Thursday: Muck Rack released their 2024 roundup of the 10 most-viewed journalists online and I'm on the list!
Good morning!
Hope everyone who celebrated or is celebrating had and are having a lovely holiday - and for those back to work, welcome! You are not alone. :)
Not that the holiday was not work in its own right, but the best kind of work. We grated over 8 pounds of potatoes yesterday (and my arms are feeling it, today!), and made everything from traditional latkes to puppy-friendly latkes (those would be onion and spice-free) to a latke-inspired kugel — and even a special Hanukkah-themed dessert!
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Some fun and exciting news to share today - this morning, Muck Rack announced their list of the 10 most-viewed journalists of 2024, and I’m on the list - for the fourth year in a row! Check it out here.
Some new content to share this week. For Yahoo Life: Get a handle on your sleep health with the best sleep trackers for 2025, tested and reviewed, Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane and for Forbes.com: 11 Celebratory Cocktails To Enjoy While Ushering In The New Year.
Also for Forbes.com (as Hanukkah is around through New Years!) Latkes And Caviar Combine For A Dream Hanukkah Collab, for Martha Stewart: 18 Coffee Table Décor Ideas That Blend Form and Function., for Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device and Saatva: 5 Ways to Deal With Sleep Deprivation.
If you were not around for the last few days, I’ve also done two holiday-themed Industry Insights editions - Everything I learned about PR, media, and writing this season from watching Hallmark Christmas movies and Oy to the World! It's Hanukkah (Eve) - Here's Some Important PR Takeaways.
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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!
Newsweek Readers Choice: Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - more categories coming very soon!
Yahoo Life: Get a handle on your sleep health with the best sleep trackers for 2025, tested and reviewed
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane
Forbes.com: 11 Celebratory Cocktails To Enjoy While Ushering In The New Year
Forbes.com: Latkes And Caviar Combine For A Dream Hanukkah Collab
Martha Stewart: 18 Coffee Table Décor Ideas That Blend Form and Function.
Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device
Forbes.com: 17 Cocktails To Enjoy In Honor Of Mocha Mousse, Pantone’s 2025 Color Of The Year
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Sour Cream?
Forbes.com: 10 Foodie Treats That Present A Delicious Way To Celebrate Hanukkah
Forbes: 6 Hanukkah Cocktails To Try In Honor Of The Festival Of Lights
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 7 Chefs for Their Go-To Cleaning Tips for Hosting, and Here’s What They Said
The Spruce: How to Add Storage to Your Kitchen Walls and Make the Most of the Vertical Space
Yahoo Life: 50 best wellness gifts to encourage a healthy lifestyle
Apartment Therapy: 4 Popular Kitchen Trends Contractors Want You to Stop DIYing Immediately
Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders
Forbes.com: The Latest Holiday Dinner Hosting Trend: Outsourcing
Apartment Therapy: The Unexpected Items Pro Travelers Always Pack
Southern Living: Here's Why You Should Always Travel With Duct Tape
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
Her Money: The best time to save on hotel bookings
Travel & Leisure: This $7 Luggage Accessory Helps Me Feel Safe When Traveling — and I'll Never Have to Replace It
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Martini Lover
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Starter Kitchen
Forbes: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Beefy Texas-Inspired Gifts For The Southwestern Carnivore
Food Network: Trader Joe’s Finally Has a White Queso Dip and It Was Well Worth the Wait
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.
Forbes
Are any NYC-area restaurants doing any fun NYD brunches? Tell me more!
Looking for interesting variations on the hot toddy - let me know if you have anything brewing (see what I did there?) (If you have one, please email me where it’s being offered, name of restaurant/bar, description, and an image with appropriate photo credit — a bartender/chef quote would be great too, thanks!)
Plate Magazine
I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!
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aly
Congratulations Aly - your recognition is well deserved 👏