Wednesday: Working on a TON of new stories for multiple outlets -- be sure to read today's entire email!
Also: Want people to come to your event? Get creative!
Good morning!
I’m always touting the virtues of events that take the time to get creative and think out of the box.
Last night I attended one that felt downright divinely manifested.
We’re in the midst of a heat wave in NYC (and much of the country) and yesterday was something like the hottest day on record in NYC in a decade. I imagine it was rather hard to get people out of their home and to an event yesterday — but I went to an event last night that was downright crowded, and I think it’ll be clear in a moment why.
Chili’s hosted a “chilly” (haha, get it!) event to showcase their new margarita lineup, and they did it in the backdrop of a completely igloo-like room, complete with bars and tables made of ice, super-cold temps, and frozen cocktails. The room was so cold they handed out bomber jackets (that you could have inscribed with your name), gloves, and beanie hats…
Now, realistically speaking, the brand had no idea when they scheduled this event that it’d end up being on the hottest day of summer…of any summer, ever, in the city.
That was just a huge lucky break…but they did know it’d be the week that summer started and would likely be a pretty hot day, regardless, and this makes this a perfect way to get people out (not to mention, those triple dipper apps were yum!).
A reminder: On any given night, there’s could be a dozen concurrent events going on. Many will have good food or good cocktails and Uber vouchers — all important. But adding a fun additional layer - like here - it’s going to be what gets people to come out. Each and every time.
Limited-time deal on ad placement!
I’m 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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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: 7 Tea Martinis That Are Redefining Cocktail Culture
Yahoo.com: Pickles are the latest hot trend to hit fast food
Forbes.com: 8 Creative Sushi Presentations To Try This Summer
Forbes.com: New Oceanfront Dining Concept Embodies Turks & Caicos As Hot Dining Destination
Apartment Therapy: 10 Things I Got Rid Of After 45
Apartment Therapy: Summer Packing Tips from People Who Travel for a Living
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
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.
Apartment Therapy
Working on two stories pegged for Prime Day - The Items Pro Travelers Always Buy on Prime Day: I’d love to ask a few pro travelers what 3-4 items they are going to buy/recommend buying on Prime Day and why. Must be travel-related picks and pulled from here: https://www.amazon.com/deals.
The Items Pro Organizers Always Buy on Prime Day: I’d love to talk to a few pro organizers what 3-4 items they are going to buy/recommend buying on Prime Day and why. Must be organizing/storage picks and pulled from here: https://www.amazon.com/deals.
Newsweek Readers Choice Awards
The next categories I’m working on nominees for in the Newsweek Readers Choice Awards (check that link for some others I’ve been on the nominee panel for) are Best Fall Festival and Oktoberfest. Here’s more specific info for each.
Fall festivals: I’m looking for those that are within the U.S. and be geographically diverse, highly rated by visitors and have no known safety violations, occur in between September and November.. Festivals should not be associated with a specific holiday (Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.) and separate from Oktoberfest celebrations.
Oktoberfest celebrations: Looking for those located within the U.S., should be highly rated by visitors and have no known safety violations, festivals should be specifically associated with Oktoberfest.
Yahoo
I’m working on a roundup of great travel-related deals to look out for for Amazon Prime sale days, coming up soon.
I’m working on a roundup of tips, ideas, and products for staying cool in a small apartment situation that may or may not have AC during a heat wave (Yeah, you can say this story may take on a first-person element!).
I’m also working on a roundup of must-have toiletries, beauty, hair, skin, and otherwise to keep as staples in your carryon when you travel. This, too, will have a first person element and there’s some of my faves I travel with non-stop that I’m absolutely including.
Forbes
I’m working on a roundup of July 4th inspired cocktails available on the menu (even as a limited time special) at bars and restaurants.
Also…
National Fried Chicken Day, National French Fries Day, National Caviar 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
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aly