Thursday: Walking in Memphis, tons of new kitchenware-related content, and more!

Good morning!

Greetings from Memphis, where I am currently trying to embody the lyrics of one of the songs that has a permanent place in my daily playlist.

I’m staying at Central Station Memphis, hotel that is built on the spot (and embodies the structure) of a classic train station from a century ago! How fun is that?

But obviously, I’m doing all of what you’d expect me to do, and that included Gus’s Fried Chicken straight from the airport (my first stop whenever I’m in Memphis), and a visit to Old Dominick distillery. In fact, I’m so committed to Old Dominick when I’m in Memphis, I made sure anything I drank last night at my various spots involved their vodka!

Goal for my remaining two days includes, obviously, some BBQ. (Can you believe I was in both Texas and South Carolina in the last month and yet didn’t have BBQ either time? In the next 24 hours, this SHALL be remedied!)

I have to keep this chatty part brief because I have breakfast plans shortly (at Memphis' oldest diner, which is the home of Elvis’s favorite sandwich and has a booth dedicated to him!), and then after that, a property tour so I can learn a bit more of the history of this historical space. But then I get to do some exploring…so be sure to send your local downtown Memphis recommendations! (Including, um, BBQ…!)

OK, onto work stuff…

Obviously, I’m not on vacation (I actually am…never…on vacation, TBH) and have had some fun new content publish since I’ve been here!

For Forbes, I wrote about a spot in Denver doing a really cute Santa-inspired turndown service, and for The Kitchn, I’m all about ways to get sweet deals on luxury kitchenware and budget kitchenware dupes, and my latest pieces this week include The $30 Costco Kitchen Find Shoppers Are Saying Is “Worth The Praise”, Aldi Is Selling a “Stunning” $30 Dupe of The Internet’s Favorite Pot, But Not For Long, and Costco Is Selling an “Unbelievable” 157-Piece Le Creuset Set — But Will Anyone Buy It for This Shocking Price. Andm, for Martha Stewart, I wrote about 18 Beautiful Ways to Decorate a Coffee Table, According to Designers.

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!

Buy my cookbook!

I contributed a recipe and some commentary to a Jewish recipes cookbook and the 100% of the proceeds go to JFSLA, and earmarked for Food & Hunger Programs specifically.  Order it here.

PS: I love doing podcasts!

My latest podcast appearance, on the Media In Minutes podcast, is now live! This was a really fun one:

I recently recorded a guest appearance on the True Story public relations podcast with Whitney Lee, and we chatted about everything from pitching to press tours and how to build a more personal connection (more important now than ever).

Recently, I was also 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.

• Martha Stewart: 18 Beautiful Ways to Decorate a Coffee Table, According to Designers

• Taste of Home: This Butter Hack Is Going Viral and You Need to Try It

• Forbes.com: Santa Claus Now Offers A Spin On Turndown Service

• The Kitchn: The $30 Costco Kitchen Find Shoppers Are Saying Is “Worth The Praise”

• The Kitchn: Aldi Is Selling a “Stunning” $30 Dupe of The Internet’s Favorite Pot, But Not For Long

• The Kitchn: Costco Is Selling an “Unbelievable” 157-Piece Le Creuset Set — But Will Anyone Buy It for This Shocking Price

• Reader’s Digest: The 24 Most Haunted Hotels in America

• Brides.com: 23 Unique Bachelorette Party Destinations That Aren't Las Vegas

• Martha Stewart Living: 13 Small Space Storage Ideas That Find a Place for Everything

• Southern Living: Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

• Southern Living: Can You Eat The Skin Of Delicata Squash?

• Food Network: Popeyes Brings a Little Luxury to Its Chicken Sandwich with TRUFF

• Forbes.com: 20 Delicious Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating National Pasta Day

• Clean Plates: 7 Popular Trader Joe’s Seasonings You Need — And How To Use Them

• Martha Stewart Living: How to Store Your Clothes If You Don't Have a Closet

• RetailMeNot: Where to Get Free Food Today (and Every Day of the Week)

• Travel & Leisure: I'm a Longtime Solo Traveler, and These Are The 12 Best Personal Safety Devices on Sale at Amazon

• Travel & Leisure: Travelers Are Using This Flight Attendant-approved Gadget to Get More Space on Planes — and It Only Costs $13

• Travel & Leisure: The Flight Attendant-approved Hack I Swear by for Getting Through the Airport Stress-free Is Just $10 Right Now

• Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by This $9 Trick for Keeping My Feet Comfortable While Sightseeing

• Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35

  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.com

For Forbes, I’m looking for spots online offering some variant of “Thanksgiving in a box” that you can have shipped to you in time for the holiday - this can be either cooked and complete meals you just reheat and serve or recipe kits.

National Pickle Day is coming up and Aly Walansky LOVES pickles. So, tell me all the fun pickle dishes AND cocktails you have at your restaurants. I don’t care if it’s a pickle martini or a pickle pizza, I’m listening. Please pitch me with the name of the dish, where it’s available (restaurant name, city, state), description, quote about dish, and an image of the dish via a link to a dropbox…thanks!

I’m also working on THREE holiday gift guides (and I am so happy to say you do NOT need to be on any sort of affiliate network to pitch for these! This will hopefully widen the net and give some smaller brands with creative, unique products a shot to be included!).

The best meaty gifts for the meat lover - So online butcher steak boxes, the wagyu, the porterhouses, the ribeyes. All the beefy gift sets you can order online and have shipped.

The best pink kitchen items for the Barbie lover -- Barbie is still HUGE and anyone who loves Barbie will probably want all the best pink dinnerware/kitchenware/appliances this holiday season.

The best gifts for the sushi lover -- So, fun DIY sushi kits. But also maybe fun mail order sushi grade fish, chopsticks, good wasabi or soy sauce or rice, or even sushi themed socks and stuff like that.

To pitch for any of these, please remember to include ALL the following:

• Name of product

• link where sold, price

• image of product

• description

Southern Living

I’m working on two freezer related explainers - Can You Freeze Celery? and also Can You Freeze Green Onions? - and I’d love some chefs and RDs and food safety experts to weigh in.

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’m available for PR team virtual meetings to answer questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective.  Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts.

Have a great day!

<3