Thursday: There's Still A Way To Tune In For Our Sold-Out HGG Workshop!

Also: My latest podcast appearance is now live!

Hello, everyone!

I must say - we’ve been blown away this week.

I’ve been chatting with Jill and Alice, and we’ve all received a ton of emails the last couple of days after we announced the HGG Zoom for next week had reached capacity in just two hours.

Many of the emails were expressing how disappointed some of our readers were to miss the upcoming Holiday Gift Guide workshop next week.

So, we put our heads together, and we think we came up with a solution that will make everyone happy.

We WILL be recording the HGG Zoom after all, and sharing that recording with paid subscribers afterwards.

Those of you who RSVP’d before we sold out will still be able to join us live, but all other paid subscribers to any of our three newsletters will have access to the recording after — and that will include a ton of info as those who RSVP’d were given the opportunity to send ahead their top questions and we had well over 80. And that doesn’t count any additional questions and topics that may come up over the course of next week’s conversation.

The Zoom will be next Thursday, September 7 and we’ll share the recording on Friday, Sept 8, so please watch for that post. (And upgrade your subscription now if you don’t want to miss out!)

In other exciting news, my latest podcast appearance is now live!

This was an especially fun one, and went pretty in-depth (which you can see from the highlights page!). I know a lot of people are probably headed out for the long weekend today, perhaps this will give you something to listen to on your long drive!

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!

PS: I love doing podcasts!

Recently, I was a guest on the Eat.Drink.Social podcast, and we chatted about my upcoming travel, recent press trip experiences, and so much more. Check out my guest appearance a little while ago on Jamie Stone’s A Little Too Much podcast. We had SO much fun discussing everything from the changing landscape of events and trips to our thoughts on some emerging food and cocktail trends.

Some of my latest podcast appearances include Media Circus Podcast with Taiisha Bradley, as well as the Italian Wine Podcast, where we discussed all things Substack, and the Coffee N° 5 podcast, where we chatted about effective strategies for promoting emerging brands to journalists and securing media coverage. Other recent podcast appearances include the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast with the incredible (and super fun!) Lexie Smith, where we covered everything from press dinners and events and trips to, well, sippin’!

I’ve recorded a few others that should be live soon as well and I’m always open to doing more — email me at alywalansky@gmail.com.

• Forbes: Cheeseburger Lovers Need To Try These 30 Epic Spins On The Classic

• Forbes: A Hidden Treasure In Kansas City Is Redefining Midwestern Fine Dining

• Forbes: 25 Brilliant Variations On The Negroni

• The Kitchn: Costco's Newest Halloween Decoration Is Edible

• Forbes: This Fancy Room Service Menu Invites Pets Along For The Fine Dining Experience

• Southern Living: Peach Margarita Recipe

• RetailMeNot: What Stores Are Open and Closed on Labor Day 2023?

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Frequently, and This $18 Gadget Makes Me Feel Safer in Hotel Rooms

• Travel & Leisure: This Carry-on Luggage Is Lightweight Enough to Lift Up 4 Flights of Stairs — and Fits 5 Days' Worth of Clothes

• Food Network: Remember Zoo Pals? The Adorable Animal-Themed Paper Plates Are Coming Back

• Clean Plates: Should You Really Worry About Acid In Your Water? Experts Weigh In

• Forbes.com: Remember Tony Bennett By Recreating His Go-To Pasta Order From His Favorite Astoria Italian Restaurant

• Parade: Clueless About How To Use an Air Fryer? Consider This Your 101 Guide

• Reader’s Digest: What 11 Mysterious Flight Codes Really Mean

• Her Money: The Foods. You Need To Buy In Bulk To Save Money

  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

Planning an extra-special extended friends and family gathering for the high holidays this year? Whether this is is for one of the Rosh Hashonah dinners or the post-Yom Kippur break fast, I’m interested in hearing about fun items you may want to stock up on, from interesting spirits (for example, I was pitched a whiskey matured in pomegranate wine casks), to bagel and lox combos to end the Yom Kippur fast. Has to be items that are shippable nationwide. Have anything that works? Please email me!

Also for Forbes, I’m rounding up dishes and cocktails for stories for National Coffee Day. Obviously coffee would be the star of both, and they must be on the menu at a bar/restaurant so that people can go in and order. If you have something that may be a fit, please send me the following:

• Name of dish/drink

• where served

• description

• quote from bartender/chef/owner

• image and photo credit

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!

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