Wednesday: Here's how your team can score a FREE consulting session + my exciting celeb chef exclusive!
Good morning!
Starting today with a fun LTO (that’d be limited-time-only for those of you who haven’t made your coffee yet!) sweet promo deal.
As you probably already know, I offer consulting sessions over Zoom where I can answer your questions and give feedback on a variety of PR/media and industry topics — and now I’m going to give away a 30-minute session for free, for you or your whole team.
How do you claim it?
Share this newsletter right now — it’s still so surprising to me when publicists email me and have no idea it’s here as a resource to them, to know what I’m working on and how to pitch me, and so much more.
The agency or individual that refers the most new subscriptions by this Friday (that’d be free OR paid!), will score one free 30-minute virtual consulting session that we can schedule for the coming weeks. This is me making an effort to make this effort as helpful to as many people as possible. If you are the winner of this 30-min session, you can use it in any way you want - for yourself, for your team, for your whole agency. It’s your call.
(But you may want to consider going for the paid subscription if you can, there’s tons of additional benefits you get for that — and I have a really big AMA coming up in the coming weeks that you’ll need to be a paid subscriber to attend!)
Some fun new content to share today including — I was so excited to write this exclusive for Forbes, just published a few minutes ago: Iron Chef Morimoto is opening a new restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey, and he told me all about it.
(You may recall I went to his birthday party last month, so we’re kind of besties now.)
Thanks so much to everyone for all the great feedback to last newsletter’s nasty perishable mailer story. It feels so good to take those frustrating moments we all experience and turn them into meaningful discussions that we can all learn from.
Had the best time last night. Brooke (who I have been emailing with in various incarnations for nearly a decade and have never met IRL) and Anna were in town and came to Brooklyn to meet me for dinner. We had such a lovely night and it was great to connect in real time. And yes, beyond being adored PR friends, they are both longtime newsletter subscribers so we totally had a good laugh about the aforementioned perishable mailer story!
Also, nothing says love like coming to visit me in my neighborhood on a hot and steamy night so I don’t have to trek an hour each way to make dinner plans. SO appreciated! (Totally not saying this is NECESSARY, y’all. Just that it’s SO lovely and appreciated when it happens!)
Did I mention I’m now a contributing journalist on the Yahoo Creators platform?
It’s an exciting program where the journalists who are accepted maintain creative and editorial control over their own content, all within and with access to the huge audience and network that Yahoo embodies. It’s an amazing way of telling the stories I really want to tell and writing the content I really want to write, and I’ve been having a blast. I’ve been involved for just a few weeks now but you can already see I’ve been writing a pretty wide range of fun content, from commerce to fun features — check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces!
(You’ll see even after just a few weeks, there’s already a lot!)
Obviously, I still have all my other outlets as well, and none of that is changing (we pray ever!), but at a time where publishing feels pretty tenuous and scary a place, it’s always exciting to have, well, new news that’s positive!
PS: Yahoo Creators has been getting a lot of attention lately - check out this Fast Company piece or this one in Digiday (that our gal — and yesterday’s birthday girl! - Alesandra (Alice) Dubin is quoted in!).
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
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!)
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!
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.
Forbes.com: 10 Variations To Try On National Mac And Cheese Day
Forbes.com: Expert Ideas For Your Summer Picnic Charcuterie Board
Apartment Therapy: I Bring These Brilliant Insect Repellent Wipes Everywhere I Go (They’re Travel-Friendly!)
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
Forbes.com: 13 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Caviar
HerMoney: The Best Timing for Hotel Bookings: How To Save On Your Stay
Apartment Therapy: 10 Things I Got Rid Of After 45
Apartment Therapy: Summer Packing Tips from People Who Travel for a Living
Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe's, According to RDs
Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12
YourTango: Frequent Travelers Are More Likely To Succeed At Work Because They Share These 7 Traits, Experts Say
YourTango: 14 Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades That Instantly Transform Your Space, According To Experts
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
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.
Yahoo
I’m looking for chefs to weigh in on factors that will make them instantly be turned off when they enter a restaurant or fast food spot or even a grocery store. Have something to share? Email me! You obviously don’t have to share which restaurants turned you off, but more, what you saw there that made you not want to eat there.
You may have noticed over the days leading up to Amazon Prime Day, I had been doing a ton of new content on Yahoo across the lifestyles umbrella. Currently working on a story on how to choose a budget-friendly sofa/loveseat for a small space (i.e. a tiny apartment, studio apartment, dorm, etc), as well as suggestions about ones that will do fit the role (good sofa at a good price but also handles the takeaway/delivery, for those of us who live in walk-up situations where there’s just no other way). Pitch me any thoughts as far as products that may be a fit but also expert input on the process!
Also, because we’re in the cycle of never-ending infernal heat waves, I’m doing a roundup of the best deals online on compact air conditioners for small spaces (ideally those that people can have delivered and installed).
I’m working on a roundup of must-have toiletries, beauty, hair, skin, and otherwise to keep as staples in your carryon when you travel. This, too, will have a first person element and there’s some of my faves I travel with non-stop that I’m absolutely including.
Forbes
I’m accepting pitches for fun and unique presentations of CHICKEN WINGS in honor National Chicken Wing Day and BURGERS in honor of National Hamburger Day at restaurants/bars nationwide. To pitch me for any of these, please make sure your pitch includes ALL of the following in this specific below format.
Name of dish
Where found (so: restaurant name, city, state, URL)
Description of dish
Quote about what makes this presentation special (plus name and title of person being quoted)
Image of dish and appropriate photo credits
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aly