Third-Party Publishing Archives | 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.

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.

PYC_Cover — The Pycnogenol book's early pages focus on history, setting the stage and weaving a story.

Ubiquinol_Cover — These pages use graphic elements and scientists' commentary to show why Ubiquinol is special.

Lutein_Cover — Lutein research, testimonials, diagrams and even Government recommendations.

Ingredient Sales 2.0

Educational supplement materials that are delivered over the web are the next great marketing leap for our industry. I have started creating websites that educate consumers with nutrient research summaries, testimonials and history. At right is one such site, which is all about Pycnogenol Benefits. I am eager to launch more sites like this one. Outsourcing your web-based educational marketing to the Natural Health Writer is a smart strategy. Frequent reporting on nutritional ingredients can be time consuming, and using a third party enables greater flexibility.

The Lesson: Information drives supplement sales. We are in the Information Age. Strong writing is the spark that ignites these combustible elements into blazing-hot sales for your nutritional supplement.

Marketing of Personality

SuzanneSomers057 — The marketing of personalities is essential for natural health industry growth.

Nutritional supplements are just one aspect of natural health. NavelEXPO hired me to market their conference’s natural health speakers in a custom-published magazine. The goal: Educate consumers on exciting natural health advancements, promote the experts speaking on these topics, and fill their lecture rooms to maximum capacity.

The sample at right (click the mag cover) was written for a speaker on tap water hazards. As I wrote about 2,100 toxins in municipal water being absorbed through the skin’s pores during a hot shower, I sold myself on the idea… I want a full-home water purification system! Click the image at right, read it yourself and see. At worst, you will want to attend the lecture; at best, you’ll want to buy the purification system immediately.

The Lesson: Natural health can include the marketing of concepts, or even the marketing of people. When the communication behind this marketing is clear and compelling, success is sure to follow.

Rx Complement

The Natural Health Writer’s editorial vision made Rx Complement an entertaining custom-published magazine that covered all aspects of Natural Health.

Rx Complement is the most all-encompassing editorial project I’ve coordinated.

aliciacover copy — Alicia Silverstone made an especially fetching RX Complement cover.

Part of an innovative marketing program, Rx Complement was a custom-published magazine distributed in holistic health practitioners’ offices. It was designed to educate patients on nutritional supplements and natural health while they sat in waiting rooms. The ultimate goal: Sparking patient interest in nutrition as a complementary therapy. This was especially beneficial for health practitioners who incorporate supplements to help their patients.

Landing the Kind Diet author and actress Alicia Silverstone was fantastic, and yielded a fascinating in-depth interview (click to open pdf) about her perspective on veganism, environmentalism, and turning Superhuman.

Click on the cover to view an “abridged” PDF version of Rx Complement that focuses on its nutrition-related articles. (Note: large file, about 25 mb). Full versions available upon request.