Wednesday: Some airport productivity tips + a few fun new pieces are now published!

Also: A 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions!

Good morning!

Hello from my second home - otherwise known as the Delta terminal at LGA, where I have my go-to Starbucks airport order (brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, if you’re curious) and I’m awaiting meeting up with a few friends for a mid-week jaunt to Martha’s Vineyard!

Speaking of Starbucks, if you are like me, you can’t survive morning flights without that jolt of caffeine — but for those of us who travel frequently, you may have noticed that one thing that all airports in all cities have in common is the Starbucks line is always impossibly long.

There's a better way!

Next time your in the airport, any airport anywhere, pre-order your drink/breakfast/whatever on the app. You can even do it while in you are exiting that TSA security area. The drink will be made while you are walking to gather it. Then you get to skip ahead of the line and just pick up your order. You're done in 5 minutes instead of 50 minutes.

Caveat: Many larger airports have multiple Starbucks, even within a specific terminal, so make sure you are ordering from the right one, and that that one accepts mobile orders. (Don't worry, the vast majority do!) Then, you are golden.

For the record, this isn’t just a Starbucks thing. It’ll work at ANY restaurant/cafe that has an app with a mobile ordering option that is available at locations that include that airport location. So you can skip that long Shake Shack line as well…

How is this a productivity tip? Why am I chatting about it here in this newsletter? Well, you've just saved an hour. Go use it to make a phone call or send some emails.

Speaking of airport productivity, my friends always laugh that I get to the airport HOURS before my flight. (My flight is 10 am today and I was at the airport at around 7:30.) But there’s a reason that I do this …other than my own anxiety and neuroses.

You may be thinking….why on earth would you do that, AND ON PURPOSE? (Especially as someone who never checks a bag, and has TSA pre check…)

Well, for a few reasons. I actually love the idea of getting to the airport early, settling in, getting my coffee, and then having nothing to stress about as I focus on getting some work done uninterrupted until it’s time to board my flight.

You may not feel the same as me. In fact, you perhaps like to push it until the last possible moment. But chances are, at some point you’ll have a delay or a layover and end up hanging out at the airport on your computer as well. Here’s how to make the most of it:

1 - Get on top of your inbox. The way my morning emails tend to go, I take a quick coffee break and come back to a mailbox implosion. I average 800 emails a day, and hanging around the airport pre-flight is a great time to get a hold on morning emails and also send out my morning newsletter (waves!).

Whatever your day looks like, use that unexpected downtime to get on top of your emails for the day, and remember my tips for working offline while traveling.

If you can prep Google Docs and email apps to have all your email downloaded and pending docs set to work offline mode - you can still get things done even when technology and scheduling is working against you.

2. Make some quick phone calls. Take this opportunity to push back or reschedule anything you have pending that may be impacted by your schedule change if you have them, or to arrange your schedule for when you have your beloved beautiful on-time arrival.

3. Set a timer. This is SO important. Working in airports can feel as a kind of time vacuum. Almost like working in a casino cafe (which, I've done too...)...you don't want to get so in the zone with work that you lose track of time and miss your flight! Pomodoro is great for this. Tell yourself you do 60 min serious work, and then you can go for a little walk.

4. Do a brain dump. I don't know about you but my mind races when things are in any way outside of my comfort zone. Use that race. Jot down new project or story angles, they may be the nuts and bolts of your next great project!

5. Inventory the things you are currently working on.  Do this for whatever you are working on. The most important part of doing what you need to do is to start by figuring out what has been done and what has not!

6. Do the mindless things you’ve been meaning to do. Like deleting all those excess photos from your phone. Do I really need 8 photos of a single dish from last night’s dinner? Probably not.

7. Find yourself some fun airport freebies. Recently, I wrote a story for Her Money about all sorts of free things (and experiences) you can get while at an airport. Getting to the airport early or having layover or a flight delay is the perfect time to do some exploring, walk off those airport snacks, and see what your airport has to offer.

A bunch of newly published content since yesterday, including some fun pieces I am excited to share. For Forbes, I wrote about an exciting new NYC restaurant opening — Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Has Finally Arrived In New York City, and for RetailMeNot, it’s the June installment of my Saving Stars column — I’ll show you how to prep a week’s worth of salads for less than you spend on ONE ordering delivery. Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home

Finally, for Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler

Grab the Dads and Grads Gift Guide Pitching Webinar Recording Now!

