Most copywriters I talk to are almost always looking for new ways on how to write faster.
And honestly, I'm not surprised.
Writing the same amount of copy faster allows you to get more work done and make more money as well in the process.
Problem is, a lot of beginner (and even more advanced) copywriters are really struggling with this.
Either they spend too much time obsessing over minor details or they try to "wing" every part of the writing process themselves, totally forgetting that we live in the 21st Century with tons of cool online tools that can make our lives easier.
Look, copywriting doesn’t HAVE to be that hard.
Sure, we all get stuck from time to time... and more often than not, editing your first draft is a major pain in the ass.
But in 2019, you have tons of tools that can transform the writing process from a chore...
...into something actually enjoyable - and even FUN.
So in this article (and video), I'll show you 7 awesome copywriter tools that will help you write faster, better, AND with less effort.
In fact, these are the same tools that I personally use in my own copywriter career, and I know tons of other people who also use one or the other.
You can use these 7 tools regardless if you're a freelance copywriter writing in-house or you're just doing any other type of writing job - they will make your work so much easier.
And perhaps best of all, they’re all free and dead simple to use. ?
Read on to discover exactly what each one does and how to best use them so you can be more productive and make more money in less time.
Interested in more great content on copywriting? Check out my Copywriting Resource Hub where you'll find in-depth guides, interesting case studies, and practical resources that will help you boost your conversions and sell more, without being salesy or aggressive.
1 - Thesaurus - Always Know Exactly What to Say
The first tool I have for you is called Thesaurus.
Funny name, I know, but it's basically a cool way to discover exciting synonyms that can replace a lot of boring words you're probably over-using.
It's meant to make your expressions sound cooler, unique, or even more adventurous.
For example, if I were to type the word "unique" into the search bar, I'd get words such as "different, exclusive, particular, or rare".
But let's say that I'm writing a sales page or something in which I have to use a very particular adjective for my unique selling proposition.
I don't just want to say perfect because so many people use it. I need something more sassy.
Doing a quick search in Thesaurus comes back with dozens of cool synonyms.
So now, I can say things like "impeccable", "splendid", "superb", or even "foolproof" - and you'll sound different.
But why should you care about this?
Because if your language is different or really unique to your target audience's pains, fears, hopes, and dreams, you'll be able to connect with them much more easily at an emotional level.
So whenever you need to add some sizzle to your copy or you're simply looking for that perfect word, this tool can be a lifesaver.
2 - Hemingway App - How to Make Your Writing Bold and Clear
The second tool that I have for you is called the Hemingway App.
And yes, it's totally based after the famous writer, Ernest Hemingway.
In a nutshell, this tool is able to analyze and highlight things such as readability, word count, passive voice, and even weak words or hard-to-understand sentences in any text you paste in.
If you've read any of my other articles on copywriting, you know that good copywriting is all about creating emotional rapport with people.
Now, one of the best ways you could do this is by writing in a way that's easy to understand, clear, to the point, and something that people actually enjoy reading.
If you want your copy to convert, forget about writing at a "high-level" or using an academic style with super-complex sentences - people will simply ignore it in 95% of cases.
Instead, aim to write at an ideally 7th or 8th grade level, no joke. That's what works best.
Don't believe me?
Google it yourself, and you'll find that most bestseller books are actually written at a 7th grade reading level. And most of the population actually reads at that level.
Look, people are super busy... they don't want to read about complex things and they don't want very complicated long sentences.
So that's where the Hemingway App comes in: it will help you write faster and better by giving key recommendations on how to make your text more readable.
Here's an example:
Basically, yellow means that part of your text is kind of hard to read, and red means it's very hard to read (and comprehend).
On the other hand, if something is marked as green, it means you're using passive voice and your copy loses energy there. You want to use active voice whenever possible.
For example, instead of saying "phrases in green have been marked to show passive voice" (which is passive voice in action), you should say "phrases in green are marked to show passive voice" (which is active voice).
It may not seem obvious at first, but the second one has much more energy, and this is especially apparent in shorter types of copy.
