Best of the Best: Part 1 - Copywriting Resources
Jan 11, 2022
Copywriting resources that save time, stress, and spelling errors.
As a conversion copywriter, I often find myself with a ridiculously long list of things to write in a very short time frame. Hundreds of emails, social media posts, website pages and blog posts. When in a crunch, my spelling and grammar crash like the teetering block towers my daughter builds and slams into for fun. And then there’s trying to remember the point...wait, what was I writing about?
Oh yes, copywriting is not for the faint of heart. So, how can you write more without sacrificing your grammar, spelling and confidence? Here are the best copywriting resources I’ve found, tested and love.
Now that those pesky grammar and spelling errors have been taken care of, the Hemingway Editor is perfect for making your writing clear. One of the hardest parts of copywriting is keeping things short. Most of the time, we’re limited by word counts and have to get important and complex points across in very few words.
This is excellent practice for anyone trying to write better copy because no one wants to read excessive, complicated or lengthy passages, no matter how witty or informative. The app highlights long and complex sentences to make your writing clearer and concise.
2. BrandScript.
Adding a story to your writing is one of the best ways to capture and keep your readers attention. Aside from SEO copywriting, story copywriting is one of the most sought-after skills in digital marketing. We process, codify and remember information better when it’s presented in the form of a story. So adding a story framework to your copywriting is a no-brainer!
StoryBrand certifies the best marketers in the world. The StoryBrand framework helps you create a captivating and clear story that engages your audience and motivates them to take action. Hello, perfect match for marketing copy ;-)
A BrandScript is a tool to help you create your story and ensure that it is clear, captivating, and motivating. You can access a free online BrandScript, which includes helpful video tutorials. I highly recommend the book Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller because it will take you through this entire process and give you examples of stories used in marketing.
3. Templates
Writing can feel tedious on a good day, let alone when you are swamped with work and only have a few minutes to bust out a blog post, social caption or email. Templates are game-changing time-savers that make your writing process simple, repeatable, and efficient. Finding great templates can be challenging, but Hubspot did some dirty work and consolidated a great list of templates you can access for free.
4. Grammarly.
Aside from my fantastic copy editor (Laurel, you’re my lifesaver), Grammarly is the best way to make quick spelling and grammar corrections on the go. I started with their free version, which works great for most people.
I upgraded to the business plan a few years ago to customize the editor to my team, our projects, writing styles and tones while accessing the advanced suggestions for clarity and consistency.
If you do a lot of writing on your phone, you can download the Grammarly Keyboard and use the editor in text messaging and all of your social media apps. As a person who often texts and emails from my phone with a wild 3-year old in my arms, I can confidently say that the keyboard app is worth is priceless.
There are TONS of apps, hacks and new AI-powered writing machines out there, but the truth is, the best way to become a better writer is to write often and less. Let me explain. Writing more is easy because you just keep going. You write...more. But writing well happens when you write often and can do so with fewer words. Excellent writing is about being clear, concise and captivating. So, practice often and use fewer words.
Here’s to writing better copy with support and resources that make it easy and fun.
- Hey Mickey Anderson
