Barb H. specializes in copywriting and content articles tailored to fit the client's specifications and target audience. Barb understands and is proficient at SEO but also has the ability to allow her personality to shine through while conveying essential details. She has a talent for research and knows how to quickly and efficiently find an authoritative primary source. Barb H. has extensive experience working with editors and has a solid reputation for meeting deadlines.
Barb is passionate about books and she reads everything from contemporary thrillers to classic mysteries, Y.A. fantasy, and paranormal middle-grade literature. Agatha Christie is her favorite author. She loves attending her regional SCBWI writers' conference and participating in critique groups with other fiction writers. Barb loves to travel with her husband, especially to national parks, Disney World, and Chicago--her favorite city and place to explore museums.
Barb makes time daily to cook from scratch and often creates new recipes. She loves to go to local orchards and farmer's markets for fresh produce and ingredients. Her recipes have appeared on several blogs, and she swears one day she will add a section to her own blog to showcase some of her favorite original recipes.
Barb had the privilege of being a pioneer in the study of Theatre Management while a student at Illinois State University. It was a fledgling program with less than a dozen students. The intimate size of the program allowed each student to receive hours of one-on-one instruction plus invaluable hands-on experience working in the box office of the theatre department. Her education and experience led directly to employment as the Marketing Director for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.
In her time at WriterAccess, Barb has worked with real estate agents and their representatives crafting detailed copy for high-end property listings in cities such as Chicago and Las Vegas. She also has written blog posts and press releases for a multi-state home builder who offers maintenance-free homes in upscale communities. Barb spent eight months as a writer for a project that required her to write neighborhood descriptions for cities across the United States. The focus of this project was to entice potential home buyers to various cities by highlighting the different neighborhoods and nearby amenities.
Barb H. has contributed to two Home Living blogs (for nationally known retailers) writing posts covering DIY projects, recipes and decorating advice. She also has written extensively for a nationally known cleaning service covering topics that range from How to Clean Hardwood Floors to Mold Remediation and What to Do When Your Basement Floods. As a homeowner, Barb has hung siding, installed ceiling fans, refinished cabinets, painted countless walls and completed multiple landscaping projects.
In the last 10 years as a freelance writer, Barb has written a variety of articles and blog posts for the Health industry. Some have been featured on websites for dermatologists and mental health facilities. She specializes in writing about nutrition, allergies and preventive care. Her clients value her ability to conduct quality research using reliable sources and presenting it logically in a manner easily understood by the general public.
Barb has had several opportunities to write original recipes and cooking advice content. Her recipes have appeared on blogs and in health newsletters. She has reviewed different products, including premium chocolates, organic cereals and soft drinks. Her favorite reviews have been for restaurants located on the Walt Disney World property. Barb also writes about basic tips and tricks for the home cook including how to stretch meal budgets and stock a pantry.
Barb's contributions to the "Other" category are diversified and include product descriptions for independent artisans, real estate property listings, professional online profiles and even press releases for the beauty industry.
Barb's the former Marketing Director for a nationally known Shakespeare festival, working with the theater company for seven seasons. She also worked as the Assistant Marketing Director for a large retail mall in central Illinois. At WriterAccess, Barb has written several press releases for various clients. Her marketing specialties include press releases, PSAs and ad copy. Barb also has a talent for concise, yet colorful product descriptions.
As a Disney World fan, Barb has enjoyed writing about the Florida property including reviews of the four parks plus vacation tips for visiting the resort. In 2015 she's written 20 original blogs about the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida plus several others about Universal Studios Orlando. She writes monthly travel blogs that include four different regions: the Mid-West, Tri-State area, Kentucky/Tennessee and Southeast. Barb has several published pieces about visiting Chicago, Kansas City and Indianapolis as well. In addition, Barb has contributed hotel reviews to various general content sites.
Barb's experience writing on the beauty industry includes several blog pieces for a well-know beauty site as well as beauty product reviews and articles focusing on tips for a healthy, beautiful self. She understands how important accurate research is when writing beauty tip pieces and she knows how to combine wit with fact to create the engaging copy you want to give your readers. Her favorite beauty pieces to write include how-to blog posts that offer real-world tips and tricks for creating new looks or enhancing a current style.
