Thursday: Thinking big picture when sending pitchings. Also: I'm working on new holiday content -- including gift guides!
Plus: Final days for my special Friendsgiving 50% off subscription upgrade deal!
Good morning!
It’s finally raining in NYC! And you know where else it’s raining…well, my inbox.
And the inbox of every journalist your pitching as well.
During gift guide season, it’s nearly impossible to tread water, and if you want your email to be read, there’s a few best practices it is in your best interests to follow. Earlier this week, we chatted about be relevant.
But today, lets talk a little about authentically building relationships. And make that relationship a genuine one. There’s a lot of emails in our inboxes making requests and loaded with expectations. You catch a lot more bees with honey and you’ll build a better relationship by showing interest in their work. Show interest in the stories they are writing, get to know them, engage with them authentically, and by doing so, you’ll know them and their work better — and that will help you pitch them stories relevant and newsworthy to the work they are doing.
At the end of the day, we’re all human, and if you take the time to connect with someone on a real level, they are more likely to take a closer look at your pitch.
Remember: Think big picture. It’s not just about this initial placement. It’s about building and maintaining relationships — whether or not you have a story to pitch them, but going forward
Lots of newly published content to share. For Southern Living: Here's Why You Should Always Travel With Duct Tape (and why I have for a while now!), for Forbes: 11 Coffee-Based Cocktails To Enjoy On National Espresso Day. For Her Money: The best time to save on hotel bookings, and for Saatva: Are You a Light Sleeper? Here's What to Do About It. Also new, for Plate Magazine, my bite of the week!: This Colorful Tuna-Watermelon Combo Lightens Up Fall Menus.
Wheww…
That was a lot. Lets get to today’s business!
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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!)
Did you catch that I’m currently offering a 50% off deal on subscriptions — and you can lock in that price now…forever? Upgrade your subscription now!
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 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!
Southern Living: Here's Why You Should Always Travel With Duct Tape
Forbes.com: Marcel Vigneron’s New Pop-Up Dinner Party Series Adds An Intimate Touch To Fine Dining
Food Network: Where To Buy $400 Rubyglow Pineapple
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
Plate Magazine: This Colorful Tuna-Watermelon Combo Lightens Up Fall Menus
Forbes: 11 Coffee-Based Cocktails To Enjoy On National Espresso Day
Her Money: The best time to save on hotel bookings
Parade: How To Use an Air Fryer
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
Southern Living: Brussels Sprouts With Bacon Recipe
Forbes.com: 11 Creative Dishes Inspired By The Flavors Of Thanksgiving
Food Network: Cult-Favorite Bonne Maman Gets Into the Pie Filling Business
Forbes.com: Holland America And Sur La Table Create Cooking Classes Inspired By Global Ports
Southern Living: My recipe for air fryer pumpkin seeds!
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.
Apartment Therapy
Chefs Share Their One Essential Cleaning Tip for Holiday Hosting that Keeps Them Organized - I’d love if you can reach out and share it!
Yahoo Life
I’m rounding up the best pedometers for counting your steps. This will likely include a smartwatch and fitness tracker, but would primarily be basic-style pedometers that you can clip to your waist or wear on a lanyard, etc.. this will be a tested roundup like the stories I did on cooling fans and sleep trackers, so I’ll need to be calling in a bunch to try over the next few weeks…if you have one, please email me with more info now to get a beat on the rush. I’ll be testing each one for factors such as reliable, accurate, and easy to use, but once I have all the details of this assignment pegged out, I’ll also be seeking some expert sources to ask some requests regarding pedometers and what to look for - I imagine this will likely include personal trainers, coaches, fitness experts, exercise physiologists, and so forth.
Saatva Sleep Enlightened blog
It may seem so far off right now, but I’m going to be working on a story on how to sleep better when Daylight Saving Time BEGINS in March — will need sleep experts to weigh in. I’m looking to cover Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins on Sunday, March 9 when we "spring ahead." Although many people get excited about the extra hour of daylight in the evenings, most health experts agree DST is actually worse for your sleep and health than standard time, and I’d love some experts to speak to that, as well as strategies for coping with the upcoming time change so you can keep your sleep schedule on track.
Forbes.com
I’m working on a story why outsourcing your holiday dinner may be the best gift to yourself this holiday season — whether that’s ordering yourself dinner from one of those meals in a box type places or grabbing a Popeyes Cajun fried turkey or being all fancy by hiring a chef for the occasion. For this story, I’m looking to hear from chefs and event planners and also maybe a person or two that has done this with their own holiday dinner? I’m also looking to include fun things to buy if you are going this route.
I’m also working on a Hanukkah-related gift guide! This is geared toward ways to honor the foodie in your life this Hanukkah. While kosher and kosher-style items are totally great, I’m also open to wider options (though nothing pork or shellfish related for this particular guide!).
I’m rounding up the most exciting restaurant/bar openings happening in Vegas later this year/early next. I have some great ones on my radar already, but trying to round it out a bit more.
I’m also putting out feelers for egg nog-based cocktails available this season at hotel restaurants and bars, as well as any Hanukkah themed cocktails that may exist on menus at restaurant or bars.
Also: Do you know of an airport lounge that has an especially interesting F&B offering/feature? I want to hear about it!
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!
<3
aly