About Me

A POTTED HISTORY: MY 5 STEPS TO COPYWRITING

1: I started out in publishing. 2: Then spent 12 years working in direct mail marketing. 3: A brief spell in print and design followed. 4: Before becoming a freelance landscape and location photographer with a spot of magazine article writing alongside. 5: Eventually, a long-standing lower spine injury forced a change of tack in 2018. Copywriting ticked many boxes and life began to look better. I only wish I'd switched sooner!

WHY DO I WRITE FOR SUCH A MIX OF SECTORS?

Why so many copywriting niches? Well, it's all down to the photography. Shooting stock and undertaking commissions, I supplied numerous editorial and commercial markets. I also worked with prestigious clients like the National Trust. From the very start, I specialised in photographing Britain's architecture, landscapes, gardens, and heritage locations. All subjects that genuinely interested me. And still do.

So it seemed only natural to specialise in writing about them, too.

In a way, I'm still creating pictures - only now it's using words rather than a camera. With just the right words, I paint persuasive pictures to bring places, spaces, products, and services to life.

Get in touch today, and let me bring your world to life through the power of compelling and persuasive words.

A DIVERSE PORTFOLIO, ACCREDITED... READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE...

I'm professionally trained and qualified with a Diploma (Distinction) in Copywriting (2019). And a Diploma (Distinction) in Google SEO (2020).

Both are Level 4 accredited courses through the College of Media & Publishing. Here are my diploma certificates to reassure you.

• I have a diverse copywriting portfolio. It includes writing copy and content for ...

• Architects
• Luxury outdoor clothing and country lifestyle brands
• £1m+ modern and period design properties
• Garden design
• PropTech 3D Smart City modelling for urban design and planning
• Photographers
• Photographic studios
• Upmarket garden online (and in-store) retail brand
• Cyber-security specialist
• Business Resilience
• Designer watch and jewellery engravers
• Independent construction
• Fire safety products and fire protection systems
• Health and fitness
• Canal boat tourism
• Security systems, monitoring, and CCTV, plus...
• Photography tours and workshops

• Alongside the photography, I also wrote in-depth illustrated articles and short features for various UK consumer and trade magazines. I have...

• Over 35 published pieces to my name.

• Including, ten 1,000-word illustrated articles (The Best of British Gardens) written as part of a garden design/history and travel series commissioned by The Countryman magazine. A popular UK title and one of the world's oldest, most respected outdoors/nature/travel magazines.

• Besides gardens, I've also written on various other topics. These include photography (naturally) - where I've written articles for professionals and amateurs, plus travel, architecture, business, and history.

• I'm proud to be a member of the The Alliance of Commercial Writers (ProCopywriters' Network), the UK's largest membership organisation for commercial writers.

• I'm also professionally insured through Policy Bee with Professional Indemnity cover to the value of £1,000,000.

• And finally, I'll bring precision, creativity and character to your copy. But don't just take my word for it...

Andrew writes with precision and great energy. He has a wealth of creative ideas that he can translate into copy that’s persuasive, accurate and interesting to read. If you’re after copy with character, charm and impact, Andrew is your man.
Lucy Van Biljon, fellow freelance copywriter and my College of Media & Publishing copywriting tutor.

For anyone needing a copywriter, we highly recommend Andrew. He's effective, efficient and knows what he's doing! Peter Tyler & Gordana Mandic of Tyler Mandic Architects, Chelsea.

And just in case you're interested, here's a little more on life before copywriting.

The world of editorial and commercial photography

For far longer than I ever anticipated, I worked as a freelance landscape and location photographer - capturing the landscapes, architecture, gardens, and historic places of England and Wales.

Although commissioned and stock photography shoots are a thing of the past, I still have an extensive collection of commercially available images. Through various picture agencies, they're still being licensed for use in print magazines, books, newspapers, and calendars as well as for online use. They're also used in marketing and advertising materials (print and digital). And somewhere in Germany, a large format image of a Northamptonshire landscape adorns the sides of a fleet of articulated lorries.

Of all the photographic assignments undertaken, I'm perhaps most proud of those for the National Trust. The standard they require for all their photography is exceptionally high, so being invited to be part of their freelance photographer network was a real privilege. You'll find over 300 of my images in the National Trust Photo Library.

I'm an international award winner too! In 2012, I came second in the 'Breathing Spaces' category of the International Garden Photographer of the Year. 'Evening Gold', was captured just six miles from home, but it took several visits before I was finally rewarded with some stunning light.

And yes, just in case you're wondering, virtually all the pictures you see on these pages are mine. Helping to make my site a little more visually interesting and so a bit different from most copywriter websites.

... forty years of life and work summed up in one thousand words ... That, Andrew, is very clever and thoroughly well done. Frank and Marjorie Lawley, the creators and custodians of Herterton House Gardens, Northumberland.

WRITING TO BRING PLACES, SPACES, PRODUCTS & SERVICES TO LIFE.

© Andrew Baskott 2024. All Rights Reserved.