When you hire an independent copywriter and content strategist, you’re not just paying for the hours they spend writing.
You’re benefitting from all the tools, systems, and safeguards they’ve put in place behind the scenes. Things like MarTech tools used to find opportunities, the insurance that protects everyone if something goes spectacularly wrong (touch wood we never need it), and the project management spaces that keep everything working as expected.
Like most freelancers, I pay for plenty of tools and services “out of pocket” before a piece of client work ever lands in my inbox.
Some of those expenses make my work better. Others make projects easier for my clients. Others keep my business organised and compliant. And some I pay for while grumbling about the price every month.
I purposefully try to keep my tools stack lean. So, I’ve recently done a lot of work consolidating tools and removing anything that could be done with an existing or cheaper tool. It’s something that I think is valuable from both a costs and a security perspective.
In the interest of being transparent, I thought it’d be helpful to give an inside look at what I currently pay for as a copywriter and content strategist.
So, whether you’re considering working with me or you’re another copywriter, here’s what’s in my tech stack.
Google Workspace (AKA the heart of my business)
If you took Google Workspace away from me, I’m not entirely sure there’d be much of a business left behind.
I use Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Drive, and Vids. And they all play a slightly different role.
Every client has a dedicated Google Drive folder where we can keep all our working documents and final deliverables. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are part of my everyday workflows whether I’m delivering a messaging strategy project, sharing new website copy, or presenting a recommendations report.
They also hold a lot of the systems I use behind the scenes to run my business.
Google Vids has replaced Loom for me. I can film videos and screen recordings, add captions and Fika Digital branding, and share them with clients. It’d really handy when I want to explain my thinking behind something without adding another meeting to everyone’s calendar.
I even use Google Docs to issue contracts thanks to its traceable eSignature feature. This means I don’t need to pay for separate contract software simply to collect an electronic signature.
Notion for a tidier client experience
Notion is where I house client-facing project areas when a folder full of documents isn’t quite enough.
For some clients, I’ll build a “project zone” in Notion where they can find everything they could possibly need from the overarching strategy to specific deliverables. For some retainer clients, I’ll use Notion to house a social media content calendar or project management board that shows what we’re working on, what’s waiting for approval and what’s already been published.
I use Notion to deliver my Clarity Action Plans too. It gives clients a practical, interactive document they can actually work through and refer back to rather than static report taht might get downloaded, skim-read, then forgotten.
Figma and FigJam to turn words into something you can see
Copy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. A headline that works beautifully in a document might fall apart when somebody tries to squeeze it into a website design.
That’s why I use Figma to create copywriting wireframes. These show you how the message, structure, and calls to action could all work together on the page.
I’m not going to pretend I’m a web designer. My Figma skills are shaky but hey, I’ve put in the hours to learn Figma and I’m certified to an advanced level.
I use Figma to create lo-fi wireframes that get the job done… and they get praised by the designers I work with!
These wireframes are a business non-negotiable for me as a copywriter. They’re incredibly valuable for allowing clients to visualise how their copy might work in-situ without getting distracted by fonts, colours, or visual graphics too early.
I also use FigJam to run collaborative whiteboard sessions with clients. It gives us somewhere to map ideas, organise research, and work through strategic conundrums in real-time. These involve a lot of virtual sticky notes and a fair share of typos. But they’re always overflowing with valuable insights.
ClickUp so I can keep everything running smoothly
ClickUp is strictly behind the scenes but it plays a big part in keeping client work on track.
In ClickUp, I have folders for each client, templates for repeatable services, and tasks for every stage of every project. If I need to do something, it gets added to ClickUp.
My favourite feature is the calendar. This lets me see exactly what work I’ve planned for each day. It’s helpful for balancing multiple projects at once and making sure I don’t overbook myself.
That matters a lot when you’re managing several projects all at the same time. I need to know that the research session you booked in for next month, the copy audit due next Thursday, and the content strategy waiting for updates all have enough time allocated to them.
While you might never see my ClickUp board as a client, it’s the tool that makes sure your client is delivered on time and to the highest standard.
Mighty for mighty accounting
I recently switched to Mighty for my accounting and so far, I’m a big fan.
Previously, I was paying more than £250+VAT each month for an accountant and paying separately for FreeAgent. Looking back at last year’s statement makes me eyes water. Now, I pay £60+VAT per month for Mighty which covers my bookkeeping software and gives me access to a bloody brilliant accounting team.
I don’t need all-singing, all-dancing accounting support as a small limited company of one. Mighty keeps the accounting side of my business nice and simple while still letting me manage all finances, stay on top of cashflow, and invoice clients for the great work I do.
Monzo pro (and the £9 expense I mildly resent)
I use Monzo for business banking. Generally speaking, I think Monzo are great. But I kind of resent the fact I have to pay £9/month for Monzo Pro just so I can integrate it with my accounting setup.
It’s not a huge expense but it’s one of those small monthly charges that exists largely because all my systems need to speak to one another. It’s the type of thing that I think should be free. Alas, it’s not. And hey, the integration reduces manual admin and helps keep my accounts accurate so I’ll keep coughing up my £9/month and saving a good few hours of financial admin.
PolicyBee so I’m protected for any “just in case” moments
Your girl wants to make sure she’s covered if anything ever goes wrong.
