Wednesday: Timing is everything in deliveries -- as is communication.

Also: Did you catch my WILD deal on how you can score a *completely free* consulting session?

Good morning!

First of all, I wanted to say thank you so much for the incredibly thoughtful responses to my most recent newsletter. It was just the virtual hug my soul needed!

Today, I wanted to chat a bit about timing. When I know I’ll be out of town, I try to head off potential delivery issues by scheduling items to arrive upon my return. In this case, due to the season, this involved three separate perishable deliveries that were set to arrive Monday/Tuesday of this week.

Spoiler alert: None arrived. I followed up on all three. All were ultimately changed or rescheduled in some way - to arrive later this week, next MONTH, or at a time undetermined - and in all three cases, no one was going to tell me until I followed up and enquired where these items are. And as these are perishable items, communication in these matters really matters. As does timing. If I’m working on a story related to a product today - getting it next week or next month doesn’t help me at all.

Timing, and communication about timing, is incredibly important — imagine a comedian or a musician with poor timing.

Or, hell, a pastry chef.

Or a poet.

But when we talk about timing in media and PR relationships and interactions, it comes up a lot.

Just think of a few examples:

1. I’m always asked what the best time of day (or time of week) is to send pitches or followups. (Want the answer to that? More on that here.)

2. DEADLINES: This is the biggie that we’re going to get into time and again. Remember to consider a journalist’s deadline and send any deliverables - so far as high res images or commentary being quoted or background information before it. If you miss our deadline - or ghost us entirely - we can miss our deadline. And that can easily impact our livelihood as freelancers.

3. Holidays: We are running into this a lot right now because I’m getting a lot of trip and event invites that overlap with the holidays in the coming weeks, and it’s some stuff I’m really sad to miss. Take a moment to Google important religious or cultural events before scheduling events that will ultimately exclude some people that would have otherwise loved to have attended and covered. Again, timing.

Related: The Importance Of Inclusive Scheduling When Planning Events

4. Mailers and samples: If you are sending a mailer as part of pitching, remember that timing does matter. If I’m working on a story this week, sending that sample for it in a month isn’t going to help either one of us — that story is long written and filed. And if you are sending a perishable mailer of a product that may or may not be tied to a story, it can’t just arrive any old day…people need to know when it’s coming so they know if they will be home to receive. Most of us don’t have doormen and many of us live alone and don’t have a person who can accept for us if we’re not around…

5. Regarding trips/events…if I’m going to your event or press dinner tonight, it’s stressful to be waiting on that promised Uber voucher or other event specifics an hour or two before. It’s also stressful if you are hosting a press trip in two days and haven’t sent an itinerary or maybe even flights yet. Considering timing and how it impacts everyone involved, always.

There’s SO MANY more instances of how timing impacts all of our relationships…but that’s a good start for a Monday morning…and something to keep in mind as you go about your day.

Related: Industry Insights: Here's Why You Were Not Included In That Story (And How To Up Your Odds)

Remember, timing is everything, and it can make the difference between an amazing relationship with media or a difficult one — and help you get included in a lot more stories!

Job leads

My dear friends at KLG PR are hiring a NYC-based account manager - def apply for this one, they are such fab people to hang with!

Limited-time deals on consulting sessions and ad placement!

Reminder: I’m offering a limited-time special consulting session discount for paid subscribers: If you are a paid subscriber, you can for a limited time, get 25% off a virtual consulting session (where we can have your own private or agency-wide AMA session on anything you want to chat about!) — I have some slots open in the next few weeks, so if you or your agency is interested in booking one, email me today and we’ll chat details.

Flash sale: If you book a group subscription for your agency, you may be eligible for a FREE consulting session for your team (if you buy 12 or more seats as part of your annual group subscription). Email me so we can discuss!

I’m also 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 nearly 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!

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Thank you for helping get the word out!

We had an amazing turnout at our recent Mother’s Day gift guide pitching workshop — and there’s a full recording available for paid subscribers. If you are interested in me sending you the video link, drop me an email. Thanks so much for your support and happy gift guide pitching!

Related: We loved how many of attended you took the time to attend our webinar event last month, covering the upcoming ShareASale to Awin migration. We covered an overview of the migration process and timeline, pricing of networks, and choosing a network for your specific client needs. If you missed it, we do have a recording available for paid subscribers. Email if interested and I’ll share how to grab that recording as well!

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.

• Travel & Leisure: I Found the Perfect Walking Shoes to Prevent Sore Feet During Travel — Score Styles on Sale Up to 62% Off

• Taste of Home: Yes, Costco Chicken Nuggets Taste Exactly Like Chick-fil-A's

• Saatva: The Benefits of NASA Naps

• Forbes: Bobby’s Burgers By Bobby Flay Is Now Presenting Classic Buffalo Flavors In Unexpected Way.

• Today.com: Do drugstore wrinkle creams really work? Experts weigh in

• Food Network: Popeyes Is Bringing Its Most Popular Sauces to Grocery Aisles.

• Southern Living: KFC Is Bringing Back Their Most-Requested Side—But For 2 Weeks Only

• Travel & Leisure: In-flight Theft Is Unfortunately a Thing, but These 12 Items Give Me Peace of Mind When I'm Traveling by Plane

• Apartment Therapy: I Asked Pro Travelers to Share Their Packing Tips for Spring Break

• Southern Living: What Exactly Is "Check-In Chicken" And Will It Actually Help You Get A Better Seat On A Flight?

• Forbes: Molly Yeh’s Collaboration With Popular New York City Bakery Involves A Heavy Dose Of Nostalgia.

• Food Network: Starbucks’ New Spring 2025 Drink Features Cherry on Top

• Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $30.

• Forbes.com: Exotic Meats Are On The Menu At Indian Speakeasy In New York City

• RetailMeNot: How to Save Money on Groceries in 2025: 10 Tips That Actually Work

• Southern Living: The Unexpected Reason I Always Travel With Duct Tape—And You Should Too

• Apartment Therapy: We Asked Experts for the Best Way to Store Sex Toys — Here’s What They Said

• Saatva: Daylight Saving Time and Sleep: 5 Ways to Sleep Better When the Clocks Change

• Apartment Therapy: I Tried the 30/30 Rule, and I Discovered Something Unexpected

• Travel & Leisure: A Travel Writer's $10 Amazon Packing Hack for Shoes

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device

• Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders

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.

Forbes

I’m rounding up Kosher for Passover treats/snacks/beverages (must be certified as SPECIFICALLY kosher for passover and not just regular kosher - a reminder that these are completely unique certifications and this differentiation is crucial for anyone observing the holiday. Please email me if you have anything!)

I’m also looking for Passover or Easter themed cocktails that are on the menu or will be over the holiday in either restaurants are bars. If you have anything, please send me all the following info:

• Name of drink/where it’s found, city, state, URL

• description

• quote from chef/bartender

• image (and who to credit)

I’m also looking for sustainable cocktails at bars and restaurants for Earth Month. These are cocktails that minimize their impact on the environment in some way — perhaps using local and seasonal ingredients, ugly produce, root to tip, waste reduction, sustainable alcohol, sustainable bartending techniques or such. Please email me if you have anything!

Newsweek Readers Choice

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I am part of the panel of travel & food journalists who come up with the nominees for the Newsweek Reader’s Choice awards in a number of categories. In the past, that has included Best Full-Service Airport Restaurants, Best Carry-On Bags, Best Cruise Ship for Families 2025, 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. I have a few new categories I’m working on this week, including Best Outdoor Speaker and Best Outdoor Grill. Be sure to let me know if you think there’s anything I should consider (for these pending categories only).

<3

aly