P.J.S. Dougherty, Author at Natural Health Writer

HealthSmart Today

The fastest magazine issue ever produced, thanks to the Natural Health Writer’s lightning-quick editorial acumen. 750,000 circulation, ho-hum, no pressure…

Healthsmart copy — Dayna Devon was a great interview; enthusiastic about nutrition and supplements.

HealthSmart Today makes my Top Six because it represents what the Natural Health Writer can achieve under extreme time pressure. Here’s the scenario: HST was a 750,000 circulation custom magazine distributed by Puritan’s Pride. One month prior to their Winter Issue deadline, the entire editorial staff unexpectedly jumped ship. I was called in as the editorial pinch hitter.

In less than a month, I secured a celebrity cover: Dayna Devon, host of television’s Extra program. I also got an interview with Grand Champion Boxer Roy Jones Jr. I wrote five articles, outsourced the remainder to quality writers and edited everything else. Even I was surprised at the speed with which everything came together. When the dust settled, what we beheld was no makeshift patchwork. In the blink of an eye, we had created a magazine that surpassed what it had been.

The Lesson: The Natural Health Writer is a Playmaker. I can write quickly and coordinate complex editorial projects under pressure — all while maintaining superior quality (not to mention my composure).

Energy Times

Directing Energy Times’ editorial gave me unique insight. The Natural Health Writer knows where education, media and marketing juxtapose.

mariel — Puppies! Flowers! Mariel Hemingway!

Energy Times is a custom magazine distributed in health food stores. I wrote for Energy Times at its peak; 525,000 circulation. During an Energy Times leadership change I made a precocious proposal to become Publisher — and was denied. I did, however, become Executive Editor.

I steered the editorial back on track to its true mission: Selling nutritional supplements. I brought the magazine’s content to a pinnacle, making it compelling in a way that inspired readers to visit their local health food store. Plus, I ushered in the era of Celebrity Natural Health Interviews that still remains a hallmark of Energy Times.

Click the image to see the articles and ads that I wrote as Executive Editor in one Energy Times issue. My Prolotherapy article sparked tons of reader interest in this complementary therapy; illustrating that the Natural Health Writer sells more than supplements. For this issue, I also spearheaded Energy Times’ first web 2.0 venture: an interactive online debate, Vegan vs. Carnivore. Overall, combining ads and editorial, I wrote over 60% of this particular issue…saving thousands on our budget.

Nature’s Plus

In 1996, I bought my first cannister of Chocolate SPIRU-TEIN as a college student. Seven years later, I was writing SPIRU-TEIN copy for Nature’s Plus. Incredibly delicious.

naturspluslogos — The Natural Health Writer has been the voice for this nutritional supplement trifecta....

In 1996, I bought my first cannister of Chocolate SPIRU-TEIN as a college student. Seven years later, I was writing SPIRU-TEIN copy for Nature’s Plus. It’s funny how the universe works. Nature’s Plus gave me my start in the Natural Products Industry, and for that I am forever grateful.

At the time, I was working in a private investigation firm. I saw the ad for a copywriter, applied and was called in for a “test.” My boss wouldn’t let me take an afternoon off, so I had to quit my job in order to take the test. I later learned that this was the third test given to find a copywriter; no one had passed. It was me and ten other applicants in one room. We were given company literature and asked to write product copy in 30 minutes. I remember chuckling to myself as I wrote about Animal Parade children’s supplements: “Cherry Elephants, Lemon Lions, Nutrition in Disguise!” I got the job.

In R&D, I had a fantastic crash course about writing for the industry. Anyone who knows Nature’s Plus is familiar with their rapidly expanding product catalog. The workflow was brutal at times, but I absorbed like a sponge. I didn’t just churn out product copy, I created a “voice” for Nature’s Plus that resonated with Founder Gerald Kessler’s style. This is especially evident in my writing for Source of Life, SPIRU-TEIN and Animal Parade: Three flagship products and true industry icons. It was a privilege to write about them!

Talent Trumps Experience

lumbergh — Ignore negative people. Believe in yourself.

Back in my corporate days, I avoided politics… But I wanted to climb that ladder. At Natural Organics I had a leap in mind: I wanted to move from copywriting in R&D to running Editorial for Energy Times magazine.

Before making the proposal, I met with the departing ET publisher to get his blessing. Boy was I in for a surprise! He sat me down and told me I would fail. I had no magazine experience. It’s a complicated job. I would need extensive training. Blah, blah, blah… the real kicker, I will never forget. He told me, “You know, if you get this job it could actually hurt your career.”

Since I was sill a bit green, this bizarro pep talk shook me up. But I persisted, became Executive Editor and persevered. Four months later, I completed the annual Energy Times Cancer Issue with Alec Baldwin as the feature interview. It was the biggest celebrity we’d ever landed. After the issue came out, the founder called me to tell me it was the single greatest Energy Times in its 17-year history.

Ultimately, I improved ET: Better content, lower operating costs, and, most importantly, superior promotion of nutritional supplements and natural health.

The Lesson: Go ahead. Tell me I won’t succeed. I dare you. Talent trumps experience every time. These days, the Natural Health Writer has both in spades.

Healthy Sales

The ultimate training tool for Vitamin World Associates. Healthy Sales provided selling tips, industry insight, motivation and more.

HS_AcaiCover — If I were a Vitamin World Associate, I would enjoy reading this on my breaks.

Healthy Sales may be the coolest project I ever worked on, with the greatest potential to supercharge supplement sales.

With Healthy Sales I coordinated with an NBTY Vice President (and bona-fide marketing guru) to create the ultimate training tool for Vitamin World Associates. The concept: Associates would read the Healthy Sales newsletter to learn sales techniques, conversation starters, industry insight, and more. It was a motivational tool, as Associates’ commission earnings would rise as they learned. Since Healthy Sales was entertaining and eye-catching, it made education fun.

During a leadership change, the axe fell on Healthy Sales. It’s a damn shame, and it fills me with regret. I don’t think Management gave enough credit to their Associates’ intelligence, ambition and eagerness to learn from Healthy Sales. And by the way, one advertisement per issue paid for the whole shebang, making Healthy Sales a free program.

The Lesson: Need to train your sales force on how to maximize supplement sales? Consider commissioning me to create a dynamic, vibrant magazine-style publication like Healthy Sales. The concept was golden, and it was ready to soar just when it was axed.

People’s Health Series

You know how a powerful earthquake can shift the earth on its axis by an inch? The People’s Health Series has had a similar effect on the supplement industry.

29_Complete-Book — 10+ million copies in print... and counting.

The People’s Health Series is a collection of seven nutrition booklets that I ghostwrote and published. This project has proven to be phenomenally effective at sparking consumer interest in supplements.

Each nutrient covered has been extensively researched, so there is abundant substantiation. There are no over-the-top claims, just suggestions based on facts. And while nutrition is emphasized, I also include complementary lifestyle activities that optimize health. It’s valuable information that I am proud to disseminate.

The Lesson: When a PHS book is released, the immediate sales impact is staggering. This proves that education is the key to nutritional supplement success. With over ten million copies circulating across the U.S.A. and abroad, the PHS is a true game-changer, capable of making any nutritional ingredient a household word.

Below are three samples from my books on Pycnogenol, Ubiquinol and Lutein. Check them out, and witness a clinic on effective supplement writing. To see how this content can be translated for web, visit this page on Ubiquinol benefits.