Do you have a way with words? Would you like to earn extra cash from home? Here is how to get paid to write greeting cards from the comfort of your home!
Maybe you have a knack for creativity, one-liners, and wordplay, or you’re just an English major like me looking for a place to put the fruits of your student loan debt to good use. Or perhaps you’re an artist looking to profit from your skills.
Either way, greeting card writing jobs can be an incredibly rewarding and fun work from home option that doesn’t require a serious time commitment like a lot of other online writing gigs.
One thing I love about greeting card work is the chance to put something positive into the world each time your words help someone else connect with a friend or loved one. It’s also a pretty easy gig to get into if you know which companies are always on the lookout for new greeting card writers.
To get started, bookmark this list of submission guidelines from some of the top freelancer-friendly greeting card companies to reference whenever you feel the urge to transform creativity into currency.
1. Shade Tree Greetings
Shade Tree Greetings won’t pay for your writing, but they will give you compensation for diving into your old family photos. According to their website, the brand regularly pays its customers for “unusual or funny” photos from the 1940s through the 1980s. Think picture of your aunt crying on the Easter Bunny’s lap in 1974 or a stereotypical 1980s teen, big bangs and all, covered in birthday cake.
Once you’ve secured a handful of quirky old photos, they’ve got a 1-800 number you can call for next steps.
2. Avanti Press
Avanti Press is a global greeting card brand that sells its products wholesale through online and local retailers. According to the company’s website, their cards are sold in 12 different languages around the globe, and they’re always looking for more content.
The company sells greeting cards for a total of 32 different occasions, including every major U.S. holiday, get-well cards, and sympathy cards for pet owners. It’s also a truly ethical company to work for, with all of their cards printed in the USA using sustainable practices.
Avanti accepts both photography and writing submissions that align with one of three brands: Avanti, A*Press, or America. Avanti is the humor brand, and most of the photos seem to be of funny animals or children — think a squirrel in a tutu or a child in a superhero cape.
A*Press pairs bold lettering, flocking, and embellishment to bring text to life with cards that carry simple, sweet, or humorous messages like the artistically designed wedding cake card that reads “Love, Laughter, Happiness” and “Congratulations to the Happy Couple!”
The brand’s America line seems to carry a retro Americana theme, with each card presenting a humorous, historic, or slice-of-life photo with a mini history lesson on the back. Examples include a 1948 birthday cake decorator and a 1958 sailboat parade.
To submit your ideas, the company recommends directly contacting their creative team.
3. Blue Mountain Arts
Founded by a husband-wife poet-illustrator team in 1971, Blue Mountain Arts is a card brand known for its beautiful, emotionally evocative greeting cards — the kind of cards you keep in a treasure box or cedar chest years after receiving them. The brand sells both gift books and greeting cards, and they’re always looking for submissions on both counts.
According to their website, the type of content Blue Mountain is looking for includes “contemporary prose or poetry written from personal experience that reflects the thoughts and feelings people today want to communicate to one another, but don’t always know how to put into words.” If you enjoy writing lengthy poetry, this is the brand for you.
Poetic verses can range anywhere from 50 to 300 words and cover categories like anniversary, birthday, wedding, congratulations, or emotional topics like missing you or feelings for a friend, loved one, or relative.
The key is writing something with someone specific in mind so your sentiments will resonate with Blue Mountain’s customers. The company pays $300 per poem for exclusive publication rights and $50 for one-time book publication.
Poems can be submitted to Blue Mountain Arts’ editorial department in the body of an email or via old-fashioned snail mail.
4. Oatmeal Studios
One of the most recognizable greeting card brands aside from Hallmark, Oatmeal Studios mainly presents quirky cartoons with messages geared toward birthdays, get well, retirement, anniversary, thank you, holiday, and other significant occasions.
The brand is looking for both artist and writer submissions, with specific guidelines for both posted on the company’s website. Before submitting to Oatmeal Studios, the company recommends taking some time to check out their other cards and get a sense of the brand’s humor and style.
For freelance writers, the company recommends thinking about how people talk to their friends and writing with someone specific in mind for your message. Try to make it funny but not overly specific. You don’t have to draw the accompanying image you envision, but Oatmeal recommends at least describing what you have in mind. The company also emphasizes that they do not accept puns.
All card copy ideas should be sent by email. The company pays $100 per written submission, with payment varying for their original artwork submissions.
5. Calypso Cards
Calypso Cards’ brand is all about contemporary, vibrant images and messages, and features a wide range of visually stunning cards. Examples include a sweet teddy bear surrounded by flowers that reads “lovely new baby” or a beautiful star-filled nighttime sky overlooking a dark living sea with the message, “With each twinkling star and every passing tide, I want you by my side.”
Calypso is looking for work from artists and illustrators who have something fresh to contribute to their brand. All images should fit well with one of the major calendar holidays or common special occasions, with the company adding text to your submission after it’s accepted.
Calypso accepts physical art submissions via snail mail and low-resolution image card ideas via email, and follows a schedule for their submission reviews.
6. Papyrus
Papyrus is another greeting card company known for its beautiful cards and messages. The brand even includes art inside the envelope of their cards, like a row of birthday candles or a pretty floral pattern inside the envelope of a birthday card. The brand also covers a wider range of holidays and special occasions than some other greeting card companies.
They accept up to 12 photography, art, and copy ideas per submission via snail mail and ask that anyone wishing to have their content returned include a self-addressed stamped envelope along with their submission.
Although the company doesn’t include artist or writer guidelines on their website, you can get a pretty good sense of what they’re looking for by browsing their content online.
7. Great Arrow
Great Arrow is a greeting card publisher that specializes in hand-printed, silkscreen cards, creating vibrant cards in an infinite color spectrum. They accept submissions from designers, typically licensing work for five years and paying artists in royalties.
Because of the silkscreening process, Great Arrow asks for art that avoids using fine lines or details. Specific guidelines and recommendations, along with a breakdown of the submission process, can be found on the Great Arrow website.
Yes, You Can Get Paid to Write Greeting Cards!
While you’re not likely to pay your entire rent check with greeting card writing and art submissions, it’s a great way to supplement your income without having to worry about lengthy edits and deadlines.
It’s also a ton of fun to know you’re creating ideas that help someone send a message of love or cheer. And if you’d like to get paid more for your greeting card designs, you can even consider opening your own greeting card shop on Etsy.
Have you had any experience publishing greeting cards? Let me know in the comments!
