Road To Success With PR Pro - Roland Alonzi
Some PR and journalists make a dynamic duo, and your clients want to see this.
Happy Thursday! I am a bit jet-lagged from my trip to Hawaii last week, though the visit for incredible. I spent 3 days relaxing at the Wailea Beach Resort in Maui, and a few days hiking, snorkeling and exploring the island of Kauai.
Thank you to all the wonderful PR folks who reached out to host me for stays, meals and activities during this visit. I have been posting on social media, sent out a newsletter, and already published a story.
Now back to spring allergies. We are experiencing the highest ever pollen count in GA in 35 years! Which means it's hard to breathe, or focus on work, so sorry if I am a bit behind with replying to your emails.
(P.S. I do prioritize replying to messages from paid Substack subscribers)
The Secret to Consistently Delivering Results For Your Clients
A few days ago when I saw Roland at the Southeastern Tourism Society Conference, he told me that his job pitching a destination had become too easy thanks to a major story I published. Not only were writers eager to visit this place, it was sold out for months in advance! So, I wanted to sit down and chat about how we work together and how a good journalist-PR relationship creates a win-win time and time again.
Roland Alonzi is the CEO of CONTENTO, a boutique PR company based in GA. Roland has over 27 years of experience in travel media and has been a VP at MMGY Global, done media training at Dalton Agency, and represented a wide range of hospitality clients. Roland and I have worked together for several years developing stories for HuffPost, Georgia Trend, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Southern Living, Cuisine Noir, TIME Out, and TIME Magazine (twice!), to name a few. He is one of my most trusted PR people in the industry because of his responsiveness, professionalism and trust.
In our chat today, Roland shares his secret sauce for how he repeatedly lands quality coverage and measures ROI for his clients. We also talk about sticky topics like confirmed coverage, press trips and budgets for hosting media.
There are a lot of great takeaways in this video. Make sure to watch this till the end!
I’ll be speaking in San Diego and Las Vegas in May!
I am excited to be speaking at (WE)Con 2025 - the MPI Southern California chapter conference on May 2nd, and at the Clark County Public Library on May 16th.
Know of any schools, libraries, bookstores, conferences or workshops I could also speak at while I am in the city? I would love a referral!
Book an In-Person or Virtual Masterclass For Your Team
If you are interested in organizing informative panels, learning sessions, and masterclasses for your organization, please contact me.
Recently Published:
An Ayurvedic Detox in Asheville - Khabar Magazine (Print)
Empowering All - Georgia Trend Magazine
World’s Greatest Place of 2025 - Mbano Manor - TIME Magazine
World’s Greatest Place of 2025 - Georgia Safari Conservatory Park - TIME Magazine
American Classics in Desi Flavors - Khabar Magazine (Print)
Accepting Reservations at Atlanta Airport - Georgia Trend Magazine
Entrepreneurs That Give a Damn - Good Grit Magazine (Print)
A Space to Eat and Heal - Good Grit Magazine (Print)
Is Your Turmeric Actually Benefitting Your Health? - HuffPost
Georgia’s Best Trips of 2025 - Explore Georgia (Print)
The World’s Best River Cruises - AAA
Call for Pitches
I am looking for unique and new story ideas on the following topics. Most of these are already assigned by my editors, and if you have a strong relevant pitch, I can likely use it.
Please take a moment to read my Substack on pitching tips before sending me your email.
Stories on nutrition, food, ingredients, trends, expert tips, food security, etc. for HuffPost. Please check first to see if they have not covered this already.
What should you pack in your carry-on? Looking for cool, new and trendy travel related products to review.
For my monthly column in Khabar Magazine - South Asian (Indian) food trends, culinary products, recipe books, and human centric stories (in US only). No “authentic, elevated, inspired by grandma” cooking please!
For my monthly column in Georgia Trend Magazine, I am always looking for stellar restaurants (must be able to host), culinary festivals, products, trends, and human interest stories from around the state. Please read my past stories to get an idea.
NEW Open Dates for Press Trips. I have couple of dates open up over Memorial Day & Labor Day weekends, in case there are any opportunities for individual press trips. All expenses including flights, hotels, meals & activities must be included.
Travel Assistance Needed. I am heading to West Africa in April, San Diego and Las Vegas in May, The Philippines in Dec, and open to media hosted stays, meals, tours, etc.
Travel The World With My Cat - Beato
I started writing ‘Beato Goes To’ children’s books to share stories about the kids I met in different countries who led unique lives. As seen through the eyes of my curious cat Beato these colorful picture books inspire kids to be curious, open minded and dream of traveling.