Wednesday: It's NYCWFF! Also: The dangers of bait and switch in media/PR relationships.
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!
Happy NYCWFF to all who observe!
I have a busy day away from my desk today that includes, among other things, a lunch, an event, and dinner (sort of the triathlon of an agenda in my world), but it’s all fun stuff with people I adore and I’m honestly so excited.
I have a busy schedule of NYCWFF-related activities over the next few days and the weekend and I hope to run into some of you when I’m out and about…drop me a message if you want to attempt to connect!
For today’s email, I wanted to discuss a topic that comes up fairly often in various respects: The bait and switch.
Now, you know what bait and switch is in our areas of our lives — perhaps a store will advertise a special on an appliance just to get you in the door, only to have that appliance not be available, but then showcase another less desirable or more expensive option instead?
Well, that concept exists in media and PR relations, as well. Albeit, it looks slightly different: In our world, bait and switch would be the deceptive practice of making a claim, a promise, an invite, an offer, or a pitch in an attempt to grab your attention — but it ultimately proves to be misleading or downright a fabrication of the reality.
Now, this can be a thing in various ways on various levels: You may pitch a sensational “reveal” that isn’t actually a reveal at all, misleading pitches or content, calling your client or expert a “celebrity” something or other when no one has heard of them, overstating credentials or relevance to the topic, promising one expert source and then sending commentary from someone else entirely. Or it could be a different sort of bait and switch — maybe you invited way too many people to an event or trip as a ‘spray and pray’ attempt and then when a journalist responds, and possibly even secures coverage or editorial interest, you respond ‘ooops, never mind!”
But sometimes it looks a little different: Just this week, a brand gave me the hard sell to meet their client for lunch, and promised to cover my transportation if I could find a way to make it happen. I did find a way — only to have them then actually only be willing to cover a small portion of my trip and gaslight me about my expectation for the roundtrip to be covered…which had been a component of their invitation, not my request or ask, but a deciding factor in me being able to attend.
Now, let it be noted: If they had said at the out front they could only cover a partial ride or X amount, I’d not have in any way held that against them. Nor would I have held it against them if they had said they couldn’t cover at all. People’s budget and comfort level is their business. It was the misleading promise, and making it central to the initial invitation, that turned out to be a straight-up mistruth I took issue with, and the reason I ultimately had to cancel attending that lunch.
What is the danger of any bait and switch in a media/PR relationship?
Erodes trust: Trust is a big part of any relationship, and if you are not truthful, I cannot trust you. Misleading pitches and claims and invites erodes that trust and damages our relationship. The next time you pitch me or invite me to something, I’m going to have to ask more questions and maybe still not trust the answers.
Deceptive: It’s deceptive to mislead those you are working with in order to get the answers, response, attention, or coverage you seek. Yes, you may get that interest or positive responsive from a journalist, but it’s based on false information.
Lack of transparency: Obviously, if the true intent of the pitch or invite is hidden behind a misleading initial hook, the entire interaction is tarnished.
As journalists, it’s our job to spot and avoid bait and switch tactics, of course. I can’t simply, say, write about how Meghan Markle loves your mascara just because you say she does. And you shouldn’t say she does if it’s not true.
That’s why we always put such credence on verify the source of the information, and why you should always provide backup materials to backup your claims.
The phrase “trust, but verify” is a translation of a Russian proverb, Doveryai, no proveryai. It translates to our world quite beautifully, especially when so many variations on bait and switch are virulent — have an open heart and mind, of course, but always proceed with caution.
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.
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available for October and 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 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
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: 8 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Salmon
Forbes.com: 13 Dishes And Drinks That Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious Dishes To Savor On National Pasta Day
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
Forbes.com: 6 Delicious Ways To Celebrate National Gumbo Day
Food Network: You Can Pre-Order Your Entire Thanksgiving Feast
Clean Plates: The Best Plant-Based Meats for the Grill, According to Vegans
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.
Travel & Leisure: 15 Amazon Business Casual Clothes for Summer Travel.
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.
Southern Living
Sourcing for 2 pieces:
I’d love southern chefs (that are chefs working in the south or from the south) to weigh in on their own favorite Thanksgiving dessert and why - feel free to be nostalgic here and it’s OK to choose something obvious — or send me something left field.
What Thanksgiving dishes are OK to cheat on a bit? I’d love southern chefs to weigh in — what dishes do they ‘cheat’ on or advise we ‘cheat’ on? Are there certain dishes they outsource or take short-cuts on? Advice to us non-chefs on how to do so as well?
Yahoo Creators
You all already know I do a ton of going to restaurants and trying foods and cocktails for various stories for various outlets, but for this specific outlet, I do a lot of “I tried this” type food-delivery type pieces on new menu items, food product releases, and meal prep ideas or family meal type deals. If you have any that you want me to consider, let me know!
Also: I’m beginning to source for a variety of holiday gift guides for this outlet.
While I don’t have specific categories and subtopics completely ironed out yet, I’m currently interested in receiving gift guide pitches in the following categories: Travel-related gifts, gifts for your man, home/kitchen related gifts, tech gear/gadgets, office-related 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!
FYI: Forbes gift guide topics and pitching instructions coming by later this week!
I’m sourcing for Halloween-inspired cocktails. For these, I’m looking for interesting and inventive dishes on menus at restaurants/bars nationwide.
Name of dish/cocktail
Restaurant, city, state, website
Description of dish
Quote from chef about dish/cocktail (plus name and title of person quoted)
Image and photo credit (I prefer links to attachments and remember to follow my instructions on the best way to submit photos and how to label your file names, thanks!)
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.)
Additionally, World Vegan Day is coming up and I’m looking for restaurants/bars around the nation that serve dishes you’d never believe are vegan are are unique and delish. Obviously, not talking about a spinach wrap here. This is stuff that would look like a cheese lovers’ or carnivore’s dream…but just happens to be completely vegan! Same pitching parameters as always, please :)
Finally, it’s National Pizza Month and I’m seeking fun variations on this classic dish. If you have a really fun pizza, please let me know. Same pitching parameters as above!
have a great day <3
aly