Through PolicyBee, I pay for business insurance, including professional indemnity and public liability cover. I keep the level of cover fairly high both for my own peace of mind and because some client contracts require it. It’s a hefty sum each month but one that I think is worth having as a “just in case”.
Thakfully, I’ve only ever had to make one claim… which was when I smashed a business iPad after owning it for approximately five minutes. I’ve never needed it for anything more serious and I’d very much like to keep it that way.
Insurance isn’t the most exciting business expense but it matters. Clients are trusting me with their messaging, commercially sensitive information, and sometimes access to their systems. Having appropriate cover is all part of taking that responsibility seriously.
ICO certificate for data protection
Speaking of being a responsible business owner, I also pay an annual ICO fee as I handle personal data, both for my own business and sometimes on behalf of my clients.
This fee is a legal requirement and something that I’ll happily pay each month as part of my duty of keeping my clients data safe.
Canva for all things creative
I use Canva pretty much every week to create social media graphics for clients and, occassionally, for Fika Digital itself.
I also find Canva useful for creating proposals, simple presentation assets, and any other branded elements I might need for something I’m working on. I’ve used it to create my fair share of branded merch too.
No, a Canva subscription does not make me a graphic designer. But it does let me produce useful, on-brand creative assets for the work I’m doing. It’s helpful for social media retainers where I can take the lead on the copy and visual assets without needing to involve another supplier just because a LinkedIn graphic needs creating.
ChatGPT for processing, organising, and analysing
Yep, you read that right. I’m an independent copywriter who pays for AI. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I use it to press a button and have it write your website while I put the kettle on.
One of my useful tools is a customGPT I built to help synthesise and codify voice of customer research. When I’m working with interview transcripts, survey responses, reviews or sales-call notes, it helps me organise large amounts of qualitative information and identify recurring themes for me to interrogate. It’s genuinely helped me cut my research time down from 60+ hours to between 20-30 hours. That’s still a heck of a lot of time, but it means I can deliver it faster and without charging as much.
I also use ChatGPT skills to support some analytical tasks. Connecting it to Google Sheets is particularly useful during audits. I can brain dump all my observations and findings as I work then use it to help auto-populate the sheet for me.
It speeds up the admin-heavy parts of analysis so I can use my time on the more judgement and strategy-intensive stuff and less time on moving my notes from one box to another.
Semrush for SEO insights at a pricetag I begrudge
Semrush helps me conduct SEO research and analysis for clients. I use it to explore search demand, review keyword opportuenities, understand the competitive landscape, and diagnose clients’ current organic performance.
It’s valuable when a project calls for it. But it’s also expensive compared to how often I need to use it so, like Monzo Pro, it’s another subscription I pay for somewhat begrudgingly.
I would love Semrush to create a genuinely useful credit-based PAYG option for small freelancers and consultants. Until then, I guess I’ll keep paying the £110+ monthly fee so I have reliable data when client work calls for it.
It makes sure my content strategies, website copywriting projects, blog articles, and content audits are grounded in real search data rather than somebody just typing a phrase into Google and deciding it “feels like a good keyword”.
The Digital Marketing Union where I pay to have friends
The Digital Marketing Union (or The DMU, for short) is one of my favourite places on the internet. As the name suggests, it’s a community for digital marketers.
It’s where I can soundboard ideas with other marketing freelancers and agency owners. It’s also a great place for getting solutions for shared challenges, answers to tricky questions, and for sharing opportunities with each other.
It’s where I’ve found other independent marketers who I’m proud to call friends. They help make this freelancing malarkey a heck of a lot less lonely.
A bunch of other things I’ve probably forgotten about
This isn’t an exhaustive list of everything I pay for as a copywriter and content strategist. It’s just the main things that I think have the biggest impact on the work I do.
I know if I were to comb through my bookkeeping reports, there’d be a lot more expenses that I haven’t talked about here. Things like website hosting software and other tools I trial.
But, I do make a habit of routinely reviewing my expenses and finding ways to consolidate them both for my benefit and for my clients.
A good setup should make the work better
If there’s one thing I’ve learned while running my own business, it’s that you don’t need the fanciest tools. Sometimes, the most simple tools let you do the best work.
For instance, last year I forked out £4,000 to get DubSado set up. I then used DubSado as my business operations platform. I lasted four whole months before deciding I hated it. It wasn’t making life any easier for me and it wasn’t suitable for 90% of my clients who were technical B2B businesses. So, I chalked it up as an expensive £4,000 lesson and stripped my operations back to basics by moving back to using Google Workspace.
My tech stack has changed a lot over the years, and it’ll undoubtedly change again (and again). I’m not interested in collecting software for the sake of having an impressive list of logos on my monthly bank statement.
Every tool needs to earn it’s place by doing at least one of three things:
- Improving the quality of my deliverables
- Making life easier for my clients
- Helping me run a reliable, secure, and sustainable business
And if it can’t deliver against any of those? It’s probably not a tool I need.
When you work with an independent consultant, there’s some things sitting behind the final strategy, wireframe, content plan, or piece of copy you receive.
Of course, you’re paying for the work itself. But you’re also getting the benefit of a tried-and-tested system that’s designed to make that work even better.
So, if you’ve ever wondered what exactly you’re paying for when you hire a copywriter or content strategist, I hope this article has helped shed some light on the situation.
And if you’re ready to hire a copywriter and content strategist who seriously puts her tools to good work, let’s have a chat.
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