You know what? Cavemen invented tools. (They weren’t exactly Jeopardy champions.) But these guys knew the importance of choosing the right tool to get things done.
Smart copywriters love tools, too. Knowing which ones to use and for what reasons can save you time and strengthen your copy – no Stone Age daggers required. BUT if there are tons of digital tools to choose from, how do you know which ones are worth your valuable desktop space?
No worries! Here at Moxie, we love tinkering with new writing tools. (We’re a bit nerdy that way.) Like most writers, we have opinions. Plenty of them.
These 7 tools are worthy of a spot on your laptop. They can take your writing to a new level that you, your clients (and those picky search engines) will love.
1. EMV Headline Analyzer
As a copywriter, your first job is to get the reader past the headline. If the headline is a snooze, you lose. Simple as that. The EMV Headline Analyzer helps to determine if your headline has what it takes. The science behind it is based on the Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) of certain words.
We like the way this tool not only shows a percentage score for your headline, but it also explains why you got that score. When you understand the why behind a score, you’ll write better headlines with that knowledge in mind.
The EMV Headline Analyzer also tells you which “predominant emotion” your headlines evoke. For example, when we used the tool to analyze the title of this blog post, we discovered that the predominant emotion is “intellectual.” (Oooh, we feel smart!)
Pros:
✔ Simple, clean user interface.
✔ It shows the average score for professional copywriters so you have a benchmark.
Con:
✘ Its simplicity might be a drawback for some users who want more analysis of different aspects of a headline
2. BlogAbout
You can’t analyze a headline if you haven’t written one, right? That’s what BlogAbout is designed to do – help you generate a title. This tool is SO simple to use. Fill in a blank field that asks what you want to write about. Even one word will do. Choose from a drop-down menu to tell BlogAbout if that word is a product or service, industry, brand, or something else. Then click the “Generate Titles” button.
Bam! Instant headlines in about a second. Hard to beat that kind of efficiency, right? When we did a test run, we entered the topic “smartphones” and then chose “product” from the drop-down menu. One click later, we had five different headlines to consider.
Don’t like the options? Click the “Refresh Titles” button and you’ll get more (along with the option to save the ones you like best).
Pros:
✔ Instant headline generation.
✔ Plenty of options.
✔ Ease of use.
Con:
✘ Machines aren’t as creative as humans, but you can add personality to the options.
3. Hemingway App
You don’t need Ernest Hemingway-level skills to benefit from this writing app named in his honor. You can use this free tool on the Hemingway website or download the desktop app. If you don’t have a human editor who knows their stuff, let Hemingway put on his glasses and take a look at what you’ve got.
What will Hemingway do? Not only does it count words and assign a “readability grade level”, but this self-editing tool will also look for problems with grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. It uses a simple color-coding system so it’s easy to see which issues need to be addressed. Here’s the key for the color highlights:
- Yellow: Trim these long sentences.
- Red: Rewrite wordy, complicated sentences.
- Green: Avoid passive voice. (So punny, right?)
- Purple: Choose a simpler word (like “use” instead of “utilize”).
- Blue: Consider cutting adverbs.
Pros:
✔ This app has a short learning curve. If you can copy and paste, you can use it.
✔ It’s simple and visual. The more you use it, the faster you’ll learn your writing weak spots and start strengthening them.
Con:
✘ If you’re in love with adverbs, this isn’t the tool for you. Writing coaches regularly advise against adverbs. (In fact, Stephen King once said “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Yikes!) This tool guides you toward stronger verbs versus adverbs.
4. Answer The Public
Copywriters get clicks when they choose topics people are naturally drawn to. One of the best ways to know what those topics are? Ask Google. Because Google knows what people want to know.
(Sometimes it’s a little creepy just how much Google knows about.)
The website AnswerthePublic.com lets you peek at what millions of people are typing into that little search bar. To use it, simply enter a topic or the name of a product or brand, and then click “search.” The results will give you a huge graph showing what questions people are asking Google about that topic.
Use those questions to fuel ideas for your next blog post, Facebook ad, sales email, course content, and more.
During our test drive, we searched the topic “puppies” and got 80 popular search questions, including “When do puppies stop biting?”
(Our answer? Feels like never. But they’re soooo cute!)
Pros:
✔ The vast amount of insight gathered with one click will give you plenty of copy ideas around your topic.
✔ The interface is clean and easy to use.
