Archive for January 2024

25 AI Writing Assistants You Should Try

25 best AI writing assistants

25 AI Writing Assistants You Should Try

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Artificial intelligence – AI writing assistants are revolutionizing the way writers write.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt seen countless videos on Instagram, or Facebook, or TikTok that start with “These seem illegal to know.”

Before we delve into the AI writers, let’s riff on the persuasion power behind that hook, “These seem illegal to know”.

This one powerful hook touches on two key persuasion tactics:

Two Powerful Persuasion Tactics

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Curiosity – “These”. This word makes us open the questioning loop in our brain by asking “Which”.

We want to know what “these” are.

We are silently wondering if our guess as to what these are will be accurate.

We want to see, prove how smart we are by possibly guessing the answers in advance.

We look, or watch to compare our thoughts to theirs.

We get a hit of dopamine as we anticipate the findings.

It’s like knowledge cocaine.

Danger – let’s face it. Most people lead, or believe they lead boring, safe lives.

Most of us are cautious by nature.

Here’s a chance to peek at something that “feels” illegal to know.

It’s like knowledge porn.

“Secrets”. Cheating.

It defies logic, because who really believes that an AI writing assistant would be “illegal” to know?

This just goes to show that emotions, feelings or desired feelings, overrule logic most of the time.

The anticipation of danger, real or perceived, can trigger the release of both the dopamine and adrenaline.

It induces a FEELING in our bodies. FEELING different is the thing we get high on.

We’re drawn to a change in feeling like bees to soda pop.

Feelings or Desired Feelings overrule logic most of the time.

Knowledge of what drives human behavior, what elicits reactions and feeling, helps you become a better, more persuasive, more powerful writer – with or without a writing assistant.

So let’s get on to those writing assistants, shall we?

AI writing assistants are powerful computing tools which can help any writer boost their productivity and quickly improve their skill and output.

Here are three core benefits of using an AI writing assistant:

Save Time with Automatic Writing

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AI tools can generate high-quality content at speeds a human could never match.

Whether you need blog posts, website copy, or even full articles, AI assistants like ChatGPT, Quillbot, or Claude can create full drafts in seconds.

This allows you to spend less time writing and more time on high-value tasks.

  Improve Style with Intelligent Editing

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The best AI writing tools don’t just generate content – they can also polish your writing.

Apps like WordTune and Quillbot use advanced AI to fix grammar mistakes, improve word choice, tighten phrasing, and refine style.

This structured editing makes revision easy.

  Stimulate Ideas with Creative Brainstorming

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Writer’s block can stall any project.

But AI assistants excel at sparking new ideas and directions.

With tools like Frase and tldraw, you can get AI-powered recommendations to overcome creative blocks and outline entire pieces.

25 Popular AI Writing Assistants and Their Key Features

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1. ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com)
– Best for: Natural language conversations, explaining concepts, summarizing articles.
– Free and paid plans.

2. Claude (https://Anthropic.com)
– Best for: Long-form content writing, email writing, content summarization.
– Currently free during beta testing.

3. Jasper (https://jasper.ai)
– Best for: SEO content, blog posts, marketing copy.
– Free and paid plans.

4. Shortly (https://Shortly.ai)
– Best for: Summarizing text, short social media posts.
– Free and paid plans.

5. QuillBot (https://quillbot.com)
– Best for: Paraphrasing, improving writing style and clarity.
– Free and paid plans.

6. Rytr (https://rytr.me)
– Best for: Long-form content writing, blog posts, social media posts.
– Paid plans only.

7. Wordsmith (https://automic.com)
– Best for: Automated reporting, financial writing, sports/earnings summaries.
– Paid plans for business use.

8. Copy.ai (https://copy.ai)
– Best for: Website content, blog posts, social media posts, ad copy.
– Free and paid plans.

9. Writesonic (https://writesonic.com)
– Best for: Blog posts, product descriptions, website content.
– Paid plans only.

10. Shortly Read (https://read.shortlyread.com)
– Best for: Summarizing online articles and webpages.
– Free browser extension.

11. INK Adept (https://inkadept.com)
– Best for: Business writing, press releases, website content.
– Paid plans only.

12. Bold Content (https://boldcontent.com)
– Best for: SEO blog posts, marketing copy, website content.
– Paid plans only.

