Tuesday: The personal touch (and why it always means so much) + some new session availability!
PS: Grab the FREE recording of last month's blockbuster Zoom webinar event covering pitching, trends, and all things holiday gift guide season.
Hi, friends!
(This is a pre-scheduled email as today I’m away from my desk due to observing the Jewish holiday. Happy New Year to anyone celebrating!)
I had a lovely lunch yesterday with a PR friend (and subscriber of this newsletter) who was briefly in NYC and came out to Brooklyn for a little visit - I totally had to introduce her to Gargiulo's, an old-school Italian spot that’s been in the same spot in Coney Island for well over 100 years, and it was so special.
I also wanted to (with permission) share a lovely card I received yesterday that meant the world to me:
This card now has a place of honor, perched on my desk.
You may recall I had shared a few weeks ago, after receiving another beautiful handwritten card, how much it meant to me, and this just amplified how rare and special it truly is to take the time to do something so special.
But today I want to chat a bit about the underlying message of it all: How important it is in our community to support one another and always be there for each other.
PR and media are like the classic yin and yang, or a delicious black and white cookie. We’re two halves that may look different and complete different roles, but we’re both essential to the cohesive whole, and it’s so important to realize, we’re all in this together, to support each other and navigate the twisty turny sometimes upside down and inside out media landscape together.
It’s when we work together and support one another that we see the best results, and that’s part of why this newsletter is so incredibly precious to me: It’s a way for me to help to support our community and bring it together in a way we can all learn from each other and support one another.
To that end, a PSA: I know there’s some media out there charging for access to their sourcing and story leads in their Substacks. It’s come up in the past, and you’ve emailed me about it as well. A reminder that no ethical journalist will EVER charge for access to their stories. Ever. Full stop.
If you pay for a subscription to this Substack newsletter, it’s for features such as access to our achieve of webinars and workshops and other recordings, as well as our weekly (and sometimes more than weekly) industry insights specific newsletters of commentary, Q&As, AMAs, and more. But what I’m working on, and how to pitch for it, will always be free, and that’ll never change.
And I’m so sorry that there’s anyone out there who feels otherwise.
Check out our complete holiday gift guide pitching recording - it’s available right here, right now!
For those who missed out, you can grab the whole recording of our best practices for pitching holiday gift guides this season webinar for free (yes, completely free!) as a benefit for upgraded subscribers - it’s well over an hour of commentary, Q&A, and tons of information you can use this season. Grab the details here.
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available for September and October!
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 :)
We can switch it up in any way you or your team needs. While most of my calls do end up being virtual, I just did one where we did our session over a martini lunch! I’m available for whatever your team prefers. Lets chat.
I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform, writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!)
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
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!
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who recently was a star expert panelist for our big holiday gift guide pitching workshop!) - she just launched her new course, Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based PR for Publicists - It’s built specifically to help PR pros and agencies add affiliate management as a core capability, something we all know is completely essential in today’s media landscape. This is in-depth training that equips publicists with the exact strategies to:
Set up affiliate programs for clients
Pitch commerce editors with confidence
Deliver measurable ROI through performance-based PR
It’s a must-have for anyone trying to navigate this ever-changing biz!
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!)
Forbes.com: 6 Delicious Ways To Celebrate National Cheeseburger Day
Forbes.com: 9 Creative Ways To Enjoy Lobster In Honor Of National Lobster Day
Forbes.com: 7 Delicious Variations To Enjoy On National Queso Day
Today.com: What Are The Best Drugstore Eye Creams? Experts and Editors Reveal Their Favorites
Southern Living: The Best Potato Chips, According To Southern Chefs
Southern Living: The Best And Worst Times To Go To The Grocery Store
Forbes.com: Welcome The Flavors Of Fall With 8 Perfect Maple Cocktails
Food Network: What's on Subway's New Fresh Fit Menu?
Southern Living: How To Cook A Perfect Steak Every Time, According To Southern Chefs.
Travel & Leisure: This Portable Door Lock Is Traveler-loved
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Travel & Leisure: 15 Amazon Business Casual Clothes for Summer Travel.
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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!
I’m sourcing for Halloween-inspired cocktails, National Coffee Day, National Vodka Day, and National Taco Day. For these, I’m looking for interesting and inventive dishes on menus at restaurants/bars nationwide.
Name of dish/cocktail
Restaurant, city, state, website
Description of dish
Quote from chef about dish/cocktail (plus name and title of person quoted)
Image and photo credit (I prefer links to attachments and remember to follow my instructions on how to label your file names, thanks!)
have a great day <3
aly