Thursday: Happy Passover (and LOTS of new pending stories seeking expert input + Mother's day gift guides!)
Good morning!
Happy Passover to anyone observing! I spent all day cooking for my extended family yesterday, and we had so much good food for the first seder. If you look at my Instagram stories this morning, you can catch me making everything from matzo ball soup to schmaltz to turkey with matzo stuffing and chocolate chip cookies (yes, all fully Kosher for Passover.)
Today I’ll be taking some of that schmaltz and gribenes we made yesterday and making a schmaltz potato kugel as well as a brisket — and more. So stay tuned!
I wasn’t actually planning on sending a newsletter out today because I know between the Easter and Passover this week and also spring break, many people are traveling or not working — but then, just before seder time last night, I got three new assignments to complete for early next week…so here I am!
(All the details are below in the pending assignments section — I’ll need a selection of experts, ranging from chefs to etiquette and home entertaining…scroll down for details and if you are working this week, please pitch me!)
I had some fun food news piece that published since yesterday’s email, including some news I’m personally very excited about! This includes a brand new Barbie cafe opening in NYC in just a few weeks — visit the newly published stories section below for details. <3
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!
In case you missed it, I was recently a guest on a podcast. Check it out here — I share some easy-to-follow tips on how emerging brands can get the attention of busy editors.
Speaking of podcasts, I was a guest on the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast last month (I ADORE Lexie Smith!), and you can still catch it here. We chatted at length about pitching, the ever-changing landscape of the editorial process, and more.
(Also, if you host a podcast that has anything to do with media/PR/writer content or food/bev/travel content and are interested in me coming on as a guest, I’d love if you reach out!)
Forbes: New York City Is Getting A Malibu Barbie Cafe This Summer
Forbes: Emirates Celebrates Easter Onboard With Special Holiday Treats
Best Life: 1 in 3 People Are Against Splitting the Dinner Bill Evenly—Here's How to Handle It
Food Network: Heinz Brings Heat to Its Ketchup
RetailMeNot: 20+ Stores Closed on Easter Sunday (and 26 That Will Stay Open)
RetailMeNot: 13 Stores That Let You Bring in Old Clothes for Recycling
Wine Enthusiast: 10 Passover Wines to Make Your Seder Shine
Eat This, Not That: 6 Steakhouse Chains That Serve the Best Fries
Southern Living: Invited To Your First Passover Seder? Here's What You Should Bring
Southern Living: How To Preheat An Air Fryer
Forbes: Fun Passover Cocktails To Welcome Guests At The Seder
Forbes: Shopping For Passover Wine And Spirits Requires Careful Preparation
Forbes: Chocolate Matzo Ice Cream Is The Perfect Dessert This Passover
Best Life: 6 Items You Should Always Have in Your Kitchen When Guests Come Over
Clean Plates: The Healthiest Tomato Sauces You Can Buy at the Grocery Store
RetailMeNot: 10 Easter Sales That Shouldn’t Be Missed for 2023
Bicycling: 10 Smoothie Recipes for Cyclists to Fuel Their Rides
Forbes.com: Capture The Spirit Of The Season With Whimsical Easter Cocktails
Forbes.com: Food-Themed Easter Baskets Add A Touch Of Whimsy To The Celebration
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.
Best Life
Items You Should Always Have in Your Living Room When Guests Come Over: I'm not looking for product pitches, but more TYPES of products that as a host it'd be good to have when entertaining to improve a guest's visit/experience (look at this kitchen version of the story for a better idea of the kind of responses I'm looking for.)
Eat This, Not That
What a Professional Chef Orders at McDonald’s: I’d love to round up some chefs sharing their favorite orders and why it’s their go-to.
Fast-Food Restaurants That Serve the Best Mac and Cheese: I want to cover what makes a good fast food mac and cheese and the history of fast food mac and cheese, as well as chefs weighing in on their fave fast food mac and cheese and why.
TODAY.com
I’m rounding up Cinco de Mayo food deals at chain restaurants. I’m not looking for free delivery or reward point type of deals at this time but more BOGOs, freebies, discounts, etc. Please be sure to tell me how to claim the deal (i.e. coupon code, downloading app, etc) when responding.
Forbes.com
I’m working on the following three Mother’s Day gift guides:
The Best Mail-Order Dinners — I’m looking for dinners that can be ordered and shipped to their door. This can be complete meal/recipe kits or readymade meals she just had to pull together or reheat and can have a full beautiful gourmet dinner ready without even having to leave home.
The Best Pantry Staples For From-Scratch Cooks - . This is the mom who doesn't love meal kits or semi-homemade meals but wants to do everything from scratch -- so this could be the ingredients to help her do that, from rare and exotic spices to high-end flours and great olive oil. Like she's the mom that won't buy the readymade simmer sauce but rather source the 12 different spices she needs to make it herself.
The Best Grilling Gear: Why do dads get the premium on grilling gifts? Lots of women love to grill, whether it's a gorgeous steak or lobster tails and veggies. This will be both grilling accessories and also items to put on the grill.
For any of these gift guides, please pitch in this format:
Product name
URL where sold, price
description of why it’s a fit for this guide
LINK to image
I’m also looking for home entertaining experts to send some commentary over email about how to plan your own at-home coronation watch party.
Finally, I am looking for bars/restaurants around the world that have created specialty cocktails in honor of the coronation of King Charles III this May. I’ll need the usual — where it is, what’s in it, why it’s a perfect cocktail for the occasion, a quote from a bartender/owner/chef, and a high res image. I’m really excited about this one, so lets try to find some great cocktails!
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!