Thursday: Your client is not always going to be a celebrity expert/source/chef (and stop pretending they are).
Please give the superlatives a break for a second.
Good morning!
I want to talk about something that’s a little bit hot and controversial today.
Not every story is a trend. Not every product is “going viral.” Not every chef is a celebrity chef.
And that’s OK. I promise.
Often, my inbox has been on a steady diet of: “The next big thing!” or “Exploding on TikTok!” or “Amazing opportunity to talk to a celebrity chef about their exciting new concept!” or “The hottest trend taking over right now!”
And then I Google.
And the “celebrity chef” has 140 Instagram followers, one local TV segment from 2018, and a very solid lasagna soup at a strip mall Italian spot next to a nail salon and a dry cleaner.
Now, I want to start out by saying: I love a strip mall Italian spot. Give me fluorescent lighting and life-changing meatballs any day.
But that doesn’t make him Bobby Flay.
(And also — we don’t need him to be.)
Here’s the issue with your use of hyperbole.
When everything is positioned as celebrity, groundbreaking, viral, iconic, the “biggest it” thing… nothing feels special.
If every hairstylist is a celebrity hairstylist, the word celebrity loses meaning. If every restaurant or chef or menu item is trending, trend becomes background noise. If every opening or release is “highly anticipated,” anticipation becomes… theoretical.
I’ve been around this block a few times at this point, and I’m proud to say at this point, I have a pretty well-tuned radar for exaggeration. And once it goes off, it’s hard to turn it back down.
Stop inflating titles or credentials.
Believe it or not, it can have a rather opposite impact. Here’s the truth: A chef can just be a really talented chef. A hairstylist can just be exceptionally good at color. A neighborhood restaurant can just serve incredible meatballs.
That’s often the actual story. And a great story. Believe it or not, it’s actually a BETTER story.
Sometimes the angle isn’t: “This celebrity chef is redefining Italian cuisine.”
Sometimes it’s: “This family-run spot in a strip mall has quietly been making the best meatballs in the county for 22 years.”
I’m honestly going to find that second one is more interesting.
Here’s why overstating hurts you.
When you oversell: You risk credibility, and you make me fact-check the framing instead of the story. You also create distance between what you’re claiming and what actually exists. Also, you make it harder for me to trust the next pitch.
And trust is everything in media relationships. If you tell me someone is a celebrity and they’re not, I’m not impressed. I’m confused. Let the work speak. Let the quality shine. Let the story breathe.
You don’t need fireworks when you have good meatballs.
Here’s my advice to you: Try this litmus test
Before you hit send, ask: Would an average reader recognize this person’s name? Has this person achieved national recognition? Is this actually trending beyond your own client’s social channels? Would I use this descriptor in a headline without feeling silly?
If the answer is no… scale it back. Credibility beats hype. Every single time.
And truly? I’d rather cover the strip mall legend than the self-appointed celebrity.
love you all!
PS: I also love great meatballs (no celebrity required)
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available for the remainder of Q1 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.
I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform, 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 more than 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
A great PR tool worth knowing is Press Hook. If your media response rates are slipping and journalists are harder to reach than ever, Press Hook is worth paying attention to.
It’s a centralized platform that helps PR teams get in front of journalists without relying on cold inbox pitches. Journalists use it to discover and request products when they’re actively working on stories — which means more qualified interest for brands.
Agencies and in-house teams report an average 20% uplift in press coverage within six months, especially as media inboxes become increasingly saturated.
Reportable makes press releases AI-search ready. Turn static announcements into multimedia stories that today’s AI engines actually surface, summarize, and share—because if AI can’t find it, did it even happen? Check them out at Reportable.co or book a time with Karen Reynolds, 25+ years in PR tech.
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!)
Travel & Leisure: This Brand Is Amazon’s Best-kept Secret for Roomy, Budget-friendly Travel Bags—and Prices Start at Just $19
Apartment Therapy, I Used the 10% Rule, and Now I Never Overpack My Carry-On
Food Network, The Best Fast-Food Seafood Items You Can Snag During Lent
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: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I’m Traveling by Plane
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!
Apartment Therapy
I’m working on another small space organization story and I’d love some tips and thoughts on budget-friendly storage ottomans and various ways they can be used in a small apartment.
Newsweek Readers Choice
As you know, I’m on the panel of travel writers who chooses the nominees for the Newsweek Readers Choice Awards. I’m currently working on nominations for 5 new Summer Travel-related categories: Best Cruise Ship for Families, Best All-Inclusive Family Resort, Best Theme Park, Best Outdoor Water Park, and Best Beachfront Hotel. Anyone you think I should consider? Drop me a note!
Yahoo Creators
I’m working on some content related to spring refresh themes, as far as spring cleaning, giving yourself a fresh look/feel for spring, and so forth. Think of all this from smaller space living/working angles when pitching.
Forbes
I’m starting to seek Passover (KFP) wine, spirits, and food products, if you have any - please drop me an email with more information!
I’m also SO excited about the return of Outlander next week and working on Outlander-related experiences you can have in honor of the return - hotels, tours, restaurants, bars, tell me more!
Does anyone have a restaurant client doing a fun, non-traditional spin on meatballs - I’m putting out some feelers for a roundup for National Meatball Day. Same format as always: Name, where available (restaurant name, city, state, URL), description, quote from chef about dish, and image.
Cheesesteak Day is also coming and I’d love some great and creative, unique cheesesteaks to be pitched!
I’m also looking for girl scout cookie-inspired cocktails, if anyone has anything like that at their bar or restaurant. We all love girl scout cookies and I’d love to roundup a few grown-up, sippable versions.
Thanks!