It's super easy to forget this when you're writing on your own but this is exactly how the Hemingway App helps you write faster and better:
The app gives you clear recommendations on how to re-format the text so that it's easier to consume AND how to reduce the complexity of your ideas.
Why on earth would you ever want to do that as a copywriter?
Simple: Because when you're selling something or when you're writing marketing messages, you don't really want to engage the rational brain of your reader too much...
You want to appeal to their emotions instead. And this is true even for "selling" ideas.
When it comes to persuasion, it's all about emotions.
So make sure to give it a try and play around with it. The recommendations might seem weird at first but if you apply most of them, you'll see a huge difference in how people perceive your copy, and how well it converts.
3 - Airstory - How to Write Faster by Pulling All the Pieces in One Place
The next tool I want to show you is called Airstory. And not many people know it.
Which is a shame because it was developed by Copyhackers, one of the best copywriting companies out there.
Basically, Airstory is a writing tool made specifically for content creators, bloggers, and copywriters who want to work with a flexible writing system that combines gathered notes with a powerful outliner-slash-document.
Now, the obvious elephant in the room is this: Why use this over Google Docs?
Well, the main reason is because Airstory has a cool Chrome/Firefox plugin that you can use to basically highlight anything on any page, and categorize it as a tagged note inside the main app.
And then whenever you write something, you can simply drag those notes into your document and format things more easily than Google Docs.
Plus, there are even pre-made templates that you can use.
For example, below is a proposal that I imported into Airstory from a pre-made template.
Now, the cool thing is that if I want to add something to it, I don't have to write it from scratch or copy it from another doc, but instead, I can use my note library to add collected notes, all categorized by various tags (in green).
So, for example, if I want to add a new section under Services, I just search "activity" and drag the correct note into the document.
Better yet, I can also edit this without any complicated formatting issues - everything is beautifully laid out, the formatting, the space between the lines, everything.
I can also easily add quotes, columns, or pretty much anything, and once I'm done, it's super easy to share it or even invite team members.
Pretty sweet!
Airstory is a really good tool that's a little bit more advanced, but it will definitely help you speed up your writing and make you feel like you're in control of the whole process.
4 - CoSchedule Headline Analyzer - Improve Your Headline Game and Get More Attention
There are a lot of tools out there that can analyze your headlines.
However, I've found CoSchedule's Headline Analyzer to be one of the best out there. Plus, it's free.
Let's try it out with the famous "How to Win Friends and Influence People" headline.
The tool will show an overall headline score, along with a breakdown of various aspects of this particular headline, such as word balance, the ratio of common/uncommon words, emotional power, length, and concrete recommendations on how to improve it.
For example, it's a well-known fact that people read the first and last three words of a headline.
If yours is too long and critical parts are in the middle, then chances are, a lot of people will not see it. They just gonna read the first few words and the last few words.
The tool will give you useful recommendations for that.
And here's an example of the section on "Word Balance"
This will show you how your words impact the reader from an emotional aspect, and also gives you recommendations on making your copy punchier.
And mind you, these recommendations are based on real world data and trends, because CoSchedule constantly analyzes millions and millions of headlines, and they KNOW what works and what doesn't.
Now, should you always write headlines like this?
Not necessarily - but you came here to learn how to write faster AND better, and using this Headline Analyzer tool will save you tons of time in finding that perfect headline.
Since most top marketers & copywriters spend about 50-80% of the TOTAL time it takes to write a sales page just on coming up with the perfect headline, knowing exactly how yours should look is a BIG help.
Plus, you can also use it for email subject lines, video titles, and so on.
For more information on high-converting headlines, check out this article I wrote that covers 39 Proven Headline Formulas (along with a handy PDF cheat sheet that you can download).
5 - Natural Reader - Discover How Your Copy Really Sounds Like
This tool doesn't necessarily show you how to write faster, but is especially useful if you're writing video scripts or you need to make sure that your copy "sounds" nice.
I've mentioned this already while talking about the Hemingway App, but it's really important for your text to flow easily, be easy to pronounce, and sound just like the way you talk on a Friday evening. Natural.
Unfortunately, most copy doesn't sound like that. We all think our copywriting is bulletproof... until we hear it back in audio form.
