Thursday: A lot going on today - including new pending stories
Also: A fun giveaway I'm so excited to participate in!
Good morning!
I have a bunch of new stories I’m working on and newly published content to share (scroll below for that if you want to skip this intro!), but first…
I’m going to be away from my desk pretty much all day today (a rare weekday occurrence that seems to happen roughly as often as Halley's Comet) but I really wanted to kick it off by taking a minute to get an email out to this community.
Tonight is our NYC launch party for the RPZL x ALY Valentine’s Day capsule hair accessories collection — it’s at the CUTEST spot and we have so many amazing people coming (including some of you! All the contest winners were notified and I was so excited to see all could make it!). Hopefully, everyone will take lots of photos tonight and there’ll be plenty to share tomorrow.
In celebration of today’s big event, I also have a fun Instagram giveaway to share:
I hope some of you enter because this is a GOOD giveaway I’d enter myself if I could!
I also want to thank everyone for being so incredibly supportive in this space — I realize this newsletter is for sourcing experts and commentary and pitches and I really appreciate and value you all so much for being so invested in this fun little side journey I’m doing! It really makes it feel so much more like we’re all in this together.
But not to worry - I have around a half dozen stories I’m currently working on for several different outlets, including content related to everything from spring cleaning to the big game to, of course, Valentine’s Day!
(Also, how perfect is it that Super Bowl: Taylor’s version is so close to V-Day?!)
So honored to see Muck Rack included me in their 2024 list of top ten most popular freelance journalists. Check out the list 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!
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane
Forbes.com: 30 Hot Pink Cocktails For A Fetch ‘Mean Girls’ Viewing Party
RetailMeNot: 5 Superstar Ingredients for Your Meal-Stretching Pantry Starter Pack
Forbes.com: 40 Romantic Cocktails That Will Add A Little Love On Valentine’s Day
Today.com: Say goodbye to wrinkles with these expert-approved drugstore creams — starting at $12
Food Network: Oreo’s New Cookie Will Take You to Outer Space
Clean Plates: The Healthy Trader Joe’s Sauce I Use in *Everything*
RetailMeNot: Affordable Valentine’s Day Gifts That Show Lots of Love on a Budget
Martha Stewart: 8 Storage Mistakes That Are Keeping Your Home From Being Organized
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Most Romantic Kitchen Gifts
Today.com: 27 healthy fast food items at popular US chains, according to dietitians and doctors
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Brussels Sprouts?
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Heart-Shaped Food Gifts
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Bougie Culinary Gifts
Clean Plates: 7 Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less
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
How to Clean the Fridge: Obviously, tied to spring cleaning, this is a piece on ow (and why) to clean the fridge, and I’d love home/kitchen organization or cleaning experts to weigh in as far as how long it can take so you can plan, what types of products to use to clean (if any), and then how to reorganize.
In preparation for the spring holidays, I’m working on a story on how gathering with loved ones is good for our mental health (we all can relate to how big an issue loneliness can be!). For example, the Passover seder tradition — it’s very much about tradition and eating and drinking, but it’s foremost about gathering, and I’d love to speak to some experts about why that’s so important. RetailMeNot
Grocery Saving Tips That Actually Work: I’m working on a detailed guide on ways you can save on groceries. Looking for experts to weigh in with actionable tips, anything from actions to take wherever you shop, to suggestions on particular stores/chains to shop.
Meal Prepping Products That are Actually WORTH It: TikTok and Instagram are full of meal-prepping products (storage, kitchen tools, etc.) But there's always the possibility someone might be inspired, buy a bunch of this stuff, use it once and then let it collect dust. I’m looking for chefs/food writers/grocery shopping influencers to weigh in re: some products you swear by to keep meal prep easy. It can be aspiration stuff, or just simple things that are not glamorous. If sending thoughts, be sure to include: Why it's a meal-prepping essential: what this thing does and why it helps with meal prepping. Why it's a good value: Maybe it's durable? Multifunctional? A good price? Where to buy it.
Forbes
National Pizza Day is coming up very soon, and for Forbes, I’m rounding up creative spins on the traditional pizza (and I say this as someone from Brooklyn, where they take pizza SUPER seriously). If you are doing a really fun pizza - please email me with the name, where it can be found, description, a chef quote about what makes it truly unique, and an image with appropriate photo credits. Deadline is this Friday, February 2.
The Super Bowl is coming up and now we OFFICIALLY know it’ll be Taylor-adjacent, making it extra fun to plan those viewing parties. I’m looking for fun cocktails available at bars and restaurants in honor of the Super Bowl that maybe also have a bit of Taylor inspiration going on as well. If you have anything that fits, please email me the name of the cocktail, a description, a bartender quote about it and an image with photo credits. Deadline is Friday, February 2.
I’m looking for romantic dishes at restaurants nationwide in honor of Valentine’s Day. Perhaps something special on the menu just for the weekend or the month of February that SCREAMS date night. If you have anything that may be a fit, please email me (and use the same parameters for pitching guidelines as the two stories above).
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’m available for PR team virtual meetings to answer questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts.
Have a great day!
In it together and stronger for it!