Got a question or feedback? See if it's addressed here first.
Q: Can you get my idea/product/company featured on Hill's Pet or AKC.org?
A: I write for my big corporate clients through third-party content marketing agencies. As such, I have no contact with those companies or the people in charge of making content decisions, nor do I have any pull or influence with them. Generally speaking, though, they're far more interested in promoting their own products and services than they are yours.
Q: Will you feature my idea/product/company on your own blog?
A: Maybe, if it's relevant to my audience and will provide them something of value. It can't hurt to ask.
Q: Can I reprint or link to your article?
A: If it's something I wrote on this blog or on Medium, feel free to link to it or post an excerpt with a link back to the original article. Please get in touch before reposting an entire article.
As for articles I wrote for my clients, those pieces are work for hire, meaning I don't own the rights to them. You would have to get in touch with the company to ask permission. Generally, though, you don't need permission to simply link to something published online.
Q: Can I interview you or cite you as an expert for my pet article?
A: I'm a writer with excellent research skills who is passionate about pets. I'm not a vet, nutritionist, trainer, behaviorist or any other type of pet expert. If you'd like to interview or cite me about writing for the pet market, or about my personal experience with my own pets, feel free to get in touch. But please don't cite me as an expert on pet health. As for citing my articles, usually my research citations are included, along with links to the sources. It would be better to look to them for your info.
Q: How dare you disparage feeding dogs raw food/[insert stance on pet health/nutrition/care that you disagree with]?
A: I'm a freelance pet writer for hire. I write the assignments I receive from my clients, to their specifications. That being said, both my clients and I take pet health and safety extremely seriously. While they would never assign me a piece that might endanger or compromise a pet's health, if they did, I wouldn't accept such an assignment. As for the assignments I do take on, I do rigorous research, citing primary expert sources and scientific studies whenever possible.
Having said that, when the science and expert consensus on a matter isn't settled, generally I will go with the research that supports my clients' purpose for hiring me in the first place. That means if I'm writing for a premium pet food company, I'm going with the side that will help sell more pet food. To be fair, there have been times I've turned in articles that present both sides of a matter fairly, only to have the opposing side edited out prior to publication. I have no say over the final article--it is what it is. But if you're still upset, my advice to you is to maybe don't go looking for unbiased pet nutrition info on websites that sell commercial pet food.
Q: I'm a pet expert and I would like to get on your list of potential interviewees/expert sources for future articles.
A: Great! Please e-mail me with your info and area of expertise. Just keep in mind that expert sources typically need to be approved by my clients before I can conduct an interview. Also bear in mind that I prefer to conduct interviews via e-mail whenever possible.