Natural Reader will help you think of your copy in a whole other way, and avoid all the common mistakes that make people lose interest in what you're trying to say, regardless if that's a Facebook Ad, long-form sales page, or video sales letter.
It's dead simple to use: Just drag & drop your files or paste your text in the box, and Natural Reader will convert your written text into spoken words, in a more useful way than Google's text-to-speech.
Although not completely human, it does sound better than a typical phone assistant and it's much easier to use and paste stuff into it.
That's pretty much it for Natural Reader - it's a straightforward tool that will simply make your writing better.
6 - Unsuck It - Make Your Copy Funnier and More Interesting
The sixth tool that I want to show you is called Unsuck It and it's a very funny tool.
Basically, it's useful whenever you encounter an expression and you have no idea what it means. Or you just want to add a little sizzle to your copy instead of sounding bland and boring.
For example, let's take the expression "deploy":
On a first note, it obviously means "move troops into position for military action".
However, Unsuck It spices things up for you by saying:
"Move troops into position for military action, you know, because Sun Tzu is your homeboy."
If your brand allows you to have a more laid-back style, something like this can make a huge difference in how people react to your copy - instead of perceiving it as yet another sales message, they'll think it's funny, which is always a good thing.
Plus, using this in places where you need more engagement from people (like a Facebook Ad, blog post, or email) can make a huge difference.
Feel free to play around with this tool. It'll make your copy better, help you write faster by giving you better hook, and you'll have a good time with it, I promise.
7 - Yoast SEO - Rank Higher With Less Effort
Yoast isn't just a copywriting tool, it's an SEO plugin for WordPress that will help your content rank higher in Google search results.
Just just install it on your website, and it will show you recommendations on how to make your text more search engine-friendly.
It will also automatically remind you to increase your keyword density if it's too low, format your text properly, and use the correct H1-H2-H3 structure, among other things.
Here's an example of this in the back-end of this very post as I'm writing it.
Yoast SEO has a wonderful free version that covers pretty much everything you need but there's also a premium version with more extras (If you don't want to use Yoast, SEO Press is a great alternative)
So if you're writing anything in WordPress, if you're publishing blog posts in a bigger content marketing strategy, or if SEO is at least a wee-bit important in your business ( it should be) then you should definitely use an SEO plugin this because it will make a huge improvement in your actual Google ranking.
BONUS - IMSDB - How to Become a Better Writer and Storyteller
Here's a ninja-level bonus tool for you, and this is really a fun one.
It's called ImsdB, and yes, it's similar to IMDB in name, however, instead of just giving you a bunch of details about movies, this site has the FULL scripts of the most popular movies out there, often written by the best script writers on the planet!
The UX design is horrible, but if you like reading a lot or just want to become a next-level copywriter, then browsing these types of scripts will definitely take your writing to the next level.
However, this isn't about writing fast...
...it's about a deeper understanding of what great storytelling really is, and it's intended for people who want to make writing their life-long career (or just uber-nerds of various movies ?).
For example, let's say I want to check Thor Ragnarok. It's a great movie with a pretty good script and everything.
As you can see, you can read the entire script online: NOT just the dialogues, but hidden notes, and how the writers actually planned the entire story!
Pretty cool.
If you read stuff like this, you'll definitely become a better storyteller but it will also make you a better writer in general.
You will understand how to logically and sequentially string together different ideas so that you really captivate your audience with a captivating story.
And that's one of the best ways of converting readers into loyal fans who will gladly give you money.
WRAPPING UP
And that's it for this in-depth guide.
I hope it gave you new insights on how to write faster, better, and with less effort.
If you enjoyed the article, feel free to share it with other like-minded people who could benefit from it as well.
Also, leave a comment and let me know if you've used any of these tools before (the Hemingway App and Thesaurus are quite popular).
If you haven't, share YOUR favorite tool with me because I love to learn about new stuff.
And one more thing: Check out my YouTube channel for in-depth videos that cover cool topics such as this one.
Cheers!
Interested in more great content on copywriting? Check out my Copywriting Resource Hub where you'll find in-depth guides, interesting case studies, and practical resources that will help you boost your conversions and sell more, without being salesy or aggressive.
