Here's what it's like to be one of the 24 greeting card writers at Hallmark — a $3.8 billion company that makes 10,000 cards a year

Courtesy of Hallmark

When we want to wish someone a happy birthday or Valentine's day, say "congratulations" or "thank you," or tell them "I'm sorry" or "get well soon," we roam the greeting card aisle looking for the perfect way to say it.

We rely on those cards to express the thoughts and feelings so many of us have trouble articulating. 

But have you ever wondered who's actually behind those poetic, funny, or cheerful expressions? Have you thought about who is coming up with the words we so often can't? 

At Hallmark alone — the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the US, which had $3.8 billion in consolidated revenues in 2014 — there are 24 employees who are responsible for writing cards.

One of them is Diana Manning, a 59-year-old senior writer who has worked at the company's Kansas City headquarters for over 30 years.

Business Insider recently spoke with Manning, who wrote her first greeting card at age 9 for her grandparent's anniversary — about what it's really like to be a card writer for Hallmark. Here's what she told us.

Some responses have been edited for clarity.

Before Hallmark

"I grew up in a small town in Iowa. I had always been interested in literature and language and stories from a young age. I wrote silly poems as a kid, and also made my own cards for family members when I was growing up. I still have the rhyming anniversary card I gave to my grandparents when I was nine.

"But I never really held out hope that I could make a living as a writer. In college, I studied to be an English teacher, and assumed that was probably what my lifetime career would be.

"While I was a senior at Iowa State University, Hallmark visited my campus but I just missed getting an interview with them.

"There were ten slots on the interview sign-up sheet, and I was the eleventh person in line. I had to wait another year before another interview opportunity came my way."

Finding the job

"I was teaching high school English in Iowa my first year out of college when I saw an ad in the paper for a greeting card writer.

"The ad didn't specifically mention Hallmark, but said the company was based in Kansas City, so I assumed that's who I'd be working for. I had already decided that teaching was not my calling after all, and jumped at the chance to become a full time writer — especially for such a prestigious company as Hallmark." 

Getting the job

"After I applied, I was sent a set of exercises to complete to see if I had some potential as a greeting card writer. Back then, it was an actual physical portfolio I had to type out and send through the mail. Today, of course, the process is all digital. But the intent is the same — can you write something clever or emotional, can you rhyme and meter?

"After a few weeks, I heard back from Hallmark and was flown in for a day of interviews, meeting with several writers and editors. People commented on the pieces of writing I'd sent in, and I guess wanted to make sure I'd fit in personality-wise.

"My grandmother didn't want me to get my hopes up and told me not to be too disappointed if I didn't get the job — she was sure lots of people applied for a job like this. But I was told later once I was hired that it was my rhyme and meter skills and sense of structure that had landed me the job. I was really excited to get started, and was assigned a mentor to train me in all the ins and outs of the business and the types of writing I'd be doing."