Thursday: New assignments for Southern Living, Forbes, Today.com, Clean Plates, and more....
It appears the Valentine's Day content is not yet done!
Good morning!
I expected today to be a pretty quiet day, and then I got a windfall of new assignments.
It’s the way the freelancer cookie crumbles…even after 20-plus years in the industry, I’ll occasionally have those odd days where things are a bit quiet and I’ll turn around and send a bunch of pitches out — only to start the next day absolutely slammed.
But, of course, we all know — it’s WAY better to be busy than not to be busy.
Some additional Valentine’s content went live yesterday, including this piece for Clean Plates, where I chatted with some nutritionists about their favorite finds for Valentine’s Day at Costco — yes, Costco!
I did a similar piece for them with Valentine’s finds at Trader Joes, and that should go live any day — will share as soon as it does!
Source Request
From time to time, editor friends will ask me to drop in a source request in my Substack in order to help them find a specific type of source in a timely manner. I’m obviously thrilled to connect the perfect source with a story lead, even if it’s not my story — so happy to do it for you as well if you are a writer or editor reading this and have a need.
An editor friend is looking to connect with families who depend on food assistance for help with their monthly groceries. She’d ideally love to connect with someone living in Iowa, but also with people in other states. Let me know me if you or someone you know would chat — email me and I’ll connect you with her!
Today’s Job Leads
Feel free to send me your job leads at any time — it’s completely free, and as I publish this newsletter six days a week, there’ll always be room to put it in the next available newsletter. Job leads are welcome at any time, whether or not they have appeared elsewhere, and I am fully open as well to whisper leads (not revealing the company) and internship opps as well as situations wanted.
Melody Joy Public Relations is seeking a full-time Account Coordinator, 1-2+ years experience, preferably in beauty PR to join our growing team! You’ll work with a diverse range of innovative beauty brands that are reshaping the industry and must have a passion for all areas of the beauty industry. Responsibilities include public relations, influencer relations, pitch writing, securing coverage with both media and influencers, and more. The position is fully remote. Please send resume, samples of secured press, and any writing samples to hello@melodyjoypr.com with the subject “Account Coordinator – PR & Influencer Relations.” More information and complete job description will be provided after emailing.
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!
Clean Plates: 8 Costco Foods Nutritionists Love for Valentine’s Day
Yahoo: What's the right way to load the dishwasher? Experts solve couples' biggest dishwasher debates.
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Sour Cream?
Southern Living: How To Boil Potatoes
The Kitchn: This Recipe for Pizza Pot Pie Combines Two Nostalgic Classics You Can’t Get Enough Of
Forbes: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Luxury Seafood Boxes
Forbes: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Interactive Gifts For Couples Who Love To Cook Together
YourTango: 7 Unsexy Ways To Be Sexier
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.
Today.com
For Today.com, I’m rounding up deals at chains for both National Pizza Day (2/9), and Valentine’s Day. This isn’t simply that you are doing a heart-shaped pizza or a special menu item, but that you are doing some sort of specific deal or discount — think BOGO, freebie, discount code, etc. If you have anything, please email me the name of the chain, where it is located (if it’s not national), what the deal is, and how to claim it.
Southern Living
I’m working on an explainer on how to preheat your air fryer. Clearly, I’m very aware of how to preheat an air fryer - I use it nightly! But, I’d love an air fryer expert of some sort (other than me, haha!), to weigh in on times they would preheat and times they would not, and why. And, also, the benefits of preheating in certain recipes.
Clean Plates
For Clean Plates, I'm rounding up Trader Joe’s Foods Nutritionists Love for Winter Meal Prep - I'd love nutritionists and RDs to weigh in on those foods available at Trader Joe's they love, why they love them, how they use them for meal prep, and what makes them a great choice.
Forbes
Planning a Super Bowl watching party at home this year? I’d love some party planners, chefs, bartenders, etc, to weigh in on what to serve, how to plan a great home viewing party, etc. Don’t really need full out recipes for this one, but more like descriptions and ideas.
Mardi Gras! It’s going to be here before we know it and I’m looking for fun and unique Mardi Gras-themed cocktails and desserts on bar/restaurant menus - and no, you don’t have to be located in NOLA. Anywhere doing something fun is very welcome. Please pitch me with:
Name of drink/dessert
Where served (city, state, name of restaurant, URL)
description
quote from chef/bartender about drink/dessert (please remember to include name and title of person quoted)
LINK to high res image
Here’s what I’m currently working on for Valentine’s Day:
The best gifts for a romantic dinner at home
For all of these guides (and honestly, most guides for any outlet, I would prefer all pitches be sent in the following format):
Name of product
link where sold, price
Description of product
LINK to high res image
*please please make sure that an item is not discontinued, and is currently available and in stock to ship and arrive before Valentine’s Day before pitching me. Sound obvious? I got a LOT of holiday pitches that did not fit this qualification!
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 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've been popping into a lot of PR team virtual meetings and some other fun stuff (Recently I even joined in on an agency’s team retreat right here in Brooklyn — it was so fun and I made so many new friends!) and making myself available to answer all sorts of questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective. I like to keep these things chill and comfortable and relaxed all by sharing perspective and learning from one another.
If you are interested in setting anything up for your own team in the coming months, please email me and we'll get something on the books! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts. If you are a freelance publicist and want to join in with a few other freelance publicist friends and set something up, we can do that as well!
Have a great day!
