Thursday: Here's one thing in your email that could instantly derail your pitch + a final reminder for next week's gift guide pitching webinar event!
Good morning!
Before we start, a final reminder: Did you register for next week’s Zoom workshop on all things pitching gift guides? This is a COMPLETELY FREE benefit for paid subscribers and you’ll learn everything you need to know about 2025 holiday gift guide pitching, and get all your questions answered about just about everything else too. Get all the info you need to register here. This is our most popular webinar of the year and you don’t want to miss out.
Already registered? You’re all set! We’ll send out a confirmation and Zoom link a few days before the event.
You know what can be instantly derailing your pitch, be it an expert, destination, product, or an invite? Broken links! And they happen almost daily.
It’s important to check all your links before you send out your pitches. I can promise as writers, we do. The last thing I want to do is pitch a commerce story to my editor featuring a product I tried on Amazon, only to realize after the fact I sent the wrong link or a broken link. That would derail my whole pitch and make pretty certain I won’t get the assignment.
Well, same is true for your pitches. If you pitch me a product and the link you attach is broken or misdirected, I won’t be able to check it out and consider it. I’ve even gotten misspelled links for a restaurant or hotel’s URL that takes me to an entire place entirely (sometimes one that makes me blush…!)
Look, we all make these snafus. But if you take 30 seconds to read your email before sending it, you can avoid a lot of them and make sure the journalist reading your email is getting all the information you intend to send!
Here’s some newly published content!
New content published since yesterday!
For Southern Living: How To Cook A Perfect Steak Every Time, According To Southern Chefs.
And, of course, for my Yahoo Creators column: New stories every day, check out my author profile to see what I’ve been working on!
Upcoming travel: I’ll be in the greater LA area for a whole week in early September (the first half of the week will be in the Malibu area for Malibu Food &Wine (so excited!), and then I’ll move onto BH and WeHo).
I’ll also be in Fort Lauderdale (very briefly) in mid-November (just for about 24 hours or so before a cruise).
Hope to connect with some of you if itinerary and time allows. Other potential fall/winter travel is in the the works, and will share it here as well once confirmed.
Also: Who will be in NY for NYCWFF this fall? I’ll be here, there, everywhere and hope to see you, too!
(And yes, I’ll be in Miami for SOBEWFF this winter as well, of course!)
Book your summer consulting session!
I still have some space available for 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. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you are interested in chatting more and setting something up :)
I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform, writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!)
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!
Did you catch me on the Coffee with a Journalist podcast last week? You still can!
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.
Yahoo Creators: Check out my author profile (I have several new stories a day across the lifestyles umbrella, so that’s the best way to stay updated!)
Southern Living: How To Cook A Perfect Steak Every Time, According To Southern Chefs.
Food Network: Popeyes Is Revamping Its Wings
Food Network: Crumbl Reimagines Dubai Chocolate as a Brownie
Travel + Leisure: These $15 Earplugs Relieved My In-flight Ear Pain.
Apartment Therapy,:The $6 Office Supply a Travel Pro Always Puts in Their Suitcase
Forbes: 17 Must-Try Hearty Sandwiches For When The Basic Options Just Won’t Do
Southern Living: Southern Bartenders Reveal The Summer Cocktails They Actually Drink Themselves
Food Network: Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Bowl Is Back, and It’s a Better Deal Than Ever
The Kitchn: This “Brilliant” $10 Le Creuset Storage Gem Is a Game-Changer for Your Pots and Pans
The Kitchn: T.J. Maxx Is Selling the Cutest Dinner Plates for Fall, and They’re Only $5 Each.
Southern Living: Chick-fil-A's First Seasonal Soda Brings A Popular Flavor Back In A Refreshing Way,
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious And Creative Ways To Enjoy Potatoes
RetailMeNot: 41 Best College Student Discounts
Travel & Leisure: This Portable Door Lock Is Traveler-loved
Food Network: A Beloved KFC Side Is Finally Returning Nationwide!
Food Network: IHOP Brings an Extra Layer of Luxury to Dubai Chocolate
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Travel & Leisure: 15 Amazon Business Casual Clothes for Summer Travel.
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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 back to school and/or Labor Day weekend restaurant chain deals. If you have anything that may be a fit, please email me the restaurant, what the deal is, and how to claim it, and if you have a link to any social media promoting it, even better!
Forbes
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
One of my favorite comfort foods is queso - you’ll always see me ordering it when my soul needs a hug, and National Queso Day is in a few weeks. So, I’m looking for fun queso presentations at bars and restaurants around the country. What fun things are you doing with YOUR queso? Please pitch in this format:
Name of dish
Restaurant, city, state, website
Description of dish
Quote from chef about dish (plus name and title of person quoted)
Image and photo credit (I prefer links to attachments!)
thanks so much, and have the best day <3
aly