Good morning!
Last night, I went to Kansas. But no, I did not leave New York. (Though my gal Sydney and I were in the car so long, it certainly felt like we went to the physical state of Kansas!)
We went to see Kansas, as in the band.
And somewhere along the way within an incredible show in amazing seats on a beautiful night, I had the thought: Wow. There is a LOT of PR advice hiding in Kansas songs.
This is what happens when you write a media/PR newsletter every day. There is no off switch anymore. I’m sorry. I try to stop and I just can’t.
So today, we are going to do something a little different. We are going to carry on, my wayward pitchers.
Because if I claim to be a wise woman, it surely means that I don’t know.
But I do know a few things about pitching.
Carry On, My Wayward Pitch
First things first:
Carry on.
Seriously.
One unanswered pitch does not mean your idea was terrible.
One editor saying no does not mean nobody will say yes.
One story that didn’t happen does not mean the relationship went nowhere.
One bad week does not mean you are bad at your job, or bad at life. (I struggle with that myself often.)
There will always be noise and confusion. There will always be moments when you soar above it and moments when you absolutely do not.
The trick is learning when persistence is valuable — and when persistence has become seven emails beginning with “just bubbling this up.”
Because, yes:
Carry on, my wayward pitch.
But eventually, there should be peace when you are done.
Know When You’ve Reached the Point of Know Return
Every editorial opportunity has one.
The Point of Know Return.
Maybe the story has already published.
Maybe the gift guide closed.
Maybe the event happened.
Maybe the editor told you the assignment was killed.
Maybe Thanksgiving was three weeks ago and you are still pitching me Thanksgiving tablescapes.
We have sailed beyond the point.
You cannot follow-up-email your way backward through time.
Deadlines matter. News cycles move. Editorial calendars move. People move on.
Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do is recognize that this particular opportunity is over — and save the relationship for the next one.
Otherwise, that beautiful pitch you worked so hard on?
Dust in the Wind
You know what becomes dust in the wind?
A summer travel pitch sent in October.
A quote that arrives four days after deadline.
The images you promised “later today” and finally deliver three weeks later.
The embargoed announcement I find out was actually announced publicly yesterday.
The sample that arrives after the story publishes.
The expert who was available when you pitched them but mysteriously cannot answer questions until sometime next month.
Dust.
Wind.
Gone.
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky, and apparently the publicist who is still following up on a pitch from March.
Which brings us to…
Hold On
You emailed me at 9:06 a.m.
It is 11:42 a.m.
Hold on.
You do not need to follow up yet.
I promise.
Editors have meetings. Writers have deadlines. We conduct interviews. We attend events. We eat lunch. We occasionally stare blankly at a wall while wondering what became of the plans for our life and where we went wrong. Sometimes we even sleep, so I hear, but I can’t confirm that part.
Silence for several hours is not rejection.
Silence for a day isn’t necessarily rejection.
Depending on the pitch, silence for several days isn’t necessarily rejection.
Give people room to actually receive what you sent before you send it again.
Sometimes the strongest follow-up strategy is simply:
Hold on.
Don’t Fight Fire With Fire
If someone hasn’t answered three emails, the solution is not always a fourth email.
Especially when email four contains no new information.
“Just checking in!”
“Bumping this!”
“Floating this to the top!”
“Wanted to make sure you saw this!”
I saw it.
I may even be interested in it!
But repeatedly sending me the same thing does not make me progressively more interested in it.
If you are going to follow up, give me something.
A new angle.
A new statistic.
A newly available interview.
A relevant news hook.
A deadline I genuinely need to know about.
Fight silence with usefulness, not volume.
What’s On My Mind?
This is one of the most useful questions you can ask before you pitch someone.
Not literally.
Please do not email a journalist with the subject line WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND, ALY?
I will become concerned.
But think about it.
What are they covering right now?
What have they written recently?
What season are we approaching?
What conversations are happening in their beat?
What would actually be useful to them?
Great pitching isn’t simply knowing what you want to talk about.
It’s understanding what might already be on their mind.
The Wall
Sometimes there is one.
You can have a good pitch.
A good client.
