Wednesday: Upcoming travel, an important gift this holiday, resources, and what I'm working on (HGGs!)
Good morning!
First, a quick travel update: I’ll be in Memphis the bulk of next week for a work-related visit.
If you happen to be reading this and in the area and want to try to get together for a drink or a hug, please do reach out. I have a few windows in my schedule and I’d love to be able to connect (or reconnect) with friends!
And if you have clients in the area, feel free to reach out as well. My visit is a hotel visit, so that is all covered, but I might be able to check out a few local spots while I’m there as well.
OK, moving on: Today’s business!
I’ve spoken at length about my own experience living in a small space. For Martha Stewart, I wrote a story on 13 Small Space Storage Ideas That Find a Place for Everything. Also new, for Southern Living, I developed a recipe for Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds — this was so fun to play around with and is a delish snack for throwing in a storage bag and carrying with you for a road trip or flight.
There’s a bunch of other new content to check out…scroll down below to check it out! (No rest for the wicked! Which is good because, as addressed, resting is not my strongest suit…)
An important addition to your holiday gift lists…
I know we chat A LOT about holiday gift guides here this time of year - it’s a big part of our job.
But I’d love to expand beyond that for a hot second: The holidays are about giving and helping the people who need our help, and any time we can spend focusing on that and not all the unnecessary noise and chaos around us, is really the most important thing of all.
Some of you may recall that last year, I donated my time to Jewish Family Service Los Angeles by contributing a recipe and some commentary to a cookbook they were creating and releasing just in time for the holidays — that book is now available again in time for this holiday season.
JFSLA is a non-profit social services agency providing essential, life-improving services to the people of Los Angeles, such as domestic violence resources, mental health support, support for basic food needs, and support for the elderly.
They also offer JFSLA Food & Hunger Programs including food pantries and a Senior Nutrition Program, which delivers nutritious hot and frozen kosher meals to homebound seniors and people living with disabilities.
Now, you may wonder what a cookbook has to do with all this. They created the cookbook in order to raise awareness and funds for JFSLA, but also help small businesses and restaurants in the food services industry, who have been going through a lot since the pandemic. 100% of the proceeds for the cookbook will be donated to JFSLA, and earmarked for Food & Hunger Programs specifically.
One humbling aspect of this book (and incredible project) is that it includes recipes from some chefs whose work I hugely admire (check out the list of all the chefs involved here!), such as Adeena Sussman and Michael Solomonov, and I couldn't believe they asked ME to contribute recipes and images and stories alongside huge names like them! Like these are people completely out of my league. I'm not even in the league. I'm not even in the city where the league plays!
If you want to order the Jewish Family Recipes cookbook, you can order here -- I donated my time and content to this project, and will not be making a penny off the book - but I do want to support it in any way I can.
So: If you do buy the cookbook, let me know, and I'll upgrade your subscription to my Substack for three months for free as a personal thank you. And please let me know if you try out any of the recipes in there, mine or anyone else's! I'd love to see what you think!
I'm just looking to help people, and if you help me help people, I'll help you in any way I can -- assuming increased access to my newsletters is helpful for you! (But if there's anything else I can do for you ever, please let me know.)
As for the book, it's pretty exciting because even though i'm the TINIEST part of a bigger movement with far more exciting people -- I've wanted to write a book for ages, whether it be a cookbook or a romance novel, and have always been so intimidated at the process -- and lacked the self-esteem to even approach trying. So, being a small part of something so meaningful -- that also makes me a published cookbook co-author...well, that's an amazing way to kick off the holiday season.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this. It’s been a really rough few weeks — and it looks like it’s not getting better any time soon.
Related: For some resources on how to help support Israel during this terrible time, check out with my recent post. Also: I SUPER encourage you to check out the post my friend Jill Schildhouse wrote yesterday for her Top Tier Consulting Substack about Steps for Handling Media Outreach During a Tragedy (and How to Educate Clients) — it’s super important and timely and can help a whole lot of people I’ve been coming across in my inbox.
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!
PS: I love doing podcasts!
