Wednesday: What's the easiest way to frustrate a journalist?
But wait, there's more!
Good morning!
All of our jobs are hard, no doubt about it — and it’s important to give each other grace whenever we can.
But what’s the one thing you can do in media outreach that is sure to frustrate a journalist and make them less eager to work with you next time around?
Read more in today’s insights discussion…you’ll find it at the bottom of the email below all the daily agenda!
Lots of newly published content to share!
For Apartment Therapy, I Decluttered These 10 Things After 45 — And Don’t Regret a Single One.
For Forbes: 8 Creative Sushi Presentations To Try This Summer, 9 Special Omakase Experiences To Enjoy In Honor Of National Sushi Day, 13 Summer Martinis To Sip On National Martini Day, 25 Creative Lobster Dishes To Enjoy In Honor Of National Lobster Day, and New York City Celebrity Hotspot Café Maud To Open Upper East Side Location.
For Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe's, According to RDs
Whewwww…
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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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.
Forbes.com: 8 Creative Sushi Presentations To Try This Summer
Apartment Therapy: 10 Things I Got Rid Of After 45
Forbes.com: New York City Celebrity Hotspot Café Maud To Open Upper East Side Location
Forbes.com: 9 Special Omakase Experiences To Enjoy In Honor Of National Sushi Day
Forbes.com: Martini Variations That Are Sure To Hit The Spot This Summer
Forbes.com: 25 Creative Lobster Dishes To Enjoy In Honor Of National Lobster Day
Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe's, According to RDs
Travel & Leisure: 6 Best Business Travel Airplane Outfits, From $12
Yahoo Life: Best sleep tracker for 2025, tested and reviewed
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
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Travel Writer, and This Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Travel & Leisure: 13 Best Solo Travel Safety Devices on Amazon From $10
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
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.
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.
Southern Living
I’m looking for southern chefs (so that’s chefs either currently working in the south or originally from the south) to weigh in on their best tips for preparing a great steak. This could be sourcing, seasoning, preparation, serving, anything at all. Email me if you have anything!
Forbes
I’m working on a fun roundup: Tea Martinis That'll Have You Ditch The Espresso (don’t come at me, espresso martinis are my fave and always will be - but these are delicious too!) - do you have a spot that makes a fun tea-centric martini? Tell me all about it! (same components as below!)
National Fried Chicken Day, National French Fries Day, and National Mac and Cheese Day are all in the coming weeks. I’m accepting pitches for fun and unique presentations of each (so not the basics please!), at restaurants/bars nationwide. To pitch me for any of these, please make sure your pitch includes ALL of the following.
Name of dish
Where found (so: restaurant name, city, state, URL)
Description of dish
Quote about what makes this presentation special (plus name and title of person being quoted)
Image of dish and appropriate photo credits
So, what IS the most frustrating thing you can do when communicating with a journalist?
Read more below!