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Wednesday: What's one factor that will make me say yes - or no - to your event?

Wednesday: What's one factor that will make me say yes - or no - to your event?

I'll explain.

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Aly Walansky
Jun 11, 2025
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Aly Walansky's Newsletter
Wednesday: What's one factor that will make me say yes - or no - to your event?
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Good morning!

Had the most fun last night enjoying the most unexpected (and welcome!) of pairings.

Trivento hosted a guided wine tasting (they have a White Malbec: the first of its kind!) led by Magdalena Viani, visiting winemaker from Mendoza, that included a sushi-making class!

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I say in this newsletter all the time that the events I’m mostly likely to say yes to are the ones that think out of the box - the unexpected, the interesting, the unique - but are also fun, experiential, and interactive.

NYC is hosting BCB this week, which means that every spirit brand is having a tasting or event or popup or panel or dinner this week and those of us who write this sort of content could easily be going to 12 events a day for the next few days…if our livers were to last that long.

So, how do I choose the events I go to?

There’s a few factors.

The aforementioned fun/different factor is a biggie. Uber vouchers, of course, make a big difference (a deal breaker, often). This event had that too.

But there’s another factor that makes a huge difference when you have hundreds of event invites in your inbox and just so much time in a day…

I’ll share that answer at the bottom of this email after today’s free content!

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Limited-time deal on ad placement!

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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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!)

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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: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12

  • Yahoo Life: Best sleep tracker for 2025, tested and reviewed

  • Forbes.com: 6 Ways To Honor Culinary Wanderlust This Father's Day

  • Forbes.com: How To Plan The Perfect Father’s Day For The Carnivore In Your Life

  • YourTango: Frequent Travelers Are More Likely To Succeed At Work Because They Share These 7 Traits, Experts Say

  • YourTango: 14 Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades That Instantly Transform Your Space, According To Experts

  • Yahoo Life: The best cooling fans of 2025, tested and reviewed

  • Forbes.com: 10 Pride-Inspired Cocktails To Make At Home This June

  • Southern Living: Popeyes' Latest Menu Addition Comes In 3 Bold Flavors

  • Forbes.com: New York City's Best Salads To Enjoy This Summer

  • Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free

  • Travel & Leisure: Travelers Swear by This Personal Safety Device

  • Travel & Leisure: 13 Best Solo Travel Safety Devices on Amazon From $10

  • Forbes.com: The Dirty Martini Has Entered The Breakfast Game

  • Food Network: 11 Restaurant Deals for the Grad in Your Life

  • HerMoney: How To Get Cheap Hotels When You Travel

  • Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and I Swear by These Packable Ballet Flats for Comfort, Support, and Long Days on My Feet

  • Travel & Leisure: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $25 Right Now$150 and Under

  • Apartment Therapy: I Tried the “Weight Rule” for Decluttering, and It Keeps My Small Apartment Clutter-Free

  • Travel & Leisure: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $25 Right Now.

  • HerMoney: How To Save Money On Groceries By Buying In Bulk

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

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.

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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

WRAPPING ALL THESE UP THIS WEEK — National Lobster Day and National Martini Day are fast approaching. I’m also rounding up some creative sushi rolls/presentations/dishes around the US in honor of National Sushi Day. Creative spins on omakase are great too. Have anything fun for me for any of these? Email me with a description, location, chef quote, and an image…please don’t miss ANY of these components to be considered.

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And the answer to the launch question today…what is ONE factor that will move the dial on saying yes or not to an event invite?

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