Digital tools I use to write copy that converts in 2024
Looking to DIY your small business’s copywriting? Take a look behind the scenes at copywriting tools and resources I use to write copy that converts.
The best part? Almost all of them are free or affordable.
Every business needs copywriting. Pen, paper and a dictionary don’t cut it anymore; you need the right tools to write copy that converts modern, digital audiences.
With the abundance of online tools, you can find a complex range of options for whatever you need. I use several free or affordable tools and resources daily for clients and my own business.
Here’s an inside look at my toolbox.
Tools for market research
Writing is the tip of the iceberg in copywriting. Most of the copywriting-iceberg, the part under the surface, is research.
When I craft your copy, I spend most of my time digging into the data to write copy that will convert your target audience. Writing in your brand voice and infusing my creativity is the easy part.
For collecting client feedback – Typeform
[free; paid options available] Typeform is a beautiful, easy-to-use form builder. Surveys and forms are essential at every stage of your business. For a copywriter, it’s a super useful tool to understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, pain points, motivations and goals. Forms are also useful later on to get valuable input about how your audience feels about your website copy, email marketing campaigns and other places they interact with your copy.
To find your keywords – Google Ads
[free] Google Ads is a free platform with a decent keyword planner. It’s intended to find keywords for your ad, but you can apply it to all your business’s copy. The catch to getting this research for free is that you must proceed through the steps as if you intend to purchase a Google Ad. But you don’t have to pay! Pause the ad, and you can access the keyword planner without actually running it.
For SEO, market exploration, keywords and more – SemRush
[Plans start at $149/month. But do the free trial!] If you can shell out some cash, SemRush is a no-brainer. This beast of a software has dozens of tools that help you with all aspects of digital marketing, from keyword research and competitive analysis to site audits and backlink tracking.
It’s the only pricey tool on my list, but the bang for your buck is impressive; plus, it’s a tax-deductible business expense. If I were writing copy only for my own business and needed to cut costs, I would take advantage of the free trial.
Tools for writing
For brainstorming and quick research – Bard
[free] Google-owned Bard has become my little helper in the beginning stages of writing copy. (And, yes, I do think it’s better than ChatGPT.) Tools like Bard and ChatGPT are a great place to start when you’re staring at a blinking cursor on a blank document. It’s kind of like Wikipedia – a useful starting point but never your sole resource (and certainly not ready to copy-paste).
Ask it questions like: What are the top Google searches made by [target audience] in the last 3 months? Use its response to create content that answers these queries.
For grammar and style fixes – Grammarly
[free; paid plans available] If you know her, you love her. Grammarly is the modern-day’s spell-check. It highlights issues with spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement and tone and makes pretty good suggestions for improvement.
However, keep in mind that the suggestions are not always correct or appropriate for the context. Never ‘accept all’ without reading through them.
For clear and concise writing – Hemingway App
[free; paid option available] Copy-paste your text into the Hemingway App website’s text box to get it edited by the AI version of Ernest Hemingway (just kidding). The idea is to not only make your copy more clear, concise and bold, but also to teach you how to do it yourself. The app uses color-coded highlights to show you which sentences are too complex or difficult to read.
If you want the app to make suggestions as Grammarly does, you’ll need Hemingway Editor Plus, which is $10/month.
Word Choice – Word Hippo
[free] You know you need a thesaurus when you’ve said ‘amazing’ three times in one email. A thesaurus is a writer’s best friend; it keeps our language interesting, and even more importantly, it’s super useful for finding words that maintain brand voice.
But not all thesauruses are created equal. Word Hippo is my go-to – it generates the most relevant and useful synonyms.
Tip for website writing: Be careful about going crazy with your word choice on your website, especially with your titles and headers. Those need to be simple, SEO-friendly words real people actually search for.
Tools for delivering your message
Your website, your email host, your social media… These tools are the tortilla chips that get the salsa into your target audience’s mouth.
To send emails that get opened – ConvertKit
Email marketing is not to be slept on. Routine monthly emails nurture your audience, but they’re just the beginning: strategic email sequences and email funnels are where the real magic happens.
For all of your needs, my top recommendation is ConvertKit. I use it for its powerful automation capabilities, in addition to all its little bells and whistles, like the ability to add a ‘tip jar’ to your emails.
Many of my clients use FloDesk. It’s very visual-driven and straightforward to use. However, your options for template customization are extremely limited.
MailChimp’s email marketing offers a lot of value for being free. The email templates and options aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing, but there are many customization options. I also think MailChimp’s way of organizing subscribers is one of the best out there.
Tools for tracking success and measuring impact
The research isn’t done after you’ve pressed ‘publish.’ Testing and tracking your success is critical; monitor your copy’s performance and make adjustments to continually improve your metrics.
To see where you rank on Google – Google Search Console
[free] It’s surprising how much value Google offers for free in its marketing suite. Google Search Console is my favorite of them all: it's what makes your website searchable on Google. GSC gives you the big picture of your website’s performance, both generally and in search engine results, telling you where you rank for different keywords. There’s a little bit of a learning curve, but it’s worth learning to take advantage of the invaluable metrics it provides.
To understand your online audience – Google Analytics
[free] If you’re a business owner, you probably already know about Google Analytics. It’s an industry standard for learning about who is viewing your website and how they interact with it. It gives information about where your users come from (both geographically and how they reached your site), which web pages they viewed, and how long they hung out on your website. This info tells you whether you’re reaching your target audiences and how engaged (or not) they were by your content.
Resources by Miranda Does Copy
I’m currently creating my first resource – the Ultimate Conversion Copywriting Thesaurus.
Drop your email below if you want to be a beta tester!