Inspire,
Engage,
that
WORDS
Persuade
for
...
KRISTEN DEDEYN KIRK
Journalist • Content Marketing Strategist • Copywriter
If you're an editor or a marketing executive, you value
a writer who draws in readers, keeps them engaged, and inspires action.
The action could be reading more stories, trusting a leader, or investing in a service, all of which boost your image, and bolster your profits.
For 25 years, I’ve kept these key actions top of mind as I've crafted award-winning articles and marketing content –often about technology, healthcare, and education.
I welcome the chance to help you. Please contact me
at Kristen@kristendedeynkirk.com.
TESTIMONIALS
“A valuable asset on any project, Kristen is dependable and creative. From writing an annual report, capturing a patient story or interviewing physicians for a brochure, she is incredibly detailed and knows how to translate difficult concepts for a consumer audience. I am grateful to have such a reliable partner for my content needs.”
--Brian A. York, Director, Business Line Marketing, Corporate Marketing, Sentara Healthcare
"Kristen was amazing to work with when she served as editor of Teachers Magazine for four years. She expertly edited articles from up to 40 contributors to make them impactful. She wrote insightful editorials and liaised with the designer to ensure the magazine looked great."
-- Karen Boyes, CEO, Spectrum Education Ltd
"Kristen is a sensitive and probing interviewer and an intelligent reader of documents. She has repeatedly demonstrated tenacity, fearlessness in the face of recalcitrant public officials and skepticism when dealing with private sources. While her first priority is getting at the truth and reporting it accurately, she also presents her information in engaging ways with an eye for telling details."
--Tom Robotham, Editor-in-Chief, Port Folio Weekly
"Kristen has been able to effectively tell the brand story on every writing project. She captures the client's voice and tone and takes on a more in-depth role than many writers by brainstorming on the message and hierarchy of information. Kristen brings her copywriting expertise to everything from profiles and case studies to complex data graphics and teaser copy."
--Theresa Ceniccola, Vice President and COO, Red Orange Studio
“Kristen wrote for and edited a magazine I created to engage adults considering college. Her feature stories captured students’ and professors’ experiences with thoughtful details and telling quotes that prompted readers to ask for more information about our school. Her editing emphasized story-telling elements in others’ work and helped the magazine shine.”
--Bill Candler, former director of communications, Tidewater Community College
"Kristen is a regular contributor to CoVa Biz and Coastal Virginia Magazine. She has written articles on many topics, including technology, real estate, education, healthcare, food, wine, and public figures. She has been consistently chosen to cover stories based on her clear and concise organization, engaging tone, dependent accuracy, and complete reliability."
--Angela Blue, Editor-In-Chief, CoVa Biz and Coastal Virginia Magazine
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SKILLS
Writing long-form articles
and five- to fifty-page reports
Creating and executing
strategy and content plans
Writing service articles, video scripts, social media posts, websites, and white papers
In-depth reporting;
Identifying and interviewing sources
Interpreting data and research;
simplifying complex concepts
Developing and editing copy
WRITING CLIPS
Business and Technology
Experience: With a degree in business communications, I've written hundreds of feature stories about business and technology. My experience also includes crafting editorial plans, marketing plans, and promotional materials such as websites, annual reports, media releases, advertisements, social media posts, and brochures. I deepened my business acumen as a Virginia Beach Jaycees member and as a LEAD Hampton Roads graduate.
Teaming with: The Virginian-Pilot, The Isle of Wight Observer, The Buffalo News, Dollar Tree, Empire Bank, Military Influencer, Radio BOP New Zealand, Tidewater Builders Association, Green Magazine, atHome and CoVa Biz
campaigns of southeast Virginia
ADDITIONAL CLIPS
Inside Virginia Beach and the Central Business District's development plans
Business bonding and COVID-19: From "stay-at-home" to build a home
Cooking up a new business: From
Battling flooding in Coastal Virginia
Could the real estate market finally make everyone happy?
How a housing trust fund could in-
The laws that hurt Virginia's bars
Balancing development and open land
The business of providing more housing in Virginia Beach
Restaurants debate Virginia lawmakers' efforts to go smoke-free
Selling "cornhole" and fun: The trend taking over Coastal Virginia
The food truck owners who started the Coastal Virginia craze
The economy and real estate prices
Advancements in home technology
New linear accelerators:Say goodbye to the "mask"
Technology and trends in real estate
The technology that sculpts your body
Two technological advancements: Protecting from avian damage and identifying cancer tissue
Building a cost-saving "green" home: The technology making it possible
Healthcare and Health
Experience: From working as a science research assistant and founding a health magazine to interviewing physicians and guiding corporate communication, I've mastered feature writing, content marketing writing, and copywriting. I have extensive experience covering numerous topics, including nursing, orthopedics, oncology, cardiac care, stroke, technology, and medical groups.
To learn more about health challenges, I served on the Children's Health Investment Program board and on the Red Cross of WNY communications board and as a pro-bono developmental editor for the book You Can't Imagine: A Mother Shares Her Daughter's Journey with Traumatic Brain Injury.
