Thursday: Announcing an upcoming HGG-centric AMA event!
Hi friends!
I had such a special night last night.
I met my friend Linda about 5 years ago - she hosted me at the Loews in South Beach during SOBEWFF and we became instant friends.
(Fun fact: It was also during that trip that Linda introduced me to Amber Love Bond — meaning she’s responsible for one of my dear friendships!) - since that trip, we have dinner every time we’re in each other’s cities and email/text pretty much nonstop — she’s truly a beloved friend.
This week she was in NYC for a few days, and came into Brooklyn with some of her family — where we had an amazing dinner at Lore, one of my favorite local Park Slope spots and we had the BEST time.
(Pictured with us is Jay Kumar, the chef and owner of Lore, def say hi if you go in - he’s so fun!)
The connections we make in our community — it’s not just about pitching and stories, or clients and products. It’s about people connecting with people and lifelong friendships that are created. If you are lucky, you’ll meet some amazing people along the way that will become something a little like family and I have been SO blessed to have developed so many special relationships.
And speaking of our community…!
You asked, and we're delivering: By far our most popular AMA workshop session each year is the annual holiday gift guide event...and believe it or not, that season is a-coming.
Announcing….
August Zoom webinar event: Everything you need to know about 2025 holiday gift guide pitching!
To that end, I've again teamed up with my work wives, lifestyles journalists extraordinaire(s) Jill Schildhouse and Alesandra (Alice) Dubin and we're going to be holding an AMA event dedicated to all things holiday gift guide on August 26th at 11 am PT/2 pm ET, and if you are a paid subscriber of any of our newsletters, we’d love to have you attend.
All questions are welcome -- and feel free to send questions ahead of time if you like! -- and we'll cover everything from pitching HGGs, to followups, mailers and samples, trends we're seeing, and so much more. You ask, we answer.
To RSVP, please fill out the opt-in form at the bottom of this email (It'll be under a paywall as, due to a space capacity max of 100 people including us, this is limited to paid subscribers), and we'll get back to you with Zoom credentials and registration confirmation a few days before the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Book your summer consulting session!
I still have some space available for late July and August! I can join your team on Zoom, a phone call, or in-person and do a team Q&A and answer any of your questions about planning events, mailers, trips, pitching, followups, etc — giving you a very necessary media perspective.
I just recently teamed with my friends at RPZL to help them plan a really cool recharge and refresh lounge they will be hosting during NYFW — complete with blowouts (obvi) and martinis (of course!)…I’ve also helped PR friends plan press dinners, press trips, and more. Let me help you with your needs as well! Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com <3
(PS: This is the lounge I helped create…doesn’t it sound fun?)
Did I mention I’m now a contributing journalist on the Yahoo Creators platform?
It’s an exciting program where the journalists who are accepted maintain creative and editorial control over their own content, all within and with access to the huge audience and network that Yahoo embodies. It’s an amazing way of telling the stories I really want to tell and writing the content I really want to write, and I’ve been having a blast. I’ve been involved for just a few weeks now but you can already see I’ve been writing a pretty wide range of fun content, from commerce to fun features — check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces!
(You’ll see even after just a few weeks, there’s already a lot!)
Obviously, I still have all my other outlets as well, and none of that is changing (we pray ever!), but at a time where publishing feels pretty tenuous and scary a place, it’s always exciting to have, well, new news that’s positive!
PS: Yahoo Creators has been getting a lot of attention lately - check out this Fast Company piece or this one in Digiday (that our gal Alesandra (Alice) Dubin is quoted in!).
Limited-time deal on ad placement!
I’m 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!
Tools of the trade
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!)
Press Hook is where journalists, newsletter writers, and podcasters source expert quotes, hi-res images, product samples, affiliate info, and brand story angles — all from vetted brands in one searchable hub. It connects journalists and brands in what feels like a really user-friendly, organic way and I use it often to browse for sources and products aligned with my current projects and I’ve often found precisely what I need, when I need. Give it a try!
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.
Food Network: Popeyes’ New Signature Sauce Goes With Just About Everything
Forbes (exclusive!): Iron Chef Morimoto To Open New Montclair-Based Restaurant Concept
Forbes.com: Expert Ideas For Your Summer Picnic Charcuterie Board
Apartment Therapy: I Bring These Brilliant Insect Repellent Wipes Everywhere I Go (They’re Travel-Friendly!)
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
Forbes.com: 13 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Caviar
Apartment Therapy: 10 Things I Got Rid Of After 45
Apartment Therapy: Summer Packing Tips from People Who Travel for a Living
Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by These Packable Ballet Flats for Comfort, Support, and Long Days on My Feet
Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off
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.
Yahoo
I’m looking for chefs to weigh in on factors that will make them instantly be turned off when they enter a restaurant or fast food spot or even a grocery store. Have something to share? Email me! You obviously don’t have to share which restaurants turned you off, but more, what you saw there that made you not want to eat there.
Forbes
I’m accepting pitches for fun and unique presentations of CHICKEN WINGS in honor National Chicken Wing Day and BURGERS in honor of National Hamburger Day at restaurants/bars nationwide. To pitch me for any of these, please make sure your pitch includes ALL of the following in this specific below format.
Name of dish
Where found (so: restaurant name, city, state, URL)
Description of dish
Quote about what makes this presentation special (plus name and title of person being quoted)
Image of dish and appropriate photo credits
<3
aly