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We need to talk about tracking numbers. I know, you’re already wondering if today is the day you skip my email and scroll TikTok instead, because could I have chosen a more boring topic?

And yes, there’s oodles of sexy, glamorous topics we could possibly discuss in the world of media and PR, but today we really need to take some time to discuss package logistics.

But please hear me out, you guys. A tracking number is one of those very tiny things that can have surprisingly enormous ramifications when it’s missing.

And as we head toward holiday gift guide season, when the normal stream of samples arriving at journalists’ homes and offices can turn into an absolute avalanche, this feels like an excellent time for my semi-annual plea: If you send something, please send the tracking information.

And, also: Please send it BEFORE THE PACKAGE ARRIVES.

I cannot believe that last part needs to be said, and yet, so often, when I ask for tracking, and wait on it for days or weeks, I eventually get an email:

Oh! Thank you! That would have been incredibly useful yesterday.

A tracking number isn’t a receipt proving that FedEx successfully completed its assigned task. Maybe it ultimately is for you and your client, but for the recipient, it is information intended to help me track the package.

Once the package is already sitting outside in the street, possibly spoiling or melting or breaking or getting stolen, you haven’t really sent me tracking information.

As most of you know, food is a big part of my beat, and I receive perishable samples fairly regularly. And I’d say at least once a week, something arrives either completely unexpectedly or on a wildly different timeline than I was originally told.

Sometimes I’m lucky enough to be home to receive it and no harm is done, sometimes I’m in another country or away from home for the day..or days, and as it sits in 100 degree temps, it’s not merely inconvenient, sometimes it means a whole lot of very expensive food gets thrown away.

If you’re sending cheese, seafood, meat, chocolate, ice cream, prepared foods or anything else that requires temperature control, I need to know when it’s arriving. Especially in August.

Because while you may know that your gorgeous refrigerated sample is currently Out For Delivery, I may be across town at a lunch meeting, followed by a deskside, followed by an event, followed by a dinner, or running errands, or traveling, or simply living my life without realizing there are six pounds of dairy or meat products approaching room temperature at my front door.

The cheese does not know my schedule. You do. Or at least you could if you communicate with me.

Food makes this problem particularly obvious because food can spoil. But tracking matters for all kinds of samples. If you’re sending me something valuable, I probably don’t want it sitting unattended. If it requires a signature, I need to be there to sign for it. (Absolutely same for if you’re sending a messenger!) If it’s alcohol, someone of legal age may need to physically receive it. If it’s enormous, I may need to figure out where I’m going to put it and how to get it up all my staircases. If I’m traveling, I may need to arrange for someone else to accept it.

And if you’re sending me something specifically because I’m working on a time-sensitive story, I need to know whether it’s actually going to arrive while I’m still working on that story.

Which brings me to another surprisingly common problem.

Imagine we are emailing today about a story I’m working on. You offer to send a sample. I give you my shipping information. And then…

Nothing.

Three or four weeks later, a mystery box appears. No warning. No recent email. Maybe there’s a brand name somewhere on the packaging, maybe there isn’t. And now I’m standing in my apartment holding a product and trying to remember:

Who sent this? What was this for? Was I working on a story involving this? Did I request it? Was there a deadline? Did someone pitch me this? Was this supposed to arrive weeks ago? Am I being haunted by PR samples?

When we are juggling dozens of stories and potentially hundreds of pitches, you cannot assume we’re going to remember the conversation you had with us a month ago when an unexplained package suddenly materializes.

And during holiday gift guide season, multiply that chaos exponentially.

This is another installment in our ongoing holiday gift guide countdown conversation, because holiday gift guide pitching isn’t just about having a great product and writing a great pitch.

There’s an enormous logistical component to it. Over the next few months, journalists will receive a staggering number of packages. Products they’re expecting. Products they’re not expecting. Products for stories they’re actively working on. Products related to pitches from six weeks ago. Products they don’t recognize at all. Products that need refrigeration. Products that need signatures. Products that arrive approximately eleven seconds before the writer leaves town. Products that appear after the gift guide has already published.

This is why the tiny details matter.

Your recipient should never have to become a detective to figure out what you sent them.

At minimum, when something ships, tell them:

What you sent
Who it’s from
What conversation or story it relates to
Which carrier is delivering it
The tracking number
The expected delivery date

In fact, here’s all I need:

“Your package shipped today via FedEx. Here’s the tracking number. It’s currently expected Thursday. It contains X, related to our conversation about Y.”

I do not need:

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce that your exciting package has embarked upon its journey and should soon be arriving at your doorstep!”

Where is it? WHEN IS THE CHEESE COMING?

And this is really what I want you to take away from today’s tracking-number novella. Some of the most important parts of a relationship are incredibly boring. Sending tracking information isn’t exciting. Confirming an address isn’t exciting. Sending the calendar invite isn’t exciting. Providing the photo credit isn’t exciting. Following up with the information you promised isn’t exciting. But every one of those tiny administrative acts communicates something much bigger:

I thought about what happens on your side of this interaction.

And conversely, when this doesn’t happen, the consequences can become disproportionately large. A missed package. A spoiled sample. A missed signature. A stolen product. A blown deadline. Your product not considered for my story or gift guide because it didn’t arrive in time.

So as we enter the most package-heavy months of the year, please:

Send the tracking number.

And please, for the love of all that is refrigerated, do not send it three hours after delivery with a cheerful note that says, “Looks like it arrived!”

Help.

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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!

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!

Lou Hammond Group is hiring a Vice President (9+ years) in NYC and Atlanta, and a Senior Account Executive (4+ years) in NYC, Atlanta and Denver. The agency has a strong focus in travel, working with domestic and international destinations, cruise lines, hotels, attractions, economic development, and real estate. Agency experience, either working in an agency or managing agencies, is required. If you or someone you know is interested, please email careers@louhammond.com.

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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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!

Stop checking 12 platforms for journalist requests. Check one instead. Tired of going through a million different emails and platforms to field
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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
Yahoo: The best cooling fans of 2026, tested and reviewed
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.

Wednesday: Your Tracking Number Is Useless If the Package Is Already Here

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