Teaming with: Cornell University, Port Folio Weekly, Tidewater Parent, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of WNY, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Sentara Healthcare, Sentara College of Health Sciences, Sentara Medical Group,Optima Health, and The Vein Center of Virginia
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A mother's journey through her daughter's brain injury
(Developmental/copy editing)
saving and improving lives
ADDITIONAL CLIPS
New technology and the community -wide effort to improve health and grow the economy
Community benefits annual report
The region-wide effort to curb and treat opioid addiction
The teamwork behind palliative care
Press release: New vein treatment
The orthopedic surgery that saved one man's spring fun
Why a neurosurgeon decided to lead Planned Parenthood
When a couple loses their baby to SIDS
Advice from the author of Healthy Holistic Aging
Planning for the future: Understanding your parents' wishes
Helping the tiniest heart with surgery
Remembering your why: Nursing annual report
Medicine for the youngest: The kids are all right
A look back: Your best day nursing
Annual report: Investing in our communities to promote health
Physicians exploring promising therapies, treatments, and technology
When a 38-year-old has a stroke
Not able to overcome genetics: A journey to a healthy heart
Domestic violence: Two sisters' stories
of struggling for safety
Can you eat healthy on food stamps?
A young family's firsthand experience
Author interview: How to raise a daughter with a positive body image
Blockchain for protecting healthcare records
Today and tomorrow: The future of
nursing across the care continuum
Six surgeries: How an orthopedic traumatologist saved a crash victim
The photographer with Parkinson's
Recovering from aortic stenosis
Local medical trailblazers and the patients they've helped
When you face colon cancer: One man, his doctors, and his family
Working to make Virginia smoke-free
How your family can fight the flu
Exercise: Good for the heart and the brain
Education and Parenting
Experience: As one of the first writers honored with a journalism fellowship in the Child and Family Policy program, I met with leaders and legislators for briefings on challenges in education and related socio-economic factors and received advanced coaching in telling stories anchored in policy. I also served as editor for an international teachers magazine; as copy editor for two college magazines and an art history book; and as founding producer for a parenting website. I've written news, feature, and how-to articles, as well as web copy, profiles, and recruitment collateral. I'm a founding moderator for a social media university parents' group and an active member of a best-practices group.
Teaming with: Foundation for Child Development, Teachers Matter, Spectrum Education, MyTidewaterMoms.com, Tidewater Parent, Brain, Child, Scary Mommy's Club Mid, Virginia Wesleyan University, Sentara College of Health Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Ithaca College, Christopher Newport University, Tidewater Community College, Cornell University,Bryant and Stratton College, Chrysler Museum of Art, Military Families, Hampton Roads Magazine/ Coastal Virginia Magazine
Profile on a Virginia Wesleyan University graduate recognized as a middle school teacher of the year
college fund grow, no matter how much time you have left to pay tuition
Expert advice on the sweet spot between too much and too little
sleep for students
ADDITIONAL CLIPS
Pharrell's mom -- educator extraordinaire
A recession means rethinking saving for college
When a couple loses their baby to SIDS
How to mentor the next generation
Lessons I've learned in school
Should you pay your child for A's?
Beyond grades -- The other signs that our son is learning
Is your child ready for kindergarten?
The Lost Boys: Escaping Sudan to study in America
A game plan: Get your family to clean
How to know if your child is camp ready
Unplanned pregnancy? You aren't alone
What you can learn from large families
My daughter, a natural salesperson
Fellow soccer moms: I'd be so grateful if you'd talk to me
Copy editor: Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life by Paul D. Schweizer
Virginia universities join in the effort to curb opioid addiction
Questions to consider when Mom returns to school
How to save for college -- depending on how much time you have left
Nurse educator studies nurse-on-nurse
incivility and how to curb tension
A look at two programs designed to stop child abuse
Room mom: To be or not to be? What you should consider first
Getting the best care for your special- needs baby
Graduate finds success outside of the classroom
Managing editor: Teachers Matter
Efforts to clean Virginia's waterways
Step-by-step: Guiding your toddler through transitions
Is a happy ending possible?Libraries cut budgets due to recession
Five mistakes parents make funding a college education
Three students share their tips for touring colleges
Kids say the darnedest things: Fourth in a series covering Bayside High School students
From college student to professor and publisher
The childcare hunt can be as simple as A-B-C
The "Safe Arm" law for surrendering babies
Sleep right: Advice for teenagers
College taught me: "Take a challenge head on"
AWARDS AND HONORS
Virginia Bar Association
First place award for journalism
Virginia Council on Economic Education
First place award and honorable mention
Economic writing
Virginia Press Association
First place awards
Education writing, political writing,
feature writing, and feature series
Foundation for Child Development
Journalism Fellow
Child and Family Policy Fellowship Program
Public Relations Society of America
Excalibur award for newsletters
Radio New Zealand
First place award
Commercial campaign series
Virginia Press Association
Second, third, and honorable mention awards Business writing, political writing, feature writing, and feature series
Key Bank
First place award
Corporate volunteer programs
Here's why you should hire me.
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I'll ask about your goals.
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I'll ask why you're doing this project at this time.
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I'll interview and conduct research thoroughly, and write persuasively.
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I'll ask about your audience.
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I'll analyze similar projects others have executed.
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I'll meet your deadline and ensure you love the content as much as I love my dog.
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My Treeing Walker Coonhound
If you haven't already, please read about my experience and expertise.
My About and Skills sections give you a quick summary.
I'm happy to tell you more about why we should work together.
Please email me to set up a call soon.
© 2020 By Kristen DeDeyn Kirk