Wednesday: Thinking out of the box on PR mailings and deliveries is the best way to cut through the noise and get noticed
PS: Don't miss out: The completely FREE recording of last month's Zoom webinar event covering pitching, trends, and all things holiday gift guide season is now available -- grab the link right here!
Good morning!
I’m back in Brooklyn and my plate runneth over with items on my agenda for today!
Speaking of plate runneth over Popup Bagels just came to my door with their holiday Ocean Spray × PopUp Bagels Cranberry Butter collab drop off (they brought the whole cranberry bog experience right to my door!), and while I’d LOVE to share photos, I was wearing my pjs, no makeup, and my hair was a travesty - but it was a brilliant idea and an adorable way to start the morning.
This was quite literally thinking out of the box!
I love when people get creative with their outreach efforts. We spoke a few months ago about an event that I attended hosted by Chili’s inside an effective igloo that just happened to be on the hottest day of summer. Or bagel breakfast dropoffs such as the one I received this morning from my favorite team, PopUp Bagels.
You’re way more likely to grab media’s attention (and get them to share that experience or product on social media, or have it top of mind as coverage) if you, in fact, do something that grabs that attention at a time when so many people are competing for it.
Fun, interactive mailers, deliveries, or events that include physical elements are great for increasing engagement and sharing, and just keep things so much more fun and interesting.
There’s a lot of static and noise around us, creative ideas such as these are a great way to cut through the noise by creating a memorable experience. Whether it’s interactive, a DIY element, hidden messages, a QR code to access special content, customization or personalization, or a clear call to action, it’s a great way to bring that media interaction to the next level. I’ve seen so many great examples of this over the years and it really does move the needle in the best way.
In the meantime, if you have a topic or question you want me to cover in a future newsletter, drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com.
OK, now on to today’s business! Check out fresh newly published content and also pending assignments I’m working on by scrolling below…
Check out our complete holiday gift guide pitching recording - it’s available right here, right now!
For those who missed out, you can grab the whole recording of our best practices for pitching holiday gift guides this season webinar for free (yes, completely free!) as a benefit for upgraded subscribers - it’s well over an hour of commentary, Q&A, and tons of information you can use this season. Grab the details here.
If you are pitching holiday gift guides this season, you’re competing with thousands of other emails in every journalist’s inbox. Make sure your pitch stands out and gets noticed.
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available for November!
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.
I’m now contributing to the Yahoo Creators platform, 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
Thanks so much to everyone who attended my Pitchcraft panel last week on everything to you need to know about Yahoo creators. We covered a ton of ground and Pitchcraft will actually be sharing a replay — but it’s only available to members.
Luckily, I’m excited to share 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.
Absolutely check it out!
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who recently was a star expert panelist for our big holiday gift guide pitching workshop!) - she just 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. This is in-depth training that equips publicists with the exact strategies to:
Set up affiliate programs for clients
Pitch commerce editors with confidence
Deliver measurable ROI through performance-based PR
It’s a must-have for anyone trying to navigate this ever-changing biz!
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!)
Southern Living: We Asked Southern Chefs Their Favorite Thanksgiving Dessert And The Answer Was Unanimous
Southern Living: 5 Desserts Southern Chefs Are Making This Thanksgiving
Apartment Therapy: My Packing Trick Helps Me Pack Perfectly Every Time
Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I’m Traveling by Plane
Travel & Leisure: Traveling Alone Can Be Expensive—Here Are 15 Budget-friendly Hacks That Save Me Money
Yahoo Creators: The best tech gifts to impress the gadget fan in your life this holiday
Forbes.com: 6 Delightfully Briny Ways To Celebrate National Pickle Day
Travel & Leisure: A Travel Writer’s $8 Amazon Packing Hack for Shoes
Forbes.com: 18 Ways To Savor The Season Via Thanksgiving-Inspired Dishes And Cocktails
Apartment Therapy: What Pro Travelers Never Pack in Their Carry-On Bag
Forbes.com: The Best Celebrity Spirits To Gift This Holiday Season
Yahoo Creators: From packing cubes to toiletry bags, these are the 13 best gifts for travelers this holiday
Yahoo Creators: The 10 best cookbooks to give the aspiring chef in your life as a gift this holiday season.
