Tuesday: A mini etiquette guide + seeking expert commentary for new pending stories.
Plus: LA! I'm headed to see you next week!
Good morning!
Or, rather, almost afternoon!…and Happy National Sushi Day! (Honestly, probably my favorite food, so I’m always eager to celebrate it!)…as you can see from this Sushi Day-centric story I just wrote for Forbes!
It’s been a busy day so far around here, so that’s why this email is coming a week bit later than the norm.
Some travel news to share though! Next week will be pretty packed, starting with speaking at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute on Monday (yes, I’m Jessie Spano-ing over that), and then I’ll be in LA the rest of the week. I’m there on a press trip so my schedule is mostly accounted for, but I might have a few windows in there to potentially see some people…stay tuned!
In new content to share since yesterday’s email, for Forbes, I am sharing the news about a big collab in the cruise world: Crystal And Beefbar Collaborate On First At-Sea Location Of Global Steakhouse. And, for Apartment Therapy - it’s a great day at work when I get to interview my friends!: We Asked 6 Travel Writers for Their Best Packing Hacks, and Their Tips Are Ingenious.
I’m actually looking for travel agents, flight attendants and travel writers to comment for another upcoming story, as well as chefs and mixologists to comment on a story I am working on for National Caviar Day (…perhaps my favorite food holiday after National Martini Day…!). Scroll down for details on those stories.
Today’s topic: Etiquette
Not that I think I am Emily Post or anything, but I do curtsy with the best of them.
And while none of us need to be curtsying to one another (and in that reel above, I really didn’t need to spontaneously curtsy to Guy Fieri…), we should observe a little mutual consideration and respect. And I think a little bit of a back to basics on etiquette can help even the most seasoned of us along the way.
1. Please don't give us extra work.
Now, we love when our editors and clients give us work. That's fabulous. Give us all the assignments! But if you are representing a product or expert we're considering including in a piece, please don't make us chase after you for all the needed information.
Do your homework so we can do ours.
That means honor our deadlines, and communicate if something comes up and you won't be able to. If you reference a study in your commentary, link to that study - don't make us chase it down. If you send us a quote from your bartender, include the person's name and title. And if you are pitching us a product, make sure it's actually currently in stock and available! These are just a few small examples of how you can not make our jobs harder than it needs to be. We all have fact-checking to do (at least those of us who are doing our jobs, do), and the more background information you give us, the easier that will be.
2. Manage your expectations -- also known as, if we give you an inch, don't ask for a foot.
Believe it or not, it's not easy to get in a gift guide, roundup, or any other story. It may seem like we write so many, there's tons of opportunity for inclusion. And that's true. But there's also hundreds, sometimes thousands, of brands vying for each and every gift guide spot. So if we do include you in a story, don't tell us how you wish you had been in this story instead, or that outlet instead. To be blunt, be happy you are in any story at all. That's just the truth of it.
3. Be Kind.
That includes saying thank you for coverage. That also includes not saying you wish the coverage had been longer, or worded differently, or in another outlet rather than the one it is. And it absolutely includes things like social media shares -- which help not only us, but you and your client as well.
Our jobs often feel thankless, with a whole of "why didn't you..." or "could you instead..." coming our way. So the very rare, and very meaningful thank yous mean the world to us.
4. Do your homework
This is honestly for your benefit more than ours. If you pitch a cocktail writer about your new lawn furniture, that's not going to be of use to you or to them. Neither is it useful to pitch someone for an outlet they haven't written for in 5 years. A very helpful tool is to take a second and search for a writer's Muck Rack profile. It will give you an idea of the outlets they currently write for, as long as the stories they have published that week, that month, etc. Or, just Google them. Google lets you filter by day, week, month, and so forth. We as media muse often about our colleagues that write once a month and yet tell the world how prolific they are. Taking a moment to look them up will save you a lot of time and wasted energy. This is especially useful when planning press trip invites.
Also, it's important to understand the role we all play in our positions. For example, an in-house editor might know a run date for a story or have the ability to make a change after publication, a freelancer writer will rarely know when a story will publish, or have access to it after it publishes.
5. On pitching...
Personally I can't stand a mass bcc pitch with embedded images and attached PDF. You are looking for thoughtful original content about your client. Why then would you solicit it with a generic mass emailed pitch? However I can tell you there's several agencies that still do this. Build a relationship and shape your pitch to the outlet and the writer.
6. Speaking of relationships...
Building and maintaining a relationship should always be at the forefront. I try to never let my personal feelings shape if I give an agency or a brand coverage. However, we're all human. And at the end of the day there's two pretty similar products at two similar price points and two similar quality levels and I can only include one, chances are I'll include the one from the team that has been more pleasant to work with. We're all just human, after all.
Let’s just treat each other with respect. None of us are here to serve anyone else, and we all are human beings with feelings.
