Why Spreadsheets Are a Copywriter’s Greatest Tool (Yes…Really)

Every copywriter has their own arsenal of tools to help them streamline their workflow and produce good f*cking copy. Want to know what you’re sleeping on big time though? Spreadsheets. Before you start groaning, I’m going to tell you exactly why I think spreadsheets for copywriters are a game-changer.

From helping you track the performance of your copy and manage your projects more efficiently to refining your SEO audits and planning your copy, spreadsheets are a copywriter’s greatest tool.

And I’m going to convince you…trust me.

Working with spreadsheets

I’ll be the first to admit, hand on heart, I used to hate spreadsheets. They reminded me of mind-numbing ICT lessons in high school, and the trial by fire that was my dissertation (yes, I did need to use spreadsheets in my Literature and Linguistics degree, who’d have thought).

But you know what? After being strong-armed into the position of ‘resident spreadsheet expert’ in my last couple of jobs, they’ve kind of grown on me – to the point where I genuinely think copywriters and spreadsheets should go hand in hand.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Benefits of spreadsheets for copywriters

There are hundreds of useful tools you can use to improve your copywriting processes, but here’s why spreadsheets are worth your valuable time:

• No cost: you don’t have to fork out for yet another tool – Google Sheets (my preferred tool) is completely free, and Excel comes with most laptops too.
• Completely customisable: no matter your needs, you can customise your spreadsheets to suit every preference. Sure, the learning curve can be steep if you’re not used to them, but with YouTube tutorials, you can get up to speed pretty quickly.
• Full collaboration: if you’re working as part of a team, Google Sheets allows multiple people to work on the same sheet at once, and access it without having to download or upload anything, which is always a bonus.
• Safety: mistakes are inevitable in any business, especially if you’re working with people who aren’t tech-savvy. With an easy-to-access file history, though, you can return to the original version easily enough.

I know what you’re thinking: Sure, that sounds pretty cool and all, but what the f*ck has this got to do with copywriting?

Let’s find out.

Spreadsheets for copywriters: 8 ways to amp up your copywriting processes

1. Content and copy calendars 📝

One of the best uses of spreadsheets for copywriters is building a content or copy calendar.

Sure, you can use project management tools like Trello (a personal favourite of mine) but the beauty of a spreadsheet is that it is completely free, customisable, and collaborative.

With this kind of sheet, you can:

• Map out all future content or copy across every possible platform, from social media and email marketing, to blogs and web pages.
• Plan email sequences, website copy, blog posts, social media updates, etc.
• Track the entire editorial process, including draft status, deadlines, and publication dates.
• Stay up to date with seasonal trends, product/service launches, and promotions.

This bird’s eye view can also help you quickly spot any glaring weaknesses in your editorial process, e.g., unattainable targets, wide gaps in your publishing schedule, poor planning around seasonal events, etc.

2. Project and client management tracking 📅

Being a freelance copywriter comes with a swarm of challenges, from dealing with shoddy feedback to being plagued by writer’s block. One of the most difficult though is juggling multiple clients, projects, and deadlines.

Keeping reminders in a trusty notebook or calendar and combing through your emails can only get you so far.

(Clocking on yet? Yes…this can be sidestepped with a handy spreadsheet.)

A project management spreadsheet can help you:

• Track individual clients with key project details, deliverables, deadlines, and so on.
• Keep hold of any important client documents, including a tone of voice guide, brand guidelines, customer research, and competitor audits.
• Manage payment amounts, dates, and invoice status.

You can even add a content tracker to monitor every stage of the creation process, from outline all the way up to final draft.

3. SEO and keyword research 🕵️

Optimising your content and copy means handling a lot of SEO data and metrics, from potential keywords and search trends, to metadata and rankings. Depending on how many projects you’re working on and how many tools you’re using, it can be impossible to see the forest for the trees.

You can organise all of this crucial information into various spreadsheets so that you can:

• Log keyword ideas with their accompanying data (search volumes, keyword difficulty) which makes content ideation a breeze.
• Track, organise, and optimise target keywords for your blog posts and web pages so that you can avoid any overlap or keyword cannibalisation.
• Keep your meta descriptions, title tags, slugs, and so on, consistent and unique. (You can even add a handy formula to make sure you’re staying within the character limit!)

If you’re consistently running SEO audits (gold star for you!), you can input all of your potential issues into a spreadsheet and add action columns to get through it all quickly and efficiently, such as:

• Issue: missing meta descriptions
• Team member: [name]
• Action: create optimised meta descriptions
• Completed? Yes/No
• Approved? Yes/No
• Completion date: xx/xx/xx

4. Performance tracking 📈

You can’t always achieve perfect copy on the first go around (contrary to what LinkedIn gurus might tell you). One of the best ways to improve your messaging and make sure it actually speaks to your target audience is by looking at the results of your copy.

Key performance metrics can help you quickly determine just how effective your copy is, and give you a good idea of what needs tweaking to get those conversions up.

