Wednesday: Pitching during holiday season? Here's how to maximize your efforts.
Plus: I'm working on a bunch of timely content. Please pitch me! And if you rep a pedometer - would love to hear from you.
Good morning!
I’ve been trying for a good hour to use the less-than-stellar inflight wifi to send out this newsletter but I’ve refused to give up because there’s so much to cover today.
In news you can use, I was recently interviewed for the Muck Rack blog, and we chatted about some best practices for PR to land all that holiday-related coverage and begin to look ahead toward 2025 media opportunities. We touched on timing, follow ups, targeting, and looking forward/not backward in pitching during this time of year — yup, all the stuff that always comes up in our consulting sessions and AMAs, so you may want to take a minute while refilling your morning coffee and check it out.
I’m on my way back from Vegas (via a rather long, scenic route, but that’s a story for another day!), and we had so much fun. Here’s a reel with some of the many highlights!
Speaking of fun though, in case you missed my note the other day, I’m planning a birthday bash in NYC in a few weeks - and you are ALL INVITED.
I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post that I wanted to take the opportunity celebrate all of you and how valuable you are to me every day - and so, when my friend Juliana and I got together to plan my birthday for this year - we knew we wanted to do it in a way that we could include as much of this community as possible.
The bar is going to have some delicious cocktail specials (including my infamous Dirty Aly martini!), light bites, and entertainment…and the theme is so fun. This space is gorgeous and has a 1920s-inspired ambiance, paying homage to a mysterious female fortune teller and the speakeasy vibes of the era…
That said, it’s in the private event space of a really cute bar in midtown — so we can’t have TOO many people - so we’re going to have to limit it to the first 150 or so people who RSVP.
So, here’s what we’re going to do - we created a Partiful link to RSVP to the party, which will be in Midtown East on Monday, December 16th. If you are in the NY area or will be that night, and want to join us, please use that link to RSVP - and then we’ll drop you a message if you are confirmed. (Location details will be provided upon RSVP confirmation.) We can’t wait to see so many of you there - and absolutely feel free to come dressed in your prohibition-era speakeasy finest.
*Note, I know this doesn’t need to be said, but this is a party and meant to celebrate our friendship and community, not a pitching session.
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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!
Newsweek Readers Choice: Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - more categories coming very soon!
Yahoo Life: 50 best wellness gifts to encourage a healthy lifestyle
Apartment Therapy: 4 Popular Kitchen Trends Contractors Want You to Stop DIYing Immediately
Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders
Forbes.com: The Latest Holiday Dinner Hosting Trend: Outsourcing
Apartment Therapy: The Unexpected Items Pro Travelers Always Pack
Southern Living: Here's Why You Should Always Travel With Duct Tape
Food Network: Where To Buy $400 Rubyglow Pineapple
Apartment Therapy: We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
Plate Magazine: This Colorful Tuna-Watermelon Combo Lightens Up Fall Menus
Her Money: The best time to save on hotel bookings
Parade: How To Use an Air Fryer
Travel & Leisure: This $7 Luggage Accessory Helps Me Feel Safe When Traveling — and I'll Never Have to Replace It
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Martini Lover
Forbes.com: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Starter Kitchen
Forbes: Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Beefy Texas-Inspired Gifts For The Southwestern Carnivore
Food Network: Trader Joe’s Finally Has a White Queso Dip and It Was Well Worth the Wait
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 Life
I’m rounding up the best pedometers for counting your steps. This will include a smartwatch and fitness tracker, but would primarily be basic-style pedometers that you can clip to your waist or wear on a lanyard, etc.. this will be a tested roundup like the stories I did on cooling fans and sleep trackers, so I’ll need to be calling in a bunch to try over the next few weeks…if you have one, please email me with more info now. I’ll be testing each one for factors such as reliable, accurate, and easy to use. I’m also looking for a few personal trainers, physical therapists, cardiologists, public health experts, etc. to comment on this topic (I have questions to ask, please reach out!).
Newsweek Reader’s Choice
As I mentioned, I’m part of the panel of travel journalists who create the lists of nominees for the Newsweek Readers Choice awards - I’ve participated in several categories for this, including Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - the next category I’m working on is best cruise ships for families. My nominations for this contest will be based on these criteria: The cruise ship sails out of a U.S. port, provides plentiful family activities, amenities, and entertainment, has a cruise itinerary includes a number of desirable, scenic locations that feature a variety of excursion opportunities, has dining options feature a wide range of family-friendly choices with dietary needs taken into consideration, and the cruise ship offers clear value with all-inclusive amenities, transparent "extras," etc. - think I should include your client? Email me and tell me more.
Forbes.com
I’m working on a Hanukkah-related gift guide! This is geared toward ways to honor the foodie in your life this Hanukkah. While kosher and kosher-style items are totally great, I’m also open to wider options (though nothing pork or shellfish related for this particular guide!).
I’m seeking any Hanukkah themed cocktails that may exist on menus at restaurant or bars.
Also: Do you know of an airport lounge that has an especially interesting F&B offering/feature? I want to hear about it!
Plate Magazine
I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!
<3
aly