13. Conversion.ai (conversion.ai)
– Best for: Sales copy, landing pages, email sequences.
– Free and paid plans.

14. Elephas (elephas.app)
– Best for: Long-form content writing and summarization.
– Currently free during beta.

15. Wizdom (wizdom.ai)
– Best for: Technical writing, blog posts, explainers.
– Free and paid plans.

16. Shortly Drive (drive.shortlyread.com)
– Best for: Summarizing documents, webpages, passages.
– Free browser extension.

17. Copysmith (https://copysmith.ai)
– Best for: Marketing copy, website content, social media.
– Paid plans only.

18. Papercups (https://papercups.com)
– Best for: Customer service chatbots, conversational AI.
– Free and paid plans.

19. Frase (https://frase.io)
– Best for: Expanding ideas, improving writing flow.
– Free and paid plans.

20. Wordtune (https://wordtune.com)
– Best for: Editing and proofreading text.
– Free browser extension.

21. tldraw (https://tldraw.com)
– Best for: Brainstorming ideas visually.
– Single paid plan.

22. Shortly Pitch (https://pitch.shortlyread.com)
– Best for: Summarizing documents into pitches.
– Free browser extension.

23. Poet AI (https://poet.ai)
– Best for: Poems, lyrics, creative writing.
– Paid plans only.

24. Kdan Mobile (https://kdan.ai)
– Best for: Social media post ideas and optimization.
– Free mobile app.

25. Simplifai (https://simplifai.com)
– Best for: Summarizing text quickly.
– Free and paid plans.

Note: Hyperlinks above were accurate at the time of writing. But AI is the new frontier and the landscape can change pretty fast. If the hyperlinks don’t work, try manually typing them into your browser without the https:// or simply Google the name of the writing assistant for the most up to date information.

Give AI Writing Assistants a Try

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The rise of AI is changing what’s possible in writing – you don’t want to get left behind.

With the many assistants listed above, you’ll save time, improve your writing quality, and generate ideas at speeds and volumes never humanly possible before.

See for yourself how AI can quickly enhance your writing process today.

Try one of the AI assistants above now.

“To your writing success!”

– Robert Schwarztrauber

P.S. One important tip to keep in mind as you try out the AI writing assistants above, is that like all computer programs, they operate on the principle of GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out. To get the maximum benefit from these writers, it’s always best to prepare a little in advance. When you know precisely what questions to ask of your writing assistant, you’ll get far better results. If you plan to include a call to action (CTA) or other persuasive element in your writing, The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit is the perfect tool to help you find exactly what to ask AI for best persuasive result.

P.P.S. Claude has been my go-to AI writing assistant for some time. This post was assisted by Claude. It’s free for now, easy to work with. Has a high accuracy and understanding rate. Despite little skill or experience on my part, it consistently (but not always) gives me exactly what I was hoping for with minimal back and forth conversations. I’d say it’s very beginner friendly.

Writer’s Word Constipation – 3 Quick Cures

writer's block

Writer’s Constipation

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What Pro Writer’s Do When The Words Won’t Flow

Writer’s constipation is different from writer’s block.

Writer’s block finds you staring at the blank page or screen, lost for what to write.

Writer’s block is more of a mindless state.

Writer’s Constipation occurs when you have too much to write.

Writer’s Constipation is when you’ve been grazing or gorging on information for an extended time, researching or learning, but not producing anything from it.

You’re full of it. You’ve been consuming words, written or oral, and you’ve digested that knowledge and turned it into your own new ideas. But you haven’t gotten any out.

Now, you have such a backlog of research to share, new ideas, perhaps a whole book full of ideas – but the words are packed so tightly in your skull you struggle to get the flow started.

You’re constipated in the head!

Where to start?

I’m experiencing this writer’s constipation phenomenon now.

For three years I’ve been researching and studying the various and many benefits which can be derived from a certain part of our anatomy. A mentor of mine suggests now might be a good time to publish those findings.

But where to start!

Three years worth of words and ideas are swirling around in my head. Flashes of genius call out at random intervals – triggered no doubt by some bling in my immediate surroundings.

Rather like the term writer’s constipation came to me while in the shower today. I don’t know why!

But what to do with all these random stuck thoughts?

Is this where I should start? No wait…

Maybe I should start here?

And as we all know – a confused mind does nothing.

Help! I Can’t Get It Out.

Luckily, I’ve lived long enough to know that we don’t have to panic when this happens.

Much like the other constipation we all know and despise, there are cures. Remedies. Some potent like Magnesium Citrate. Some more gentle, more like MiraLAX.

