By now, a “Hallmark moment” is much more than a slogan. The phrase has become shorthand for a pitch-perfect memory made between two people, the kind that can be commemorated with a greeting card. Courtney Taylor knows this feeling well. “Cards have always occupied a very big part of my life and childhood,” she explains, speaking from her home in Kansas City, Missouri. Although you likely don’t know Taylor by name, you’ve probably seen her work: As a writer at Hallmark, her words can be found on mugs, on social media posts for Mahogany (the company’s collection celebrating Black culture), in viral videos and, yes, on greeting cards too. Here, Taylor shares the secrets to writing a great card.

Nathan Ma: What makes a memorable greeting card?

Courtney Taylor: A memorable card is a mirror that reflects a valuable emotion or belief back to you. It’s seeing yourself in the words and the art that’s depicted—it’s feeling like the card is yours even though it was written entirely by somebody else that you don’t know.

NM: As a card writer, how do you tap into feelings and relationships that are often quite specific?

CT: Sometimes we have projects about certain topics like cards that you send to someone with whom you don’t have a good relationship: How do you say, “I still love you no matter what our relationship is like,” and keep it uplifting? That’s a big part: We never really want to end it on a bad note. It always has to come back to a hopeful place.

NM: Are there any briefs that you remember fondly?

CT: For one of my favorite cards, I received the concept for the imagery first. They wanted to do a parody for Mahogany: “The 12 Do’s of Christmas.” Another writer and I came up with the lyrics to the song: “11 festive fades, 10 faux locs, 9 cornrows . . .” It’s a really cute card, and it has all the hairstyles on the cover.

NM: When it comes to writing a personal message in a greeting card, what are the dos?

CT: Lean into your voice, and use the card in whatever way necessary to make sure your message is coming through. It might help to think about what you want to say before you take out the pen, or maybe you want it to be a stream of consciousness—an organic outpouring from the heart. Lean into vulnerability and candor.

NM: And what are the don’ts?

CT: Don’t force it. It’s okay to just sign your name and send the card. See writing a note as an opportunity to start a conversation—the intent of a greeting card is to open an emotional door. How you open that door, the language you use, the color of the pen you use, all of that is up to you.

NM: There are plenty of obvious opportunities to send a greeting card: birthdays, anniversaries, condolences, holidays. What opportunities do most people overlook?

CT: The “just because” card that you send just because someone’s on your mind. We often forget that we don’t need a reason to celebrate others, and that life itself is an occasion worth acknowledging every day.