Wednesday: How we in media and PR can help the millions about to face increased food insecurity

PS: Don't miss out: The completely FREE recording of last month's Zoom webinar event covering pitching, trends, and all things holiday gift guide season is now available -- grab the link right here!

Good morning!

Thanks so much to everyone who attended the Pitchcraft panel I participated in yesterday - it was a fun time, and I loved seeing so many familiar faces in the audience!

I wanted to make today’s email a slightly different type of content at a time when what we do and how we proceed can make a really big difference.

If you’re following the news, you know that as of November 1 (which is just a few days away), millions of Americans will lose access to their SNAP benefits, which will decimate their ability to get groceries, put food on the table, and feed them and their families. Meals on Wheels has also just received federal cuts. This is at a time of government shutdown, where federal employees are not receiving paychecks and a time when millions of us are about to pay skyrocketing health insurance premiums.

All, during the holiday season, no less.

In short, times are tough and belts are tight. But this is not a time to throw our hands up in the air, either. As members of the media and PR community there’s things every one of us can do to help in whatever small way we can — and we can help.

1. Remember as publicists you can influence how your brands show up or don’t show up at times like this. For example, Gopuff just announced they are donating up to $10 million in total relief, offering $50 credit for SNAP-eligible items. Everything your brands can do to make things better at a time things getting worse is something that I’d be proud to cover in any way I can.

2. Donating meals and products. OK, I’m about to say something that’s going to make me rather unpopular with some of my friends and colleagues — but you know how this time of year, so many of you are sending out beautiful holiday gifts to writers and editors? I’m talking about flowers, boxes of candy or cookies or coffee mugs with our names on them. I appreciate that, we all appreciate that. Don’t send it this year. I’d be THRILLED to hear instead of sending me holiday flowers, you donated meals or products or partnered with a local food bank, food pantry, soup kitchen, or shelter. (And remember, these organizations often benefit more from cash than groceries as they have the ability to buy in bulk at big discounts, so they can get more for the cash than you could.)

3. Shy away from gluttony and excess. It’s Thanksgiving season, it’s holiday season. We’re all used to a whole lot of excess everywhere. But remember optics and being tone deaf. All over my social media feed, I see unboxing feeds of influencers and writers receiving mass quantities of food products they are unlikely to cover and could never possibly use all on their own — that means it’s a whole lot of excess going to waste at a time when people have nothing. Consider that when sending out mailers and try to streamline a bit. Whatever you’re not sending, maybe you can redirect where it’s more needed.

4. So much of my emails this time of year focus on opulence and luxury, but perhaps make an effort when pitching food writers and food creators to pivot to more budget-friendly meals and ingredients. This is what a lot of our readers are going to want to see, and what we should be feeding them.

5. If your restaurants are doing any sort of program or deal for those facing food insecurity, I want to know about it so I can share that with my readers.

I’ll transition back to pitching and sourcing and published content right now, but first a reminder from my heart to yours: The holidays are a beautiful and exciting time and to be enjoyed, but they are also going be a hard time for a lot of people and get worse before they get better. Lets use our position as media and PR to do what we can to make that time easier in any way we can, wherever we can.

Check out our complete holiday gift guide pitching recording - it’s available right here, right now!

For those who missed out, you can grab the whole recording of our best practices for pitching holiday gift guides this season webinar for free (yes, completely free!) as a benefit for upgraded subscribers - it’s well over an hour of commentary, Q&A, and tons of information you can use this season. Grab the details here.

If you are pitching holiday gift guides this season, you’re competing with thousands of other emails in every journalist’s inbox. Make sure your pitch stands out and gets noticed.

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Book your consulting session!

I still have some space available for November!

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

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!

Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who recently was a star expert panelist for our big holiday gift guide pitching workshop!) - she just 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. This is in-depth training that equips publicists with the exact strategies to:

• Set up affiliate programs for clients

• Pitch commerce editors with confidence

• Deliver measurable ROI through performance-based PR

It’s a must-have for anyone trying to navigate this ever-changing biz!

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!)

• Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler, and I Tell All My Friends to Pack These Anti-theft Essentials—Up to 56% Off at Amazon

• Forbes.com: 15 Plant-Based Dishes So Delicious, Even A Carnivore Would Ask For Seconds

• Southern Living: How To Preheat An Air Fryer

• Southern Living: Banana Peppers Vs. Pepperoncini: What’s The Difference?

• Forbes.com: 13 Cocktails Perfect For Embracing The Spirit Of Halloween

• Forbes.com: 13 Dishes And Drinks That Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device

• Travel & Leisure: This $8 Flight Attendant-loved Hack Helps Me Carry More Bags at the Airport—Without Paying Extra

• Food Network: You Can Pre-Order Your Entire Thanksgiving Feast

• Today.com: Best drugstore wrinkle creams 2025, according to experts

• Today.com: What Are The Best Drugstore Eye Creams? Experts and Editors Reveal Their Favorites

• Southern Living: The Best And Worst Times To Go To The Grocery Store

• Southern Living: How To Cook A Perfect Steak Every Time, According To Southern Chefs.

• Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook

• Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by These Packable Ballet Flats for Comfort, Support, and Long Days on My Feet

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

I’m working on a story on planning a Friendsgiving celebration. Open to organization and event planning expert tips and tricks as well as items that are a must to include (if sold online, please include retail links when pitching!).

I’m working on some holiday gift guides! I’m seeking: Travel-related gifts, gifts for your man, home/kitchen related gifts, food/spirits gifts, tech gear/gadgets, office-related gifts, and beauty/self-care/wellness gifts. I’m also looking specifically for iPhone-related gifts, computer accessory related gifts, and luggage/travel gadget gifts.

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)

• Link to image and any necessary credits

• Description why it’s a fit

Item must be currently available and currently in stock (and if you want any guidance on how to pitch for gift guides more successfully, be sure to check out the webinar recording linked above — it’s free!)

Forbes

Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!

Holiday Gift Guide 2025: The Best Celebrity Spirits To Gift This Holiday: I know, it seems like every celebrity has their own wine or tequila these days but if you’ve tried a few, you know they are very much not created equal. Some are great tho, and it’s usually an example of the celebrity owner putting a lot of work into it, and not just slapping their name on the label. I’m rounding up these as gift ideas. Follow my usual gift guide pitching guidelines, please!

I’m also working on a story on enjoying lower ABV cocktails in December. I know a ton of people (not me, obviously) are doing Sober October, as a way of having a total body reset before the active holiday event season, but another option is to try to moderate a little in December by focusing on lower ABV versions of your favorite drinks, made with low or mid-ABV spirits. So if you work with low-ABV spirits that have low-proof (vs. zero proof) holiday cocktails on the menu at bars/restaurants, please drop me a line! (Same pitching format as usual.)

I’m also looking for Thanksgiving-inspired dishes and drinks available at bars and restaurants. So, not a straight-up plate of turkey and stuffing, but traditional Thanksgiving dishes and sides reimagined in a new way. Same pitching format as always, please!

Finally, I’m seeking fun variations on PIZZA. If you have a really fun pizza, please let me know. Same pitching parameters as always! (FYI: I know that October is National Pizza Month but this story will actually publish in early November and be a bit more evergreen.)

have a great day, and thanks again for being such an incredible community <3

aly