Even if you like to write like I do, it can still feel like it takes forever to produce something good. And let’s face it, time is not something you have a whole lot of. Below are five online writing tools we like and that were also recommended by friends. They’ll help you create great marketing copy, faster.
I’ll be sharing more time-saving tips for nonprofit marketers during Smart Nonprofit Marketing: Advice and Hacks for Working Faster, But Not Harder! on July 30.
The Hemingway Editor
Hemingway analyzes and scores the readability of your text, color coding problems. For example, yellow means you need to shorten a sentence and red means the text is too dense. We know lots of people who swear by this app, including Mary Cahalane and Michelle Sanders Brinson.
I ran it on the first draft of this post, then tightened it up where I could. I improved it by one grade level. But it penalized me for the “Grammarly” app below as an adverb, which I couldn’t do anything about.
Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer
I like how this analyzer labels your headlines as intellectual, empathetic, or spiritual. This is another Mary Cahalane fave.
You can see how it scored three different versions of the headline for this blog post, written in the order below. I used the highest score.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a souped-up grammar and contextual spelling editor. It goes well beyond what’s built into Word or other text editors. It’s a favorite of our messaging advisor, Nancy Schwartz.
Thsrs
This tool helps you find shorter words that mean the same thing. Great for tight character count locations like headlines and tweets! Recommended by Michelle Sanders Brinson.
Your Own Copywriting Lists
Lastly, don’t forget that you can create great tools of your own! Our social media and online fundraising advisor, Kerri Karvetski, creates her own copywriting lists. She’s shared some of them with us in blog posts:
54 Ideas For Strong Leads And Smooth Transitions in Your Appeals and Action Alerts
48 Ways to Ask for a Matching Gift in an Email Fundraising Appeal
Is there a writing tool you use all the time? Share your favorites in the comments!