Con:
✘ Your own curiosity will suck you in. You’ll want to keep searching different topics to find out what other people are searching for. (It’s addictive!)
5. Pun Generator
If you want readers to stick around, make ‘em laugh. Clever, witty copy wins people over. Not feeling funny? This free pun generator will do it for you. (Just don’t expect it to deliver an entire paragraph.) Put a word into the tool, and it scours the internet for rhyming words and phrases. It’s whimsy on demand!
Keep in mind this tool works by algorithm, and algorithms aren’t known for clever dinner conversation. You might not get a knee-slapper every time you use it. But if your project needs a touch of levity, this tool might be the sharpest one in the box.
Pros:
✔ Generates plenty of rhyming words and phrases that may inspire your own lighthearted copy.
✔ Names the source of the suggested puns.
Con:
✘ Many of the options will make you say “Huh?” instead of “Ha!” You’ll have to search for the funny needle in the haystack.
6. Wordtune
Yes! Even good copy needs a tune-up here and there, and that’s why we recommend using the tool Wordtune. Put a clunky sentence in Wordtune and watch how artificial intelligence (AI) rewrites it. If it’s better, use it. But it’ll take a real human to make that judgment call.
Keep in mind that artificial intelligence can help improve the clarity of what you’ve already written, but it’s not great at content creation – and completion – on its own. Why? It lacks the human touch. It can suggest a tighter sentence structure, but it can’t empathize or pop a witty retort. (Only those of us who survived middle school have those skills.)
Pros:
✔ Gives options for fixing sentences that just don’t sound right or aren’t yet clear.
✔ Can be added to Chrome and used on platforms like Gmail, Google docs, Slack, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more.
Con:
✘ Currently, this tool only works when you’re connected to the Internet, and the free version limits how many rewrites you get per day.
7. Grammarly
Because we’re professional writers (who aced our English composition classes) we didn’t think we’d need Grammarly. But we use it ALL the time. Our fingers clack faaast here! And this tool feels like a buddy offering free proofreading.
As you type in real-time, Grammarly will underline any typos or problems with grammar, sentence structure, repetitive words, spelling, and punctuation. It also makes suggestions for how to fix mistakes, which you can either accept or dismiss.
(It’s friendly, not pushy.)
Since it offers such a comprehensive skillset, Grammarly was named one of the Most Innovative AI Companies by Fast Company magazine. Although we prefer to have a whole collection of online writing tools at our fingertips, we’d choose Grammarly if we were forced by some evil, stingy overlord to only use one.
It’s pretty accurate and fast. Plus, we can use Grammarly on a number of different platforms like email systems, word processors, browsers, apps, and more.
Pros:
✔ Real-time edits save you time (and embarrassment) by catching mistakes as you go instead of waiting until the end (when you might forget to use spell-check).
✔ Widely used by more than 30 million writers around the world.
Con:
✘ Big gap between the features offered on the free version versus Grammarly Premium.
Ask the pros
Great news! We saved the best tool for last – Moxie’s dedicated team of experienced writers who can deliver on a deadline. Because if you’re swamped, even 100 copywriting tools can’t add more hours to the day.
Sometimes the smartest move is to hire a copywriter agency with a team of vetted copywriters who are already proficient with these 7 writing tools – and more! – and have a long list of happy clients.
To name-drop just a few of the industries we get (and they couldn’t agree more!) . . . we’re talking coaching and consulting, financial and legal, service-based businesses, health and wellness, fashion and beauty, real estate, digital agencies, eCommerce, and more.
Moxie clients want customized copy. They LOVE knowing they can count on us to deliver smart, clean copy with a punchy, personal touch – right on time.
That’s one of the many reasons we’ve been featured by media outlets including NBC, CBS, Fox, and USA Today.
Our number 1 writing asset?
Our team. From our highly trained writers, editors and copy chief to our account manager, our copywriter agency provides an entire in-house team of experience on Every. Single. Project.
Whether it's high-converting sales pages, Facebook ad copy, blog content, email sequences, web content, product descriptions, AND more . . .
If you can dream it, we can write it.
Before we go, here’s one last no-cost tool to boost your copy & content. Book a FREE 15-minute copy consult with Moxie and get honest feedback and suggestions about exactly what your biz needs.
You’ll come away from this consultation with a customized action plan designed to optimize results.
We can hardly wait to take your copy to a whole new level.