Wednesday: How to be productive inflight + 5 new pending assignments!
Good morning from JFK!
….where I just spent $12 on a dry bagel and an iced coffee.
I’m headed to LA today, where I’m excited to see some old and new friends (and make up for not having been there in several years!) - but I have lots of work to do on today’s flight…which gave me a topic for something to chat about, as well!
(PS: Be sure to scroll down as I have several newly published stories and a bunch of new assignments, too!)
Today's productivity tip is one that I hope will be useful to many of you -- whether you are reading this as a publicist, a writer, or another related field, you probably sometimes are trying to work while on a plane.
And that means you probably sometimes are ready to tear your hair out over in-flight wifi. I've been there. I'M OFTEN THERE. And over the years, I've discovered a few hacks that help me make inflight wifi work better, or at least get more out of it.
1 - Make sure your photo backups and automatic updates are disabled. They may be running in the background by default, and this can really slow down that already-slow wifi.
2 - Don't even try to download big files. Need to listen to an audio file so you can transcribe it in the air? Download it before you get on the plane.
3 - Disable all browser extensions, pop-ups updates, and background apps. Anything that knows your location (that's even maps and weather) sucks the air out of your bandwidth.
4 - One tab at a time. Yes, I love multitasking too. But the more tabs that are open, the more tabs are trying to load at once. Use a single tab at a time, and remember to close that tab before going to something else.
5 - Try to load the mobile version of a website, even if you are on your computer -- that simply will load faster.
6 - If there is a site you plan to load when you get on the plane -- maybe it's your email, maybe it's a document server or content management system or even a calendar -- open it before you board so that you don't have to first load it from scratch when you are on board.
7 - Work on anything you can work on offline. That is more doable than you may think. I work a lot in Google Docs - you can set those to be edited offline and then share your updates when you are back on wifi. You can also download your email, read it, respond, and send when you are back on wifi. There's a lot you can do without using that data!
All this will help you make the best of the wifi, but also, I encourage you to do your best to situate yourself near a power outlet whenever possible!
When you log into your booking to check in to your flight, that's a great time to check out a map of the plane and try to find a spot for yourself where you are more likely to have power.
With great power comes great responsibility. (Or, rather, with power, you can fulfill your responsibilities!) -- and be sure to have ALL your devices charged (that's your phone, your computer, your tablet), before you even board that plane.
Is there someone you want to gift a subscription?
Times are tough all around - they are tough in PR, they are tough in journalism. We’re all struggling. So, I want to try to make things a little easier on everyone and offer a special limited-time offer. For today only, if you purchase a monthly or an annual subscription upgrade, I’m going to give you the opportunity to then email me at alywalansky@gmail.com and choose ANY person to give a subscription of the same value to absolutely free. So, for example, if Judy buys a new annual subscription, please email me and give me the name of a friend or colleague.
Perhaps it’s a new member of your team? I’ll give that person a comped one year annual subscription. If Shelly buys a monthly subscription, I’ll comp the person of her choice a one month subscription upgrade.
If they are already a free member, they’ll get an upgrade. Call it a scholarship, call it a fellowship - this is a way of trying to add value to everyone - including those who may not have budget to subscribe right now but still want its benefits.
If you buy a group subscription (which is already at a 50% discount currently) - then everyone in the group person gets to choose a person to give this scholarship to!
Hope it’s helpful!
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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: 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
Forbes.com: The Haute Tea Cocktail Honors Pride Month And Pivotal Role Played By Tea
Forbes.com: Prepare For ‘The Bear’ Season 3 By Learning To Make Some Of The Series’ Most Iconic Dishes
Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe’s, According to RDs
Forbes.com: Red Robin's Latest Burger Is Inspired By An Actual Olympic Gold Medal
Southern Living: What Is An English Cucumber?
Forbes.com: Crystal And Beefbar Collaborate On First At-Sea Location Of Global Steakhouse.
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
Clean Plates: 10 Low-Lift, Fast Trader Joe’s Lunches Nutritionists Love
Food Network: Is Panda Express’ New Hot Orange Chicken Really Even That Spicy?
Forbes: Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Has Finally Arrived In New York City
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
Clean Plates: 7 Grocery Store Shortcuts for Fast, Easy Lunches
Southern Living: The 9 Best Brown Sugar Substitutes That Will Be Just As Sweet
Clean Plates, 11 Mediterranean Diet Foods You Can Get at Trader Joe’s
RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible
RetailMeNot: How to Save on Food Delivery Apps: 10 Tips That Actually Work
RetailMeNot: How Growing My Own Herbs At Home Has Helped Me Keep Meals Creative Without Busting My Budget
Clean Plates: How to Clean and Organize Your Fridge for Spring
RetailMeNot: Savings Star Origin Story: How I Learned to Eat Well (In NY!) On a Shoestring Budget
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 writing a story about a TikTok Packing Spreadsheet That Went Viral -- I want to chat with a travel expert a bit about the technique and why it's beneficial.
How to store bell peppers: I’d love to chat with a chef or food safety expert, ideally southern, please - I have a list of questions to ask, so please email me if interested but please wait on sending commentary until you hear back from me.
How to clean grapes: Seeking same as above (but for grapes! haha!)
How long does cut cantaloupe last? - Ditto!
Apartment Therapy
I’m working on a story - The One Item Pro Travelers Would Never Pack in Their Carry-on Again - for this story, I’m looking to chat with professional travelers (so, travel writers, but also travel agents or flight attendants) about the one item they've packed in their carry-on that they never would again. Maybe it's shoes they'll never wear, or a super heavy coat, or too many skincare products? But who knows! Please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you have someone game to weigh in. (Wrapping this one up this Wednesday, June 26!)
RetailMeNot
I’m working on a huge guide to the best student discounts of 2024. This is actually an update of this story from last year. For this article, I’ll be fact-checking the discounts included already, and keeping any/all as they are, if they are still correct - so if you represent someone included last year, it’d be a huge help if you can email me with any changes/updates to that deal. the same. As I’ll be removing many that are no longer active, and want to keep the list length about the same, I’ll also be adding a bunch more, so please feel free to pitch deals that are not on this list and include the elements that the current items do (just take a gander at the link above for format!) - so far as what chain it is, what the deal is, how to claim it, any disclaimers, etc. As you can see from last year, open to deals across the gamut, from travel to tech to clothes and restaurants.
Forbes.com
National Caviar Day is a few weeks away, and I’m starting to round up some fun dishes AND cocktails involving caviar! This is going to be more fun than in years past because caviar is just seen in SO MANY unexpected places these days. If you have a drink or dish involving caviar (must exist on a bar or restaurant menu), please send me name of dish, where it can be found, description, and a quote about the dish with name of person being quoted (and a photo, also with appropriate credits).
National Fried Chicken Day is almost here, and I’m working on a roundup of really creative or special or interesting fried chicken dishes. Same parameters as above!
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<3
aly