Good morning (again!) from Dublin!
Today’s email was written at the rather precious little Wren Urban Nest, a small sustainably minded boutique property in Dublin, where I am taking advantage of the lobby wifi to eat some breakfast and have some much-needed coffee before starting out on my (very) busy day.
It’s commonly said that if you want things to get busy at work, make plans to step away from your desk for a bit.
That’s very much the case for the self-employed. I’ve often said here in this newsletter how I adhere to pretty strict “office hours” during a traditional workday, where I’m always at my desk during set hours. For that reason, my editors rely on my for lots of those quick-turnaround daily assignments. They know I’m always around at certain hours.
And, inevitably, there are those quiet days, where I’ll decide to run out for a half hour to run an errand or get a fast brow threading, and immediately my email will implode in the brief time I’m gone.
So, of course, when I’m away from my desk for a few days to go foraging for botanicals in Wicklow…work would get busy!
(True story: If you want to be busy? Make other plans!)
There’s actually already a pre-scheduled Industry Insights edition of this newsletter coming into your inbox this morning — so you’ll be seeing me twice today.
(And apologies for that, I usually am NOT a fan of adding to your already-busy inboxes more than once in a day.)
But I came home last night after an epic dinner involving shared plates with new friends and tons of gin pairings (following an afternoon pub crawl…!) to discover I got a BUNCH of new assignments since yesterday’s email and they just couldn’t wait until I got home this weekend.
So, read below for everything NEW I’m working on that requires expert sources/commentary/pitches. There’s a lot.
And now, I’m off to go foraging. Check out my Instagram today. This is sure to be amusing!
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!
In case you missed it, I was recently a guest on a podcast. Check it out here — I share some easy-to-follow tips on how emerging brands can get the attention of busy editors.
Speaking of podcasts, I was a guest on the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast last month (I ADORE Lexie Smith!), and you can still catch it here. We chatted at length about pitching, the ever-changing landscape of the editorial process, and more.
(Also, if you host a podcast that has anything to do with media/PR/writer content or food/bev/travel content and are interested in me coming on as a guest, I’d love if you reach out!)
Forbes.com: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie May Exist, And It's From A Baking Mix
Eat This, Not That: What a Professional Chef Orders at McDonald's
Eat This, Not That: 7 Fast Food Restaurants That Serve The Best Mac and Cheese
Forbes.com: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Grilling Gear
Taste of Home: Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Is Taking Over the Internet
RetailMeNot: 10 Gorgeous Pieces of Mother’s Day Jewelry Under $100
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.
Best Life
Most Dangerous Foods to Put in the Microwave, Experts Say: Would love some experts to weigh in on this one with commentary over email.
Things You Shouldn't Have in Your Bathroom When Guests Come Over: This is the flip side of the story I did a few weeks ago. A reminder: I do NOT need specific product pitches for this one, but more TYPES of products. And I’d love expert commentary from etiquette professionals, home organization professionals, etc.
Clean Plates
Trader Joe’s Foods That Fit in the Mediterranean Diet: I’m looking for RDs to comment on their favorite Trader Joe’s foods that fit the Mediterranean diet. Also please make sure before emailing me commentary about any specific product that these foods are still on shelves. It may be easiest to search their site for what's actually listed on there. If commenting, please say why you love this food and why it’s great for this diet.
Everyday Health
For Everyday Health, I’m working on a story on — Is Blue Matcha Good for You? Something called blue matcha has been trending—it's really just butterfly pea powder, but it's blowing up on TikTok. I am going to talk about what the trend is, and why it’s trending, but also explain what blue matcha is in, potential benefits of other types of matcha, health risks/rewards of blue matcha, is this a worthwhile wellness trend? I have examples of TikToks, as well as some studies as backup (I’ll share when you email me) and I’d love an RD or a tea expert to weigh in. EH does require that every factual statement be sourced, even those that come from experts. So if your expert says any sort of stat/fact/science, please be sure to back it up with some sort of study/data/research in response.
RetailMeNot
Father's Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad: This is an update of last year’s story, and I’m looking for great gifts that are affordable ("affordable" obviously varies by budget, but I’m trying to stay under $200 and have a wide range of prices) for a variety of categories. The categories I’m going for in this guide include: Foodie dad, Techie dad, The dad who has everything, fashionable dad, outdoorsy dad, indoorsy dad, bookworm dad, handy dad, the Dad who's trying to downsize and doesn't want clutter, for the fitness-obsessed dad, so keep this in mind when pitching.
Cheap Baby Shower Favors (Under $5 per Person): Shower favors aren't a requirement, but if you're hosting a shower and find them fun, or you've been put on favor duty, you are likely on a budget and looking for some inexpensive options. "Cheap" is relative, but I’m trying to stay under $5 per favor. Note: Consider when pitching that these favors do not need to be a single product – can be several items put together. Could be "Bags of Candy" (which requires you to buy some candy and bags) or "Cute Baby Succulents")
TODAY.com
I’m rounding up Cinco de Mayo food deals at chain restaurants. I’m not looking for free delivery or reward point type of deals at this time but more BOGOs, freebies, discounts, etc. Please be sure to tell me how to claim the deal (i.e. coupon code, downloading app, etc) when responding.
Forbes.com
I’m working on the following three Mother’s Day gift guides:
The Best Mail-Order Dinners — I’m looking for dinners that can be ordered and shipped to their door. This can be complete meal/recipe kits or readymade meals she just had to pull together or reheat and can have a full beautiful gourmet dinner ready without even having to leave home.
The Best Pantry Staples For From-Scratch Cooks - This is the mom who doesn't love meal kits or semi-homemade meals but wants to do everything from scratch -- so this could be the ingredients to help her do that, from rare and exotic spices to high-end flours and great olive oil. Like she's the mom that won't buy the readymade simmer sauce but rather source the 12 different spices she needs to make it herself.
For any of these gift guides, please pitch in this format:
Product name
URL where sold, price
description of why it’s a fit for this guide
LINK to image
I’m also looking for home entertaining experts to send some commentary over email about how to plan your own at-home coronation watch party.
I’m looking for bars/restaurants that are doing special cocktails for Cinco De Mayo or Mother’s Day. If you are, please tell me what the cocktail is, what’s in it, why it’s great for the occasion, and include a link to an image of the cocktail) - also be sure to tell me where your bar/restaurant is located and its name/URL and give me the name/title of anyone quoted with commentary about the cocktail.
Finally, I am looking for bars/restaurants around the world that have created specialty cocktails in honor of the coronation of King Charles III this May. I’ll need the usual — where it is, what’s in it, why it’s a perfect cocktail for the occasion, a quote from a bartender/owner/chef, and a high res image. I’m really excited about this one, so lets try to find some great cocktails!
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 (and now in-person!) 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 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. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat!
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!
So true! Step away from your desk for an extra hour, day, or week and it pours in.