Barb writes comprehensive yet entertaining auto industry articles. She understands how to incorporate vehicle specs without making the article seem overly technical and dry. Currently, Barb writes monthly articles for an auto dealership located in the Pacific Northwest as well as social media posts for another dealership located in Canada. As an avid car "girl," she frequently watches programs such as MotorWeek, Wheeler Dealers and Top Gear UK. She annually attends the Chicago Auto Show and frequently visits local car shows with her family.
Barb's writing experience in the area of women focuses mainly within the topics of beauty and beauty products. She spent several months as a member of a project creating blogs about women's health, beauty and beauty tips. The blogs included hairstyle tips, product reviews and even safety issues regarding nail salons and treating serious sunburn.
From television and movie reviews to a whimsical look at favorite fictional characters, Barb's entertainment writing is varied. She has most enjoyed writing "top 10" style articles including "Top 10 Coming of Age Movies from the 80s" and "Great Movie Theme Songs." Writing entertainment industry articles can be a challenge but she is ready to dive into a new piece.
Parenting advice can be a slippery slope. Writing articles that address issues but find a balance so a variety of parents can relate is how Barb tackles parenting articles. She writes parenting advice, safety issues and even innovative ideas for party planning with children. As a work-at-home mom, she offers insight to the challenges parents face daily.
The Green Living industry continues to expand rapidly and Barb has been there to write copy for a variety of companies ranging from real estate agencies to HVAC businesses offering the latest in green tech. She's written about energy-efficient smart homes and along with her husband, uses several green living principles in their own home. Barb has an interest in solar energy for the homeowner and ways to decrease energy usage.
As a pet parent of two felines, Barb has written several cat articles, including a how-to for removing cat urine from carpets. Beyond cats, Barb has written about hamsters, pet behavior and even dog breeds. Her work can be found on the website The Pet Toy Box, where she wrote many of the product descriptions.
Barb has written a variety of nutrition information articles and a few food profile pieces, most geared toward readers looking to make healthy changes in their diet and lifestyle. The food profiles showcased the full nutritional value of that particle food item, using the USDA Nutrient Database in order to include the correct values for calorie and fat count as well as carbohydrates, cholesterol, sugars, sodium, and vitamins.
Barb has been crafting since she was a young girl. Her mother was an avid crafter, often selling her unique beanbag frogs (long before Beanie Babies) at local craft fairs. As a writer, Barb has taken her practical experience and shared it with her readers through various craft projects. She also spent four years as a Preschool Reading Leader at her local library. There she engaged the kids in stories and corresponding crafts. In addition to articles focusing on specific craft projects, Barb also has completed several how-to articles, which feature directions for various napkin-folding techniques.
Barb's content articles include a variety of subjects. From party planning to DIY project and health related topics, she can provide content to inform and entertain.
Barb has written blog posts for various clients on a range of subjects including treadmill workouts and wedding destination information. She ran her own blog for a short time and currently is in the process of developing a new site to showcase her work as a writer.
Barb has written more than 500 product descriptions for both national retailers and small online business owners. Her work includes an ongoing project where she creates product descriptions for two nationally known retailers for items ranging from furniture to jewelry, tools, housewares and clothing. She has written descriptions for prom dresses, air and water filters, kitchen gadgets as well as office and school furniture/supplies.
As a Marketing Director, Barb wrote content for the monthly newsletter for a large, upscale retail mall. Content include news items regarding upcoming events, special interest stories and human interest pieces. She also has written newsletter content for private clients including real estate agents, retailers and health industry professionals. In addition, Barb was the main contributor and creator of the newsletter for her local Relay for Life chapter.
As a former Marketing professional, Barb understands the importance of social media for client outreach. Recently, she has written a series of Facebook (and Twitter) posts for a large automobile dealership. She is skilled at combining essential business details in an informal manner to engage and entertain readers. Barb writes Facebook posts weekly for her clients and is ready to write posts for your company as well.
As a Marketing Director, Barb wrote the annual 30-sec and 60-sec radio spot for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival for five seasons as well as several PSAs for the theater company. She also wrote two special Holiday radio spots for a large, upscale retail mall. These spots ran regionally.