I doubled my copywriting income with AI-5 tools that do what ChatGPT can't
Freelance copywriter Jessica used five AI tools to double her income and free two days a week. She uses ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Fathom, and Canva-and always fact-checks.
5 AI tools a copywriter used to double her income and reclaim two workdays a week
Jessica Camilleri-Shelton runs a busy life as a freelance copywriter, content writer, and educator. After bringing AI into her workflow about two and a half years ago, she doubled her copywriting income, freed up two eight-hour days each week to build her business, and grew her TikTok to 20,000 followers in eight weeks.
Her approach is simple: match each tool to its strength. Use AI for planning, writing, research, meetings, and content production - but keep your judgment in the loop.
1) ChatGPT: the daily operator for work and life
Jessica uses ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) as a personal assistant to plan her day, set priorities, and keep momentum. She leans on one clear prompt to structure her schedule and reduce context switching:
"Act as my personal assistant and help me plan my day. Ask me clarifying questions to understand my tasks, priorities (personal and work), meetings, and energy level. Make me a simple schedule that's realistic, leaves buffer time, and groups things so I don't keep switching context. Point out anything I could skip, delegate, or automate. Finish with my top 3 must-dos and one small tip to make the day easier."
To beat procrastination, she breaks big tasks into micro-steps and replies "done" to get the next step. She also taps it for travel planning, recipes, and tracking her investment portfolio. For creative work and business strategy, it's a reliable thought partner for brainstorming.
2) Claude: her creative writing partner
For writing quality with less back-and-forth, Jessica relies on Claude (Pro at $17/month or Max at $100/month). She uses it to draft video scripts, generate hooks, and produce a weekly newsletter that reads more polished than what she wrote solo a few years ago.
Her workflow: send Claude the core idea plus past newsletters, ask it to mirror her tone, and organize scattered thoughts into a tight draft. Then she prompts Claude to request personal anecdotes to weave in her voice and experience.
3) Perplexity: fast research with citations
Jessica uses Perplexity to gather current, cited sources for newsletter topics, social content, and AI updates. It helps her move from idea to credible outline without getting lost in tabs.
4) Fathom: stay present in client meetings
On Zoom-heavy days, Fathom records, transcribes, and summarizes calls into clear action items. That lets her focus on the conversation instead of scrambling for notes - and saves time combing through transcripts later.
5) Canva: from blank page to publish-ready
Canva Pro ($120/year) gives Jessica fast image editing with magic resize and background remover. She also connects ChatGPT with Canva to spark design concepts and generate assets she can open directly in Canva.
Canva Sheets pairs AI with spreadsheets for social planning across platforms - captions, visuals, links, and a simple content calendar in one place.
Guardrails that keep AI useful (and safe)
- Privacy first: she avoids sharing sensitive or personal information.
- No substitutes: she won't rely on AI for mental health support instead of professional help.
- Trust, but verify: she fact-checks outputs and adds her own taste and expertise.
- Focus beats FOMO: pick one or two areas - large language models, image/video generation, automation, or agents - and build repeatable workflows.
How creatives and writers can start this week
- Pick two tools: one for writing (ChatGPT or Claude) and one for research or design (Perplexity or Canva).
- Define two workflows: for example, newsletter production and client meeting summaries.
- Track time saved for two weeks. Reinvest that time into offers, outreach, or content.
If you want curated options for writers, see these resources:
