Thursday: How playing the long game helps you help me -- and why how you send that pitch does matter.
Also: Are you a restaurant offering a fun promo tied to tax season? Email me (but check out my sourcing instructions first)
Good morning!
Sometimes, as writers, we chat about the long game.
You may pitch a product or expert or destination today, and think it’s a pass because you don’t see that pitch translate into a published story this week.
That couldn’t be further from the truth!
Case in point: This story on black teas — The best black tea to brew in 2025, according to testers and experts — I sourced samples for it way back in October, tested and evaluated those samples, and did a whole bunch of research where I quoted a bunch of the experts you pitched me.
But…that story published yesterday!
There’s all sorts of reasons that a story we work on today may not end being published for weeks or months. (But I am always getting ‘whatever happened with this/did you end up not doing this story?’ emails after just a week or two!)
Play the long game.
Also a reminder: Even before a story is written and researched and published, the long game comes into play. You may pitch me for something today, and I may get an assignment it’s a fit for next month — that’s why pitching via email and not via other methods is always the best way to go.
Just about every day, a handful of people will attempt to pitch me via text message or via Messenger/Instagram DM. I get why they do it, it feels like a more immediate, more personal way of grabbing my attention.
But doing this is actually distracting and counter productive (and, at times, invasive — one of these days, I’ll share the story of a publicist who once ‘followed up’ by video chatting me at midnight. We were not midnight video chat level friends. In fact, we’ve never met.)
But I’m not going to chat right now about how it’s invasive or distracting — lets focus on the part that will probably impact everyone here reading this most — it’s counter-productive.
And that comes back to how most pitching works, and what we do with those pitches.
Every day, there’ll be hundreds of new emails in my inbox. If you are emailing me about pink martini glasses for your Easter party, I may not have a fit for that today. But, the next day, that changed! An editor emails me and asks me to write a roundup of pink martini glasses. Suddenly, there’s a fit.
When that happens (and this is all a fictional story - I’m not asking you to go ahead and pitch me for that piece!), I’ll go into my email inbox and search phrases such as — yes! — “pink martini glasses.” If that pitch was yesterday, or last week, or last month, I’ll find it and be able to consider it.
But you know what I won’t find, and won’t be able to consider? Those pitches that came via Instagram, or Twitter, or Facebook, or text messages…because they weren’t in the place where I’m searching. They simply aren’t there.
So, pitch me in my email. Only in my email. Don’t do it for me, to spare my sanity or help me streamline my work day. Do it for you, and your best chance of coverage.
Hope that was helpful!
Have a great day!
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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.
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
Apartment Therapy: I Asked 3 Plumbers What They Wish You Would Stop Doing Immediately
Taste of Home: Yes, Costco Chicken Nuggets Taste Exactly Like Chick-fil-A's
Saatva: The Benefits of NASA Naps
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
Southern Living: What Exactly Is "Check-In Chicken" And Will It Actually Help You Get A Better Seat On A Flight?
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $30.
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
Apartment Therapy: We Asked Experts for the Best Way to Store Sex Toys — Here’s What They Said
Apartment Therapy: I Tried the 30/30 Rule, and I Discovered Something Unexpected
Travel & Leisure: A Travel Writer's $10 Amazon Packing Hack for Shoes
Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device
Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders
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!
Forbes
I’m rounding up Kosher for Passover treats/snacks/beverages (must be certified as SPECIFICALLY kosher for passover and not just regular kosher certified - a reminder that these are completely unique certifications and this differentiation is crucial for anyone observing the holiday. Please email me if you have anything!)
I’m also looking for Passover or Easter themed cocktails, as well as spring-themed and Mother’s Day-themed, that are on the menu or will be over the holiday in either restaurants are bars. If you have anything, please send me all the following info:
Name of drink/where it’s found, city, state, URL
description
quote from chef/bartender
image (and who to credit)
I’m also looking for sustainable cocktails at bars and restaurants for Earth Month. These are cocktails that minimize their impact on the environment in some way — perhaps using local and seasonal ingredients, ugly produce, root to tip, waste reduction, sustainable alcohol, sustainable bartending techniques or such. Please email me if you have anything!
…and Mother’s Day gift guide assignments are coming soon. Maybe as soon as next week. So keep your eyes on this space!
<3
aly
Great advice and insight, as always, Ali!