Saturday happenings: Ever hear of a spicy pillow?

Wait till you hear this one....

Happy Saturday, friends!

When I woke up yesterday, I didn’t expect to have to end the day buying a new Macbook.

(Wasn’t even on my radar!)

But, after a rather dramatic and harrowing technology implosion yesterday morning — (ever hear of a computer having a ‘spicy pillow’??? Well, that was just the tip of the iceberg with yesterday’s story - which I’ll save for another day), I am now the proud owner of a really adorable midnight-colored MacBook Air (that actually looks like a modern version of my first ever MacBook many moons ago,) and feels rather special.

Still…yay for major unexpected expenses while still attempting to recover from tax season…egads.

Did I mention now would be a fabulous time for you to upgrade to a paid subscription?

So, I’m going to be spending much of today setting up my new baby - and also working on a recipe development piece I’m kind of excited about. This is a story I was pitching all week and REALLY wanted to write, and now I’m doing it for a major food outlet — so THAT is exciting. Wait till it publishes, you’ll see how I was meant to do this project.

So it’s a busy sort of Saturday…

Also: Anyone want to help me name my new computer? Leave a comment below!

The good news is, Apple has such good trade-in rates right now that by trading in my dearly departing (and very beloved) computer, I’m actually getting a rather sweet deal on this new one…

I don’t normally do traditional daily newsletter posts on weekends, but a bunch of new stories went live yesterday, so let me share that here and we’ll start fresh on Monday.

(BTW: If you are looking for my weekly Industry Insights edition, it’s not missing! Sent out a pretty major one on Thursday about how to plan the perfect group press trip.)

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!

PS: I love doing podcasts! Check out my guest appearance on the Italian Wine Podcast this week, where we discussed all things Substack. Other recent podcast appearances include the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast with the incredible (and super fun!) Lexie Smith, where we chatted about everything from press dinners and events and trips to, well, sippin’! I’ve recorded a few others that should be live soon as well and I’m always open to doing more — email me at alywalansky@gmail.com.

• Food Network: This Distillery Is So Proud of Their Gin, They Found a Way To Wear It

• Forbes.com: This Retreat Is The Perfect Getaway For Meat Lovers This Father's Day

• Forbes.com: Martini Lovers Headed To NYC Have Found Their Dream Retreat

• Forbes.com: 9 Cocktails To Celebrate Dad This Father’s Day

• RetailMeNot: Father’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts To Stock His Freezer

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Dad Who Loves To Grill

• Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Cookbooks To Add To His Collection

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Culinary Traveler

  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.

RetailMeNot

All the Best Fourth of July Sales to Shop Now: I’m working on an update of this story from last year.  A lot of these might change, so note any run-through dates IF the retailer has those when pitching me. Otherwise, it's OK to describe the sale as "for a limited time." I’m going to try to include spots such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ancestry, 23andMe, Fitbit IF they are throwing a sale. If pitching me for this one, please be sure to include what's on sale, how to shop it, the promo code (if any). Maybe the promo code is storewide, so that makes it super flexible. Whatever the shopper needs to know about how and WHY to shop the sale.

I’m also updating this story from last year: Stores Open Fourth of July + Fourth of July Store Hours. Please look at last year’s version for an idea of format and what I’m looking for - and if I included your store hours or sales last year, feel free to reach out and give me updates!

Forbes.com

For Father’s Day, I’m looking for chefs to share one way their own dad or a father figure in their life inspired their work as a chef. Perhaps it’s a kitchen technique or recipe or even a philosophy about an ingredient or food or cooking in general. Please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have chefs open to giving commentary (even better if they can share some sweet photos of them and their dad in the kitchen!)

Outlander is coming back soon (and droughtlander is finally ending!) so I was wondering if there’s any bar/restaurants doing fun cocktails in celebration of the return? Let me know!

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!)

Virtual (and now in-person!) consulting sessions...

Looking for a consult as you plan your next event or trip? Or just want someone to take a look at the pitches you’ve been sending and give some feedback?

I've been popping into a lot of PR team virtual meetings and some other fun stuff and making myself available to answer all sorts of questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective.  I like to keep these things chill and comfortable and relaxed all by sharing perspective and learning from one another. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat!

If you are interested in setting anything up for your own team in the coming months, please email me and we'll get something on the books! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts. If you are a freelance publicist and want to join in with a few other freelance publicist friends and set something up, we can do that as well!

Have a great day!

<3