Gary Spinks - Strategic Copywriter
Summary
About You

You are an entrepreneur, corporate or business owner, ideally with a six or seven figure business.

It could be in property, finance, health, fitness, food, drink, transport, leisure, the outdoors, technology, software or something else.

You may work in a specialist field or have a fantastic niche product.

You are not getting the results you want from your current marketing – or don’t even know the results. Or you have a new project, product or service to launch.

OR

You are in the area of Creativity – Thinking – Innovation

You are an expert in creativity, whole-brain and creative thinking, or innovation who wants to reach a wider audience and business market.

About Gary Spinks

Results-driven Strategic Copywriter and Direct Marketing Consultant.

Services

Direct response copywriter with marketing strategies and tactics to grow dynamic, niche market, premium product, premium service, luxury item, creative or innovative businesses.

The experience of a hard-edged journalism background, 27 years’ writing for a living and a sound understanding of what really works in marketing today (which may not be what you are doing or being told to do right now)

All services designed and created by me for your specific business.

All bespoke. Just ask.

Prices

All bespoke. Priced per project. Inclusive. No hidden costs. Usual payment is 100 per cent of fee in advance.

Enquiries or Questions?

Visit FAQs or Get In Touch

“A Rough Guide To Writing In A Lonely Planet”

People say the funniest things, don’t they?

In my 30’s I took a career break to travel the world for a year. Colleagues wished me well. Friends said have a fantastic time. Family said stay safe.

One of the phrases I heard a few people say was “Oh, you’re so lucky”. I smiled and nodded in agreement on the outside. Inside I was thinking something different.

Luck had nothing to do with it.

The trip had been planned many years before. I knew I wanted a year off to visit far-off places. I knew I didn’t want to work a single second of the trip. That meant I’d need money.

I was on meagre wages as a local newspaper reporter so there was only one thing to do – scrimp and save like mad.

Put myself on a strict budget. Stripped back all my spending. Put money away in savings every month (when interest rates were good). Cut out all the luxuries. It took me nearly four years but I got there. A trip fund in 1998 of £11,293.

Enough to get me on a converted Mercedes Benz truck for an overland expedition from London to Kathmandu in Nepal. Plus travels to South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

There were some tough days, some hairy moments. But I remember all the fantastic experiences, the different places and wonderful people. And not a second of work. All holiday and adventure.

Was that down to luck?

No. Luck had nothing to do with it.

There was a plan. I kept to it. The trip was only possible because of self-discipline. I did what was needed to make it happen.

It’s the same quality I apply to my writing as a direct response copywriter.

There’s a plan. A method. A process. Self-discipline.

“Is this how your direct response copywriter does it?”

I’ve heard stories of direct response copywriters delivering copy within three or four days to clients. Can’t imagine the results. Probably not good. There’s no way I could craft something spellbinding, pulse-pounding and utterly enticing in such “fast food” fashion.

This is a lovely planet, a lonely planet.

The world and life is moving fast. Swift change. Short attention spans. Many distractions. Social Media maze. Information overload. Laptops, smartphones. Keep buying the tablets. Who’s my neighbour? Move on. Next.

The temptation might be to rush your message.

Just remember who won the race – the tortoise or the hare?

There’s a reason quality demands time.

When a friend asked me to explain what I do for a living he was astonished how much went into it.

Because I only work with a limited number of clients each year, it gives me time to immerse myself in each project. Delivery is a matter of weeks not days.

I explained to my friend how it would work if he were a client.

“First, I get all the materials I need from you and go through any existing marketing you are doing. I work with you like a detective – researching what’s going on in the minds of your prospects and customers.

Next I’m like the journalist, seeking the headline-grabbing angle for the message to be sent out to your audience. Then and only then does the writing begin. Writing. Revision. More writing. Edited. Proof read. Ready to go.”

“How long does direct response copy take to deliver?”

It could take two weeks. Three weeks. Even four. Maybe longer, depending on the scale of the project. One piece of sales copy could be four pages. It could be 10, 20 or more.

To put that kind of writing together takes time and care. It demands self-discipline.

It can be a lonely planet a writer lives on.

No time for distractions.

For me it can mean hours and hours and hours of reading and research. Evenings locked to the Internet – checking out a client’s competition rather than sharing my dinner with friends on Facebook. I’ll go for a walk. sometimes a long walk. I’ll sit in a cafe and give my mind time and space to allow everything to sink in, settle and start to take shape.

An element too many writers miss out…

The time and space for brilliant, creative thinking.

Let’s put it another way. If you were cooking a beautiful piece of beef you wouldn’t just pull it out of the oven and serve it straight away. You’d set it to one side and allow it to rest. This relaxes the meat and brings out the flavour. Tender, succulent, delicious.

Words should be treated the same way.

If meat’s not your thing, just picture vegetables lovingly grown on a small organic farm. The carrots dusted in soil from the earth they came from. The bold scent of fresh tomatoes on the vine. The rough textures, individual shapes and sizes.

You can choose that. Or you can buy the uniform, chemically treated and mass-produced stuff at the supermarket.

It’s no different with marketing or words.

“Premium Quality Direct Response Copywriting Takes Time”

My writing is a little closer to the soil. The day can start early and finish late. There’s no 9 to 5. Sometimes I’m at the keyboard for short spells. Other times I can find myself starting after breakfast and then looking up at the clock to find it’s way past lunch. If the mood and momentum sweeps me along I’ll work through an evening. Like a surfer waiting for a strong wave I’ll take advantage of my own natural rhythms and flow.

It can be intense. It can be tiring. All worth it when clients love the results.

There’s a reason things are priced as they are.

You could buy a tray in an average department store. You could buy a tray in Harrods. A handbag in a run-of-the-mill shop or one from Oscar de la Renta. A convertible from Ford or a roadster from Bentley.

Some shop for price. Others buy for quality.

It’s no different in business.

If your thinking is focused on “How much is this going to cost me?” I may not be the right choice.

If you’re wondering “How much money could this guy make me?” then I could be your man.

Tired of poor or no results? Tried other things? Worried about what the next campaign might do?

Maybe I can help.

You can reach me by completing the enquiry form or contacting me via my contact page.

I’m looking forward to our conversation.

Gary Spinks

Gary Spinks - Strategic Copywriter

“If you accept every business needs to do marketing then it’s also true to say every business needs copywriting. Trying to do it yourself is a bit like having a drivers licence and thinking you could just jump into a Formula 1 racing car and drive it safely round the track at over 200mph (320km/h). Getting it wrong could end in disaster. It’s no different with marketing or copywriting. Why would you take the risk when you can put it all in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing?”

Contact me