Wednesday: Why, no, you shouldn't be picking up the phone to call journalists + newly published stories!

Good morning!

First, a FYI: I’ll be on a work trip to the Jersey Shore next week and should have limited free time for drinks/coffee if anyone is in the area and wants to try to connect.

Drop me a line!

Trust everyone is doing well in this heat wave hitting much of the country. I’ve mastered the art of well positioning fans around me at all times so for all Zoom meetings, I look like I’m in something of a wind tunnel — but it keeps the air flowing!

Newly published or updated content this week includes for Forbes.com: 50 Creative Ways To Celebrate National Caviar Day and for RetailMeNot: 55+ College Student Discounts, as well as for Travel & Leisure: I'm Stocking Up on Comfy Travel Pants Thanks to These Sweet Fourth of July Deals on Amazon and for Today.com: Do drugstore wrinkle creams really work? Experts weigh in. Also for RetailMeNot: How Bulk Buying Helps Me Maintain My Household Grocery Budget – and Stay Well-Stocked and for Travel & Leisure: This Genius Gadget Is the Travel Accessory Everyone's Wearing to Stay Cool in the Heat — and It's 20% Off.

I wanted to touch base on a topic that was getting a lot of attention on social media yesterday - a debate about whether in 2024, publicists picking up the phone and calling up journalists to pitch/followup is a good thing or not.

This is something that comes up a lot in my own consulting sessions and my stance on it is — no. Only call if you have mutually agreed to schedule a phone call. Otherwise, sticking to email is always best when pitching, following up, or simply reaching out to make a connection. I wrote a little here about respecting boundaries in our relationships, and that’s totally a factor but it’s also in your best interests to keep pitching to the inbox. When I get a new assignment - whether it’s tomorrow or next week - I search my inbox for those phrases, be it “pink martini glasses” or “tequila cocktails.” - if you are in my DMs or text messages or voice mails, that simply won’t come up in the search.

Also, it’s key to remember: Everyone is busy. You are busy. I’m busy. We’re all busy. And studies have shown if you are interrupted while doing important work (i.e. maybe trying to meet a fast-turnaround deadline) - it can take a long time to get back into the productivity groove again. Interruptions are unavoidable, we’re constantly getting them - our inbox, our social media. But your phone call shouldn’t be that interruption because 1 - it harms both your productivity and 2 - it sets everything off on the wrong path because you are contacting the journalist when they are not open and receptive to hearing about your client.

Stick to email.

This newsletter goes out to well over 8,000 engaged publicists, business owners, and journalists each and every day. If you are looking to sponsor a daily installment of this newsletter or have a dedicated section about your client or product (assuming it’s an organic fit for the interests of my audience!), that is now available. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com to discuss.

The steepest discount I’ve ever offered on consulting sessions

In exciting news, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m currently offering 20% discounts on my virtual consulting/lunch & learn sessions. Times are really tough and I am hoping to make these insights as accessible as possible to any of you who are interested. If you want to schedule a session for yourself or your team, to discuss anything from planning an event, media dinner, or press trip to mailers, pitching best practices, followups to…well… anything else…drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com and lets chat!

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!

• Forbes.com: 50 Creative Ways To Celebrate National Caviar Day

• RetailMeNot: 55+ College Student Discounts

• Forbes.com: 15 Delicious Dishes To Enjoy On National Fried Chicken Day

• Travel & Leisure: I'm Stocking Up on Comfy Travel Pants Thanks to These Sweet Fourth of July Deals on Amazon

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

• RetailMeNot: How Bulk Buying Helps Me Maintain My Household Grocery Budget – and Stay Well-Stocked

• Travel & Leisure: This Genius Gadget Is the Travel Accessory Everyone's Wearing to Stay Cool in the Heat — and It's 20% Off

• Clean Plates: 7 Cookout Faves from Trader Joe’s That Dietitians Love

• Clean Plates: 11 Best Seafood Picks at Trader Joe’s, According to RDs

• Apartment Therapy: We Asked 6 Travel Writers for Their Best Packing Hacks, and Their Tips Are Ingenious.

• Travel & Leisure: I Always Wear These Comfy, Wide-leg Amazon Pants on Flights — Plus, 13 More Pairs I'm Eyeing From $12

• Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They've Upgraded Their Seat — and It's Only $35

• Apartment Therapy, I’m a Travel Writer and This Is My Time-Saving Packing Hack

• RetailMeNot: Don’t Spend a Fortune at Those Salad Places: How I Build My Own Salads At Home

• Travel + Leisure: The One Safety Item You're Likely Forgetting to Pack, According to a Longtime Solo Female Traveler

• Saatva’s Sleep Enlightened: 6 Surprising Sleep Mask Benefits

• HerMoney: How to get cheap hotel rooms when traveling

• RetailMeNot: How Using My Air Fryer Makes Cooking on a Small Budget (and In a Small Space) Possible

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.

Yahoo! Health

I’m going to be working on two roundups - best cooling fans and best sleep trackers. I don’t have all the details on these assignments yet but will update when I have that info in the next few days. But this is going to be a “tested” best sort of roundup in both cases, so I will be sourcing some to try out for consideration for these stories…and will know more about what I’m looking for shortly. But meanwhile, feel free to email me if you represent products in either of these categories!

Apartment Therapy

I’m working on two kind of personal projects!

I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Cluttered Medicine Cabinet — Here's How They Fixed It: I’m looking to get advice from a pro organizer on how to fix my "cluttered" medicine cabinet, then fix it! Email if you are game and I’ll send a photo to give them a better idea of the space.

I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Messy Kitchen Junk Drawer — Here's How They Helped Me: Similar! Also..about me. And being messy. I’m looking to get advice from a pro organizer (just one) on how to fix my messy kitchen junk drawer, then fix it! I will send them a photo to give them a better idea of the space.

Forbes.com

I’m looking for fun cocktails and dishes inspired by or in honor of the upcoming Paris Olympic games. These must exist on a menu at a bar or restaurant, even if only for a limited-time special. Please email me if you have anything that may fit!

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!)

<3

aly