Wednesday: A quick debrief on using messengers for media deliveries and samples
PS: Grab my Valentine's Day gift guide webinar recording now - for free! - as my gift to you!
Good morning!
I am going to keep this intro short and sweet today because I have to wrap up one of my Valentine’s Day gift guides this morning — meaning, it’s going to be a busy day of writing and building content!
Today’s topic may be a rather fractional one, as my writer friends in smaller markets have told me that messenger deliveries aren’t really so much a thing in their region. But for those of us in New York City and many other cities, it very much is and has been for the decades I’ve been in this biz.
I’m sure messengers being used to send deliveries or samples was born in a time of everyone working out of offices, and now that many people have hybrid or WFM format (or are freelancers outright), this issue has been complicated — but I still receive messenger deliveries a few times a week, and many times I have no idea they are coming until they are here (Or they were here and I wasn’t and I missed them and everyone is pissed at me for not being Nostradamus!).
So, here’s some best practices if you are incorporating messenger deliveries into your own media outreach:
Confirm Everything First
Never just assume availability, or interest. Everyone is not at home all the time, and they may not be available all the time. I’ve had messengers arrive here when I’m at an event, at a dinner, in another country, or simply in the middle of an important phone call and can’t immediately run down four flights of stairs to open a door and sign for a delivery.
Confirm interest, timing, and delivery window in advance, and make it part of your practice to ask where the journalist prefers deliveries left (front desk, doorman, lobby, front door, hand-off only).
You’ll also want to double-check address details, building access instructions, and phone number.
A surprise delivery can feel intrusive—even if the item is great.
Timing Is Everything
You’re going to want to as a best practice avoid early mornings, late evenings, weekends, or holidays unless explicitly approved. You’re just going to up the chances of paying a messenger to arrive when someone isn’t there to receive and wasting your resources and everyone’s time.
It’s so important to, again, confirm interest and delivery windows always, and be mindful of deadlines, travel schedules, and known conflicts.
For food or perishables, you’ll want to confirm they’ll be home and available and able to receive it immediately.
A perfect product delivered at the wrong time still fails.
Consider the commute when you package.
I write about food and spirits and I can’t even tell you how often I’ve received messengers with broken glasses or bottles or food that has leaked or spilled.
Use secure, spill-proof, temperature-appropriate packaging. Avoid overpacking that’s hard to carry up stairs or through security.
Remember, many of us live in busy apartment buildings or shared living situations. Include clear labeling with the journalist’s name and outlet.
If it’s fragile, assume it will be handled roughly and package accordingly.
Don’t forget to leave a note.
Believe it or not, at least once a week I receive deliveries (be it courier or traditional) and have no idea who sent that delivery! Inside the delivery, always include a note with who it’s from, what it is, and why it’s relevant, as well as contact info (email is better than phone). That way if we have more questions or want to write about it, we can contact you for imagery and further details.
Think: helpful, not homework.
Keep followups gentle.
It’s totally fine and expected to confirm receipt but don’t ask “Did you try it yet?” immediately. We get dozens of packages a day, chances are I didn’t immediately drop everything at 10 am to try your Mezcal (even if my day warranted it).
Your job is to let the item do its job. Silence doesn’t mean disinterest—it often means they’re busy.
Job Leads!
Have a job lead to share? I’m happy to share them, and this newsletter goes out for free daily to over 10,000 media professionals! Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have anything to share.
Foxglove Communications is seeking an earnest and hardworking Account Supervisor or Account Director to join their team in New York. Foxglove is a communications consultancy with expertise in brand strategy, PR, and marketing. Foxglove was founded by Gia Vecchio, a strategist and storyteller with over a decade of experience across hospitality, travel, beverage, and fashion brands that range from savvy startups to global, household names. In this position, you’ll work closely alongside Account Coordinators, Account Executives, Account Supervisors/Directors, and Vice Presidents on a rapidly growing list of acclaimed hospitality clients that span hotels, bars, restaurants, spirits brands, and culinary events across the country. The ideal hire excels at consistently providing thoughtful communication in a fast-paced, autonomous environment. Those who enjoy a small-company feel and who are drawn to a service-based and hospitality-driven culture should apply.
Upcoming travel
I’ll be in Miami for SOBEWFF next month. If you’ll be there too, please let me know so I can say hi!
I’m also going to be in Charleston in early March for their Wine + Food festival. Keep in touch if you’ll be there, too!
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available going into Q1 2026!
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 more than 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
I partnered with Pitchcraft to be able to share a special offer just for my readers: Use code ALY200: new users will get $200 off their first month of the monthly PR Membership or code ALY400: This one offers new users $400 off their first year of the annual PR Membership. This is a great network to join because it’s a community of both PR professionals and journalists working together to find better ways to work together and share opportunities, and you know how much I believe in all of that
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who you’ve seen as the star expert panelist for several of our gift guide pitching workshops!) - she 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.
Grab the Valentine’s Day gift guide pitching webinar best practices webinar — for free!
Now available is our brand-new just released Valentine’s Day gift guide pitching webinar recording — grab that one right here.
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!)
Southern Living: We Asked Southern Chefs For The Best Thing They Ate This Year—Here’s What They Said
Forbes.com: 17 Fiery Drinks And Dishes To Try In Honor Of Hot & Spicy Food Day
Travel & Leisure: Matching Sets Are My Secret to Staying Cozy on Long-haul Flights—Here Are 14 I’m Eyeing for Winter, From $27
Forbes.com: Cocktails And Dishes To Help You Après-Ski In Style
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler of 25 Years, and These Are the 18 Products I Swear By for Personal Safety in 2026
Travel & Leisure: This Gel Seat Cushion Makes Flights More Comfortable
Southern Living: The 3-Second Rule Is The Easiest Packing Method I’ve Ever Tried
Parade.com: How to Use an Air Fryer (Beginner’s Guide) - Parade
Apartment Therapy: My Packing Trick Helps Me Pack Perfectly Every Time
Travel & Leisure: Traveling Alone Can Be Expensive—Here Are 15 Budget-friendly Hacks That Save Me Money
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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.
Yahoo Creators
Rounding up some great wellness-oriented items to give your home a refresh as you enter the new year — this may include items that will help you have a more restful sleep, streamline your kitchen, get you organized, and more. I’m also looking for products/services to give yourself a refresh in 2026. This can be everything from meal kits and subscription boxes to wellness items and so forth.
I’m working on several Valentine’s Day gift guides: I’m looking for gifts for him, wellness gifts, gifts for her, pet gifts, food/spirits gifts, and more. To pitch me for these guides, please be sure to include the following:
Name of item
Links to major retailers where sold (it’s in your best interest to include several retailer link options when pitching, especially major ones like Amazon)
Link to image and any necessary credits
Description why it’s a fit
Item must be currently available and currently in stock. Be sure to start a new email thread and be clear in the subject line what specific gift guide(s) you are pitching. Just replying to this email is a great way to get your pitch buried in a heap - we don’t want that! And, yes, in answer to all the questions in my inbox: These are all earned media, and not sponsored, guides.
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
Forbes
I’m seeking Valentine’s Day themed dishes and drinks.
For all my cocktail/dish pieces, the format for pitching remains:
Name of cocktail
Where served, city, state, URL
LINK to image of the drink and photo credit
description (NOT a recipe) of drink, and quote about drink, with appropriate credit.
Quote about the dish from chef/bartender and please remember to include the name of the person being quoted and their title.
Thanks!
Have a great day, and thanks again for being such an incredible community
<3
aly
emailing you about SOBEWFF -- yay!
✍️✍️