Wednesday: The Fog
PS: Don't scroll and miss a few important admin notes and sourcing requests!
Good morning!
It’s been dreary and rainy in NYC all week.
Not dramatic thunderstorm weather (well except for that one night, and then that other night), but for the most part, just that persistent kind of foggy, drizzly, low-cloud gloom that makes 2 p.m. feel like 7 p.m.
For me, that’s the kind of weather that makes you want to stay in bed, order takeout, and postpone every decision until the sun comes back. Unfortunately, my agenda has not allowed for even an afternoon of that this week!
This morning, I sat down to write today’s newsletter and realized I didn’t have any meaningful ideas. Or, rather, any ideas. I have no great observations for you today, or a funny but ridiculous pitching story or weird behavior I saw someone exhibit that made me question reality.
What I really have today is exhaustion and fog, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that’s actually a pretty good metaphor for our industry in itself. Because despite what social media and LinkedIn would have us believe, most of us spend surprisingly little time operating with complete clarity.
Most of us have no choice but to be making decisions in the fog, we send the pitch before we know if anyone wants it. We apply for the opportunity before we know if we’re qualified. We start the project before we know exactly how it will turn out. We invest in relationships before we know where they’re going. We keep showing up before we know whether the effort is paying off.
There’s a tendency to believe that successful people have some special confidence that the rest of us don’t, that they can somehow see farther down the road. In my experience, that’s usually not true. The people who succeed aren’t necessarily the ones with the clearest view. They’re the ones willing to keep moving when they can only see a few feet ahead.
As a freelancer, there have been countless times when I didn’t know where next month’s or next week’s assignments would come from. As a writer, there have been stories I was sure would be huge that went nowhere. There have been pitches I almost didn’t send that turned into incredible opportunities. There have been opportunities I thought would change everything that just disappeared.
Fog has a way of humbling your predictions. The truth is, you don’t need to see the entire bridge. You only need to see enough to take the next step, and the one after that. Eventually, the weather changes, the sun comes out, the email arrives, the opportunity appears. The answer you’ve been waiting on becomes clear.
So if this week feels a little foggy—professionally, personally, creatively—consider this your reminder that uncertainty isn’t a sign you’re lost, or alone.
P.S. New Yorkers know this better than anyone. If we waited for perfect weather before leaving the apartment, nothing would ever get done.
Now for today’s admin note: I just wanted to share a few updates for Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards. For those of us who can’t live without coffee, all the coffee award category nominations (best cold brew, best subscription service, best coffee maker, best brand, best coffee chain, etc) launched last week. Please check if you or your client made it in, and please vote! A reminder that voting is still active for airport travel/lounge categories, too.
And, a few stories I’m sourcing for this week that are wrapping up in the coming days - be sure to get those pitches to me as soon as you can.
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available the remainder of 2026!
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.
Be sure to follow me on the Yahoo Creators platform. I’m 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
It's June now and we're in the last weeks of dad/grad gift guide season, but holiday season is going to be here very soon. Now is when it's most crucial to hone our pitching skills and put our best effort forward. The Recipe for Press Media Directory is a one-stop resource for everything you need to do just that. It's an essential and affordable database aimed toward top editors, digital editors and freelance writers in home, food, fashion, travel, business and lifestyle. Founded by former editor and author Amy Flurry in 2014, the directory features emails, titles, active social media addresses, and a notes section with submission guidelines. It's created for people in the trenches by someone who knows how editors want to be pitched. This is why leading publicists, editors, and entrepreneurs across the country, including me, widely use and recommend it! Annual subscription price is $195.
I partnered with Pitchcraft to be able to share a special offer just for my readers: Use code ALY200: new users will get $200 off their first month of the monthly PR Membership or code ALY400: This one offers new users $400 off their first year of the annual PR Membership. This is a great network to join because it’s a community of both PR professionals and journalists working together to find better ways to work together and share opportunities, and you know how much I believe in all of that
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who you’ve seen as the star expert panelist for several of our gift guide pitching workshops!) - she 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.
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!)
Forbes.com: Music Will Be On The Menu At This Song-Centric Cocktail Lounge At Sea
Food Network: 25 Little Treats You Can Score for Free on Your Birthday
Yahoo: 13 Trader Joe’s Dairy-Free Items That Actually Taste Good
Travel & Leisure: I Travel for Work, and These Are the 5 Genius Hacks That Save Me From Luggage Messes and Spills—From $4
Travel & Leisure: I’ve Been Solo Traveling for 25 Years—12 Mistakes That Cause the Biggest Headaches, and How to Prevent Them
Forbes.com: 20 Great Variations On The Classic Martini
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious Ways To Enjoy Sushi This Summer
Southern Living: I Tried Trader Joe’s New Marinated Mozzarella Balls—Now I’m Using Them In Nearly Every Meal
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And This Cruise Hack Gets Me An Empty Pool, No Buffet Lines, And A Better Vacation
Southern Living: I’ve Tried Every Way To Bake A Potato—This 1 Wins Every Time
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They’ve Upgraded Their Seat—and It’s Only $35
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Frequent Solo Traveler, and This Genius Safety Device Gives Me Peace of Mind in Every Airbnb
Food Network: 20 Restaurant Deals To Snag for Memorial Day
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And My Friends And I Are Obsessed With This App For Tracking Each Other’s Flights
Travel & Leisure: I Fly Around the Country for Work, and This Roomy Tote Is My No. 1 Airport Essential for Looking Put Together.
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler of 25 Years, and These Are the 18 Products I Swear By for Personal Safety in 2026
Travel & Leisure: Traveling Alone Can Be Expensive—Here Are 15 Budget-friendly Hacks That Save Me Money
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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.
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
Southern Living
I’m working on a story on Mistakes Diners Make That Frustrate Restaurant Servers. I’d love some commentary from servers about things that people do that aren't helpful or slow down service or just plain get in the way.
I’d also love some commentary from southern chefs the one product they never leave Trader Joe’s without -- I’m adding the answers to my shopping list!
Newsweek Readers’ Choice
I just wanted to share a few updates for Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards. For those of us who can’t live without coffee, all the coffee award category nominations (best cold brew, best subscription service, best coffee maker, best brand, best coffee chain, etc) launched last week. Please check if you or your client made it in, and please vote! A reminder that voting is still active for airport travel/lounge categories, too.
Yahoo Creators
Starting to work on Amazon Prime Day-specific gift guides (Gifts and shopping you can do specifically tied to Amazon Prime Day sales and deals) - email me if you have anything great to share!
I’m also looking to round up gifts for Knicks fans who are all about the Knicks commemorative memorabilia. If you have anything you think may work, please pitch me!
Forbes.com
It’s almost National Caviar Day and I’m looking for creative, interesting, delicious dishes or cocktails involving caviar.
To pitch, please include:
Name of drink/dish
description
quote from chef/bartender about dish (and name and title of person being quoted)
and LINK to image, with an identifying file name, and any appropriate photo credits included
(I know I give these guidelines over and over, but every day I get dozens of pitches that disregard them, so it bears repeating! <3)!
Also, sourcing for great dishes available nationwide featuring catfish (same parameters), and great fried chicken dishes (these must be unique or creative or elevated in some way), as well as food/drink dishes for America’s 250th birthday/July 4.
Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com asap please! All the same parameters will apply when emailing.
Thanks!
The fog is real this week! Thankfully, the sun came out today :)