A good story.
And still hit The Wall.
Budget disappeared.
Assignment changed.
Editor went another direction.
Breaking news ate the entire news cycle.
Someone higher up said no.
This is an important PR lesson because not every obstacle is something you can optimize your way around.
Sometimes you did everything right.
You just hit the wall.
The question becomes what you do next.
Do you keep throwing yourself against it?
Or do you find another way forward?
Miracles Out of Nowhere
And then, sometimes, something happens that makes absolutely no sense.
A pitch you sent six months ago suddenly gets a response.
An editor remembers an expert you introduced them to last year.
A product you thought wasn’t going anywhere suddenly becomes perfect because the news cycle changes.
A relationship you built without an immediate placement turns into an opportunity much later.
These are the little miracles out of nowhere that make media relations so weird and wonderful.
Which is why I will forever argue that PR isn’t only about placements.
It is about relationships.
You genuinely never know which conversation will matter later.
People of the South Wind
Okay, I admit I mostly wanted to get this song title into the newsletter.
But actually:
Know your audience.
Where are they?
What do they care about?
What matters to that community?
A pitch that works beautifully for a national outlet may be completely wrong for a regional publication.
A New York editor and a Kansas City editor may have very different reasons for caring about the same story.
Localization isn’t swapping the city name in a press release.
It’s understanding the people you’re trying to reach.
LOOK AT THAT.
I FOUND THE PR LESSON.
Play the Game Tonight
There are rules to this media world we live in.
They aren’t complicated.
Read what people write.
Respect deadlines.
Spell their names correctly.
Don’t pretend something is exclusive when it isn’t.
Don’t promise something you cannot deliver.
Don’t send 19 attachments.
Don’t make someone hunt you down for images.
Don’t pitch a source and then substitute a completely different source without explanation.
Don’t invite someone somewhere and change the terms after they’ve accepted.
And perhaps most importantly:
Remember there are humans on the other side of the inbox.
Play the game.
But play it well.
And If I Claim to Be a Wise Woman…
…it surely means that I don’t know.
And neither do you.
And that’s okay!
One of the best things you can say in PR is:
“I don’t know, but let me find out.”
Or:
“I believe that’s correct, but let me confirm before you publish it.”
Or even:
“I gave you incorrect information earlier. Here’s the correct information.”
That is infinitely better than confidently making something up because you feel pressured to answer immediately.
You do not need to masquerade as a person with a reason.
You need to be someone I can trust.
So Carry On
Tomorrow morning, you may stare into the abyss of your inbox and wonder:
Should I send this pitch?
Should I follow up?
Should I revive that old thread?
Should I try a different angle?
Should I finally let this one go?
Sometimes the answer is:
Carry on.
Sometimes the answer is:
Hold on.
Sometimes you’ve reached:
The Point of Know Return.
And sometimes the opportunity has simply become:
Dust in the Wind.
But the good relationships?
The ones built on trust, usefulness, honesty, patience, reliability and actually treating the person on the other side of your pitch like a person?
Those can carry on for a very, very long time.
And maybe that’s the lesson buried beneath all those guitars and violins.
Carry on, my wayward pitchers.
There’ll be peace when you are done.
And for the love of great music:
please know when you’re done.
P.S. If Carry On Wayward Son is now stuck in your head for the remainder of the workday, cry no more. There will be peace when you are done.
P.P.S. If you counted every Kansas reference in this newsletter, congratulations: you have officially spent more time analyzing Kansas lyrics than you did your last pitch.
P.P.P.S. If you’re currently drafting your eighth follow-up, all you are is dust in my inbox.
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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!
Four Seasons is seeking a strategic brand and communications leader to oversee the PR and Marketing for Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane and Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire. If you are a dynamic talent in this field with experience driving meaningful results across paid, owned and earned media, follow the link here to find out more and apply for this incredible opportunity.
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 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 what 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
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.
Before pitching: Please be sure to refer to my photo submission guidelines for help with photo submission best practices!
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, tech, wellness, beauty/style, and other topics.
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 Hot & Spicy food day, and I’m looking for creative, interesting, delicious dishes and cocktails.
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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