There’s not many people or things left in the world whom or that almost everybody seems to agree on. It’s devastating that we are all incredibly divided as a nation and as a world. We don’t agree on politics, the news, what is safe to eat, how to care for ourselves and our families and others, what to watch, what to believe, what to buy, or apparently even what constitutes an acceptable way to load a dishwasher.
But Dolly Parton, we all agree on. Everyone loved Dolly.
Yesterday, when the news came that Dolly Parton had died, the reaction felt different from the usual news cycle (and, well, news jacking) that follow when the world loses someone famous. Of course there was sadness. How could there not be? But there was also this amazing collective affection. We all agreed, every single person I spoke about her with, no matter how my ideologies may differ with any other person, that we had suffered a collective loss.
People weren’t just remembering the music or the movies or the rhinestones or Dollywood or her awesome line of baking mixes (which I have written about extensively). They were remembering her generosity, her warmth, how funny and talented she was, her philanthropy, her incredible talent, her ability to poke fun at herself while simultaneously knowing exactly who she was and exactly what she was worth.
Can we just marvel for a moment, together, at what extraordinary accomplishment that is?
For the entire time I’ve been alive, and for a long time before that, she’s been one of the recognizable people on Earth, and she did so in an industry that feeds off ego and reinvention and controversy. And everyone still loved her. And she was talented enough, and good enough as a human, to become larger than life without making anyone else feel smaller.
And, in her honor, that’s what I want to talk about today. Not as a PR strategy and not as a personal branding exercise. But just as a way to move through the world.
Nobody ever had to wonder what Dolly Parton’s “brand” was. She had the hair, the rhinestones, the outfits, but Dolly was Dolly. And somehow, the more successful she became, the more Dolly she seemed to become.
Isn’t there something wonderfully freeing about that? We spend so much time professionally trying to figure out how we’re supposed to present ourselves and what our BRAND is supposed to look like and present and when it’s time to revamp and reinvent it and put a new label on it. And, sure, I’m all about professionalism and branding and marketing. But think for a minute about the amazing power in knowing yourself well enough that you don’t have to manufacture a personality. Dolly didn’t become universally beloved by becoming universally generic. What she did was the opposite, she became unforgettable by being unmistakably herself.
It would be very easy to reduce Dolly Parton to an aesthetic. But this email today is to honor her, and that would completely miss the point. Because, sure she was fabulous, but she also exhibited a ton of talent, discipline, intelligence, and work.
The rhinestones got attention, but the work built the career. We are constantly encouraged to think about visibility, but being constantly in everyone’s face is not the same thing as being good.
This may be one of my favorite things about Dolly. She was famously warm and gracious and funny. But she was also an incredibly savvy businesswoman.
Those things aren’t contradictory. You can be kind and know your worth. You can be generous and still have boundaries. You can want other people to succeed without sacrificing yourself in the process. You can be gracious without being a doormat.
Somewhere along the way, I think many of us absorbed the idea that success requires a certain hardness, but Dolly spent an extraordinary career demonstrating otherwise.
One of the most beautiful things about being secure in your own work and your own self is that somebody else’s success doesn’t have to diminish yours. Dolly did this time and again, and some of the most incredible generous acts she did, no one knew about until decades later.
You don’t have to be quoted in every story, invited to every event, included in every roundup, or acknowledged every time something good happens. If the reason you do something good or kind or generous is simply to issue a press release about it, then consider your motivations and goals.
Dolly was famous for letting somebody else get the moment and being there to celebrate them. Your work still exists, your contribution still matters. There is enough light to go around.
For all of Dolly’s accomplishments, one of the things I’ll always associate with her is books and her work with childhood literacy. Her Imagination Library has sent books to MILLIONS of children for decades, an effort inspired by her father’s inability to read and write.
That’s an incredible legacy. There are millions of people walking around today who grew up with books in their homes because Dolly Parton decided children should have them.
We spend so much of our professional lives measuring placements and subscribers and followers and all of those things can matter. But they’re not the only things that matter.
What matters the most, and what Dolly would teach us, and how we can honor Dolly today is to ask instead: What is better because I was here?
Most of us never met Dolly Parton, and yet today the world feels a little less warm and bright without her in it. Maybe that’s something we can bring into our own much smaller world this week. Consider today that every email you send lands in another person’s day, and every pitch goes to a human being. Every interaction leaves something behind. Maybe their day is just a tiny bit better because they encountered you, or maybe it’s just a tiny bit worse.
Lets try today to make someone’s day better, and not because kindness has good ROI or because generosity is a networking strategy or because somebody might be useful to us someday. But just because that’s the kind of person we want to have been.
In a hard, dark world that increasingly rewarding outrage and division and cynicism and being the loudest person in the room, Dolly somehow became larger than life without making anyone else feel smaller.
Lets all try to be a little more Dolly today. Do your best work, and know your worth, but be yourself. Help people when you can, and make sure to let somebody else have the spotlight sometimes. Be able to laugh at yourself, and totally wear the pink and rhinestones if you want to. Especially today. We should all try to leave people (and hopefully the world) a little better than you found them.
Today, I’m going to try to be a little more Dolly. I’m wearing pink. I may wear rhinestones. I hope you will, too. And if being a little more Dolly happens to involve big hair, sequins, or playing “9 to 5” much louder than your neighbors may think is necessary today, I think she’d probably be okay with that, too. ❤️
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Upcoming travel: Anyone who plans to be in Vegas for IMM Luxe in a few weeks? Drop me a line! Also: 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!
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!
Hachette Book GroupIS hiring a Senior Publicity Manager for the team at Artisan Books, Workman Publishing, and Black Dog & Leventhal to focus on an award-winning food and drink list: http://app.jobvite.com/m?3m16xnwS This role is based in NYC and the ideal candidate will be highly results oriented, focused on booking with the strongest ability to drive sales. Candidates must have 5+ years prior food & drink focused publicity experience, strong established relationships with key media, proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple assignments in a fast-paced environment, and poise and confidence in communicating with authors, agents, media, and in-house colleagues.
FINN Partners is currently looking for incredible PR talent to join across three senior and mid-level roles: Associate Vice President – Luxury Travel PR, Account Supervisor – Travel PR, and Senior Account Executive – Travel. If you’re passionate about travel storytelling, high-impact PR strategies, and working with top-tier travel brands, check out the links above or pass this along to someone in your network who would be a great fit!
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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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!
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watching. So you pitch before your competitors do. 3-day free trial, no credit card required (agencies can trial the 3-seat
plan too) → https://www.newshook.io/?ref=aly
The Recipe for Press Media Directory is an essential and affordable database—made by humans for humans— 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 and other helpful information that editors share with Amy’s team. 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 that serves as a reminder of the movement and shifts happening in the industry. This is PR gold for publicists and brands!
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!
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
Forbes.com: 15 Delicious Ways To Appreciate Spuds On National Potato Day
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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. Halloween is coming up — Any retailer secrets around the fall/Halloween season to help people save money? Do you have any fall productivity gems? Do you have a productivity hack that differs from the tried-and-true’s like the Pomodoro method, etc? Do you have some way of staying moving that has changed your life? I’m looking for ways to save money. How do you save money at Costco, at the thrift store, at the grocery store, etc? How do you keep your budget intact as prices rise?
I’m sourcing creative drinks/dishes 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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