EDITING SAMPLES
SAMPLE 1
This is an excerpt from the introduction of Naturopathica founder, Barbara Close’s, book, The Naturopathica Effect. The challenge here was to introduce Barbara as a thought leader in natural skincare while establishing a unique voice separate from the brand’s. We worked together to hone a story that illustrates her authenticity and gives consumers an aspirational figure with whom they can connect.
Introduction
Of all the gardens of my youth, the one I hold most dear belonged to my grandfather, the proud owner of hundreds of acres of rolling green hills and rust-colored soil in Virginia. I recall the myriad scents I gulped in as a child running across that rambling farmstead—the wafting of wild carrot seed, the smell of newly turned soil on rapeseed fields, the aroma of dried leaves, blackberries, rose, rhubarb, and honeysuckle, and the one fragrance I remember most by far: that of the Madonna lily, whose sweet scent of decay in the warm afternoon sun haunts me to this day.
Scent is a bewitching and magical muse. It holds the ability to conjure long-forgotten moments of delight from your past and induce feelings of peace, comfort, and joy in your present. The transformative power of scent to shift our consciousness and our emotional response to everyday stress is a pretty remarkable feat when you think about it. And yet this is only one example of the infinite therapeutic properties found in a holistic approach to improving and maintaining your health and well-being.
I am often asked how I became interested in holistic health and natural skin care. I don’t think I realized it until after she was gone, but my great Aunt Eleanor, an ex-pat who lived outside of Paris, offered me my first vision of the benefits of natural health. Viewed by many as a bit of an eccentric, she eschewed prescription drugs, preferring to visit the herboristerie, where they would prepare a verveine tea to assist with sleep or recommend a chamomile and yarrow salve to help with dry skin. Europe has a strong ancestral knowledge of herbal medicine which, sadly, we have lost in America with the rise of the pharmaceutical industry. My aunt loved to visit mineral spas regularly to “take the waters,” and I enjoyed soaking with her in the mineral pools and mud baths. Above all, Aunt Eleanor thought that food was the best medicine, primarily fresh fruits and vegetables along with protein like chicken or fish and an avoidance of all processed foods.
Years later, after graduating from massage school and apprenticing with herbalists in Santa Fe, New Mexico, my formative years with my aunt were put to intensive use when my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. I witnessed firsthand the inability of Western allopathic medicine to offer anything in the way of palliative care to help her cope with her illness. I was awakened to the healing potential of lemon balm tea to ease her anxiety, homemade calendula salve to help with radiation burns and dry skin, peppermint inhalations to quell nausea, and weekly aromatherapy massages to soothe her muscle pains and stave off headaches. As I witnessed the effectiveness of these traditional healing arts, I became determined to create a place where other people could learn about self-care rituals to improve and empower their own well-being. Three years later, in 1995, my vision for Naturopathica was realized when we opened our first door in East Hampton, New York.
Sample 2
Below is a post that I edited for the Naturopathica blog. The objective was to present Naturopathica’s top muscle care products to a wider audience. Our head of digital volunteered to write the story, and we decided “confessions of an aging athlete” was a cheeky and relatable angle. Because he is a complete numbers guy, this exercise required much patience—and a lot of grammatical edits.
Confessions of an Aging Athlete
Stiff or sore after sports, yoga, or just daily life? As a not-quite-as-young-as-I-used-to-be athlete, I’ve had my share of bumps and bruises as well as full-on injuries, surgeries, and rehabs from sports like running, cycling, tennis, and, most prominently, ice hockey. I might not bounce back like a teenager anymore, but luckily, working at Naturopathica has given me some additional options to manage my pain and recover more quickly.
INFLAMMATION VERSUS BEING STIFF OR TIGHT, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Different types of soreness need different approaches for recovery. Before working at Naturopathica, I instinctually understood what to do when I, for instance collided with an opponent during a hockey match or woke up with a stiff neck. However, I wasn’t always aware of the why behind different treatments. When you’re feeling sore, it’s important to know where it’s coming from and why it’s happening. Why you might need a massage rather than a bag of ice. Here’s how I learned to manage various types of pain.
Inflammation
As a hockey player, I’m used to a higher impact sport, so oftentimes, I’m dealing with some type of inflammation. Inflammation is a localized condition that usually involves swelling, redness or bruising. In hockey, it happens if I take a shot in an area where I don’t have much padding like the inside of the leg or on the forearm between the glove and the elbow pad, which always seem to take a beating. Inflammation also happens with other types of physical trauma, like when you sprain your ankle after going up for a rebound in basketball, or getting swollen feet after walking around all day in uncomfortable shoes. If you have swelling, bruising, or a sharp, biting pain, that’s most likely inflammation. The best remedy that I have found for this type of soreness is our Arnica Gel.
Arnica Gel has been a cult favorite since we first started selling it more than 10 years ago. To create this product, our founder, Barbara Close, used her knowledge as an herbalist to choose traditional healing herbs that support muscle & joint health. A European herb, arnica has been used for hundreds of years to ease pain and bruising—necessary for addressing the aches and pains that come with sports and athletic injuries. Arnica Gel also uses menthol to provide a cooling sensation, which works similarly to icing your muscles or joints. I use the gel along with ice for a one-two punch to restore my muscles.
Tightness and Stiffness
Another kind of pain that I know all too well is tightness or stiffness. This can be a pretty common daily occurrence for anyone, but especially for people like me who sit behind a desk all day at work. I’ve learned that the best way to deal with this type of soreness is with heat—something like a massage to loosen up overused muscles and help them function more easily. Working at Naturopathica, I now know the benefits of a good massage, but there are plenty of at-home rituals you can do to manage this type of pain if you don’t have the chance to make it to a spa.
