6 Free Tools To Help Your Copywriting

Today, I’m going to share 6 free tools that will help you become a better and more consistent writer. 

1. Planning: Notion

On Monday morning, before I start writing, I plan out my weekly writing tasks.

Adding tasks to a weekly schedule led to a massive increase in my writing output.

I use a template in Notion where I set my weekly goals and allocate writing tasks for each day.

At the start of each day, I add more tasks as needed and tick off everything I completed the day before.

Cost: Free

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Download my free Notion weekly planning template here.

2. Ideas: Keep

There’s an old Chinese proverb: “The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.”

It's true.

I’ve lost so many profound ideas because I’ve failed to write them down.

Now I use Keep to capture anything worth saving.

I’ve tried Evernote and OneNote, but Keep is faster to open. I can capture my ideas before I forget them. 

I often do all my writing and editing in Keep.

It’s cloud-based so anything I type on my phone is immediately synced to my Mac and vice versa.

Cost: Free

3. Organising Ideas: Trello

I’ve been using Trello for years, long before Atlassian bought it.

It's great to track the progress of my posts from concept to publication.

As a visual person, I like seeing my content in a visual Kanban style.

Any topic worth exploring is added to the "Ideas" column. As I develop the idea further, I move it to the right until I publish.

Great way to track your content. 

Cost: Free

4. Writing & Editing: Google Docs

When drafts are getting a bit long inside Keep, I move them into Google Docs. 

That’s where I’m typing this newsletter right now.

I switched from Word years ago and can’t see myself going back.

Everything is saved in the cloud so I can continue writing on my iPad, MacBook, iPhone or Mac.

It’s not fancy but it works.

Cost: Free

5. Time Management: Horo

When I’m writing on my Mac, I use Horo to set a time limit.

There are loads of timer apps available. You can use your phone. I like Horo because it's quick. It takes one second to set a timer and it adds the countdown to the top menu bar so it's always visible.

I give myself 30 minutes to write before taking a short 5-minute break. 

Setting 30-minute blocks keeps my mind fresh and improves my writing. 

Building 5-minute breaks into my schedule gives me time to balance writing with household chores. (Five minutes is perfect for a load of washing, unpacking groceries or unloading the dishwasher.)

Setting a time limit forces me to finish the task in the time allowed.

It took me two hours to write this newsletter because I set myself 4 x 30-minutes sessions. If I gave myself the whole day, it would have taken the entire day. The extra time would have been wasted trying to make the newsletter "perfect". 

This is Parkinson’s Law which is the idea that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. 

Save time and avoid endless revisions. Set a timer and ship it.

Cost: Free

6. Editing: Hemingway

Hemingway is a new addition to my stack and it’s invaluable. 

Once I’ve finished drafting and editing, I paste my content into the app which highlights long sentences and words to avoid.

I regularly use too many adverbs! (Whoops, I did it again!)

Hemingway’s reading grade is a great feature too. The lower the reading grade, the easier it is for people to read. Aim low. Use simple language and shorter sentences.

Ernest Hemingway, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize wrote at a 4th grade reading level.

Cost: Free

Wrapping Up

I use apps that support the way I write.

1. Notion - plan my week ahead.

2. Keep - capture notes quickly before I forget.

3. Trello - track all my content visually.

4. Google Docs - writing and editing longer form content.

5. Horo - setting time limits.

6. Hemingway - simpler and clearer writing.

I hope you discover something here to improve your writing and your process.

Remember, we're all different. What works for me, might not work for you.

Don’t add tools for the sake of it, even if they're free.

You can still conquer the world with a pen and a piece of paper.

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That's a wrap on issue 004.

Thanks for the great feedback on last week's issue.

See you again next week.