Essay on Writing and Card Writers

Submitted By tennaia
Words: 1275
Pages: 6

Training/Educational Requirements: Writing experience preferred
Median Salary: $35 to $200 per submission
Job Prospects: Good
Job Description
Greeting card writers work to provide written copy for birthday, anniversary, sympathy, and other wishes. Though writing text for such cards is usually a freelance or contract position, for which the writer is hired only as needed, there are some experienced greeting card writers who may find a full-time job.
It is important for greeting card writers not only to have the skill to write for various occasions and emotions but to do their research. Writers need to understand the audience for which each card is intended and the audience who is actually purchasing the card. A sympathy card, for example, is purchased for someone who’s grieving by someone who wants to make that person feel better or who wants to express understanding.
Greeting card writers must prepare and write content for a variety of different occasions and types of cards, and then they generally submit them to the greeting card company. Though it is possible to get a full-time job working as a greeting card writer, this is usually not the case. Instead, the writer provides various submissions and hopes, but cannot expect, that one, some, or all of them get picked up. The greeting card writer’s level of experience and celebrity can play a big factor in the amount of preparation the writer must do, as well as the number of their submissions that a company picks up.
Greeting card writers must also work at developing relationships with greeting card companies in hopes of obtaining regular work. Writers work at relationships so that their submissions are picked from among the competition, and this can be a big part of the job. Though the majority of the job is focused on writing, being well-established within this industry, performing research, and developing good relationships can be almost as important
Training/Educational Requirements
Though most greeting card writers have a bachelor’s degree, often in journalism or communications, this is not necessarily a requirement. For those who wish to work in this field, they must have solid writing experience, so putting pen to paper is usually the most important training one can do. Being able to show a good writing portfolio is quite important. If some of that experience is within the greeting card business, it can be an even bigger help.
Though they have no set educational requirement or ongoing training program, greeting card writers should maintain or improve their writing skills. Keeping skills sharp and learning new tactics and trends, particularly within the greeting card industry, can be helpful in developing as this type of writer.

How to Get Hired
The best way to get hired as a greeting card writer is to demonstrate strong writing ability. Though it can be extremely helpful to have experience within the greeting card industry, it is not always necessary. The more writing experience that a greeting card writer has, the better her or his chances of getting hired in this competitive field.

Job Prospects, Employment Outlook, and Career Development
There is always a need for greeting cards, so the market really helps writers interested in this field. Even in times of economic struggle, people usually still want to buy greeting cards. This means that there is always a need for good greeting card writers, and ultimately this results in job openings. It is important to note, though, that there aren’t necessarily a lot of full-time positions in this field, but the potential for freelance writers to work for greeting card companies is definitely strong.

This is a very competitive aspect of writing, so experience is quite important. The more experience writers have, particularly writing for greeting cards, the better their chances are for getting their submissions accepted.
Working Environment
Most greeting card writers work from home, as this is often a