Freshen up your workspace in Twenty-Fourteen with some fancy new technology and office supplies for your copywriting needs. If you need an excuse to shell out some cash, think of it as an investment into creating copywriting that sells. By speeding up your services through dictation, typing in any position, and greater organizational skills, you have the makings of making more money in 2014, in addition to improving your copywriting career.
Software for Copywriters
When it comes to writing copy, you need software that can stand up to the challenge. Most writers’ software on the marketplace, such as yWriter and WriteWayPro, are meant for novelists. Copywriters, on the other hand, don’t need character profiles or scene outlines. Copywriting operates on a smaller scale and requires the use of note taking. A program that is hot to trot for copywriting is Scrivener. Unlike many of the available writing software programs, Scrivener is inexpensive at $40 and it’s available for both Windows, including 8.1, and Mac OS X. Using Scrivener you can create a virtual cork board with color coded note cards to help you organize your sections of copy for a project. Upload or paste links, images and videos for your research. Type out an outline, rough draft and edit using a comments section. You can even export your final draft into your word processor for emailing.
Creating Copywriting that Sells…While Walking
If your efforts to get into shape for the New Year are looking much slimmer than your rear end, go with the desk that moves you. Treadmill desks are all the rage, but what if you get tired? Never fear for the semi-recumbent pedal desk is here. If you aren’t sold on the whole getting in shape while copywriting, check out the eBook, “Treadmill Desk Revolution: The Easy Way to Lose Up to 50 Pounds in a Year – Without Dieting.” A less costly and space consuming option for the treadmill desk fad is the laptop and notebook stand that is lightweight and portable. Simply walk in place while standing in front of your copywriting assignments for a healthier option to the old standby of sitting while writing.
Peck Your Path to the Future
Virtual keyboards bring to light dreams of Star Wars and Trek fans. Check out the Cellulon EPIC Ultra-Portable Full-Size Virtual Keyboard or the Laser Projection Virtual Keyboard by Brookstone. Amazing stuff here—this is a keyboard that is projected onto a surface, which you can use for typing. Most of the virtual keyboards on the market are compatible with multiple operating systems including tablets and smartphones. You can use your Android tablet, for example, to project a keyboard on the table at your corner cafe, and you’re ready to work without the bulk and connectivity issues of a laptop or netbook.
SwiftKey
Frequently used by medical companies for charting, SwiftKey makes copywriters much more efficient. Why do you want to use an auto correct program for writing when you have such a program in your word processor? Well, if you use a dinosaur age auto correct system built into your word processor, which often requires updating for your personal preferences, you are missing out. SwiftKey learns your most used phrases and words as you are typing, and it can be personalized for your different typing systems, i.e. Gmail, blogging and Facebook. Through gesture input and the ability to type in three different languages at the same time, SwiftKey will transform and speed up your copywriting abilities. Price? The Android app version costs $3.99 as of January, 2014.
Dictate This
Dragon, Turbo, and Scribe are three popular forms of dictation software. Most writers are aware that this type of program allows you to speak and create content without the need for typing. Bluetooth capabilities further the software’s capabilities, so that you can write copy as you drive or when you are otherwise unavailable to type. However, now there are also apps on smartphones, some of which are free of charge, that allow you to dictate your thoughts. Voice Dictation on iTunes lets you capture SMS, email and text messages with your voice. Here’s a list of 10 additional voice dictation apps that offer a range of opportunities from creating copy for social media to translation services.
Miranda B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
