Freelance writer STANLEY BURKHARDT has a passion for animals. He loves animals so much, he crafted himself a new career. For the last eight years, Stanley has made a career out of writing for local veterinary hospitals -- and getting paid for it.
Burkhardt admits, "I am probably the first writer you have met who has written for veterinary hospitals. My opinion is that many writers don't see the profit or work potential in writing for vet hospitals, and don't attempt to secure work from this industry. The other reason is that writers try many approaches to secure work in this industry and fail."
Burkhardt has overcome these obstacles, and many more. Now he's ready to spill his secrets. He has penned an ebook, "Profiting on Puppy Love & Cat Care: A Freelance Writer's Guide to Writing for Local Veterinary Hospitals & Practices," in which he shows writers how they can craft a career out of writing for local veterinary hospitals, just like he has done.
Burkhardt says, "I think it's important to know that I had no experience or knowledge writing for the vet industry, when I first started out." If you harbor a deep love for animals and enjoy writing and researching, Burkhardt says you are already "halfway there to breaking into this industry."
The other skill is selling. "Selling is considered by many beginning freelance writers to be the 'curse' of commercial writing because it usually requires you to spend more than half of your time selling yourself to prospective clients - and swallowing many rejections - than spending time writing." In time, selling becomes easier. "Most of my work now comes from referrals and word-of-mouth," says Burkhardt.
Burkhardt has perfected the way he secures first-time clients in this industry; he advises to "use locality in your favor." He says, "Take a trip to your local hospital and see if it presently uses any types of print materials. If not, what kinds of print materials do you think this hospital can benefit from? If it has print materials, how can you improve these existing print materials, or what types of print materials would work better in place of these existing print materials?"
Burkhardt always attempts to arrange a meeting with the owner of the hospital. "I tell the prospective owner I'd like to meet with him for 20 to 30 minutes to discuss, in detail, how I'd be able to boost his profits and productivity, and how he and his clients will both benefit. I've never met an owner who'd refused to spend some time to find out how I'd be able to boost his profits."
After the first meeting, Burkhardt gives himself a few days to work on a proposal in which he outlines how he is going to meet the owner's needs -- whether it's solving a problem, boosting sales, or increasing productivity -- through various writing projects. Burkhardt will either mail his proposal to the owner or arrange a second meeting. Nine times out of ten, Burkhardt's proposal usually nabs him a first assignment from a first-time client. "I always pitch a newsletter as the first project. Once the owner sees how a newsletter contributes to the success of his hospital, I am usually given more writing assignments."
As a writer for five local veterinary hospitals -- two small in size and three big in size -- Burkhardt prefers to sell his services to the larger veterinary hospitals. "Larger veterinary hospitals have more needs to be fulfilled and more problems for you to solve...They're more likely to need internal and external materials that will help boost their sales and increase their productivity."
Burkhardt writes all sorts of copy for vet hospitals, but his favorite and most lucrative is writing newsletters. "Every vet hospital needs them. A newsletter can increase the hospital's sales by pushing products and services, create rapport and build trustworthiness with pet owners by showcasing the exceptional pet care and treatment the hospital offers, and constantly remind pet owners of the hospital's existence by writing information that is so useful and timely that pet owners take the newsletter home with them." Burkhardt charges between $300 and $1,500 per newsletter, depending on its complexity and size.
Burkhardt admits that writing for veterinary hospitals is not a top-paying industry, compared to writing for other industries. But he was never in it for the money. "I often wonder if copywriters who write for tar manufacturers, bottling companies, packaging plants, chip manufacturers, cancer-causing cigarette companies, or shady politicians have any interest in the stuff they write or they do it just for the money. I can't find interest in any of those things and have stayed away from such manufacturers and industries. I think the same is true if one is to write for vet hospitals. You must have an interest - at least to write for the long term. If you love animals, have a curiosity as to how hospitals treat and care for pets, and a sensitive spot to help people, then you can break into this industry and make a good living."
Burkhardt's ebook, "Profiting on Puppy Love & Cat Care: A Freelance Writer's Guide to Writing for Local Veterinary Hospitals & Practices" is a primer to break into this industry. His ebook sells for $9.95 at WritingCareer.com, an online ebook store, found at http://www.writingcareer.com/sbk001.shtml
About The Author
Brian Konradt is a freelance writer and graphic designer based in South Carolina.
one time home cleaning Highland Park ..Take out a white piece of paper and place it... Read More
Freewriting is a release from the prison of rules. It... Read More
Nothing is more daunting for any writer than having to... Read More
Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane... Read More
The biggest mistake authors make when trying to get free... Read More
Quite a few years ago, I enrolled in a Degree... Read More
I started writing as a way of keeping safe memories... Read More
For many years, I've been a tutor for students undertaking... Read More
I've seen it time and again. One of the most... Read More
When my first book "Starting Your Own Business" was published... Read More
Want to write your book? But, need a blueprint on... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project,... Read More
When you run an online agency for freelance writers, editors... Read More
It's a good idea to use TextPad because all opt-in... Read More
Today Norm Goldman, Editor of sketchandtravel and bookpleasures is honored... Read More
Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you... Read More
In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as... Read More
What does one do as a writer who loves writing... Read More
ELICIT, ILLICITElicit means to extract or draw out; illicit means... Read More
The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More
You can learn a lot about what it takes to... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
This article contains a short guide on how to edit... Read More
If you are reading this article then you probably have... Read More
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..Part 1 of this article discussed the experience you need... Read More
During the years that I've been teaching writing and participating... Read More
You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh... Read More
Have you ever started a creative writing project with great... Read More
Let's Discuss Publisher Ethics:If you are an ezine publisher or... Read More
Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great... Read More
It is satisfying to be a part of such a... Read More
You send me an e-mail. You tell me you've written... Read More
Have you ever considered writing a book? If so, maybe... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
Every part of your book can be a sales tool.... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
A writer writes. Bet you've heard that one... Read More
Have you ever had a student write to tell you... Read More
Ever wonder why we refer to convincing an editor a... Read More
Not long ago, I went to an Internet Marketing Seminar.... Read More
The following answer sounds simplistic?but think about it. The single... Read More
Welcome to the zany ideas of a productive writer. My... Read More
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More
The freelance writing market is a growing market to be... Read More
Verb and SubjectIncorrect:"I bet you two had a fine time,"... Read More
Writer's forums are bustling with debate over whether or not... Read More
One Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed conference room... Read More
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of... Read More
Writing |