Wednesday: A cautionary tale on travel reimbursements, and more!

Good morning!

Some quick housekeeping: If you have RSVP’d for tomorrow’s F&B-centric AMA chat, you should have gotten a Zoom link and confirmation this morning - if you didn’t, please email me!

I also wanted to share a cautionary tale for those arranging fam trips and media visits, whether it’s to a hotel, destination, spa, restaurant, etc.

A few months ago I visited a hotel in a neighboring state, and was told to handle my own travel and submit receipts for reimbursement. I normally am hesitant to do this — and for good reason — but made an exception in this case. It’s now been three months and I’m still waiting. I’ve followed up several times, and have been given something of the run-around. It’s honestly left such a bad taste in my mouth, I’m hesitant to work with these people again.

I’m usually NEVER one to air my dirty laundry in this email. I think there’s no place here for bad energy. But I mean this more as a teaching moment and hope it’s helpful: Whenever possible, cover these expenses outright. And if it is necessary to handle as a reimbursement, that’s doable — but it’s important to give those expenses the same consideration you’d give any other invoice that crosses your desk. If you think it will be an issue reimbursing, don’t promise, and also be honest with the journalist so they can decide if this is a plan they still want to go ahead with.

That’s it for my soap box of the day!

Seattle-area subscribers!

A close friend is working on a story for a major publication and needs to speak to Seattle homeowners with rooms with slanted ceilings. If that is you, or someone you know, please email me and I’ll connect you. Thanks!!!

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!

PS: I love doing podcasts! Check out my guest appearance on the Italian Wine Podcast this week, where we discussed all things Substack. Other recent podcast appearances include the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast with the incredible (and super fun!) Lexie Smith, where we chatted about everything from press dinners and events and trips to, well, sippin’! I’ve recorded a few others that should be live soon as well and I’m always open to doing more — email me at alywalansky@gmail.com.

• Clean Plates: 22 Trader Joe’s Foods That Help You Destress, Say Nutritionists

• RetailMeNot: The Best Father’s Day Sales and Deals to Shop in 2023

• Food Network: I Tried TikTok’s Dirty Martini Pasta – And It Belongs in Your Weeknight Pasta Rotation

• Food Network: This Distillery Is So Proud of Their Gin, They Found a Way To Wear It

• Forbes.com: 20 Celebrity Chefs Share How Their Fathers Inspired Their Passion In The Kitchen

• Forbes.com: 9 Cocktails To Celebrate Dad This Father’s Day

• RetailMeNot: Father’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts To Stock His Freezer

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Dad Who Loves To Grill

• Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Cookbooks To Add To His Collection

• Forbes.com: Father's Day Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For The Culinary Traveler

  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

I’m working on stories related to brussels sprouts, delicata squash, avocado, and as usual, I have a specific set of questions I’ll need to ask RDs, chefs, produce experts, botanists, farmers, etc. Please email me and I’ll send you a rundown of what I am looking for (I have a few weeks for this one, so we have more time to play with than usual!).

Forbes.com

I’m looking for creative/unique cocktails bars/restaurants around the country are doing in honor of July 4th. This has to be a cocktail that will exist on a menu and be available to order (either long-term or as a special). Please pitch me the following if you have something that may be a fit:

• Name of cocktail

• where served (name of bar/restaurant, city, state, URL)

• description

• quote from bartender/chef/etc about the cocktail (please remember to give me the name and title of who is being quoted)

• Image of cocktail with any appropriate photo credits

RetailMeNot

All the Best Fourth of July Sales to Shop Now: I’m working on an update of this story from last year.  A lot of these might change, so note any run-through dates IF the retailer has those when pitching me. Otherwise, it's OK to describe the sale as "for a limited time." I’m going to try to include spots such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ancestry, 23andMe, Fitbit IF they are throwing a sale. If pitching me for this one, please be sure to include what's on sale, how to shop it, the promo code (if any). Maybe the promo code is storewide, so that makes it super flexible. Whatever the shopper needs to know about how and WHY to shop the sale.

I’m also updating this story from last year: Stores Open Fourth of July + Fourth of July Store Hours. Please look at last year’s version for an idea of format and what I’m looking for - and if I included your store hours or sales last year, feel free to reach out and give me updates!

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 (and now in-person!) 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 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. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat!

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!

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