Thursday: A small way to make a big impression + new content to share (including an interview with my fave celeb chef -- you know who it is.)

Also: Did you catch my WILD deal on how you can score a completely free consulting session?

Good morning!

I am spending the next few days working from Santa Monica and I have a PACKED schedule today, including some very special stuff I’ll share later — but I wanted to talk a bit about something that I think may just inspire a lot of you when planning your own trips.

So, right now I’m staying at the lovely Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica and we had a pretty special dinner planned last night. However, when I got to my bungalow to get ready for that dinner — I saw this incredibly cute gift and invitation!

How lovely is that? I’m SO ready to star in my own episode of Heartland.

As journalists, we’re admittedly pretty spoiled, with welcome amenities that may include much-appreciated snacks or treats (and especially bottled water! We love that!), but such a cute gift like this that was both tied to a fun activity hosted by the property but that is ALSO a fun take-home gift and memory of the experience.

So classy, and so fun - and a great idea to emulate in your own press trip planning.

I’ve seen this done before, from a fascinator during a Kentucky Derby trip I was on a few years ago, to a gift set of the skincare regime used during a personalized facial at the hotel spa when I was in Turks & Caicos a few weeks ago and these touches…it’s impossible to understate how much of an impression they make, and how the help to make the memories and the property or the experience stay top of mind long after the trip has ended because the gift itself is so intimately tied to the time you spent together.

PS: At dinner last night: This barrel-aged Negroni at Fig Santa Monica was TOP NOTCH.

New today for Forbes, I interviewed my most-favorite chef, Bobby Flay, about a new innovation at his beloved burger chain — Bobby’s Burgers By Bobby Flay Is Now Presenting Classic Buffalo Flavors In Unexpected Way.

Also new this week, for Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off - these shoes helped me survive walking miles and climbing countless steps during yesterday’s schedule (and will again today!).

Also this week, for Food Network, I share some exciting breaking news: Popeyes Is Bringing Its Most Popular Sauces to Grocery Aisles. For Forbes: 20 Cocktails And Dishes To Enjoy In Honor Of St. Patrick’s Day and Get Ready For March Madness With 7 Cocktails Perfect For The Season. For Southern Living - so excited to break this story that I know LOTS of you will be interested in: KFC Is Bringing Back Their Most-Requested Side—But For 2 Weeks Only. For Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane.

This weekend’s Industry Insights email was a deep dive into one of my most frequently asked questions —How To Send An Email A Busy Journalist (With A Packed Inbox) Will Want To Open.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I am part of the panel of travel & food journalists who come up with the nominees for the Newsweek Reader’s Choice awards in a number of categories. In the past, that has included Best Cruise Ship for Families 2025, Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill. I have a few new categories I’m working on this week, including Best Pet Food Delivery, Best Cat Cafe, Best Outdoor Speaker, and Best Outdoor Grill. Be sure to let me know if you think there’s anything I should consider for those pending categories! (I got a bunch of emails yesterday suggesting new categories or additions to already published categories - that was not what I was asking for - sorry!)

Limited-time deals on consulting sessions and ad placement!

Reminder: I’m offering a limited-time special consulting session discount for paid subscribers: If you are a paid subscriber, you can for a limited time, get 25% off a virtual consulting session (where we can have your own private or agency-wide AMA session on anything you want to chat about!) — I have some slots open in the next few weeks, so if you or your agency is interested in booking one, email me today and we’ll chat details.

Flash sale: If you book a group subscription for your agency, you may be eligible for a FREE consulting session for your team (if you buy 12 or more seats as part of your annual group subscription). Email me so we can discuss!

I’m also 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!

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Thank you for helping get the word out!

We had an amazing turnout at last week’s Mother’s Day gift guide pitching workshop — and there’s a full recording available for paid subscribers. If you are interested in me sending you the video link, drop me an email. Thanks so much for your support and happy gift guide pitching!

Related: We loved how many of attended you took the time to attend our webinar event last month, covering the upcoming ShareASale to Awin migration. We covered an overview of the migration process and timeline, pricing of networks, and choosing a network for your specific client needs. If you missed it, we do have a recording available for paid subscribers. Email if interested and I’ll share how to grab that recording as well!

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!)

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.

• Newsweek Readers Choice: Best Cruise Ship for Families 2025, Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - more categories coming very soon!

• Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off

• Forbes: Bobby’s Burgers By Bobby Flay Is Now Presenting Classic Buffalo Flavors In Unexpected Way.

• Food Network: Popeyes Is Bringing Its Most Popular Sauces to Grocery Aisles.

• Forbes: Get Ready For March Madness With 7 Cocktails Perfect For The Season

• Forbes: 20 Cocktails And Dishes To Enjoy In Honor Of St. Patrick’s Day

• Southern Living: KFC Is Bringing Back Their Most-Requested Side—But For 2 Weeks Only

• Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane

• Apartment Therapy: I Asked Pro Travelers to Share Their Packing Tips for Spring Break

• Southern Living: What Exactly Is "Check-In Chicken" And Will It Actually Help You Get A Better Seat On A Flight?

• Forbes: Molly Yeh’s Collaboration With Popular New York City Bakery Involves A Heavy Dose Of Nostalgia.

• Food Network: Starbucks’ New Spring 2025 Drink Features Cherry on Top

• Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $30.

• Forbes.com: Exotic Meats Are On The Menu At Indian Speakeasy In New York City

• RetailMeNot: How to Save Money on Groceries in 2025: 10 Tips That Actually Work

• Southern Living: The Unexpected Reason I Always Travel With Duct Tape—And You Should Too

• Apartment Therapy: We Asked Experts for the Best Way to Store Sex Toys — Here’s What They Said

• Saatva: Daylight Saving Time and Sleep: 5 Ways to Sleep Better When the Clocks Change

• Apartment Therapy: I Tried the 30/30 Rule, and I Discovered Something Unexpected

• Travel & Leisure: A Travel Writer's $10 Amazon Packing Hack for Shoes

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device

• Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders

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.

Forbes

I’m rounding up Kosher for Passover treats/snacks/beverages (must be certified as SPECIFICALLY kosher for passover and not just regular kosher - a reminder that these are completely unique certifications and this differentiation is crucial for anyone observing the holiday. Please email me if you have anything!)

I’m also looking for Passover or Easter themed cocktails that are on the menu or will be over the holiday in either restaurants are bars. If you have anything, please send me all the following info:

• Name of drink/where it’s found, city, state, URL

• description

• quote from chef/bartender

• image (and who to credit)

Newsweek Readers Choice

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I am part of the panel of travel & food journalists who come up with the nominees for the Newsweek Reader’s Choice awards in a number of categories. In the past, that has included Best Cruise Ship for Families 2025, Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill. I have a few new categories I’m working on this week, including Best Pet Food Delivery, Best Cat Cafe, Best Outdoor Speaker, and Best Outdoor Grill. Be sure to let me know if you think there’s anything I should consider!

<3

aly