Streamline your writing process with these 11 free copywriting tools. Whether you need inspiration or help with editing, there's a tool for you.
Every craftsperson has a set of tools to help them create.
Painters have their canvas, palettes, and brushes. Woodworkers have their saws, chisels, and sanders.
Copywriters are no different. With the right tools, they can craft more effective copy and overcome any challenges during the writing process.
Whether you're researching your target audience or perfecting your headline, let’s explore 11 free tools to add to your copywriting toolkit.
In This Post:
Tools for Finding Inspiration
Tools for Research and Planning
4. Reddit
5. Library Card
Tools for Choosing the Right Word
7. Rhyme Zone
Tools for Revising and Editing
10. Word Counter
11. Hemingway Editor
Tools for Finding Inspiration
1. Copywriting Examples
Many copywriters keep a swipe file to inspire them. A swipe file is a collection of real-world writing examples. When you see a powerful ad or get an email with a snappy subject line, save them for future reference. That’s the start of your swipe file.
If you don’t have one yet, no worries! Copywriting Examples is a free online swipe file of all kinds of copywriting. You can filter this growing collection by type, style, or audience to find examples for your latest project.
Bonus: When you hover over each example, you’ll see a concise explanation of what makes it successful. Not only will you find inspiration, but you’ll hone your copywriting skills and learn some new tricks while you’re at it!
2. Meta Ad Library
When you’re looking for inspiration to write social media ads, visit the Meta Ad Library. It allows you to search all ads running on any Meta Product, including Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram.
For each ad, you’ll see:
Media and caption
Page that paid for the ad
When the ad ran
Estimated audience size
Budget
Impressions
This tool is especially helpful for nonprofits and advocacy groups. You can search the last 7 years of ads about social issues, elections, or politics. No shortage of examples to learn from!
Tools for Research and Planning
3. Answer the Public
Organic search makes up 53% of website traffic—and almost 93% of global web traffic comes from Google alone. To get your share of that traffic, your website copy needs to answer Google users’ search queries.
Luckily, there’s a tool to help you do just that.
Answer the Public helps you discover what people are searching on Google. Simply type in your topic, and this tool will visualize the most common search phrases and questions related to that keyword. You can conduct 3 searches per day with the free version of Answer the Public.
Let’s say you’re writing website copy about a new online learning program. Answer the Public reveals 76 questions people are asking Google about online learning. Questions like:
Can online learning be as effective as traditional education?
Which online learning platform is accredited?
Why is online learning beneficial?
Incredible, right? It’s like you got a sneak peek into the minds of your target audience. You’ve discovered what they’re wondering and worrying about. Now use those insights to write specific, relatable copy that answers their questions and eases their concerns!
4. Reddit
Reddit—AKA the "front page of the internet"—receives more than 4.8 billion visits per month. Users flock to the site to discuss almost any topic you can imagine in communities called subreddits. These online communities are a gold mine for copywriting research.
With the anonymity the site provides, Reddit users are open about their problems, fears, and desires. All of this is valuable information! The better you understand your audience, the most persuasive your copywriting will be.
Beyond uncovering your audience's pain points and motivations, you can see how they describe their experience in their own words. When you know not only what to say, but how to say it, that's when your message truly resonates.
5. A Library Card
I know, it's probably not what you were expecting to see on this list. But a library card opens more avenues for your research, both print and digital.
Visit your local library or use your library account to access specialized databases filled with academic studies and surveys. These credible resources will add authority and depth to your writing. If you're frustrated by news articles locked behind paywalls, see if your library can unlock them through one of its databases or subscriptions. And don't hesitate to ask a librarian for help. They're experts in finding information.
Tools for Choosing the Right Word
6. Power Thesaurus
Every writer needs a good thesaurus. Sometimes you don’t have quite the right word to express the exact meaning or feeling you’re going for. A thesaurus can help you find an alternative word that:
Has the right connotation
Is more precise
Is more descriptive
Say goodbye to vague writing and needless $5-words with Power Thesaurus. Beyond a list of synonyms, it offers phrases and idioms too.
Phrases are often more informal or conversational than single words—perfect for copywriting. And thoughtful use of idioms can add color or humor to your copy (not to mention they leave lots of room for wordplay). For example:
Word: increase
Phrase: go up
Idiom: go through the roof
7. Rhyme Zone
Have you ever noticed how many ads, slogans, and jingles use rhymes?
Lend a hand—care for the land! (U.S. Forest Service)
Give. To help me live. (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
Drive sober or get pulled over (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Rhyming is memorable—and persuasive.
People believe rhyming statements are more accurate and trustworthy, according to researchers from Lafayette College. This cognitive bias is known as the rhyme-as-reason effect.
A tool like RhymeZone can help you put the rhyme-as-reason effect into action. Search a word, and RhymeZone will list rhyming words organized by the number of syllables. You can even review phrases and near rhymes too.
Tools for Revising and Editing
8. Natural Readers
Reading your copy out loud is one of the best ways to edit it. But it can be even more effective to hear it read to you. You can close your eyes and really listen.
Natural Readers is an online tool that will convert text to speech. Paste your text into the text box, and press play. While listening, ask yourself:
Does it sound natural?
Is it easy to follow along?
Are there any long sentences you struggle through?
Take notes and revise where needed.
You can choose from dozens of voices and languages. With the free version of Natural Readers, you get unlimited use of free voices and 20 minutes of the premium voices per day. The premium voices definitely sound less robotic, with more of the natural inflections of human speech.
9. Sharethrough Headline Analyzer
Headlines are crucial.
They’re the first thing—and sometimes the only thing—people see. So they need to grab attention.
As a professional copywriter, I spend a lot of time writing and re-writing headlines. Headline analyzer tools help me see how I might optimize them.
ShareThrough Headline Analyzer evaluates your headline based on 300 variables, then gives you 3 scores:
Quality score
Engagement score
Impression score
It identifies the strengths of your headline and offers suggestions of how to improve it. Plus, it keeps your headline search history. So as you revise and tweak your headline, you can see how your scores change.
10. Word Counter
When you’re writing copy, it’s important to keep in mind the ideal length for each use case. For example:
60 characters for email subject lines
125 characters before “more” in Instagram captions
155 characters for meta descriptions
When every character matters, try Word Counter. This free tool offers a clean interface that counts characters and words as you type.
But it doesn’t stop there.
If you write long-form content like blog posts or white papers, Word Counter will show you the number of sentences, paragraphs, or pages too. Spelling and grammar checking is built in. Plus, it lists your most frequently used keywords.
11. Hemingway Editor
Finding the right combination of readability, voice, and tone is part of the art of writing. Hemingway Editor can help you improve the readability of your copy and content.
Hemingway Editor looks for ways to make your writing clearer and more direct. It highlights:
Adverbs: Remove them by choosing stronger verbs
Passive voice: Use active voice instead
Complex phrases: Use shorter, simpler phrases
Hard-to-read sentences: Simplify or split them into multiple sentences
Hemingway also identifies the overall readability of your text by grade level. The average U.S. adult reads at an 8th grade level. Even if your audience can read at higher levels doesn’t mean they want to. People prefer information that’s easy to read.
As with the suggestions of grammar checkers, take Hemingway’s notes with a grain of salt. They’re guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. Consider your medium, your audience, and what will resonate with them. Then edit accordingly.
Building your writer’s toolkit is essential for improving your craft. The right tools can help you create more effective copy, improve your workflow, and boost your productivity.
While there are countless options out there, these are some of the free tools I use as a freelance copywriter. Experiment with different tools to find what works best for you, and don't be afraid to try something new!
