitchen Junk Drawer — Here’s How She Fixed It
Yahoo Life: The best cooling fans of 2024, tested and reviewed
Travel & Leisure: These Arch Support Sandals Are the Only Shoes I Wear in the Summer — and They’re Only $47
Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Cluttered Medicine Cabinet, and Here’s How She Fixed It
Travel & Leisure: You Don't Want to Step Foot in a Waterpark Without These 18 Essentials From Just $9
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
Is fridgescaping for you? I'm working on a story on fridgescaping. I’m personally inspired by this angle about why it's good -- but if you read the TikTok comments, people say it's insane, wastes space, impossible if you have a big family, etc. So, to that end, I’m looking at covering the advantages and potential disadvantages, and maybe best practices -- so if full-scale fridgescaping isn't realistic for you, what are some elements you can incorporate? I’d love to speak to an organization expert for this one.
Fall TJ's products RDs love: For Clean Plates, I’m also doing a roundup of great fall products at Trader Joe's. But I’m also very into savory items (they have a gluten-free pumpkin ravioli I've been eyeing for instance...). Everyone is so into pumpkin spice and maple and such for fall - I’m rounding up picks at TJ’s hat RDs love that have the spirit of the season without being super high in sugar/calories. So, if you have an RD, have them email me a rundown of some of their favorite flavors of fall products at TJs and why they are great to try - and maybe even how to incorporate them into fall meal/menu planning in a household.
Southern Living
I’m working on a piece on — can you eat squash skin and looking for chefs/food safety/produce experts to weigh in. (When pitching expert commentary for this story, please keep in mind, there’s already a separate piece on eating pumpkin skin, so I can only include pumpkins as part of larger squash family.) Please email me before jumping the gun and sending commentary for this as I will have specific questions for your expert to address. Thanks!
Forbes
I’m putting out feelers for a potential piece with advice for how college students can cook/prepare food in their college dorms, and save money in the process? I’m going to have to figure in some restrictions that may exist, what is generally allowed/not allowed, and how to make the most of your resources to stay healthy/save money, and not rely on takeout/junk food/expensive meal plans to stay well fed. This may include how to get a dorm room prepped to cook/prep healthy well-balanced meals, as well as how to stock dorm fridge/freezer-- keeping in mind the common appliances you'll find in a dorm kitchen (and those you probably wouldn't). I'm looking for value, so think products that you can get at a good price and easily ship vs. fancy stuff a kid wouldn't need (so, no wagyu or caviar or lobster for this one), but also, commentary/ideas for what they will need, and what they will actually use. So, think, foods that will fill them up and keep them healthy and happy and will be easy to pull together to make meals they'll actually enjoy (tall order, I know!) Also, looking for dorm-friendly small appliances — with the understanding that dorms and dorm communal kitchens usually have certain restrictions in place.
I’m rounding up unique lobster dishes National Lobster Day. ANYTHING pitched for these stories MUST exist on the menu at a bar or restaurant. Please keep in mind the following parameters: Name of dish, name of restaurant (city, state, URL), description, quote about dish (and who to credit for the quote), and an image (with photo credit) — via dropbox link, not as an attachment. (Please make sure to have ALL these components before pitching.)
You may have recently seen my pieces about celebrity chef airline menu partnerships and everything from high tea to caviar service inflight. To that end, I’m also researching for a Fine Dining At 30,000 Feet roundup with the most luxurious dining options on different airlines. Please email me if you represent an airline and have something that may be a fit!
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!
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<3
aly