Wednesday: The one thing I'm not seeing enough of at events - and everyone needs to start doing ASAP.

Hi, friends!

I wanted to talk to you about something very serious and very important — and very connected to our industry and community and the people in it.

I’m sure everyone heard the story last week about the influencer who died after an allergic reaction she suffered while at a media event.

This woman, who is known by, and a friend to, many in our industry - did something we all do every day. She attended a media event. It was just doing her job.

What happened to Dominique next is something that all those who have food allergies live in fear of - and it was entirely preventable. At the event, she unknowingly ate food that contained an allergen, had a severe reaction, and died soon after.

We all have to do better at food safety and avoiding allergen cross contamination when planning and executing and hosting events. We need to - not just at dinners and on press trips but at these sort of events - communicate with attendees beforehand about food allergens, intolerances, and sensitivities. And then we have to make sure, if food is buffet style or passed apps, that potential allergens are clearly marked, perhaps on a placard on the tray. “This item contains dairy, shellfish, peanuts, etc".”

Far too many people look at food allergies as an inconvenience, when the reality is that lives are at stake — a woman died because she unknowingly ate an allergen at an event. This could happen to any of us at any event any day.

It’s said that this woman communicated her severe allergy to the team before the event, and it’s important that those doing the inviting and the planning do their due diligence to ask attendees about these allergies and also communicate that to event, venue, and food service staff. But it’s also important at events to keep those potential allergens separate and avoid cross contamination.

No one wants to take their lives in their hands just to attend your holiday party. A little bit of forethought and considerate planning will not go a long way — but is essential going forward.

Thanks for attending my soap box - now onto today’s news.

Lots of new content to share today, including for Forbes: 6 Hanukkah Cocktails To Try In Honor Of The Festival Of Lights and 10 Foodie Treats That Present A Delicious Way To Celebrate Hanukkah and for Apartment Therapy: We Asked 7 Chefs for Their Go-To Cleaning Tips for Hosting, and Here’s What They Said.

RELATED - This weekend’s Industry Insights edition covered: Taking some time to update those contact lists (and why it matters).

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.

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!)

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!

• Forbes.com: 10 Foodie Treats That Present A Delicious Way To Celebrate Hanukkah

• Forbes: 6 Hanukkah Cocktails To Try In Honor Of The Festival Of Lights

• Apartment Therapy: We Asked 7 Chefs for Their Go-To Cleaning Tips for Hosting, and Here’s What They Said.

• Saatva: 6 Ways to Sleep Like Royalty

• 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

• Saatva: Are You a Light Sleeper? Here's What to Do About It

• 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.

Apartment Therapy

I Asked TK Organizing Pros to Share Their Biggest Organizing Regrets — Here's What They Said - I’m looking to chat with a few organizing pros about what their biggest organizing regret is. Like something in their household they got rid of, and regret getting rid of — why they got rid of it, and why they regret it. Could be a memento, an important document or photo, whatever. Drop me a note if you have someone who may like to weigh in!

Yahoo Life

I’m rounding up the best pedometers for counting your steps and rounding this story out by EOW. If you have a pedometer/smart watch (anything that tracks steps!) to pitch me, please do ASAP.

Forbes

I’m looking for cocktails that are in the new Pantone color of the year, Mocha Mousse. If you have one at your restaurant, please email me with the name, description, quote about the drink (and who to credit) and an image by Friday.

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