Good morning!
First an admin note: I’m working on the final few nomination categories of the season for Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards contests.
The first section is a return to the casino floor with categories that include Best Casino Entertainment Venue, Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas, Best Casino Resort Las Vegas, Best Hotel Casino, Best Casino Dining, Best Sports Betting App (and yes, I know I did nominations these same contests last year and the year before that, but these are for this year — feel free to email again if you have before whether or not you ended up on the nominee or winners list!).
Next category, while (yes) we’re still enjoying summer, we’re imagining a Snow Day with categories that include Best Snow Tubing Park, Best Ski Resort, Best Ski Resort for Families,Best Après-Ski Destination, and Best Ski School. And just a reminder there’s a bunch of categories currently live and open for voting, so be sure to click the link above and check out if you or your client are among the nominees!
If you think I should consider you or your client when I submit my list of nominations, drop me an email at alywalansky@gmail.com.
I’m also starting to work on - yes, indeed! - HGGs! Scroll down for more information.
And…we’re off to the races. God help us all.
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Upcoming travel: I’ll be in Dallas for a few days in October. If you want to try to meet up for a drink or coffee or have a client you are hoping I can check out (or general recommendations) - drop me a line! (Note: Thanks so much but where I’m staying is all set!) I’ll also BRIEFLY be in Fort Lauderdale in November (just for about 24 hours!), KYP when I know more!
Job Leads
Reminder: Job leads are freely shared as a service to this community, and there’ll NEVER be any charge. It’s here to help me help you, and I’ll keep it in as long as you need. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if there’s any job leads you wish me to include!
My fab friends at KLG PR are looking for a Senior Account Executive and a Account Manager who are truly passionate about PR and the world of spirits. View job details here and here and be sure to tell them you heard about the job lead in Aly Walansky’s newsletter!
Rachel Harrison Communications is looking for a few awesome PR/communications people who focus on bars, wine and spirits. If you know anyone (or if you are one) email RH@wearerhc.com. Agency experience required. Mostly director levels, supervisors, and SAE levels. Tell them Aly Walansky sent you!.
Book your consulting session!
I still have some space available the remainder of 2026!
I would love to join your team on Zoom, a phone call, or in-person and conduct a team Q&A where I answer any of your questions about planning events, media dinners, mailers, trips, pitching, followups, etc — giving you a very necessary media perspective from someone who has been in the trenches for decades and is excited to help ease your own path. Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com if you are interested in chatting more and setting something up and we can discuss rates and details. We can switch it up in any way you or your team needs. While most of my calls do end up being virtual, I just did one where we did our session over a martini lunch! I’m available for whatever your team prefers. Lets chat.
Please take a second to follow me on the Yahoo Creators platform! I’m writing a wide range of lifestyles topics: check out my author profile to see some of my most recent pieces! (This is updated daily - usually multiple times daily - so you’ll want to keep checking it out for new content!) — and there’s lots of gift guides published there, too!
Also, can we please be friends? Be sure to follow me on Instagram while you’re at it!
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Limited-time deal on ad placement!
Times are tough, and I’m here to help you: I’m offering special reduced seasonal rates on advertising in this newsletter. I’d love to place your sponsored posts and ads in my newsletter, which goes out to nearly 11,000 PR and media professionals every single day. We’re the only media/PR Substack community that publishes every single day, five days a week, and offers DAILY free public-facing content. That makes it a great opportunity to get your service or brand in front of interested parties — and I’m thrilled to work with you on a rate structure that works for your business and needs. We are a community here and here to support each other always.
Note: This newsletter exists to support its community and I do limit advertising to only products and services that would be of interest to my readers, but am open to both short paragraph blurbs, recurring ads, and dedicated posts and more - if you are interested in chatting details and scheduling something, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com today! I’m here to help you!
Tools of the Trade
The Recipe for Press Media Directory is an essential and affordable database that targets the right magazine editors and freelance writers for pitching products and projects in food, fashion, interiors, travel, business and lifestyle. Created by former editor, Amy Flurry, the directory features emails, titles, active social media addresses, and a notes section with submission guidelines for each contact. This is why leading publicists, editors, and entrepreneurs across the country, including me, widely use and recommend it! Annual subscription price is just $195 and absolutely packed with value. Another perk of the subscription: you receive a Pitch Tip newsletter once a month highlighting the updates and newly added editors and serves as a reminder of the movement and shifts happening in the industry. This is PR gold for publicists!
I partnered with Pitchcraft to be able to share a special offer just for my readers: Use code ALY200: new users will get $200 off their first month of the monthly PR Membership or code ALY400: This one offers new users $400 off their first year of the annual PR Membership. This is a great network to join because it’s a community of both PR professionals and journalists working together to find better ways to work together and share opportunities, and you know how much I believe in all of that.
Exciting news from our friend Sarah Karger (who you’ve seen as the star expert panelist for several of our gift guide pitching workshops!) - she launched her new course, Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based PR for Publicists - It’s built specifically to help PR pros and agencies add affiliate management as a core capability, something we all know is completely essential in today’s media landscape.
