Wednesday: Loved this piece on media trends in 2023 + newly published gift guides
Also: Here's what's cooking + what I'm reading!
Happy Wednesday!
We’ve made it halfway through this rather strange week…
I was excited to wake up to a shipment of sushi grade ahi tuna, and I’m very excited to transform it into poke bowls and sushi in the days to come… (I’m totally a tuna fiend…!)
For anyone reading along with me, I’m about 250 pages into Prince Harry’s “Spare” (and really enjoying my new habit of reading before bed vs. binging TV before bed), and it’s gotten SO juicy. Where is everyone else up to in their reading???
In more on-topic news, really enjoyed this piece by The PR Bar, which references Substack as a go-to PR resource, and references both my Substack and that of Jill Schlidhouse as a perfect example.
There’s no doubt that Substack has absolutely changed the entire way we all do our work in the past few years, and I am so grateful.
As this is an industry commentary newsletter, and that doesn’t just mean what I’m thinking or feeling or reading but what everyone else is feeling and reading as well, what do. YOU think are trends to keep an eye on in 2023? I’d love to hear (er, read?) your thoughts.
In related discussion, today on my LinkedIn, I started a conversation about how to take those connections we make on social media and translate them to real life. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Moving right along, I've had a few more gift guides publish in the last few days -- I think I'm up to somewhere around 5 so far this Valentine's season, with a few more pending. At the rate we're going I'll end up with more romance content than holiday content, which hasn't happened in quite a while...
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!
RetailMeNot: 14 Best Galentine’s Day Gifts for Your BFFs
RetailMeNot: Affordable Valentine’s Day Gifts That Show Lots of Love on a Budget
Food Network: Dolly Parton Is Bringing More Mixes to Her Duncan Hines Southern Baking Line
TODAY.com: 10 drugstore wrinkle creams experts say are worth it — starting at $11
Forbes: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Aphrodisiacs To Gift
Forbes: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Global Specialty Ingredients For The Culinary Traveler
Forbes: It's Time To Plan Our Wine Pairings For Valentine's Day Dinner
YourTango: 7 Sneaky Ways Traveling Actually Makes You Healthier, Says Science
The Kitchn: I Tried the McBaguette Recipe from “Emily in Paris” and It’s the Chic Upgrade to a Cheeseburger That I Can’t Stop Eating
Food Network: Kelly Clarkson and The Jonas Brothers Collaborate On New Salty Snack
HelloGiggles: 9 New Products That Will Help You Be Healthier in 2023
Forbes: 30 Romantic Cocktails To Set The Mood On Valentine’s Day
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.
Forbes
Here’s what I’m currently working on for Valentine’s Day:
The best gifts for a romantic dinner at home
The best luxury seafood boxes
The best interactive gifts for couples who love to cook together
For all of these guides (and honestly, most guides for any outlet, I would prefer all pitches be sent in the following format):
Name of product
link where sold, price
Description of product
LINK to high res image
*please please make sure that an item is not discontinued, and is currently available and in stock to ship and arrive before Valentine’s Day before pitching me. Sound obvious? I got a LOT of holiday pitches that did not fit this qualification!
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!)
Virtual consulting sessions...
Looking for a consult as you plan your next event or trip? Or just want someone to take a look at the pitches you’ve been sending and give some feedback?
I've been popping into a lot of PR team virtual meetings and some other fun stuff (Recently I even joined in on an agency’s team retreat right here in Brooklyn — it was so fun and I made so many new friends!) and making myself available to answer all sorts of questions about pitching, events, and trips from a media perspective. I like to keep these things chill and comfortable and relaxed all by sharing perspective and learning from one another.
If you are interested in setting anything up for your own team in the coming months, please email me and we'll get something on the books! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts. If you are a freelance publicist and want to join in with a few other freelance publicist friends and set something up, we can do that as well!
Listening to Spare on Audible and soaking up every word :) I'm on Part II somewhere, hard to know exactly where though!
You've inspired me! Sometimes I get tired of looking at or writing "words" after a long workday as a publicist so I have gotten in the habit of watching TV before bed. I forgot how fun it is to be wrapped up in a book! XO