Thursday: A chat about lead time, and when you need to get those pitches in + an exciting new "scholarship" offer!
Also: New job leads + A 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions!
Good morning!
As summer Fridays are essentially the new Saturday does that make summer Thursdays the new Friday? In that case…happy pretend Friday! Hope it’s a great one.
A few newly published pieces in the last few days, for Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack, for Clean Plates: 10 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches Nutritionists Love, and for Forbes.com: 25 Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating National Lobster Day (some super yummy dishes in this one!), and for Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler.
Is there someone you want to gift a subscription?
Times are tough all around - they are tough in PR, they are tough in journalism. We’re all struggling. So, I want to try to make things a little easier on everyone and offer a special limited-time offer. For today only, if you purchase a monthly or an annual subscription upgrade, I’m going to give you the opportunity to then email me at alywalansky@gmail.com and choose ANY person to give a subscription of the same value to absolutely free. So, for example, if Judy buys a new annual subscription, please email me and give me the name of a friend or colleague.
Perhaps it’s a new member of your team? I’ll give that person a comped one year annual subscription. If Shelly buys a monthly subscription, I’ll comp the person of her choice a one month subscription upgrade.
If they are already a free member, they’ll get an upgrade. Call it a scholarship, call it a fellowship - this is a way of trying to add value to everyone - including those who may not have budget to subscribe right now but still want its benefits.
If you buy a group subscription (which is already at a 50% discount currently) - then everyone in the group person gets to choose a person to give this scholarship to!
Hope it’s helpful!
Now, lets chat about lead time…
I wanted to take a moment today to share a question that has popped up in my inbox and also comes up often in my lunch & learn sessions.
Today's question: What is the typical lead time for a story these days? On average, what is the timeline between receiving a pitch, pitching the story to her editor, getting it approved, writing it and it getting published?
I love this question because timing is EVERYTHING, and will make a big difference in if a journalist will be able to include your client or product in a story. Sending a pitch at the wrong time or too late will likely result in missed opportunities for you and your client. No one wants to miss the boat! (Unless if we are chatting about actual boats, because then I totally want to miss the boat. I hate boats.)
But, anyway: As with everything else, timing can also be hard to navigate. So this is an opportunity to plan and strategize better and smarter in a way that everyone wins.
The answer is, for my personal purposes: It honestly depends on the story and the outlet. (Yes, I know that may not be a super helpful thing to say!)
I have some assignments where I have as little as an hour to write (that will be published that same morning -- that's why I am so rarely able to step away from my desk during a work day), and others that I have as much as a week or more to play with. Those quick turn-around assignments will be those breaking food release news or food study news most often, while larger features, trend pieces, roundups, tend to have a bit more time.
But of course, there's so many factors at play here:
1 - Are we talking about a print or digital publication? Print obviously works pretty far ahead-- they are likely doing holiday content in the early summer. (You've probably often seen references to "Christmas in July," right?) -- a monthly publication will need more lead time than a weekly, which will need more lead time than a daily newspaper (while digital will vary depending on the scope of story and type of publication).
2 - Are we talking about super time sensitive breaking news? If this is the case and it's digital (which most of my content is, so it's what I know a lot more about, we're going to be pitching, writing, and publishing that story within hours. It's old news after that.
General rule of thumb -- if you are pitching a national print publication, assume they are working around six months ahead. If you are working digitally, you often have shorter lead time, though still a fair amount.
Most years, I start getting my assignments for holiday gift guides around late September/early October...but you'll see I'm still getting last-minute assignments and updates for those gift guides as late as early December (in fact, you probably noticed that my last Mother's Day related piece published just a few days before Mother's Day this year -- while I was already actively working on Father's Day!)
I think the most important thing to keep in mind here is that the early bird does indeed get the worm.
This is true with everything from sending commentary for pending stories to sending pitches for upcoming holidays, seasons, occasions, etc.
You'll never err by sending that pitch early, but you can miss out by sending it late. I think a good rule of thumb is to send those pitches related to Mother’s Day by late March, Father’s Day before late April, and Christmas by late October/early November, that's also when you want to be pitching Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
(Which means, those of you in my inbox right this second pitching me Father’s Day? You’re probably not going to get a lot of response to that one…Father’s Day is rather wrapped up at this point!)
