Thursday: Here's one thing you can do when your client is included in our stories that makes ALL the difference.

And this thing? It takes seconds.

Good morning!

I have a TON of new content I’m working on — but before we get to that, I wanted to chat about why it’s always so helpful (and important) when you — and your client — take the time to share/tag on social media when you are included in a story.

Here’s a great example as an anecdote:

Earlier this week, I published a cocktail roundup where I included Ian Somerhalder’s Brothers Bond Bourbon — he, within hours, shared a link to the story on his Instagram stories and tagged me — as did Paul Wesley and David Grutman!

This is actually not the first time that Ian, who I was obsessed with on Vampire Diaries, had done this. In fact, he also did it just a few months ago after another story included his brand.

Now, why am I showing you this?

It’s not a humble brag, I promise.

But rather to illustrate a pivotal point — Ian and his brand, and those he works with, understand that sharing stories they are included in are important for them and their brand, but ALSO for the journalist and the outlet.

As a brand, doing this will help you engage with your audience and followers, and continue the conversation — it helps you stand out in a crowded space and shows you are, indeed, part of that conversation — and being recognized for it. TONS of you have your restaurants and bars and hotels share my stories when you are included in them, and it’s very smart on your part — and something I’m super grateful for, on my part.

Doing this helps keep your content fresh and current and interesting, which is really important if you want to grow your audience and keep them engaged — but by sharing the story with them included, it may make them even more likely to embrace your business or expert or destination or restaurant. Like, hey, we’re not just saying we’re great, major publications are too!

Here’s another fun example - look how great a job Chrissy Teigen has done at exactly this.

She not only shared the story and linked to it, as well as tagging me, but recorded a personal video message.

Again, this isn’t about massaging a journalist’s ego, but engaging with her audience and mine, and also driving eyeballs to the story — which helps her and her business, but also me and mine.

At the end of the day, there’s A LOT of freelancers competing for a dwindling amount of assignments in the publishing industry right now. That competition and stress is real. But do you know what helps us GET those assignments? When the stories we write for those outlets perform well. That is more likely to happen when the experts and brands we include share and tag our stories on their social media.

Consider this under the category of something you, your brand, and your client can do that takes 30 seconds and can make a huge difference.

Job leads

Edelman is looking for a Media Supervisor to join their earned media team. More info here.

Limited-time deals on consulting sessions and ad placement!

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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 our recent 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.

• Forbes.com: 7 Celebratory Cocktails To Enjoy This Passover

• Forbes.com: 17 Spring-Inspired Cocktails To Enjoy This Easter

• Forbes.com: 15 Sustainable Cocktails To Enjoy During Earth Month

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

• Yahoo Life!: Best pedometers of 2025, tested and reviewed

• Yahoo Life: The best black tea to brew in 2025, according to testers and experts

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

• Apartment Therapy: The $3 Cleaning Gem I Use in Almost Every Room of My Small Apartment

• Today.com: Do drugstore wrinkle creams really work? Experts weigh in

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

• 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

• 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

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

Southern Chefs Share The Best Cooking Advice They Received From Their Mom - really excited about this piece I’m working on as we lead up to Mother’s Day. For this one, I’m looking for one cooking tip/method/hack they learned from their mom/grandma (or any important female role model in their life) that informs how they cook and run their kitchens to this day. Even better if they happen to have some classic kitchen photos of them and their mom to share! Would love to hear from some notable celebrity chefs based in the south or from the south originally for this one.

Food Network

For FoodNetwork.com, I’m rounding up national restaurant chains offering food deals/freebies/promotions in honor of tax day/tax season. If this is you, please tell me what the deal is, how to claim it, and any disclaimers. Would also love imagery or links to social media posts advertising the promo if you happen to have it. Thanks!

Newsweek Reader’s Choice Nominations

As I have mentioned in the past, I’m on the committee of food and travel journalists that work on nominations for the Newsweek Readers Choice awards in a variety of categories. Currently working on categories that include: Best Meal Delivery Kits (nominees will be based on Food Quality: Are fresh ingredients provided? Is the food organic? Seasonal? Are the kits shipped in refrigerated boxes? Are steps taken to prevent cross contamination? Affordability: What is the cost per meal? How many meals are included in a subscription? How many people can the kit serve? Ease of Use: Are the recipes easy to follow? Are the instructions clear? Are the recipes easy to cook? Food Options: Are there options available for special dietary needs? Is there a variety of meals to choose from? Can subscribers skip/substitute a meal? (if applicable) Availability: How often do subscribers receive meals? (if applicable) Are all meals available year-round or are the meals based on seasonality? as well as Best Outdoor Performance Theater: (nominations will be based on he theater group should by highly rated. no regulation or safety violations should be associated with the venue, the theater/performance group is located in the US, geographic diversity and variety, value for the money and Best Outdoor Music Festivals — nominations will be based on: The festival should be highly rated/well reviewed by attendees.n o security or safety violations should be associated with the festival, the festival is located in the US., diversity of genre, target demographic (for example, if it's a hardcore punk festival, it's probably not all-ages friendly), geographic diversity and variety (we want to represent the whole country), value for the money, seasonal diversity, events that take place in consecutive days as opposed to a series that takes place over the course of the summer.

Forbes

How To Enhance Springtime Recipes With Specialty Pantry Items And Chef-Approved Tips - this is more of a how-to/explainer than a product/shopping guide, but I’m still totally open to include products that serve the story, and very up for chef commentary!

will be more (including gift guides) in the next day or two!

Saatva

I’m working on a story on the Best Ways to Remove Tough Stains From Your Mattress - For this, I’ll be addressing all sorts of stains, what cleaning agent to use, and how to use it, such as blood, pet urine, people urine, vomit, coffee, wine, lotion, makeup, food, oil. For each stain, I’d love to some credible expert commentary on an odor removal component to this as well - such as using baking soda or other natural cleansers to help get rid of odors for the other stains. As well as WHY it’s so important to clean your mattress, as stains or even getting the area wet can lead to mold/mildew dust, allergies - would love if someone can speak to the connection of stain removal to sleep health, respiratory issues, and allergens, as well as some expert commentary on mattress maintenance in general (so mattress protectors, vacuuming, steaming, rotating, and so forth).

<3

aly