New stories! And a fun timely alert to my friends in LA...

Hi, all!

A quick note that I hope may be helpful in future pitching: This is something that comes up a lot, especially as we are now in gift guide season. Please don't email after a story is published and ask to have your client/product "squeezed in". This happens to me daily, in everything from food holiday roundups to gift guides. Once a story is done, it's done. 

Now, you can ALWAYS ask to be considered for future similar stories, but it's very rare that something is added to a finished story after that story has been published - at least from the freelancer end. It's possible six months or a year down the line we'll be asked to update that story by our editor and at that time, you may be considered for it. But we can't just decide to go back in and change 10 great tequila cocktails to 12 after the fact.

What I'm working on....

1. For HerMoney, I'm working on a few stories that I could benefit from the input from a gardening expert (especially one with a particular focus on small, window or kitchen based gardens - i.e. for those who don't have any outdoor space available to them), and also experts to talk about the benefits of stocking up on pantry items to stretch your food budget. (I do not need to be pitched particular brands/products for this one but rather would love a credible expert to talk about WHY this is useful and good for a budget but also healthy and the TYPES of pantry items we should store...i.e. canned tomatoes, shelf-stable stock, rice, beans, stuff like that.)

2. For RetailMeNot, I've wrapped up the fruitcake story - no more pitches for that one please. However, I'm still game to get pitches on strapless bras sold online!

3. For Forbes.com, I'm finishing up the Halloween cocktail story by first thing tomorrow morning. These cocktails are on menus at restaurants/bars that have a Halloween feel. They MUST exist on the menu somewhere. If you have one that fits, please send me a name, description, where it's available, and an image. (A lot of pitches missed some of these marks and could not be considered). Would love too if it can include a quote from the bartender/bar manager about the cocktail! Thanks!

Hope that's helpful! 

Here's what has been published since yesterday:

AllRecipes

Tight on Counter Space? OXO's New Dish Rack Is Made for Your Kitchen

HerMoney

My first piece for Her Money is somewhat autobiographical! It's about the foods you need to buy in bulk to save money.

Job leads!

Publicist friends in NYC: Are you looking for a new gig? My friends at The Brand Guild emailed yesterday with a job lead they asked for me to pass along to my newsletter readers!  They are hiring a Senior PR Manager, based in NYC, for their consumer lifestyle team. Clients are fun and the team is really cool. Here's the job description if you want to check it out. (Be sure to tell them you heard about the lead here!)

Where in the world is Aly Walansky?

BREAKING NEWS: I'm going to be in LA this weekend! It's for a work-related event that's actually currently under embargo - so I can't say WHY I'll be there...but you'll find out soon enough. (Hint: Follow my Instagram stories Sunday afternoon/evening!)

But I'll be in town from Friday afternoon (yes that'd be tomorrow. I said it was breaking news!)  thru Monday morning and while my schedule is kind of  spoken for on Sunday (at least the later part of the day, I might have some free time Sunday morning), it looks like I might have free time Friday and Saturday! I’ll be in the DTLA area this trip. (Yeah, I know some of you who maybe wanted to get together are groaning now. I’m used to it. I’m the girl who lives in Brooklyn!)

Anything I absolutely need to do? Drinks I need to drink? Salons to get blown? Lashes I need to lash? Let me know!

I haven't been in LA in almost two years...which is a new record for me! For years, I was there every few months, so that's kind of wild...

It's been A VERY LONG TIME since I flew cross country on one day's notice in the name of journalism and, I have to tell you guys,  it's downright life-affirming.

Phew...that's a lot. And so little of it was about work!

Have a great day!

<3

aly

PS: I know traditionally in the past I’ve made a plan when in LA to do a big group happy hour where every person I know in the area can all come and converge at once, and that’s always been a blast…being we’re still in uncertain times though, that seems like an unwise move this time out. I might possibly be able to do some intimate small group things though - with also-vaccinated people in open-air situations. Stay tuned!

PPS: On that note, can one of my LA friends email me and explain the current situation to me as far as proof of vax in restaurants/bars? I know things are pretty strict there (and I’m glad!) …and no one out of NYS will care about my Excelsior Pass. What do y’all generally do to show proof when you go to a restaurant? Is a photo of my vax card on my phone good enough, or should I plan to pack the actual card this weekend? Tell me your ways! Also…anyone want to give me the current update on the Uber lot situation at LAX? Like how are things working there these days? Sorry for using this newsletter for checking off all my personal anxiety boxes! <3