But remember -- earlier will always be better for you. Later, last minute, opportunities do happen, and you can still get some great story placements - but why not have the most opportunities by getting those pitches in earlier?
Last chance to grab the Dads and Grads Gift Guide Pitching Webinar Recording!
Thanks to all who attended our Dads and Grads Gift Guide Pitching Workshop. We had a full house and an hour packed with really great questions and conversation — and now the full recording is available to any subscriber who may have missed it (or wants to go back and give another listen.) You can check out how to grab that recording and what we covered right here.
On occasion, people reach out to me for help with planning press dinners and events - from choosing the perfect location to keeping things fun and interesting to how to get top journalists to want to attend. If you are interested in me doing this for you, email me any time at alywalansky@gmail.com.
This newsletter goes out to well over 8,000 engaged publicists, business owners, and journalists each and every day. If you are looking to sponsor a daily installment of this newsletter or have a dedicated section about your client or product (assuming it’s an organic fit for the interests of my audience!), that is now available. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com to discuss.
The steepest discount I’ve ever offered on consulting sessions
In exciting news, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m currently offering 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions. Times are really tough and I am hoping to make these insights as accessible as possible to any of you who are interested. If you want to schedule a session for yourself or your team, to discuss anything from pitching to followups to events or press trips or anything else…drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com and lets chat!
Job Lead
Quinn PR is seeking an Account Supervisor - NYC - be sure to tell them you heard about it here!
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!
Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack
Clean Plates: 10 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches Nutritionists Love
Forbes.com: 25 Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating National Lobster Day
Food Network: Is Panda Express’ New Hot Orange Chicken Really Even That Spicy?
Forbes: Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Has Finally Arrived In New York City
RetailMeNot: Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home
Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler
Forbes: Father's Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Traditionalist Foodie
Forbes: 40 Cocktails To Enjoy In Celebration Of National Martini Day
Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits
Clean Plates: 7 Grocery Store Shortcuts for Fast, Easy Lunches
Forbes.com: 20 Delicious Ways To Celebrate National Burger Day
Forbes.com: The Italian Wedding Cake Martini Is A Dessert Cocktail Perfect For A Celebration
Southern Living: The 9 Best Brown Sugar Substitutes That Will Be Just As Sweet
Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Culinary Traveler
Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Dad Who Wants To Be Bobby Flay
Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Sandwich Lover
RetailMeNot: Father’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad
Clean Plates, 11 Mediterranean Diet Foods You Can Get at Trader Joe’s
RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible
RetailMeNot: How to Save on Food Delivery Apps: 10 Tips That Actually Work
RetailMeNot: How Growing My Own Herbs At Home Has Helped Me Keep Meals Creative Without Busting My Budget
Clean Plates: How to Clean and Organize Your Fridge for Spring
RetailMeNot: Savings Star Origin Story: How I Learned to Eat Well (In NY!) On a Shoestring Budget
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.
Apartment Therapy
I’m working on a story - The One Item Pro Travelers Would Never Pack in Their Carry-on Again - for this story, I’m looking to chat with professional travelers (so, travel writers, but also travel agents or flight attendants) about the one item they've packed in their carry-on that they never would again. Maybe it's shoes they'll never wear, or a super heavy coat, or too many skincare products? But who knows! Please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have someone game to weigh in.
Clean Plates
I’m working on a roundup of the best seafood choices at Trader Joe's for when you want to lighten up this summer (or just plan an easy no-fuss seafood or surf and turf night). There’s so many great new items in the seafood category there, and I’d love some RDs and nutritionists to weigh in on their faves as well. Please email me! (wrapping up this one by tomorrow AM!)
RetailMeNot
Budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter: As you all know, I write a lot of content for RMN related to budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter. I’m going to be working on a monthly column on the subject of cooking/eating well on a budget. The next column in this series will focus on bulk buying groceries and household essentials, which is something I personally SUPER believe in. I am constantly buying in bulk to save on per unit cost and benefit from the best deals. I even buy family packs of meat and fish to portion and freeze. I’d love some expert commentary on why bulk buying (rather at the supermarket on sales or at warehouse stores), is a great way to maintain a household meal plan and also live within our food budget.
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!)
<3
aly