You can create a spreadsheet for performance tracking to:

• Monitor organic traffic, engagement, and conversion rates for your blog posts and web pages.
• Track your social media post performance, including likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates.
• Look at email open rates, link clicks, and conversion rates – especially handy if you’re running A/B tests.
• Identify key pages that need to be optimised and improved.

Sure, there are all sorts of tools you can use, from Google Analytics and Search Console to Moz and SEMrush, but having all of your relevant data in one single place is useful for getting that bigger picture view, and to quickly figure out your game plan going forward.

5. Copy and content audits 👀

Content and copy are never a one-and-done deal. They’re always in need of improvement, whether that’s updating the target keywords to aim for better rankings in the SERPs or working on readability to improve user experience.

This is especially important if you’re in charge of a website that has a huge catalogue of copy and content – it’s easy for older pages to fall through the cracks, which can cost you valuable rankings, traffic, and conversions.

The only way to figure out how well your website copy or content is performing is by running an audit. A spreadsheet can streamline this process by tracking:

• Copy effectiveness, including headlines, readability, CTAs, and conversion rates.
• Content performance, such as organic traffic, bounce rates, time on page, and engagement metrics.
• Email copy, including open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
• Social media content, like views, engagement metrics, and general audience growth.

Audits are one of the best ways to determine which areas you need to work on, and help you prioritise your updates based on potential impact.

6. Content repurposing 🔁

You know when you write a really good blog post and you can’t believe more people aren’t reading it? There’s a really simple solution (other than spamming people’s inboxes): make more content out of it!

One blog post can be repurposed into a social media carousel, a TikTok video, an infographic, an email, and so on. The possibilities are endless and you can keep reeling in the benefits of that single piece of good f***ing content.

Of course, you do need to track it all so that you’re not overdoing the same piece of content on the same platforms – you’ll want to mix it up to account for your different audiences, and give your other content a chance.

With a repurposing tracker, you can:

• Identify content that can be repurposed.
• Track when and where the content has been repurposed.
• Plan potential updates to older content to keep it evergreen.

Doing this will help you make the most of your old content, and stretch your new content that much further. Not all of your target audience will be reading your blog, so giving them different avenues to read your content can increase awareness and, potentially, direct more of them to your website.

7. Outreaching 🤝

Whether you’re a freelance copywriter, part of an agency, or a business owner, part of your week is going to involve some form of outreach – pitching to potential clients, trying to get some guest posts or backlinks, or even general networking.

Most of this will be done over email, which can quickly get lost in the chaos of a busy inbox (or, if you’re an unfortunate Outlook user, never to be found again).

With the right spreadsheet, you can track:

• Every pitch you’ve sent, including responses, follow-ups, and lead status, so you don’t miss any opportunity.
• Guest post submissions, publication dates, and links.
• Potential clients and brands you’re interested in working with.
• Cold outreach messages (email, LinkedIn, phone) and collaboration requests so you can follow up fuss-free.

Having everything all in one place can keep you organised so that you’ll never let any lead slip away from you.

8. Financial tracking 💰

(You can let out a sigh of relief now – we’re almost at the end of my love letter to spreadsheets.)

Freelance copywriters don’t just spend all of their time writing. They’re running a business, which means having to keep careful track of invoices and payments.

It can get pretty hectic though, especially when you’re working with multiple clients. With a financial tracking spreadsheet, you can:

• Stay on top of your invoices, including deposits, overall payments, due dates, and any follow-ups.
• Record payment statuses, e.g., pending, paid, and overdue.
• Monitor your monthly and annual income to see if you need to make any changes to your current methods.
• Compare your project profits to see what type of work is most profitable for you.

You can use accounting software to do this kind of thing, of course. If you’re not keen on forking out for another tool though, a spreadsheet might be a good course of action.

Spreadsheets for copywriters: example templates

The best part about using spreadsheets to improve your copywriting workflow is that the possibilities are pretty f*cking endless.

If you’re not familiar with spreadsheets though, it’s easy to get intimidated.

To get the ball rolling, have a look at some of my example templates below:

• Content Calendar Template
• Client & Project Management Tracker Template
• Keyword Tracker Template
• Blog Post Performance Tracker Template
• Email Copy Audit Template

Just start out nice and simple. You can add extra columns, formatting, and tabs as you go along. I’d definitely recommend browsing through Google Images for some inspiration too!

Spreadsheets = a copywriter’s greatest tool

Okay, so spreadsheets aren’t the most exciting tool in a copywriter’s arsenal. And they can be a complete faff when you click on the wrong cell or mess up a simple formula, but you know what, they work.

Put in some time to experiment with spreadsheets and you’ll completely rework your workflow, shave hours off your schedule, and create copy that works.

If you’re having any trouble with any spreadsheets for copywriters, leave me a comment and I’ll give you a hand.

Otherwise, head on over to the Crying Over Copy blog for more tips and advice to improve your copywriting and content writing!