Wednesday: Check out my latest podcast appearance. Also: Sourcing for a SUPER quick-turnaround story, plz send your Super Bowl restaurant deals!
Also: Today's productivity tip + job leads + don't miss my biggest subscription sale EVER. It's a busy day!
Good afternoon!
Today ended up being an unexpectedly exciting day — and it’s not even half over. I just hit a pretty major subscriber milestone on Substack (thanks, friends!), and the podcast appearance I teased this weekend is now out!
Give it a listen, I chat about how I like to be pitched, my evolution into journalism + my travel bucketlist, my new headband collab, and the bar in NYC I’m currently the most excited about.
Scroll down for some urgent turn-around story needs (like ASAP by tomorrow level of urgent), but first I had some fun things to chat about.
Also: I wanted to share this really fun reel to give you a capsule view of the big RPZLxAly party last week - it came out so cute!
In honor of Valentine’s Day being next week (as well as Galentine’s Day, as well!), I’m going to be offering 50% off paid subscriptions for the remainder of the month of February. This is the biggest discount I’ve ever done and is good on either annual or monthly subscriptions — meaning that upgrading and getting the value of AMAs and industry insights emails and all the other subscriber benefits will now cost you roughly as much as a monthly cup of coffee, as my Valentine’s Day gift to you!
So honored to see Muck Rack included me in their 2024 list of top ten most popular freelance journalists. Check out the list here.
Today’s productivity tip
Today, I want to take a minute to discuss my undying love of Google Docs.
(Yes, I’m a total nerd.)
I want to be honest. I was a bit late to the Google Docs party. People were into it for years, and always encouraged me to give it a try. I would always respond, though, I love Microsoft Word. I have always had Word. Why would I use or need anything else if I have that?
And yes, I still do have that and use it nearly every day. But I use Google Docs far more, and here is why:
1 - Much like my eternal love of writing and responding to emails offline while traveling, you can work on a document offline and then share it when you are back on wifi. This is so great for productivity when in an area without wifi available.
2. You don't need to choose Google Docs OR Microsoft. I use Google Docs to edit Microsoft documents all the time.
3. Emailing documents. Email or share a document from within the document, without ever opening your email. They don't even have to be a Google/Gmail user to receive it and work on it!
4. Editing PDFs - I just did this this morning. I was working on an embargo'd story for one of my outlets and the publicist sent me the information I needed as far as retail info in a PDF. I just wanted to grab it to insert in my own draft. In Google Docs, I was able to!
5. Inserting images/maps/graphics - I use this a lot. You can insert a handwritten signature rather than printing out and then signing (which is great if you, say, are me and don't have a printer). You can also insert an image into a story, if perhaps you are writing a how-to or step-by-step recipe, or even insert a map! Also use that drawing function you use on the signature to modify an image, say, if you want to circle or point to a specific aspect.
6. Assign edits! This is great if you are collaborating with a bunch of people but want to tag a specific person in a comment or to insert information.
7. Change history. GOD. We all do this. We are editing documents and make changes we wish we hadn't. Google Docs doesn't just save the current version of what you are working on, but a complete document history that you can go back on. Being able to tap into your revision history at any time can save A WHOLE LOT of drama and panicking.
8. VOICE TYPING. I did an entire post about this once but it bears repeating. For those of us who conduct interviews and spend a lot of time transcribing after, there's an easier way. You can can transcribe any audio files using the voice typing feature. As my prior practice was to play an audio file from my phone or my computer and just pause it every few seconds to type each word, this is an epic time saver. To use it, just go to go to “Tools” and then “Voice typing." Is your microphone enabled? Google will transcribe it all for you. You can even use voice commands for stuff like "period," "question mark" and "em dash."
This is all the tip of the iceberg and there's SO MUCH MORE, from using Google Docs to dig up definitions, adding citations, creating a table of contents, to finding links without leaving the page, to accessing and inserting entire notes files, to even turning any document into a live webpage instantly. But I'll stop for now. We have a lot of work to do today!
Job leads
bread & Butter is hiring for a ton of great positions — Digital Coordinator (SF), Travel Account Director (NYC), Commerce Content Director (NYC), and Account Director (ATX)!
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!
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane
Forbes.com: 25 Creative Pies To Try On National Pizza Day
Forbes.com: 25 Cocktails Perfect For A Super Bowl: Taylor’s Version Viewing Party
Forbes.com: 30 Hot Pink Cocktails For A Fetch ‘Mean Girls’ Viewing Party
RetailMeNot: 5 Superstar Ingredients for Your Meal-Stretching Pantry Starter Pack
Forbes.com: 40 Romantic Cocktails That Will Add A Little Love On Valentine’s Day
Today.com: Say goodbye to wrinkles with these expert-approved drugstore creams — starting at $12
Food Network: Oreo’s New Cookie Will Take You to Outer Space
Clean Plates: The Healthy Trader Joe’s Sauce I Use in *Everything*
RetailMeNot: Affordable Valentine’s Day Gifts That Show Lots of Love on a Budget
Martha Stewart: 8 Storage Mistakes That Are Keeping Your Home From Being Organized
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Most Romantic Kitchen Gifts
Today.com: 27 healthy fast food items at popular US chains, according to dietitians and doctors
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Brussels Sprouts?
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Heart-Shaped Food Gifts
Forbes.com: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Bougie Culinary Gifts
Clean Plates: 7 Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less
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.
Clean Plates
In preparation for the spring holidays, I’m working on a story on how gathering with loved ones is good for our mental health (we all can relate to how big an issue loneliness can be!). For example, the Passover seder tradition — it’s very much about tradition and eating and drinking, but it’s foremost about gathering, and I’d love to speak to some experts about why that’s so important.
The Kitchn
I’m looking for chain restaurants nationwide that are doing deals and discounts this week/weekend in honor of the Super Bowl. Just tell me what the deal is, how to claim it, and any prices/disclaimers/exclusions. (i.e.: Insert chain restaurant here is offering XX wings for TK$ on TK date during these hours with coupon in app/promo code. I assume this will be mostly pizza or wings spots, but i’m open to all sorts of national chains. Deadline EOD TOMORROW.
RetailMeNot
Grocery Saving Tips That Actually Work: I’m working on a detailed guide on ways you can save on groceries. Looking for experts to weigh in with actionable tips, anything from actions to take wherever you shop, to suggestions on particular stores/chains to shop.
Forbes
I’m looking for romantic dishes at restaurants nationwide in honor of Valentine’s Day. Perhaps something special on the menu just for the weekend or the month of February that SCREAMS date night. If you have anything that may be a fit on the menu at your restaurant, please email me by Thursday, Feb 8 and remember to include the name of the restaurant, location, description, quote about the dish from a chef, and an image of the dish. Thanks so much!
Also: is anyone doing any fun ANTI-Valentine’s Day cocktails or dishes at their bar/restaurant? If I have enough of those I’d love to do a roundup!
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’m available for PR team virtual meetings to answer questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective. Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts.
Have a great day!
thank you, Aly! had no idea you can edit PDFs in Google Docs
You had me at Voice typing 😮