I recently recorded a guest appearance on the True Story public relations podcast with Whitney Lee, and we chatted about everything from pitching to press tours and how to build a more personal connection (more important now than ever).
Another one of my most recent podcast appearances was on the fabulous Becoming You podcast, is now streaming!
Recently, I was also a guest on the Eat.Drink.Social podcast, and we chatted about my upcoming travel, recent press trip experiences, and so much more. Check out my guest appearance a little while ago on Jamie Stone’s A Little Too Much podcast. We had SO much fun discussing everything from the changing landscape of events and trips to our thoughts on some emerging food and cocktail trends.
Some of my latest podcast appearances include Media Circus Podcast with Taiisha Bradley, as well as the Italian Wine Podcast, where we discussed all things Substack, and the Coffee N° 5 podcast, where we chatted about effective strategies for promoting emerging brands to journalists and securing media coverage. Other recent podcast appearances include the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast with the incredible (and super fun!) Lexie Smith, where we covered everything from press dinners and events and trips to, well, sippin’!
I’ve recorded a few others that should be live soon as well and I’m always open to doing more — email me at alywalansky@gmail.com.
Martha Stewart Living: 13 Small Space Storage Ideas That Find a Place for Everything
Southern Living: Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
Southern Living: Can You Eat The Skin Of Delicata Squash?
Food Network: Popeyes Brings a Little Luxury to Its Chicken Sandwich with TRUFF
Forbes.com: 20 Delicious Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating National Pasta Day
Clean Plates: 7 Popular Trader Joe’s Seasonings You Need — And How To Use Them
The Kitchn: Five Below Just Brought Back Its Famous $10 Portable Blender — But It Won’t Be Around for Long
The Kitchn: If You Spot This $2 Limited-Edition Aldi Treat, Grab It
Martha Stewart Living: How to Store Your Clothes If You Don't Have a Closet
YourTango: 12 Dreamy Health Benefits Of Sleeping Naked, According To Research
Food Network: It’s Back! Get Ready to Order Your Popeyes Cajun-Style Turkey
RetailMeNot: Where to Get Free Food Today (and Every Day of the Week)
Travel & Leisure: I'm a Longtime Solo Traveler, and These Are The 12 Best Personal Safety Devices on Sale at Amazon
Travel & Leisure: Travelers Are Using This Flight Attendant-approved Gadget to Get More Space on Planes — and It Only Costs $13
Clean Plates: The Healthiest Costco Frozen Dinners To Buy Right Now
Forbes: Duck Confit And Andouille Sausage Gumbo Is A Must-Try This Holiday Season
Travel & Leisure: The Flight Attendant-approved Hack I Swear by for Getting Through the Airport Stress-free Is Just $10 Right Now
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by This $9 Trick for Keeping My Feet Comfortable While Sightseeing
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35
Clean Plates: People Are Adding Lemon to Coffee to Lose Weight, but Does
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.com
I’m working on THREE holiday gift guides (and I am so happy to say you do NOT need to be on any sort of affiliate network to pitch for these! This will hopefully widen the net and give some smaller brands with creative, unique products a shot to be included!).
The best meaty gifts for the meat lover - So online butcher steak boxes, the wagyu, the porterhouses, the ribeyes. All the beefy gift sets you can order online and have shipped.
The best pink kitchen items for the Barbie lover -- Barbie is still HUGE and anyone who loves Barbie will probably want all the best pink dinnerware/kitchenware/appliances this holiday season.
The best gifts for the sushi lover -- So, fun DIY sushi kits. But also maybe fun mail order sushi grade fish, chopsticks, good wasabi or soy sauce or rice, or even sushi themed socks and stuff like that.
To pitch for any of these, please remember to include ALL the following:
Name of product
link where sold, price
image of product
description
Southern Living
I’m working on two freezer related explainers - Can You Freeze Chicken Salad? and Can You Freeze Cabbage? - and I’d love some chefs and RDs and food safety experts to weigh in.
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...
Looking for 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, 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.
Have a great day!