Is there someone you want to gift a subscription?
Times are tough all around - they are tough in PR, they are tough in journalism. We’re all struggling. So, I want to try to make things a little easier on everyone and offer a special limited-time offer. For today only, if you purchase a monthly or an annual subscription upgrade, I’m going to give you the opportunity to then email me at alywalansky@gmail.com and choose ANY person to give a subscription of the same value to absolutely free. So, for example, if Judy buys a new annual subscription, please email me and give me the name of a friend or colleague.
Perhaps it’s a new member of your team? I’ll give that person a comped one year annual subscription. If Shelly buys a monthly subscription, I’ll comp the person of her choice a one month subscription upgrade.
If they are already a free member, they’ll get an upgrade. Call it a scholarship, call it a fellowship - this is a way of trying to add value to everyone - including those who may not have budget to subscribe right now but still want its benefits.
If you buy a group subscription (which is already at a 50% discount currently) - then everyone in the group person gets to choose a person to give this scholarship to!
Hope it’s helpful!
This newsletter goes out to well over 8,000 engaged publicists, business owners, and journalists each and every day. If you are looking to sponsor a daily installment of this newsletter or have a dedicated section about your client or product (assuming it’s an organic fit for the interests of my audience!), that is now available. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com to discuss.
The steepest discount I’ve ever offered on consulting sessions
In exciting news, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m currently offering 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions. Times are really tough and I am hoping to make these insights as accessible as possible to any of you who are interested. If you want to schedule a session for yourself or your team, to discuss anything from planning an event, media dinner, or press trip to mailers, pitching best practices, followups to…well… anything else…drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com and lets chat!
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!
Forbes.com: Crystal And Beefbar Collaborate On First At-Sea Location Of Global Steakhouse.
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 6 Travel Writers for Their Best Packing Hacks, and Their Tips Are Ingenious.
Travel & Leisure: I Always Wear These Comfy, Wide-leg Amazon Pants on Flights — Plus, 13 More Pairs I'm Eyeing From $12
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35
Forbes.com: 13 Creative Variations To Try On National Sushi Day
Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack
Clean Plates: 10 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches Nutritionists Love
Food Network: Is Panda Express’ New Hot Orange Chicken Really Even That Spicy?
Forbes: Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Has Finally Arrived In New York City
RetailMeNot: Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home
Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler
Forbes: 40 Cocktails To Enjoy In Celebration Of National Martini Day
Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits
Clean Plates: 7 Grocery Store Shortcuts for Fast, Easy Lunches
Southern Living: The 9 Best Brown Sugar Substitutes That Will Be Just As Sweet
Clean Plates, 11 Mediterranean Diet Foods You Can Get at Trader Joe’s
RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible
RetailMeNot: How to Save on Food Delivery Apps: 10 Tips That Actually Work
RetailMeNot: How Growing My Own Herbs At Home Has Helped Me Keep Meals Creative Without Busting My Budget
Clean Plates: How to Clean and Organize Your Fridge for Spring
RetailMeNot: Savings Star Origin Story: How I Learned to Eat Well (In NY!) On a Shoestring Budget
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
I’m working on a story - The One Item Pro Travelers Would Never Pack in Their Carry-on Again - for this story, I’m looking to chat with professional travelers (so, travel writers, but also travel agents or flight attendants) about the one item they've packed in their carry-on that they never would again. Maybe it's shoes they'll never wear, or a super heavy coat, or too many skincare products? But who knows! Please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have someone game to weigh in.
RetailMeNot
Budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter: As you all know, I write a lot of content for RMN related to budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter. I’m going to be working on a monthly column on the subject of cooking/eating well on a budget. The next column in this series will focus on bulk buying groceries and household essentials, which is something I personally SUPER believe in. I am constantly buying in bulk to save on per unit cost and benefit from the best deals. I even buy family packs of meat and fish to portion and freeze. I’d love some expert commentary on why bulk buying (rather at the supermarket on sales or at warehouse stores), is a great way to maintain a household meal plan and also live within our food budget.
Forbes.com
National Caviar Day is a few weeks away, and I’m starting to round up some fun dishes AND cocktails involving caviar! This is going to be more fun than in years past because caviar is just seen in SO MANY unexpected places these days. If you have a drink or dish involving caviar (must exist on a bar or restaurant menu), please send me name of dish, where it can be found, description, and a quote about the dish with name of person being quoted (and a photo, also with appropriate credits).
We’re in salad season. I’m looking for fun summer salads that the salad chains are doing (these are takeout “create a salad” type chains in major cities) for the warmer months. If you have something, please email me with what the salad is named, what’s in it, how long it’s available for, and an image, and how this mix of flavors calls for summer desires (would love someone to quote!). thanks!
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aly