Yahoo Creators: From gadgets to skincare: The ultimate guide to gifts for the special guy in your life this holiday season
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler, and I Tell All My Friends to Pack These Anti-theft Essentials—Up to 56% Off at Amazon
Forbes.com: 15 Plant-Based Dishes So Delicious, Even A Carnivore Would Ask For Seconds
Forbes.com: 7 Low ABV Cocktails To Enjoy When Trying To Stay Moderate During The Holidays
Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device
Travel & Leisure: This $8 Flight Attendant-loved Hack Helps Me Carry More Bags at the Airport—Without Paying Extra
Food Network: You Can Pre-Order Your Entire Thanksgiving Feast
Today.com: Best drugstore wrinkle creams 2025, according to experts
Today.com: What Are The Best Drugstore Eye Creams? Experts and Editors Reveal Their Favorites
Southern Living: The Best And Worst Times To Go To The Grocery Store
Southern Living: How To Cook A Perfect Steak Every Time, According To Southern Chefs.
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by These Packable Ballet Flats for Comfort, Support, and Long Days on My Feet
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.
Newsweek Readers Choice
As you know, I am on the panel of journalists to come up with the nominations in various categories for Newsweek Readers Choice. Current categories are National Moving Company, Climate-Controlled Storage, Packing Cube, Storage Container Company, and Outdoor Storage. Let me know if you have any fits I should keep in mind!
Meanwhile, recent categories that voting went live on includes All Things Wine, Casinos, and Happy Holidays — so check them out and cast your vote!
Southern Living
Working on two fun new pieces!
1 - We asked southern chefs, what were their favorite dishes they had this year?. I’m basically asking chefs to weigh in on: The Best Thing These Southern Chefs Ate This Year - tell me what it was, and why it was so memorable!
2 - A travel packing hack piece, you know I love those! This is about the 3-second rule -- This is basically self-explanatory, but helps so much not only with packing for trips but even for cleaning out my closet, doing a giveaway bag, spring cleaning and shopping. It’s that you pick up an item and give yourself three seconds to decide if you’ll wear it at all on your trip (or in life). if you hesitate at all, you leave it behind. It’s a great way of streamlining! I’d love some travel experts/organization experts/packing experts/etc to weigh in on this one.
Yahoo Creators
I’m working on a few holiday gift guides!
I’m seeking:
Frilly/girlie gift ideas (think cute, pink, lacey, girlie, frilly, sexy, fun, lingerie, underthings, etc)
Travel-related gifts
gifts for your man
home/kitchen related gifts,
food/spirits gifts,
tech gear/gadgets,
office-related gifts
Hanukkah gifts
Last-minute gifts you can get on Amazon Prime (So this will be an Amazon specific guide and only feature items that people can get a few days before the holiday and still receive in time)
To pitch me for these guides, please be sure to include the following:
Name of item
Links to major retailers where sold (it’s in your best interest to include several retailer link options when pitching, especially major ones like Amazon)
Link to image and any necessary credits
Description why it’s a fit
Item must be currently available and currently in stock. Be sure to start a new email thread and be clear in the subject line what specific gift guide(s) you are pitching. Just replying to this email is a great way to get your pitch buried in a heap - we don’t want that!
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
Forbes
One more gift guide for Forbes! For this one I’m focusing on: Less Well-Known Spirits Are The Gifts Your Drinking Friends Actually Want This Season:
It seems like every spirits gift guide suggests popular well-known choices such as single malt whiskeys and top shelf tequila. But what to get for the friend or relative who likes to experiment a little and try new flavors and experiences that are a little out of the box?
Name of item
Links to major retailers where sold (it’s in your best interest to include several retailer link options when pitching, especially major ones like Amazon)
Link to image and any necessary credits
Description why it’s a fit
I’m also looking for cocktails created in honor of or inspired by the northern lights, as well as Hanukkah-inspired cocktails available at bars/restaurants. Also please pitch me if you have any fun Hanukkah-related dishes, such as, say, a fun and unique spin on latkes.
For all my cocktail pieces, the format for pitching remains:
Name of cocktail
Where served, city, state, URL
LINK to image of the drink and photo credit
description (NOT a recipe) of drink, and quote about drink, with appropriate credit.
thanks!
have a great day, and thanks again for being such an incredible community <3
aly