Wednesday: Happy birthday, Lily! Plus: Everything I'm working on today.
Also: Final days to pitch me your cooling fans or sleep trackers! More info within.
Good morning!
First and foremost, a very happy 18th birthday to my baby Lily!
It’s ALSO National Tequila Day - and I wish Lily was allowed to have that, because it seems a rather perfect way to celebrate this milestone. (But do not worry about her, she has a special burger lunch in store for her today…!)
I have a busy day in store, with a lunch and learn consulting session I’m hosting today and a dinner party I’m super excited about tonight — so lets get right to it…
Upcoming travel news!
I’m going to be in San Francisco for a few days in mid-August. It’s work-related, but I should have a small window of free time one of the days - so keep in touch if you are in the area!
The steepest discount I’ve ever offered on consulting sessions
In exciting news, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m currently offering 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions. Times are really tough and I am hoping to make these insights as accessible as possible to any of you who are interested. If you want to schedule a session for yourself or your team, to discuss anything from planning an event, media dinner, or press trip to mailers, pitching best practices, followups to…well… anything else…drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com and lets chat!
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: You Don't Want to Step Foot in a Waterpark Without These 18 Essentials From Just $9
Food Network: You Can Now Get IHOP’s Famous Syrups by the Bottle
Forbes: 20 Cocktails That Will Win At Any Olympics Games Viewing Party
Forbes: 30 Drinks And Dishes To Enjoy On National Tequila Day
Yahoo Life: What is a siesta? The history of the afternoon nap and its benefits
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On and Here’s What They Said
Plate: Vinyl Record Bars Are Taking Over and We’re Not Mad About It.
Southern Living: This Free Packing Spreadsheet Is Going Viral — Here's Why
Southern Living: Can You Freeze Sour Cream?
RetailMeNot: 55+ College Student Discounts
RetailMeNot: How Bulk Buying Helps Me Maintain My Household Grocery Budget – and Stay Well-Stocked
Travel & Leisure: This Genius Gadget Is the Travel Accessory Everyone's Wearing to Stay Cool in the Heat — and It's 20% Off
Clean Plates: 7 Cookout Faves from Trader Joe’s That Dietitians Love
Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe’s, According to RDs
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 6 Travel Writers for Their Best Packing Hacks, and Their Tips Are Ingenious.
Travel & Leisure: I Always Wear These Comfy, Wide-leg Amazon Pants on Flights — Plus, 13 More Pairs I'm Eyeing From $12
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35
Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack
RetailMeNot: Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home
Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler
Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits
RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible
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.
Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards
I’m participating once again in the panel of experts for the Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards (you may recall I recently participated in nominations in the best gourmet subscription box category and best outdoor grill. As part of this program, I’m part of panel of travel/food experts who helped to create nominee lists for the Readers Choice Awards in a variety of categories, and my next categories will be best mattresses and best apres ski spots. If you have any you think should be on my radar, drop me a line!
Forbes
I’m finishing up a roundup for National Oyster Day. Let me know if you have a dish/cocktail that may be a fit. These must exist on a menu at a bar or restaurant, even if only for a limited-time special. Please send - name of dish, description (No recipe is necessary!), quote about the dish + person being quoted, and a high res image of the dish - this is being wrapped up this Friday am!
Looking forward, National Potato Day is coming up in a few weeks and I’ll be rounding up fun dishes for that (and please don’t pitch me a basic plate of fries…it has to be something really unique or interesting or special!))
Yahoo! Health
I’m working on two roundups and I have very specific sourcing needs for each one.
Best cooling fans of 2024: For this, I’m looking to find the best cooling fans for sleeping —I’m looking for a variety of different types and styles of fans that could accommodate different needs. I’d love to speak to a few sleep experts (coaches, researchers/scientists, MDs specializing in sleep) to discuss why/how a cooling fan might be able to help with sleep. Also: I’m sourcing cooling fans to test. I’m looking ultimately for about 10 categories of cooling fans, such as bladeless, bedside, portable, budget, tower, floor fan, pedestal, oscillating, best for large spaces, best smart fan, most versatile, 2-in-1 (for instance, fan/air conditioner, fan/alarm clock or fan/air purifier, etc.)
Best sleep trackers: I’m rounding of the best sleep trackers of 2024. First, I’m looking to interview sleep experts (scientists/researchers, MDs specializing in sleep, etc.) to discuss the use of sleep trackers, how they do/don't help, how to know if your tracker is accurate, etc., and then test in various categories such as sleep tracking ring, wristband, 2-in-1 fitness and sleep tracker, mattress sensor, contactless, app - i’m looking for most accurate, most comfortable, best value, best for tracking sleep stages, best for sleep coaching, and best for babies (this is a slightly different category, so for this one, when pitching, keep in mind that sleep tracking devices for babies have a different reason/purpose, and the insights are important for parents' use/information/may be helpful to provide to pediatricians.)
RetailMeNot
This month, I’m working on a story regarding how to stock up on spices and save at Costco, as well as some general tips on how to stock up on spices and streamline your spice cabinet and spend less but have more, make your own blends, and so fort. I’ll have updated details as far as what exactly I need very soon, but will be open to both expert sources and products to link to for this one.
Saatva
How to Prevent Bug Bites at Night (and How to Sleep With Itchy Bug Bites) - For Saatva, I’m doing a story on everyone’s least favorite season - bug bite season. Whether you're camping and sleeping in the great outdoors or a mosquito makes its way indoors through an open bedroom window, getting bitten while you sleep is a seriously annoying issue, and the itch can keep you awake at night. In this story, I’m looking to explore how to prevent bug bites at night and how to sleep with itchy bug bites. I’m looking for expert commentary as far as how to prevent being bitten at night by mosquitos and other pests. Is there anything you can do to keep them out of your bedroom? Anything you should wear to cover up if you're camping? Also, a few strategies for easing the itch while you sleep if you do end up being bitten (would LOVE a derm to weigh in on this!). — FYI: I realize that generally stories about getting bit at night tend to be about bed bugs, but this is not a bed bug story, as we’ve already done that - but specifically mosquitos and such that come through window screens and AC vents or are out and about while out at night. Open to product pitches as well!
I’m also working on a piece on sleep hygiene - so I’m sourcing ways to improve sleep hygiene (please back up any commentary with links to research/stats/studies). This could be along the lines of how to optimize your bedroom for sleep - but also sleep hygiene the same for everyone? And also sleep hygiene and insomnia — insomnia is a common problem and may require some additional sleep hygiene changes. Would be interested in input!
Plate Magazine
I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!
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<3
aly
Happy 18th to Lily!!
Happy Birthday Lily!! xoxo