I’ve been a copywriter a very long time, even before the advent of PCs. Yes, I used to write copy on a typewriter. In fact, I used to write copy about microcomputer books and software on a typewriter. Weird, I know, but I digress…

The best part about writing on a PC is the ability to move stuff around. Save it, delete it, cut it, paste it with a quick key or mouse click. Love it. Early on, though, I knew Word had a very anemic ability to save all this little clips of this and that. When you’re writing copy the abillity to save and sort through all these little clips is vital. So about 15 years ago, I found a little piece of shareware worth every dime

Clipmate. It copies, saves, organizes EVERYTHING, even images.

Frankly, I haven’t explored everything is actually does, but here’s what I do:

• Save URLs I want to look at later, faster for me than bookmarks, because I can annotate why I want to save it
• Obviously, I use it to edit and rewrite copy. No limit to the size of the clip or how long I want to save it.
• I created a folder for boilerplate. Standard replies, customer name/address/phone info, etc. No more retyping the same stuff over and over. Create a folder for your own boilerplate and one for each client. Nifty.
• I use it to save images when I’m working on a website. Pop out, pop in.

My hard drive is filled to the brim with writing utilities that sounded good but just didn’t perform to expectation. (One of these days I’ll actually weed through all the junk.) But Clipmate is simply one utility I couldn’t or wouldn’t want to write without. All my staff use it, and when they move onto other career adventures, they buy their own version of Clipmate. You can read more about it here. When you’re ready, use the link below to:

Download the 30-day free trial version and try it for yourself.

Easy set-up and you don’t have to be a techy person to understand it. Works with Windows and all the major browsers. Decide to buy, it’s just $34.95. Free upgrades and enhancements, too.

Essential Takeaway Point:
Give me Word and Clipmate and I’m pretty much set on all I need to craft any project. Give it a try and you’ll be a firm believer, too!