Thursday: The value of momentum and maintaining focus + new assignments!
Good morning!
Today shall be one of those super rare days that I’m away from my desk all day long (I have lunch plans, afternoon plans, and a crazy cool launch event later today), so this newsletter is coming to you a bit early so I can make sure you have it in your inbox before I get started with my wild (and a bit crazy) day.
But as there’s lots of pending assignments going on (including a few new ones involving everything from mattresses to salads), we should get right into it…
(PS: YOU is back on Netflix today, FYI! We know what I’m doing this weekend…)
Before I go though (hey, remember how Steve Jobs used to always end his speeches …AND ONE MORE THING!), I wanted to talk a bit about momentum.
Productivity comes up a lot here. A lot of us work for ourselves and have a lot of projects and clients on our plate.
A few days ago, I started the day as I always do. I made my morning coffee and wrote a newsletter. I then wrote and filed a story, made my lunch.. and then..inexplicably, in the middle of the afternoon I took a Gossip Girl break…and then completely lost my momentum for the remainder of the work day.
(I mean, I did recover by attending a meeting and also an event that very same evening, but due to no fault but my own, the afternoon became a total wash — entirely because I lost momentum.
There's no mystery to productivity. It's not reinventing the wheel or learning how to bake bread. We know what we need to do, we just need to DO IT.
And that's about momentum.
It's not about activity, it's about productivity. It's a means to an end and not just looking very busy and telling people how busy you are (which actually just takes away from doing things you need to do).
And what's all about going into deep, focused work.
Focus is the most important part of the whole game. That's why it's incredibly rare you'll see me away from my desk during workday hours (except for today, I guess…but that’s largely work related) -- I know, for me, productivity is about staying in the zone.
That zone, as we’ll call it for these purposes — it’s in that you will find consistency, but it’s also because of that that you are considered reliable and someone clients can count on.
The reason I get so many fast-turnaround stories isn't because I'm better at them than anyone else, obviously, but it's largely because people know they can always count on me to be at my desk during specific hours, on my email, and available.
Be that person, regardless of your field and concentration.
Things move rather quickly here. You may have noticed I did a call to action for lavender cocktail pitches last week. That story wrapped up and published in just a few days — and quite often, it happens a lot faster than. that. Sometimes, in a matter of hours, from pitch to assignment to filing to publishing.
Things like that happen all the time.
In fact, many of my stories never even make it to this newsletter as a pending piece because I am assigned it, write it, and it’s published too quickly.
Something to keep in mind.
Remember Newton's first law of motion: Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.
We're always cautioned against yo-yo dieting, because stopping and starting just doesn't work. Don't be a yo-yo at work!
Limited-time deals on consulting sessions and ad placement!
Reminder: I’m offering a limited-time special consulting session discount for paid subscribers: If you are a paid subscriber, you can for a limited time, get 25% off a virtual consulting session (where we can have your own private or agency-wide AMA session on anything you want to chat about!) — I have some slots open in the next few weeks, so if you or your agency is interested in booking one, email me today and we’ll chat details.
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: Brother’s Bond Bourbon Looks To Stir Up Sustainability During Earth Month
Forbes.com: Daniel Boulud Is Again Bringing The Michelin Experience To Air Travel.
Forbes.com: 10 Gorgeous Cocktails To Enjoy This Mother's Day
Forbes.com: Locally Sourced Ingredients Are Foundation Of Salad-Centric Culinary Program
Forbes.com: 15 Lavender-Based Treats And Cocktails To Enjoy This Spring
Saatva: The Best Ways to Remove Tough Stains From Your Mattress
Apartment Therapy: I Tried the “Weight Rule” for Decluttering, and It Keeps My Small Apartment Clutter-Free
Food Network: Jell-O Launches Its First-Ever Plant-Based Pudding
Southern Living: We Asked Jewish Chefs Their Favorite Passover Dishes—They All Picked Classics
Travel & Leisure: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $25 Right Now.
Forbes.com: 5 Beautiful Cocktails That Celebrate Spring.
Apartment Therapy: I Tried the Pomodoro Technique for Tax Prep — Here’s Why I’ll Never Do It Another Way
Today.com: Best drugstore wrinkle creams 2025, according to experts
Forbes.com: The Pizza Martini Creates A Sippable Version Of Everyone’s Favorite Snack
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
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.
Newsweek Reader’s Choice
As a reminder, I’m on the panel of travel and food journalists who chooses the nominations for Newsweek’s Readers Choice Awards and I’m working on nominations for several new home-related categories!
Best Mattress: For this one, I’m looking for mattresses highly rated by consumers and have no known safety issues at a range of prices, but also looking at Comfort: Is the mattress comfortable? What type of mattress it it? (Foam, innerspring, hybrid, etc.)
Durability: Will the mattress hold its shape and firmness over time?
Ease of Use: Is the mattress water-resistant and easy to clean-up? Is the mattress lightweight (easy to lift/change sheets)?
Safety: - Is it firm? Is it free from harmful chemicals? (Phthalates, lead, flame retardants, etc.). I’m generally looking for the newest/latest products for this one.
Best Sheets: For this one, I will consider the following factors: Material: The type of fiber significantly impacts the feel, breathability, and durability of the sheets.Weave: The way fabrics are woven impact their texture and performance: Thread Count, Fit & Size: Do the sheets come in varying sizes (king, queen, etc.)?
Best Vacuum Cleaner: I’m looking for a range of prices and types (stand-up, robot, etc. vacs) but staying focused on dry vacuums only, as we may do wet vacs at another time.
Forbes
Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Ways to treat a long distance mom to a perfect Mother's Day dinner date - think in-home wine experiences and private chefs but also like a situation where you can ship a complete meal that just needs to be prepped or heated. For this one, trying to avoid the giant broader businesses with ready-made meals but more specific, regional or niche ones like the Maine Lobster option would be great.
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!
May is National Salad Month, and there’s some great salads found in unexpected places around New York City. I’m doing a roundup of great salads at NYC restaurants — do you go to a steakhouse just to eat their amazing chopped kale starter salad? I’ve been there. Tell me where this salad is, what’s in it, why it’s great, and get me an image and a chef’s quote about it if you wish to be considered.
I’m now accepting pitches related to Cinco De Mayo or Kentucky Derby inspired cocktails available at bars and restaurants nationwide. Please be sure to include name of cocktail, where sold (city, state, name of restaurant, URL), description, quote about cocktail, image and appropriate photo credit when pitching - no pitches will be accepted that do not contain ALL these components. Thanks1
<3
aly
I'm so excited about You!! Also, thanks for the reminder about focus and momentum! xo