Monday: Why Quid Pro Quo is never going to get you results + lots of pending new content!
Also: Upcoming travel, and more!
Good morning!
It’s been a busy few days but I wanted to introduce you to the newest member of my household!
That’s my new leather loveseat (it’s available here, from Raymour & Flanigan!) and she arrived Friday.
Let me tell you, adding this loveseat to my home was a LONG time coming and I couldn’t be happier she’s here.
Some backstory: Previous to this, I had a 10-year-old loveseat from a very well-known discount furniture warehouse that served me well for …well, a decade. But when you live and work on something (including two years of the pandemic when I spent so much time on it, it had a permanent butt indent), it begins to show serious wear and tear. When I finally got rid of it, it was worn out, ripped, and peeling…like a pepper that you had roasted for a bit too long and the shell starts to disintegrate.
Gross, I know.
But, I had a few factors that had kept me from getting a new one way way past when I should have. Like, several years past. One, I’m on a budget. And while there’s a lot of places you can order one online for a fairly reasonable price, they will then ship it to you as a package. That means for those of us who live in a 4th floor walkup…we have to get it up the stairs ourselves. I can barely get myself up those stairs some days, if we’re being real. But it also meant I would have had to remove and get rid of the old one myself too. And, well, both of those propositions kept from getting a new couch when it was badly needed…for years.
But Raymour’s publicist is a subscriber of this Substack, and she’s reader that actually reads thoroughly enough to TRULY get what I’m trying to say here. She ha reached out to me when I said I was working on a story on compact couches for a small apartment a few weeks back and she not only brought the perfect couch (the exact dimensions I could fit into this small space) into my life — but also coordinated with another client, UShip, to remove my old couch and haul it away so I didn’t have to deal with that aspect either.
The reason I’m telling you this story - aside from introducing this gorgeous new couch (that has changed my life in a big way, and I’m not even exaggerating, my life quality has been seriously amplified), is how this amazing publicist - who is reading this now! thought out of the box to make this happen and worked with me to coordinate all the logistics — and never brought a “quid pro pro” or “in exchange for” phrase into the conversation.
(To be noted: I’m obviously writing about this loveseat and the shipping company too extensively. There’s a story already in the works. But the phrase ‘in exchange for’ was never used, and had it been, it would have been a whole different discussion, no matter how badly I did indeed need a new couch. The content I’m writing is shaped by the positive experience — the process of choosing and receiving this couch, the process of removal of the old couch, and also my experience living and working with this new couch in the aforementioned environment.)
And if “in exchange for” wasn’t used in this case…in a case like this that was, lets be honest, a pretty huge deal for all involved…don’t you all feel a little silly using it when its regarding sending some mascara?
OK. That feels like a very intro-y intro. So lets go deep.
Scroll down to the bottom of today’s email to see why we never, ever, ever are going to get good results when we put ‘in exchange for coverage” — or anything related to a quid pro quo — in a pitch.
Here’s some newly published content!
Lots of new content published over the weekend and today!
For Forbes: 7 Spicy Cocktails And Dishes That Pack On The Heat, for The Kitchn: This “Brilliant” $10 Le Creuset Storage Gem Is a Game-Changer for Your Pots and Pans and T.J. Maxx Is Selling the Cutest Dinner Plates for Fall, and They’re Only $5 Each.
For Southern Living: Chick-fil-A's First Seasonal Soda Brings A Popular Flavor Back In A Refreshing Way, for RetailMeNot: 42 Best College Student Discounts.
And, of course, for my Yahoo Creators column: New stories every day, check out my author profile to see what I’ve been working on!
Upcoming travel: I’ll be in the greater LA area for a whole week in early September (the first half of the week will be in the Malibu area for Malibu Food &Wine (so excited!), and then I’ll move onto BH and WeHo).
I’ll also be in Fort Lauderdale (very briefly) in mid-November (just for about 24 hours or so before a cruise).
Hope to connect with some of you if itinerary and time allows. Other potential fall/winter travel is in the the works, and will share it here as well once confirmed.
Also: Who will be in NY for NYCWFF this fall? I’ll be here, there, everywhere and hope to see you, too!
(And yes, I’ll be in Miami for SOBEWFF this winter as well, of course!)
Book your summer consulting session!
I still have some space available for August!
I can join your team on Zoom, a phone call, or in-person and do a team Q&A and answer any of your questions about planning events, mailers, trips, pitching, followups, etc — giving you a very necessary media perspective. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you are interested in chatting more and setting something up :)
I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform, writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!)
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
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!)
Press Hook is where journalists, newsletter writers, and podcasters source expert quotes, hi-res images, product samples, affiliate info, and brand story angles — all from vetted brands in one searchable hub. It connects journalists and brands in what feels like a really user-friendly, organic way and I use it often to browse for sources and products aligned with my current projects and I’ve often found precisely what I need, when I need. Give it a try!
Did you catch me on the Coffee with a Journalist podcast last week? You still can!
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.
Yahoo Creators: Check out my author profile (I have several new stories a day across the lifestyles umbrella, so that’s the best way to stay updated!)
The Kitchn: This “Brilliant” $10 Le Creuset Storage Gem Is a Game-Changer for Your Pots and Pans
The Kitchn: T.J. Maxx Is Selling the Cutest Dinner Plates for Fall, and They’re Only $5 Each.
Southern Living: Chick-fil-A's First Seasonal Soda Brings A Popular Flavor Back In A Refreshing Way,
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious And Creative Ways To Enjoy Potatoes
RetailMeNot: 41 Best College Student Discounts
Travel & Leisure: This Portable Door Lock Is Traveler-loved
Food Network: A Beloved KFC Side Is Finally Returning Nationwide!
Food Network: IHOP Brings an Extra Layer of Luxury to Dubai Chocolate
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Travel & Leisure: 15 Amazon Business Casual Clothes for Summer Travel.
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12
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.
Newsweek Reader’s Choice: All Things Wine nominees
As a reminder, I’m on the panel of travel and food journalists who chooses the nominations for Newsweek’s Readers Choice Awards — current topic I’m working on nominees for are all things wine (one of my favorite topics, as we know!). So, if you want to send any suggestions my way for me to consider as far as nominations, I’m working on the following categories:
Best Winery Tour
Best Tasting Room
Best Wine Bar
Best Wine Club
Best Overall Wine
Forbes
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
It’s NATIONAL SANDWICH MONTH - please pitch me the best sandwiches at your restaurant or bar. To pitch, please always use this format and don’t skip any parameters:
Name of dish
Restaurant, city, state, website
Description of dish
Quote from chef about dish (plus name and title of person quoted)
Image and photo credit (I prefer links to attachments!)
(PS: THIS ONE IS BEING WRAPPED UP BY LATER TODAY!)