10 Free Tools Every Copywriter Should Make Use Of
Tags: Writing, Writing Tools, Productivity, Copywritng Tools, Copywriting Tips

10 Free Tools Every Copywriter Should Make Use Of

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

Copywriters are expected to work like war machines: Sit in front of a computer and consistently churn out sales copies at a breakneck speed. Insane, isn’t it?

So it is practically impossible if you don’t have the right tools. The tools you can rely upon; tools that ensure you get the job done, whatsoever.

Yes, there are free valuable tools on the internet . But there is so much out there that you might get super-overwhelmed.

That’s why I have done all the legwork and cherry-picked these tools for you.

You cannot mandate productivity, you must provide the tools to let people become their best — Steve Jobs

Evernote is an all-purpose note taking app. With it, you can do everything that you can do on a physical notebook and a load of other things:

Create ready-made tables and to-do lists

Capture and edit image

Attach and annotate doc/pdf files

Clip web pages

Capture audio notes

Sketch and the list go on

Evernote

You can organize your notes under a notebook and notebooks under a stack. Evernote will sync them all across your devices (Free version — two devices), and you can them access anytime.

So no more worrying about organizing or losing your notes. EVER.

As wordsmiths, we are always on the hunt for the right words that precisely convey the message to our audience.

The next time you are word hunting, try using Word Hippo thesaurus. It returns more results than other flashy thesauruses.

Word Hippo

But, some people may find it hard to use since it doesn’t list the words in a vertical order.

Also use: If you are trying to find meaning for industry buzzwords or unfamiliar idioms, head over to Unsuck it. It unsucks the jargons with straightforward and quirky explanations.

Stephen King says, “Bad grammar produces bad sentences.”

And bad sentences are bad news. They fail to deliver your message and poorly reflect on the brand.

But, when you are in a hurry, which you always will be, you tend to goof up a sentence or two. That is where Grammarly comes to the scene.

Grammarly Editor

It offers suggestions on fixing basic grammatical errors, spelling, and punctuation. So, you can learn and correct your mistakes at the same time.

In addition to a web application and mobile app, it has a web extension that could assist you in fixing your sentences on the go— email, social media, everywhere.

If you subscribe for a premium version, its algorithm works the magic and gives you advanced suggestions on style, tone, word choice, etc.

Advertising legend David Ogilvy famously said, “The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife.

You insult her intelligence if you assume that a mere slogan and a few vapid adjectives will persuade her to buy anything.

She wants all the information you can give her.”

Spot on! Because reading takes a lot of energy and concentration, you don’t want to tire your audience with hard to read words or sentences.

To avoid that run your copy on Hemingway.

Hemingway Editor

It determines the readability of your copy and grades it accordingly. The lower the grade, the easier it is to read.

Heminhway also highlights the use of complex or redundant adverbs, passive voice, hard to read sentences, and very hard to read sentences in different colors.

As a result you copy will come out bold and clear.

Use Hemingway in complement with Grammarly for best results.

On average, 8 out of 10 people never make it past the headline copy. We don’t want to take any chance to make our headlines any less attractive.

Co-Schedule helps you get it just right. It analyzes how clear and emotionally motivating your headlines are and score them accordingly.

Not only that, it presents a pictorial report on where your headline fairs well and where it lacks the charm.

Here’s how it looks.

Screenshot of Co-Schedule Analyzer’s Report

Plagiarism is a big problem. With hundreds of thousands of copies getting published on the internet, you never know when you might sound too similar to others.

Don’t worry, Plagiarism Checker by Small SEO Tool could save you from such awkward situations.

Just run your copy in the checker, and it will tell you whether your copy is unique or plagiarized.

Plagiarism Checker

It presents the results in a list form with unique lines highlighted in green and plagiarized ones in red. So it is easy to find the culprits and weed them out.

The only downside of the tool is that the website looks a little crampy. Bear with it.

Overusing keywords is a big NO-NO in the world of SEO. And if you are wondering whether your copy is keyword-stuffed or not, go for Live Keyword Analyzer, another useful tool from the Small SEO Tool family.

Live Keyword Analyzer

Input the text or URL and type in the keywords in the boxes given below. In a matter of seconds, it shows you the density of keyword usage.

You can check up to 10 keywords at the same time.

8. Clockify

When you are on a creative high, you tend to forget the passage of time. To keep you in check, use Clockify.

With this “free forever” time tracking tool, understand how long you spend on different activities.

Though Clockify’s interface looks pretty simple, it has a ton of features that give you more control over the usage. Check this video to know more.

Yeah, it’s available in all formats — mobile, web, desktop, extension.

Sometimes we have to put on a designer’s hat. And if you are not particularly good with the Adobe family, welcome to Canva.

With simple drag and drop, you can create stunning designs at the drop of a hat. The interface is intuitive and beginner-friendly (You won’t need a tutorial)

It also has numerous templates tailored for all your needs — Marketing posters, brochures, flyers, logos, invitations, newsletter, website, social media posts; you name it.

Canva

And you don’t need a fancy high-end computer to use Canva. A basic computer and reasonably fast internet will do the job.

It’s available both as a web and mobile app.

I don’t have to stress the importance of having a Swipe file. It’s essential. But it could take years to build a solid swipe file you can lean on.

With Swipe File.com, this burden is off your shoulder — at least to some extent.

It is a virtual library of great ads — old and new. You can swipe through to get inspired and start working on your next big thing.

One more thing: If you want to see display ads currently running across the web, go to Moat Ad Search. Type in the brand name, and poof, you get the results.