Thursday: To Everyone Still Checking Their Email...
Also: Why I can't stand fireworks, in life and in business.
Good morning!
First, a quick admin note: Ahead of the July 4th weekend, I have a few updates for the Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards, of which (as a reminder!), I am on the expert panel of journalists who create nominations in a variety of lifestyle categories.
Nominations are now live for the Subscription Boxes contests, ranging from nominations in kids boxes to food boxes to wellness boxes and so much more. Please be sure to check out if your clients are included, and vote your hearts out.
Currently, I’m beginning to mull over some nominees for a Where To Stay contest section The contests in this theme will be: Best Hotel Brand for Couples, Best Hotel Brand for Families, Best Hotel Brand for Business Travelers, Best Boutique Hotel Brand, Best Vacation Rental Site (i.e. online booking sites like AirBNB, Trivago, kayak, etc…). Rather than specific locations, we’re looking for the most trusted hotel brands you’ll always circle back to. As always, you don’t have to do any sort of submission guidelines or specifics, just make sure your client is on my radar and I’ll take it from there when submitting my nominations to the team.
Now, onto today, for anyone still reading, which feels especially fitting heading into a holiday weekend, when everyone's chasing the biggest announcement, the splashiest campaign, or the loudest social post:
As the mom of two very small, very fluffy dogs who are convinced the sky is ending every Fourth of July, I have a complicated relationship with fireworks. Tony and Sammy would happily cancel them forever if given the opportunity. Honestly, I'd probably vote with them. Actually, absolutely vote with them.
But there's another reason I'm not a huge fan of fireworks. They're loud. They're attention-grabbing. They're also over almost as quickly as they begin.
Fireworks are designed to capture attention for a fleeting moment. They’re pretty to look at (sometimes), but by the time the smoke clears, everyone’s already looking for the next one.
A surprising number of people seem to approach PR the same way.
Everyone wants the viral TikTok, the splashy product launch, the celebrity mention, or the “big exclusive,” but very few want to do the quieter work that actually builds a reputation.
I’m much more a fan of those beautiful things that endure, such as a lighthouse, the neighborhood restaurant that’s been there for 40 years, the publicist who consistently sends useful pitches and meets my deadlines.
As far as I’m concerned, fireworks make people look up. Consistency gives them a reason to come back.
The pitches I remember six months later usually aren’t the flashiest ones.
They’re from the people who always read my guidelines, follow up thoughtfully, pitch stories that genuinely fit, remember what I cover, and build relationships instead of chasing moments.
Those people don’t explode onto my radar, they become part of it.
Most fireworks are judged by how loudly they begin. Great careers are judged by how consistently they continue. Don’t build a career that’s impressive for 15 seconds. Build one that’s trusted for decades.
This holiday weekend, enjoy the fireworks. Then, when Monday rolls around, don’t try to be one. Be the person whose work still matters after the smoke clears.
(And if you’re celebrating with dogs this weekend, give them an extra treat from Tony and Sammy. They’ll be spending the evening generating petitions to replace noisy, upsetting fireworks with the silent kind. As we all should.)
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available the remainder of 2026!
I can join your team on Zoom, a phone call, or in-person and do a team Q&A and answer any of your questions about planning events, mailers, trips, pitching, followups, etc — giving you a very necessary media perspective. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you are interested in chatting more and setting something up :)
We can switch it up in any way you or your team needs. While most of my calls do end up being virtual, I just did one where we did our session over a martini lunch! I’m available for whatever your team prefers. Lets chat.
Be sure to follow me on the Yahoo Creators platform. I’m writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!)
Limited-time deal on ad placement!
I’m 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 well over 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!
Tools of the Trade
How is it already July? We’re officially in holiday gift guide "high season," and that makes right now the time to share new products and services with editors and writers of national publications for consideration of their popular December lists. The Recipe for Press Media Directory is a one-stop resource for everything you need to do just that. It's an essential and affordable database of relevant market editors and more in food, fashion, travel, business and lifestyle. Founded by former editor, Amy Flurry, the directory features emails, titles, active social media addresses, and a notes section with submission guidelines. It's created for people in the trenches by someone who knows how editors want to be pitched. This is why leading publicists, editors, and entrepreneurs across the country, including me, widely use and recommend it! Annual subscription price is just $195 and absolutely packed with value.
