Tuesday story leads, job opps, and random TV musings

Happy Tuesday!

I had a really interesting time yesterday as a panelist on a meet the media webinar. There were questions that reflected a lot of what we chat about here often, which drives home the fact that even if we all may have unique clients and interests and goals, we have a lot more in common than we realize.

In television updates, I finished watching Archive 81 last night, and I'm somehow more confused at the ending than I was for the duration of this Netflix series. And that's saying a lot because I have been pretty darn confused while watching it. I'd love to hear what other people were thinking and seeing along the way!

In sad news, my window garden hasn't been doing all that well amidst this latest prolonged winter chill, and that should in itself be a bit of a lesson on hubris. I bragged about how well it was doing and now it isn't! So, treat your plants with kindness, and never take them for granted. And, also, please take that message to all other areas of your life as well.

That said, if you DO see your window herbs do not look long for this world, do not toss them. Your best end-of-the-road option (or at least my preferred one) is to harvest that basil, turn it into a pesto, and freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray in the freezer. I did this last season, and those frozen pesto cubes were there waiting to be tossed everything from sauce to grilled cheese on demand. The same could be done with much of your herbs - like cilantro (chimichurri whenever you need it, wherever you need it!). You’ll often see packages of frozen herbs in the frozen food aisle at grocery stores, but this is your opportunity to do it on your own easily and salvage last-legs herbs in the process.

What's cooking, good looking?

Last night I made a veggie-forward bolognese on my Instagram stories, and if you want the recipe, check it out in the next few hours!

Job leads 

My dear friend Lindsay Feldman, who is based in Las Vegas,  is looking to hire a public relations coordinator (1-2 years of industry experience) for BrandBomb Marketing. The role is remote, but ideally it would be someone local to the LV market for in-person events, filmings and meetings. All of the info is here. Lindsay has a pretty wide and wild range of clients and is super fun, so this would be a great gig for the right fit!

Startr Co. is looking for a dynamic PR Manager to join their growing team. This opportunity is for a full-time, remote position. You can find more information for the position on their LinkedIn Page, or email resumes to careers@startrco.com.

The Lede Company has several positions open on the brand team in their NYC office. They are looking for Assistants, Account Executives, Account Managers and Senior Account Managers with experience in either CPG, Fashion or Lifestyle.  Check out this link to the job descriptions.  Interested? Send your resume to Susan Biegacz at Susan.Biegacz@ledecompany.com.

Are you confused about affiliate marketing?

If you are having trouble learning how to navigate issues of affiliate marketing (trust me, we've all been there!), you may want to try out my friend Sarah Karger, a publicist, and former editor Dana Baardsen (and all-around fab girl!)'s 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!)

Another great asset for if you want to learn more about affiliate marketing is to become a subscriber to my BFF Bryce Gruber's Substack newsletter. She's always sending out tips and tricks for strengthening your affiliate linking game. 

Here's what I'm working on this week:

As always, please start a new thread and email alywalansky@gmail.com to respond to any of these story leads. If a story was on this list yesterday and is not today, that means it's wrapped up and no further pitches for it are necessary. However, there's new stories on this list that were not on yesterday's list. Every day is an adventure in these parts!

1. For SPY.com, I'm updating my edible gifts story from Christmas to make it more Valentine specific - that means many of the more evergreen items from the holiday season may stay, but looking to add a bunch more that are appropriate for now and going forward. Check out the original version of the story at the link above to see the kind of things that work for this kind of story, and please shape your pitches accordingly.

2. For SPY.com, I'm also working on a roundup of best sparkling wines. Though I generally consider myself something of a wine aficionado (and an expert in my soul), I'm looking to chat over email with an expert who can comment on the top sparkling wine regions (clearly I have my own thoughts on this), then share some picks from each. If an expert wants to share a pick from a region, I'd love it if they take a bit of time to explain how they selected these bottles, too, as sometimes recommendations can feel a bit random.

2.  For Today.com, I'm looking for freebies/deals/discounts at restaurant chains for both National Pizza Day (Feb. 9) and Super Bowl Sunday. Please email me with what the deal is, how long it lasts, and how the deal is claimed, asap. 

2. For Clean Plates, I'm working on the following two stories: The Healthiest, Tastiest Chicken Soups in the Grocery Store, According to Nutritionists and Easy Valentine's Dessert Recipes with Exactly Zero Added Sugar.

 -- For the chicken soup story, I would love to chat over email with some nutritionists! We determine healthiness by lack of processed ingredients (so chicken noodle is less good than chicken and wild rice) - please look at this previous story in a similar format for the kind of comments I'm looking for from publicists. Keep in mind when we say healthy, we're thinking:

-Yay for whole grains

-Yay for a good protein to fat ratio

-Yay for organic

-Yay for ingredients that are real foods

-Yay for extra vegetables

-We are GMO neutral

-- For the Valentine's desserts with zero added sugar story, I'm looking to feature desserts that exist online on blogs and so forth. Please use this previous story I did in the same format as an example of what I'm looking for.  (It'll be very helpful for you in helping you send me a pitch that fits my needs!)

3. For RetailMeNot, I'm rounding up Government Employee Discounts for 2022. When pitching me, please make sure each offer has a relevant link (if at all possible) that the reader can click through to to learn more, such as a link to the restaurant's/merchant's page about the deal. It's going to be a similar style and format to this story if you want an idea of what I'm looking for.

4. For Forbes.com, I’m rounding up great comfort food care packages. So many people are not feeling their best or isolating at home right now, these are food/drink care packages you can send a loved one if you can’t see them in person but yet really want them to know they are on your mind. Think along the lines of chicken soup, tea, hot toddy kits, etc.

5. For Forbes.com, I'm working on these two stories for next week, and open to expert commentary 

a - Plant-based aphrodisiacs like saffron and maca, and how to incorporate them into a Valentine’s Day feast 

b - How to set up a chocolate tasting and engage all five senses in the experience – imagine how fun this would be to do on an at-home date night if you aren't going out for Valentine's Day this year!

Here's some stories that have published since yesterday:

Food Network

Tyson Brings Back Nuggets of Love in Time for Valentine's Day

Forbes.com

How To Plan A Virtual Super Bowl Party

Have a great afternoon! 

Tonight is This Is Us night, which is the rare time each week that I close my computer for an hour and just focus on the TV and don't attempt to multitask as I watch a program  - it's like my weekly hour of therapy and I'm so grateful for it! It's also, of course, an opportunity to get a good cry - which we all need sometimes!

<3

aly