Tuesday: About friendship, the upcoming NYC happy hour, and National Pizza Week.
Tuesday: About friendship, the upcoming NYC happy hour, and National Pizza Week.
We have so much to be happy about this week!
Tuesday: About friendship, the upcoming NYC happy hour, and National Pizza Week.
I had the best time last night with my friend Hannah <3
Some back story -- Hannah and I met years ago, mostly over email, originally with her in the capacity of restaurant/bar/hotel PR, me as a person who wrote about those things. We soon became social media and text friends and our friendship flourished.
When we finally met IRL - I was in Nashville on an unrelated work trip, and we had dinner -- it already felt like we were close friends for years. And we have been!
In fact, my last booked flight of 2020 was in March of 2020 to fly to Nashville for her baby shower - when the world shut down and the trip was cancelled. And we haven't seen each other since -- until last night, when she was in NYC for the first time since early 2020 and we had dinner. And, again, it felt like no time had passed.
Aren't those the best relationships? The ones that even when life puts you in different places for stretches of time, your friendship just continues to grow? I am SO lucky to have so many friends who I can say that about.
And...to think...it all started with building a relationship over email when she was pitching me and I was reading her pitch. That's just one of a million examples why it's so important in our industry to get to know people, and really know them - beyond their clients and their projects and their assignments and stories -- but who they are at their core. Your stories and clients will ebb and flow, but friendships are forever.
Speaking of relationship building…
Earlier this week, I hosted a lunch and learn consulting session over Zoom with Maven Consulting and we chatted a lot about building relationships on and off line, and I feel like even though I was there to share my industry insights with them, we really very much learned from each other. They shared some of their thoughts on the session today on their LinkedIn and I’d love to share the post!
And in other fun relationship news…
In related news: If you are interested in coming to the NYC happy hour Lisa Richards, Amber Katz, and I are hosting this Thursday, it's not too late to let one of us know - either on email (my email is alywalansky@gmail.com) or via DM on Instagram. It'll be in the Chelsea area on Thursday 1/12, and there's so many people I know from this Substack or Instagram or years of pitching that are coming, that it's going to feel a bit like an extended family reunion!
Today’s newly published stories may look a bit pizza centric, but it IS National Pizza Week. What are some of your favorite pizza toppings? I’m very much a black olive and extra cheese sort of girl…perhaps with a drizzle of chili oil!
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!
TODAY.com: National Pizza Week: Where to score freebies and deals this week
Food Network: Pizza Hut Celebrates Pizza History by Bringing Back a Retro Favorite
HelloGiggles: 9 New Products That Will Help You Be Healthier in 2023
Forbes: 30 Romantic Cocktails To Set The Mood On Valentine’s Day
The Kitchn: This Easy Recipe for Chocolate Mousse Only Uses 5 Ingredients — And They May Already Be in Your Kitchen
Eat This, Not That: Follow My One-Week Meal Prep Plan If You're on a Budget
YourTango: Guys Reveal What They Notice Most About Your Smile
YourTango: 20 Best Honeymoon Hotels For An Insanely Romantic Vacation
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.
Southern Living
Invited To Your First Passover Seder? Here's What To Bring - Obviously, for this story I need to make clear that you need to ask your host because of the different traditions and levels of keeping kosher. But I’d love an etiquette expert, one who is familiar with Jewish tradition, to answer a few questions as far as questions to ask, expectations, etc.
Forbes
I’ve just been assigned FIVE new Valentine’s Day gift guides. (My inbox is already shuddering in fear…). The topics are:
The best gifts for a romantic dinner at home
The best luxury seafood boxes
The best global specialty ingredients for the culinary traveler
The best aphrodisiac gifts (remember, these must be food/ingredient related in some way)
The best interactive gifts for couples who love to cook together
For all of these guides (and honestly, most guides for any outlet, I would prefer all pitches be sent in the following format):
Name of product
link where sold, price
Description of product
LINK to high res image
*please please make sure that an item is not discontinued, and is currently available and in stock to ship and arrive before Valentine’s Day before pitching me. Sound obvious? I got a LOT of holiday pitches that did not fit this qualification!
I’m also working on, for Forbes:
Romantic wines to pair with your V-Day dinner: Whether you are planning a surf and turf or a sexy pasta night, these are the wines you need for the biggest date night of the year. To pitch me a wine, be sure to include retail links, a LINK to an image, and a description.
Places online where you can order a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner to be shipped to your door. Self-explanatory. Has to be shippable as this needs to be something available to all who order it and not just a local takeout thing.
HelloGiggles
Sexy underthings to gift yourself this Valentine's Day - we all deserve to feel confident and sexy, whether you have a partner or not.
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 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've been popping into a lot of PR team virtual meetings and some other fun stuff (Recently I even joined in on an agency’s team retreat right here in Brooklyn — it was so fun and I made so many new friends!) and making myself available to answer all sorts of questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective. I like to keep these things chill and comfortable and relaxed all by sharing perspective and learning from one another.
If you are interested in setting anything up for your own team in the coming months, please email me and we'll get something on the books! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts. If you are a freelance publicist and want to join in with a few other freelance publicist friends and set something up, we can do that as well!
Have a great day!
<3
Great pics Aly!! I love those kind of relationships too! :)