I partnered with Pitchcraft to be able to share a special offer just for my readers: Use code ALY200: new users will get $200 off their first month of the monthly PR Membership or code ALY400: This one offers new users $400 off their first year of the annual PR Membership. This is a great network to join because it’s a community of both PR professionals and journalists working together to find better ways to work together and share opportunities, and you know how much I believe in all of that
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who you’ve seen as the star expert panelist for several of our gift guide pitching workshops!) - she launched her new course, Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based PR for Publicists - It’s built specifically to help PR pros and agencies add affiliate management as a core capability, something we all know is completely essential in today’s media landscape.
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.
Yahoo Creators: Check out my author profile (I have several new stories a day across the lifestyles umbrella, so that’s the best way to stay updated!)
Southern Living: We Asked Southern Chefs Their Favorite Brand Of Baked Beans—And 1 Was The Clear Favorite
Food Network: Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday With These July 4 Food Deals
Forbes.com: 30 Delectable Ways To Appreciate Caviar
Southern Living: Can You Still Eat Sprouted Potatoes?
Apartment Therapy:The 18 Best Prime Day Travel Deals, Vetted by Pro Travelers (Starting at $8!)
Travel & Leisure: This Plane Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Forbes.com: Music Will Be On The Menu At This Song-Centric Cocktail Lounge At Sea
Food Network: 25 Little Treats You Can Score for Free on Your Birthday
Yahoo: 13 Trader Joe’s Dairy-Free Items That Actually Taste Good
Travel & Leisure: I Travel for Work, and These Are the 5 Genius Hacks That Save Me From Luggage Messes and Spills—From $4
Travel & Leisure: I’ve Been Solo Traveling for 25 Years—12 Mistakes That Cause the Biggest Headaches, and How to Prevent Them
Forbes.com: 20 Great Variations On The Classic Martini
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Sushi This Summer
Southern Living: I Tried Trader Joe’s New Marinated Mozzarella Balls—Now I’m Using Them In Nearly Every Meal
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And This Cruise Hack Gets Me An Empty Pool, No Buffet Lines, And A Better Vacation
Southern Living: I’ve Tried Every Way To Bake A Potato—This 1 Wins Every Time
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They’ve Upgraded Their Seat—and It’s Only $35
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Frequent Solo Traveler, and This Genius Safety Device Gives Me Peace of Mind in Every Airbnb
Food Network: 20 Restaurant Deals To Snag for Memorial Day
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And My Friends And I Are Obsessed With This App For Tracking Each Other’s Flights
Travel & Leisure: I Fly Around the Country for Work, and This Roomy Tote Is My No. 1 Airport Essential for Looking Put Together.
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler of 25 Years, and These Are the 18 Products I Swear By for Personal Safety in 2026
Travel & Leisure: Traveling Alone Can Be Expensive—Here Are 15 Budget-friendly Hacks That Save Me Money
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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.
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
Yahoo Creators
I’m looking to round up gifts for Knicks fans who are all about the Knicks commemorative memorabilia. If you have anything you think may work, please pitch me!
Forbes.com
It’s almost National Mac & Cheese Day and I’m looking for creative, interesting, delicious dishes.
To pitch, please include:
Name of drink/dish
Restaurant/bar where it can be ordered (as well as city, state, URL)
description
quote from chef/bartender about dish (and name and title of person being quoted)
and LINK to image, with an identifying file name, and any appropriate photo credits included
(I know I give these guidelines over and over, but every day I get dozens of pitches that disregard them, so it bears repeating! <3)!
Also, sourcing for great dishes available nationwide featuring catfish (same parameters), and great fried chicken dishes (these must be unique or creative or elevated in some way), as well as food/drink dishes for America’s 250th birthday/July 4.
Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com asap please! All the same parameters will apply when emailing.
Thanks!