Have a client or service you think would be a fit for this section? Drop me a note at alywalansky@gmail.com anytime, I look forward to hearing from you!
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.
Yahoo Creators: Check out my author profile (I have several new stories a day across the lifestyles umbrella, so that’s the best way to stay updated!)
Yahoo: These 23 summer essentials help me to keep cool and comfortable during seasonal heat waves
Forbes.com: Some Like It Hot: 19 Spicy Dishes To Try Immediately
Yahoo: Headed to college this year? The 25 most crucial back-to-school dorm essentials
Southern Living: I Tried Trader Joe’s New $2 Seasoning—And Now I’m Putting It On Everything
Southern Living: 5 Store-Bought Salad Dressings Chefs Always Keep In Their Kitchens
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Frequent Business Traveler, and I Found 6 Comfy Airplane Outfits That Still Look Put Together—From $8
Apartment Therapy:The 18 Best Prime Day Travel Deals, Vetted by Pro Travelers (Starting at $8!)
Travel & Leisure: This Plane Seat Cushion Is My Secret to Arriving at Destinations Pain-free
Food Network: 25 Little Treats You Can Score for Free on Your Birthday
Travel & Leisure: I Travel for Work, and These Are the 5 Genius Hacks That Save Me From Luggage Messes and Spills—From $4
Travel & Leisure: I’ve Been Solo Traveling for 25 Years—12 Mistakes That Cause the Biggest Headaches, and How to Prevent Them
Forbes.com: 20 Great Variations On The Classic Martini
Southern Living: I Tried Trader Joe’s New Marinated Mozzarella Balls—Now I’m Using Them In Nearly Every Meal
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And This Cruise Hack Gets Me An Empty Pool, No Buffet Lines, And A Better Vacation
Southern Living: I’ve Tried Every Way To Bake A Potato—This 1 Wins Every Time
Travel & Leisure: Frequent Fliers Say This Genius Hack Makes It Feel Like They’ve Upgraded Their Seat—and It’s Only $35
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Frequent Solo Traveler, and This Genius Safety Device Gives Me Peace of Mind in Every Airbnb
Southern Living: I’m A Travel Writer, And My Friends And I Are Obsessed With This App For Tracking Each Other’s Flights
Travel & Leisure: I Fly Around the Country for Work, and This Roomy Tote Is My No. 1 Airport Essential for Looking Put Together.
Travel & Leisure: I’m a Solo Traveler of 25 Years, and These Are the 18 Products I Swear By for Personal Safety in 2026
Travel & Leisure: Traveling Alone Can Be Expensive—Here Are 15 Budget-friendly Hacks That Save Me Money
Southern Living: The One-Pan Cheesy Meal I Make Whenever I'm Too Tired To Cook
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 Creators
Yes, indeed the time has come. I’m starting to source for holiday gift guides! For an idea of the type of formatting and content I write for my various guides, visit my Yahoo author page here - and please hit follow while you’re there to receive all my new content!
I’ll give more information in the coming weeks, but you can absolutely start polishing off those pitches any time you’re ready :) My content is generally not going to encompass parenting, sports, kids, automotive, but will include travel, home, gadgets, office, tech, wellness, beauty/fashion/accessories, culinary, and other topics.
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
Southern Living
Looking for southern chefs and southern food safety experts to comment on stories related to:
Is It Safe To Eat Eggs With Double Yolks?
Is It Safe To Eat Eggs With Cloudy Whites?
Favorite Southern Soda of Southern Chefs
Do you need to string celery? (remove strings before cooking or eating it)
If you have anyone who wants to weigh in, please drop me an email asap and be sure to email me before submitting commentary so I can share specific questions and guidance.
Dining Out NYC
I’m a contributor to Dining Out NYC (see a recent story I did for them on the Las Vegas influence on NYC’s culinary scene), and always open to pitches related to NYC dining trends, and openings, news, and so forth.
Apartment Therapy
I’m sourcing for product pitches and expert commentary related to smart solutions or product that creates storage out of thin air. Think: a closet, counter space, an extra tier or shelf inside of a cabinet, as well as surprising items to organize around the house, affordable (or splurgy!) finds that solve a very specific problem. Think: IKEA, Costco, Sam's Club, Amazon, HomeGoods, Dollar General, Dollar Tree.
Forbes.com
It’s almost National Potato Day, and I’m looking for creative, interesting, delicious dishes and cocktails (cocktails? maybe!) - centered on the potato. Looking forward, I’m also sourcing for National Bacon Day, National Cheeseburger Day, and National Queso Day!
To pitch, please include:
Name of drink/dish
Restaurant/bar where it can be ordered (as well as city, state, URL)
description
quote from chef/bartender about dish (and name and title of person being quoted)
and LINK to image, with an identifying file name, and any appropriate photo credits included
(I know I give these guidelines over and over, but every day I get dozens of pitches that disregard them, so it bears repeating! <3)!
Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com asap please! All the same parameters will apply when emailing.
Thanks!
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