Thursday: Happy Pi Day! (And to that end...something fun to share!)
Thursday: Happy Pi Day! (And to that end...something fun to share!)
Also: You can now catch the recording of yesterday's Mother’s Day Gift Guide AMA Zoom Event!
Happy Thursday!
OK…I have A LOT to share today. And it’s all good stuff!
First of all, a huge thanks to everyone who attended our Mother’s Day Gift Guide AMA Zoom Event, cohosted by my dear friend and badass journalist Alice Dubin yesterday afternoon.
We had a blast and a full house and dozens of amazing questions on everything from helping your pitch to stand out, to better email subject lines to followups and photo submission best practices and SO MUCH MORE. You can catch more information on what we covered and how to access the recording here.
A few fun new food stories to share today, including for Food Network:, I wrote about Del Monte’s Newest Pineapple — It’s Made for One! (Personal pineapples! How adorable is that?!) For Forbes.com, The Settepani Rainbow Cookie Croissant Offers A Fresh Spin On A Dessert Classic (as the rainbow cookie is my all-time fave cookie, this was uniquely exciting for me, personally), and also for Forbes.com, I wrote about the fanciest soup I’ve ever seen: A Soup Made With Louis XIII Cognac May Be The Ultimate Luxury For Seafood Lovers.
But in other news, HAPPY PI DAY. Today for The Kitchn, I wrote a guide to 29 Sweet Deals to Celebrate National Pi Day This Year.
And in celebration of Pi Day, I have something exciting to share…. (especially if you love pizza. and martinis. and me.)
In honor of Pi Day I’ve collabed with Gelso & Grand in the Little Italy area of NYC to create….”The Aly" - a pizza inspired by the Dirty Aly Martini! The pizza is SO sexy - it combines salty, briny flavors as a white pie topped with blue cheese, Parmesan, green olives, red onions and pickled red onions, rosemary and parsley. The pie will be available starting on Pi Day and will be available through National Pizza Party Day (May 17) to keep the fun going.
(Photo credit Gabi Mulder)
And I can’t WAIT to see what you think of it!
…and yes…for a Brooklyn gal to have an honest-to-goodness pizza named after her is pretty effing exciting!
So honored to see Muck Rack included me in their 2024 list of top ten most popular freelance journalists. Check out the list here.
Excited to be going on a bit of a NYC Dirty Martini Tour this evening with Hanna Lee and Michael Anstendig - be sure to follow my Instagram stories to see where we hit.
This was a plan we actually cooked up when I did their Hospitality Forward podcast earlier this winter. You can check out that whole episode below!
Today's productivity tip
Today's productivity tip a fun and easy one.
I was working from home for years before the pandemic made it commonplace for many others.
The reason I get so much done in a day is that I keep the same rigid schedule at home that would be expected of me at an office.
I have a starting ritual every morning -- wake up at the same time, make coffee in the same mug, and even play the same playlist of music as I get started.
(And yes, totally thrilled to share my daily workday playlist any time anyone wants!)
I then have a specific time I must be at my desk (er, couch, if we're being real), each day, a specific time I take my lunch break, and a specific point I'm allowed to stop for the day -- though I often go past that.
During this stretch of the work day, people know I'll always be at my desk -- which is why I've been known to work on so much fast-turnaround type content. I also severely limit digital distractions during the work day. That's an after-work reward for a hard day's work or something I do during my lunch break. Spend all day scrolling on twitter or insta, you'll get nothing done!
It's very easy for those who work from home to treat work as optional - taking a break to go out to lunch or get a massage or go grocery shopping in the middle of the day. But work is not an option. It's your job. You get more done when you are strict with yourself about your schedule and the people you work with can count on you to be available during those hours (which is why I never go to daytime press events).
Be someone who is consistent and reliable and it'll only spell good things for your workflow -- and your productivity!
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!
Food Network: Del Monte’s Newest Pineapple Is Made for One
Forbes.com: The Settepani Rainbow Cookie Croissant Offers A Fresh Spin On A Dessert Classic
Forbes.com: A Soup Made With Louis XIII Cognac May Be The Ultimate Luxury For Seafood Lovers
Forbes.com: The Pasta Queen’s Coveted Pasta Sauces Are Now A Grocery Jaunt Away
Food Network: Coffee Mate Makes the Trend Official With a New Creamer Specifically for Dirty Soda
Forbes.com: 10 Relaxing Nightcaps To Enjoy In Honor Of National Sleep Awareness Month
Forbes.com: 50 Cocktails To Enjoy On St. Patrick’s Day
RetailMeNot: Savings Star Origin Story: How I Learned to Eat Well (In NY!) On a Shoestring Budget
Best Life: 11 Things You Should Put Away When Guests Come Over, Experts Say
RetailMeNot: How to Save on Groceries: Tips That Actually Work
RetailMeNot: Meal Prepping Products That Are Actually WORTH It
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Is My Secret to Packing for a Week in a Single Carry-on Bag
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane
RetailMeNot: 5 Superstar Ingredients for Your Meal-Stretching Pantry Starter Pack
Today.com: Say goodbye to wrinkles with these expert-approved drugstore creams — starting at $12
Clean Plates: The Healthy Trader Joe’s Sauce I Use in *Everything*
Martha Stewart: 8 Storage Mistakes That Are Keeping Your Home From Being Organized
Today.com: 27 healthy fast food items at popular US chains, according to dietitians and doctors
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.
Southern Living
For Southern Living, I’m working on a story: Chives Vs. Green Onions: Are Chives Green Onions? - and I’d love a chef, plant expert, etc (ideally southern!) to weigh in and answer some questions for me. Please email me and I’ll flesh out what I’m working on. Thanks!
RetailMeNot
How to Save on Food Delivery Apps: You may have picked up that everyone is noticing that food delivery is VERY expensive. What was a lifeline during the pandemic and then a habit has become a huge budget drain for many. But the reality is — sometimes you just have to order food delivery (maybe you're sick, maybe you want the convenience factor). So what steps can you take to make sure you save the most you can? So I’m looking for expert tips (actionable) on saving money on food delivery.
I’m working on a story about my preference for growing fresh herbs in my home rather than spending grocery budget on herbs at the grocery store (which can get pricey and also have a short shelf life). The caveat here is that this is a story geared not towards those who have gardens or outdoor space but those maintaining herb gardens within small apartment kitchens - I’m writing this essay format, so my own experiences, but open to items shoppable online at major retailers to help make a small apartment herb garden prosper.
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, and I’d love you to pitch me products/ideas to consider for it - maybe a new meal-stretching product that is a good deal at a grocery store, an awesome product to try that may cut my meal prep time in half, other themes as far as saving money on food/cooking/eating and doing it in a way that is smarter.
Forbes
Are any bars/restaurants planning a fun cocktail in honor of Purim? If you have something, please email me with the name of the cocktail, a description (not a recipe), a quote from the bartender or chef, and an image. (And please remember to consult my nifty photo guidelines here.) Please pitch me by March 15 for this one. Reminder: The cocktail MUST exist on a menu at a restaurant or bar either permanently or as a special.
I’m also looking for fun cocktails in honor of Easter as well as in honor of the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse - same parameters as 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.
<3
aly
OMG amazing!! That pizza sounds delish!