Sweet birch is a warming herb that works on tense muscles. The active ingredient is Methyl salicylate, which is the pain reliever used in aspirin. When I apply our Sweet Birch Rub, there’s an immediate tingling sensation that lets me know it’s working.
Personally, I feel stiffness periodically in my neck and shoulder area, my low back, and my calves, the latter especially after a tough workout. Massaging Sweet Birch Rub into these areas helps stimulate blood flow, and my muscles feel looser after applying.
A RECOVERY BATH
Another great option for stiffness is our Sweet Birch Magnesium Bath Flakes. While those of us in NYC with bathtubs count ourselves lucky, a bath can be beneficial for targeting larger muscles like the back or hips. Magnesium has been shown to help with loosening up the body because of its ability to break down lactic acid, which can build up and cause tightness. When my muscles feel super tight, hot water combined with our bath flakes provides a whole-body solution.
THE DAILY RITUAL
When I suffered a painful knee injury after falling on a run, I started drinking our Muscle & Joint Tea and taking Turmeric Muscle & Joint Tincture. They’ve become part of my daily routine ever since. Turmeric has long been considered a natural anti-inflammatory herb that can help reduce joint pain. For me, adding a few droppers of the tincture to tea is much more relaxing than taking an ibuprofen, and the active herbs are better preserved in this form than in capsule or powder forms.
DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE
If you do have a chance to make it to one of our spas, I highly recommend our Alpine Arnica Deep Tissue Massage. This treatment was created especially for athletes and uses a blend of healing modalities to address your pain. The treatment features our Alpine Arnica Bath & Body Oil and is customized with either Sweet Birch Rub or Arnica Gel, depending on what your body needs.
As I get older, I try to listen to my body more and rest when I’m feeling overtaxed. Stretching regularly (literally every day) and working on more functional movements at the gym has helped to reduce a lot of my symptoms and keeps me going strong. My Naturopathica product routine definitely helps me feel less sore along the way, so any hurt is more “hurt so good” in nature.
- Ross, VP of Digital and Ecommerce
Sample 3
The following is an email that one of our freelancer writers worked on to support our winter marketing initiatives. I translated the freelancer’s more irreverent writing style into the Naturopathica brand voice.
Sample 4
My final sample is a press release that I wrote for Gigi Burris, an esteemed milliner in New York City. She recently launched a collection of hats in collaboration with Disney for the True Original campaign in honor of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday. The purpose of this piece was to introduce the collection as well as highlight Gigi’s connection to the legendary mouse.
Disney x Gigi Burris
THE STORY BEHIND THE COLLECTION
In celebration of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday, Gigi Burris puts her own spin on the American icon, creating a collection that honors Mickey Mouse’s timeless style and color palette.
Raised in Central Florida with Walt Disney World essentially in her backyard, Burris was transfixed by Mickey Mouse from a young age—his unmistakable ears shaping more than just an unforgettable character, but also the dreams of a young, creative spirit.
As a renowned milliner, Burris possesses a rare talent for taking the old and making it new, using centuries-old techniques to handcraft one-of-a-kind pieces that are all locally made in New York City. Her inventive approach that looks forward while paying homage to the past is just one of many reasons Burris was the perfect choice for this collaboration.
The first place that Burris draws inspiration is the top of Mickey Mouse’s head—the ears that have become as recognizable as the mouse himself. Burris plays off this silhouette in her Icon Cap, which comes in red, yellow and black. Now three dimensional, this innovative piece is a wearable sculpture.
The Icon is a limited edition drop with 30 hand-numbered pieces per color.
“I wanted to create a forward-thinking take on the ears that looks as welcome at Walt Disney World as it would on the streets of New York,” Burris explains.
For a more classic silhouette, Burris creates a black and red fedora, in line with a popular style from the year of Mickey Mouse’s inception, 1928. For this piece, the ears appear as subtle, black circles that add interest to the crown of the hat.
Mickey’s black and white beginnings are referenced in an elegant veiled headband that features hand-applied sequins and Swarovski crystals on ears formed from hand-tacked French veiling. To emphasize Mickey’s natural charm, Burris individually places a pattern of Swarovski gunmetal pearls and red crystals onto a luxe, gunmetal headband in the shape of his ear silhouette.
Another headband is plated in 14 karat gold—a simple and chic way to portray Mickey’s hairline. “As a hat maker, I was drawn to what shapes Mickey’s face—the dramatic widow’s peak that punctuates his every expression.”
While Mickey’s ears are his trademark, the mouse has never shied away from headwear. He has always selected just the right topper to complement his most memorable looks. Burris was particularly impressed by the captain’s hat Mickey wore in his debut film, Disney’s Steamboat Willie, as well as the square brimmed hat he donned as a conductor in Disney’s The Band Concert.
These references are alluded to in the form of a lambskin leather Fisherman’s hat, featuring Mickey’s signature white buttons and a subtle nod to his hairline stitched in white thread on the top of the cap.
A cheery, red, square-brimmed hat is a modern update to the classic baseball cap, complete with three Disney x Gigi Burris pins—Mickey tipping his boater hat, the classic ear icon, and an “M” for Mickey.
This moment harkens back to the days when Burris, like many others, would leave Walt Disney World with a plethora of Mickey Mouse souvenirs and memories of another special day spent with the beloved mouse.
Each piece in the collection embodies what Burris and people everywhere love about Mickey Mouse—his playful mischief, joy, style and, of course, his ability to make you smile.