Good morning!

Some fun food news to kick off today’s newsletter: Dolly Parton has expanded her line of baking mixes!

I actually was lucky enough to receive these new baking mixes a few months ago (under strict embargo) and try them out for Food Network, and I’m so excited to be able to finally chat about them today in my latest story.

Aly Walansky alywalansky.substack.com @alywalansky

Dolly Parton Is Bringing More Mixes to Her Duncan Hines Southern Baking Line

foodnetwork.comDolly Parton Is Bringing More Mixes to Her Duncan Hines Southern Baking LineBrownies, biscuits, and cornbread are on the lineup.

Starting off your Tuesday on the right foot by sharing this photo of Scarlette with her carrot toy, which is also named Carrot.

(She loves eating carrots so much, it seemed only appropriate for her to have a carrot toy to play with…)

It’s hard to believe looking at that sweet little puppy face that she’s actually 15 years old! She’s a mature lady! But she still acts very much puppy-like. (Fun fact that only my friends that go WAY back may know: She was actually born in my parents’ living room 15 years ago…my shih tsu Lily is her mama and my dearly departed yorkie Frankie was her papa!

I know it’s a little hard to get back into the groove after a long weekend, so here’s hoping that was of help. Plus, I just love gushing at all this cuteness first thing in the morning.

PS: In case you were wondering, this is a situation where the apple falls rather far from the tree. While Scarlette loves a carrot, her mama Lily is all about the meatballs…she’s a total carnivore…just like…well, me!

Back to work….

Some fun news to share. I’ll be in NOLA the first few days of February and I’ll be in Miami the end of February (for SOBEWFF, my first time there since early 2020) - can’t wait to run into some of you at the festival!

A reminder…

I had a lot of gift guides go live in the last few days, so I also was getting a plethora of “can you add us to your story?” emails.

Please remember: Once a story is published, the door is closed. That’s not to say you can’t pitch for consideration for a future similar story, but the story that has already published is now of the past, and we are in the present, looking toward the future.

Remember: You can’t ask for cheese to be added to your burger after it’s been eaten.

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!

RetailMeNot: 14 Best Galentine’s Day Gifts for Your BFFs
RetailMeNot: Affordable Valentine’s Day Gifts That Show Lots of Love on a Budget
Food Network: Dolly Parton Is Bringing More Mixes to Her Duncan Hines Southern Baking Line
SPY.com: Stylish Coffee Table Books That Double as Decor

TODAY.com: 10 drugstore wrinkle creams experts say are worth it — starting at $11
Forbes: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Aphrodisiacs To Gift
Forbes: It's Time To Plan Our Wine Pairings For Valentine's Day Dinner
YourTango: 7 Sneaky Ways Traveling Actually Makes You Healthier, Says Science
The Kitchn: I Tried the McBaguette Recipe from “Emily in Paris” and It’s the Chic Upgrade to a Cheeseburger That I Can’t Stop Eating
Food Network: Kelly Clarkson and The Jonas Brothers Collaborate On New Salty Snack
HelloGiggles: 9 New Products That Will Help You Be Healthier in 2023
Forbes: 30 Romantic Cocktails To Set The Mood On Valentine’s Day

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.

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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

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 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!

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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!)

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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!

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Have a great day!

<3

Aly Walansky's Newsletter

Tuesday: Fun food news to share. Plus: Going…