Tuesday: Greetings from JFK - and some productivity tips, travel edition.

Time's running out: You can still RSVP for our August Zoom webinar event.

Good morning!

Yesterday was one of those Murphy’s Law sort of days and it absolutely left me in a sort of stressified (yes, I think I maybe made that word up), funk. But today is a new day and I’m vowing to take all life’s little middle fingers in stride and have a great day - because in a few hours I’ll be in San Juan and seeing a dear friend and that’s wonderful.

But one of the best ways for me to add cheer to my day is to add cheer to others, so I’m offering a one-day only super-limited-time flash sale.

Anyone who upgrades their subscription today - and today only - will save 30% off that subscription FOREVER. That upgrade gives you access to special industry insights editions, town hall seminars, webinars, workshops, AMAs (like the upcoming holiday gift card pitching discussion), recordings of sessions and so much more. Don’t miss out!

Hello from JFK, where I’m trying to send this out before boarding my plane to San Juan (but NOT using the terminal power outlets — because juice jacking is a real threat and TSA is warning to proceed with caution. Read my story about it here.)

But that’s actually not my tip. Here’s what I wanted to share, and it’s to do with mobile ordering and not standing in those impossible coffee lines every airport on earth seems to have.

Like many of you, I have my go-to Starbucks airport order (brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, if you’re curious) and I can’t survive morning flights without that jolt of caffeine — and for those of us who travel frequently, you may have noticed that one thing that all airports in all cities have in common is the Starbucks line is always impossibly long.

There's a better way!

Next time your in the airport, any airport anywhere, pre-order your drink/breakfast/whatever on the app. You can even do it while in you are exiting that TSA security area. The drink will be made while you are walking to gather it. Then you get to skip ahead of the line and just pick up your order. You're done in 5 minutes instead of 50 minutes.

Caveat: Many larger airports have multiple Starbucks, even within a specific terminal, so make sure you are ordering from the right one, and that that one accepts mobile orders. (Don't worry, the vast majority do!) Then, you are golden.

For the record, this isn’t just a Starbucks thing. It’ll work at ANY restaurant/cafe that has an app with a mobile ordering option that is available at locations that include that airport location. So you can skip that long Shake Shack line as well…

How is this a productivity tip? Why am I chatting about it here in this newsletter? Well, you've just saved an hour. Go use it to make a phone call or send some emails.

Speaking of airport productivity, my friends always laugh that I get to the airport HOURS before my flight. (My flight is 11 am today and I was at the airport at around 8.) But there’s a reason that I do this …other than my own anxiety and neuroses.

You may be thinking….why on earth would you do that, AND ON PURPOSE? (Especially as someone who never checks a bag, and has TSA pre check…)

Well, for a few reasons. I actually love the idea of getting to the airport early, settling in, getting my coffee, and then having nothing to stress about as I focus on getting some work done uninterrupted until it’s time to board my flight. And I hate the stress of rushing and worrying or “pushing it” as some of my friends love to do.

Like, today, there’s tons of construction going on at JFK and getting to that terminal did indeed take some extra time. And, get this: See aforementioned mobile ordering tip? For the first time in a LONG time, I couldn’t use it — the terminal’s Starbucks had disabled order ahead temporarily because THEIR ESPRESSO MACHINE WAS BROKEN and like half the beverage menu was thus unavailable. So, I had to wait on the aforementioned line I always avoid.

It’s fine, it’s not a big deal — but getting here early allows for those unexpected delays and creates a much needed frustration-free buffer (and I still have time to send this email!)

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Reminder: Have you signed up for our big annual Zoom workshop webinar event where participants can ask us anything about all things related to pitching holiday gift guides (our most popular AMA session each year!) — seats are going fast and we have limited capacity, but you can still register!

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Book your summer consulting session!

I still have some space available for August!

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 :)

I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces!

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 nearly 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

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Press Hook is where journalists, newsletter writers, and podcasters source expert quotes, hi-res images, product samples, affiliate info, and brand story angles — all from vetted brands in one searchable hub. It connects journalists and brands in what feels like a really user-friendly, organic way and I use it often to browse for sources and products aligned with my current projects and I’ve often found precisely what I need, when I need. Give it a try!

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!)

• Food Network: IHOP Brings an Extra Layer of Luxury to Dubai Chocolate

• Forbes.com: 14 Delectable Ways To Enjoy Oysters On National Oyster Day

• Southern Living: We Asked Southern Chefs Their Favorite Brand Of Baked Beans—And This Brand Won By A Landslide

• Travel & Leisure: 15 Amazon Business Casual Clothes for Summer Travel.

• The Kitchn: These "Vintage" Mason Jars Are So Gorgeous, You'll Want One in Every Room

• The Kitchn: This "Adorable" Mini Waffle Maker Has Over 4,000 5-Star Reviews

• The Kitchn: These $1 Potato Chips Are So Good, Shoppers Are Buying 5 Bags at a Time

• Forbes.com: 18 Burgers To Try When It’s Time To Kick The Classic Up A Notch

• Forbes.com: 12 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Chicken Wings

• Food Network: Popeyes’ New Signature Sauce Goes With Just About Everything

• Apartment Therapy: I Bring These Brilliant Insect Repellent Wipes Everywhere I Go (They’re Travel-Friendly!)

• Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook

• Apartment Therapy: 10 Things I Got Rid Of After 45

• Apartment Therapy: Summer Packing Tips from People Who Travel for a Living

• Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12

• Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by These Packable Ballet Flats for Comfort, Support, and Long Days on My Feet

• Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off

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

Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!

National Potato Day and National Hot & Spicy Day are both approaching - please pitch me the best potato dishes or SPICY dishes at your restaurant or bar (and yes, fries are totally allowed for potatoes if they are fun presentations!). To pitch, please always use this format and don’t skip any parameters:

• Name of dish

• Restaurant, city, state, website

• Description of dish

• Quote from chef about dish (plus name and title of person quoted)

• Image and photo credit (I prefer links to attachments!)

• Note, for spicy: I want hot and spicy with lot of flavor, not just a bunch of heat, please.

thanks so much, and have the best day <3

aly