Thanks to all who attended our Dads and Grads Gift Guide Pitching Workshop. We had a full house and an hour packed with really great questions and conversation — and now the full recording is available to any subscriber who may have missed it (or wants to go back and give another listen.) You can check out how to grab that recording and what we covered right here.

On occasion, people reach out to me for help with planning press dinners and events - from choosing the perfect location to keeping things fun and interesting to how to get top journalists to want to attend. If you are interested in me doing this for you, email me any time at alywalansky@gmail.com.

This newsletter goes out to well over 8,000 engaged publicists, business owners, and journalists each and every day. If you are looking to sponsor a daily installment of this newsletter or have a dedicated section about your client or product (assuming it’s an organic fit for the interests of my audience!), that is now available. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com to discuss.

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 pitching to followups to events or press trips or 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!

• 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

• Forbes: Father's Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Traditionalist Foodie

• Forbes: 40 Cocktails To Enjoy In Celebration Of National Martini Day

• Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits

• HerMoney: How to get cheap hotel rooms when traveling

• Clean Plates: 7 Grocery Store Shortcuts for Fast, Easy Lunches

• Forbes.com: 20 Delicious Ways To Celebrate National Burger Day

• Forbes.com: The Italian Wedding Cake Martini Is A Dessert Cocktail Perfect For A Celebration

• Southern Living: The 9 Best Brown Sugar Substitutes That Will Be Just As Sweet

• Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Culinary Traveler

• Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Dad Who Wants To Be Bobby Flay

• Forbes.com: Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Gifts For The Sandwich Lover

• RetailMeNot: Father’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Dad

• 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.

Clean Plates

I’m working on a roundup of the best seafood choices at Trader Joe's for when you want to lighten up this summer (or just plan an easy no-fuss seafood or surf and turf night). There’s so many great new items in the seafood category there, and I’d love some RDs and nutritionists to weigh in on their faves as well. Please email me!

RetailMeNot

Budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter: As you all know, I write a lot of content for RMN related to budget shopping and cooking/eating smarter. I’m going to be working on a monthly column on the subject of cooking/eating well on a budget, and I’d love you to pitch me products/ideas to consider for it - maybe a new meal-stretching product that is a good deal at a grocery store, an awesome product to try that may cut my meal prep time in half, other themes as far as saving money on food/cooking/eating and doing it in a way that is smarter.

The next column in this series will focus on bulk buying groceries and household essentials, which is something I personally SUPER believe in. I am constantly buying in bulk to save on per unit cost and benefit from the best deals. I even buy family packs of meat and fish to portion and freeze. I’d love some expert commentary on why bulk buying (rather at the supermarket on sales or at warehouse stores), is a great way to maintain a household meal plan and also live within our food budget.

Saatva

I’m working on a piece on blackout curtains and if they are really worth adding to your bedroom - I’m looking to interview a sleep expert for this one! (Caveat: They can’t work for a competitor's mattress brand.) There’s all sorts of items can get for your bedroom to improve your sleep, and blackout curtains is one of them. But do they really work? I’m looking to explore everything you need to know about the benefits of blackout curtains, how to choose them, and how they work. Please email me if you have someone who can give commentary, I have specific questions to ask for this one!

Forbes.com

I’m rounding up standout/unique/creative dishes for two upcoming food holidays - National Lobster Day and National Sushi Day. Best chance of being included? Please don’t pitch me a generic steamed lobster on a plate or spicy tuna roll. You need to have a dish that is really special and unique in some way as these will get tons of pitches, and this is the best way to beat the heap. The other way to beat the heap? Remember early bird gets the worm, and respond with ALL deliverables I ask for, which includes: Name of restaurant, name of dish, where restaurant is located, description of dish, quote from chef about the dish (WITH THE NAME AND TITLE OF THE PERSON BEING QUOTED…shocking how often this is left out), and an image with appropriate photo credits.

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!

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 (and now in-person!) consulting sessions...

Whether you need 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’m available for PR team virtual meetings to answer questions about pitching, events, followups, mailers and trips from a media perspective.  Note: I’m also available to travel for consulting sessions as long as travel expenses are covered. We can chat! This is available for entire agencies or smaller group lunch and learn type concepts.

<3

aly