Here they are:

My Three Cures for Writer’s Constipation

1. Pick It Out.

Literally. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil, not a keyboard or screen – you’ll see why in a bit – and start writing down little snippets. One word about your topic or research. Then another. Then another.

Maybe it’s:

  • Potential headings
  • Potential chapters
  • Industry jargon
  • Report Titles

Expand next to phrases. Important thoughts or ideas. Multiple word groups or short sentences. Don’t edit. Write them down as they come. Quickly now! Don’t stop to think. Write. Write some more.

Once you find yourself slowing down or thinking too much, stop. Or perhaps you’ve filled the page. Stop!

Get up now. Go grab a glass of water, coffee, or some other favorite drink. You need a short break to let your mind catch up.

Go back to the paper now. Add arrows to connect related points. Circle or highlight matching ideas with a colored pens. Number things if that’s appropriate. Begin to organize thoughts and words.

Rewrite these on another paper if that helps you organize.

Now that you’ve got things flowing, keep going.

Work on expanding the ideas you have. Or start on another page if you feel you have more to get out first. The important thing is to keep the flow going once it starts.

Stay regular. Write every day.

2. Map It Out

I love mind maps.

Not the computer kind, I get too lost and angered in the learning or formatting curve to find any benefit.

I love the speed and simplicity of pen and paper. Especially that engineering paper with it’s little blue squares. Legal pads are my second choice, followed by blank printer paper.

Strange as it may seem, a sketch artist once told me his “trick” to getting started with that scary blank page. Simply draw a border around the page!

Yes. A simple rectangle. A border. A frame.

Then, it’s not a blank page anymore. You’ve added “something”!

Typically, I’ll write my working title or topic in the center of the paper, then circle it.

Half an inch away I’ll write whatever word seems closely related to that.

For example, if I wrote BODY in the center and circled it, I might write ARM a half inch away and circle that. Then draw a line to the BODY circle.

Next I might write HAND a half inch out from ARM and circle that. Then I might write FINGERS a half inch out from hands and circle that, or maybe I’d square that. Connect them all with lines.

writer's mind map

I won’t give a whole tutorial here on creating mind maps. There are dozens of websites and videos already doing that. And most of us remember enough how to create one from our school days anyway.

Mind maps help you get your information out bit by bit, word by word, while organizing at the same time.

I’ll usually run out of room on the page and have to start over. Or get a bigger piece of paper.

Mind maps provide a structure which helps things start flowing.

Nature abhors an empty space and will suck the words right out of you – if you let it.

3. Take A Writer’s Dump

This last one, I first heard from the late, great copywriter Gary Halbert.

It’s a technique he used and recommended for fighting the constipation’s dreaded cousin, Writer’s Block.

You just start writing.

Nonsense. Any words. Any sentence. Nothing has to make sense. You can write your favorite nursery rhyme. Song lyrics. Anything goes. “Four score and seven years ago…”.

How to bake bread. How to draw a cute kitten. How to safely clean your ears with a Q-tip even though the box says don’t.

Just start writing. Dump it all out. It’s the warm up. Nothing really matters…to me!

It works on the same principle as syphoning water.

You suck and suck until you get it to flow, then it just flows – all by itself.

Conclusion…

Try one or all of these three remedies next time you get a bad case of Writer’s Constipation.

You’ll feel better fast. You’ll thank me.

The Magic Potent Bonus Cure!

If you haven’t got your flow going yet, or are looking for a faster start, I’d recommend you grab a copy of my most potent writer’s remedy, The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit.

Even if you’re NOT writing sales copy!

Its psychological themes and colorful graphics offer unique and timeless insights into inner the workings of the human mind.

It’s like Draino for idea flow.

Using its fill-in-the-blank templates and forms, you can’t help but find the ways and means of presenting your information in a form that readers will eat up. It will literally pull the thoughts from your head in an organized, compelling form.

Use at your own risk*

Available by prescription only…and I’m prescribing it for you here!

Be forewarned though… Ideas will flow out so fast it will make your pen spin. Best to have that paper ready to catch them.

*Safe and effective when used as directed.

There you go. Or at least, I hope you do.

Otherwise, you’ve read this far just to increase the log-jam of information that got you here in the first place.

Take action!

That’s the only way out of this mess.

“Here’s to your struggle-free, strain-free writing success!”

– Robert Schwarztrauber