I’m Kayla. I run social and email for a local bakery and a tiny skincare shop online. I test a lot of tools. Some help. Some get in the way. I want to share what actually worked for me, with real numbers and small stories—burnt croissants and all.
You know what? I like simple. I like fast. I like wins I can see.
My short list (no fluff)
- ChatGPT
- Jasper
- Canva (Magic Write + Magic Design)
- Descript
- Mailchimp Email AI
- Buffer with AI Assistant
- SurferSEO
- Zapier + AI
I use others, but these eight pull their weight most days.
I keep a running watch list on PTools, a tidy index of AI helpers, so I can spot newcomers before my competitors do. I also wrote up a longer play-by-play of every app that made (or missed) the cut—you can read it on PTools.
ChatGPT — my “talk it out” partner
I use ChatGPT when my brain feels mushy. It’s like a second set of eyes, but faster.
- Real example: I needed 12 Instagram captions for “Sunset Sourdough,” a weekend bread box. I gave ChatGPT three facts (fresh by 9 a.m., cinnamon rolls on Saturdays, pickup only). It gave me 15 caption ideas. I kept 7. We posted them over two weeks. Comments went up 23% compared to our last two weeks. A regular wrote, “You made me smell cinnamon through my phone.” I laughed. But it sold out by noon.
- What I like: It keeps tone friendly. It rewrites fast. It helps me brainstorm headlines when coffee fails me.
- What bugs me: It can go generic if I’m lazy. I have to feed it real brand lines, customer slang, and little details. Otherwise, meh.
Small tip: I paste three old posts that did well and say, “Match this voice.” Works way better.
If you're deciding which writing aide to bet on, I put twenty of them through the wringer and shared the raw results in this review.
Jasper — when the brand voice really matters
Jasper feels built for teams and brand tone. I use it for my skincare shop because we have a set style: sunny, gentle, no scary skin terms.
- Real example: We ran a summer promo called “Beach Bag Minis.” I fed Jasper our brand voice doc and 5 past emails. I used its “Campaign” workflow to get a landing page intro, 2 emails, and 6 ad lines. I changed maybe 10%. That’s rare for me. The first email got a 31% open rate and 5.8% click rate. Way higher than our spring push (23% open, 3.4% click).
- What I like: Saves my brain when I need ad copy, site copy, and email copy that all sound like us.
- What bugs me: Pricey for a tiny shop. Also, if I rush setup, the tone gets weird.
Canva Magic Write + Magic Design — fast social graphics that don’t look cheap
Canva is my “Need it now” tool. The AI bits help me jumpstart a design.
- Real example: We had a rainy Saturday. Foot traffic was slow. I used Magic Design with two photos and the words “Warm rolls. Hot coffee.” It made four story layouts. I edited fonts, added our cinnamon swirl sticker, and posted in 12 minutes. We sold 42 more rolls than the prior rainy Saturday. Is it all Canva? No. But the speed helps me post while the tray is still warm.
- What I like: Clean templates. Quick resizing. Easy brand kit.
- What bugs me: AI captions can sound cheesy. I write my own after it gives me starter lines.
Descript — video edits without pulling my hair out
I’m not a pro editor. Descript makes me feel like one.
- Real example: I filmed a 50-second “how we score bread” clip. It had “ums” and a squeaky oven door. I used Descript to remove filler words and the squeak. I added burned-in captions. Total time: 18 minutes. The Reel hit 8,200 views (our average is 1,600). Three DMs asked, “Do you teach classes?” That turned into a Sunday workshop. Twelve seats filled.
- What I like: Edit by text. Auto captions. Good enough audio clean-up.
- What bugs me: Heavy files can lag on my old laptop.
Mailchimp Email AI — subject lines that don’t sound like spam
I still write my own emails. But I use Mailchimp’s AI for subject line tests.
- Real example: For “Beach Bag Minis,” I tested two lines:
- My line: “Sun-safe minis are here”
- AI line: “Tiny tubes, big beach energy”
The AI line got a 27% open rate vs 21% for mine. We kept it. Also, Mailchimp’s send-time AI bumped opens by a couple points on school nights.
- What I like: Quick A/B ideas. Solid preview text help.
- What bugs me: Body copy suggestions feel bland. I use it only for the top line.
Curious how other email platforms stack up? I pulled numbers from five contenders and laid them side-by-side in my candid teardown.
Buffer with AI Assistant — scheduling plus simple rewrites
I manage posts for two brands across four networks. Buffer keeps me sane.
- Real example: I pasted a long Facebook caption about our new sourdough class. I hit “Shorten” with the AI tool. It gave me a tighter version for Twitter in two tries. Same idea. Fewer words. I also asked for three “alt text” lines for images. It saved me time and helped with access.
- What I like: Queue view is clean. Drafts feel safe. The AI tone slider helps.
- What bugs me: Long threads need manual tweaks. Hashtag help is just okay.
SurferSEO — writing blog posts people actually find
I don’t chase robots. I write for people. But I still want Google to say hi.
- Real example: I wrote “How to pack sunscreen for flights” for the skincare shop. Surfer gave me a content brief with key terms and a length target. I wrote the post in my voice, then checked the score. I fixed headers and added a tiny FAQ. Three weeks later, it hit page 1 for a couple long phrases and brought in 180 visits a week. Five sales came from that post in month one.
- What I like: Clear structure. Real-time scoring. Good for “What am I missing?”
- What bugs me: If I chase the score too hard, my writing sounds like a robot. I keep it human.
Zapier + AI — little automations, big calm
I love automation, but I also like control. Sounds odd. Here’s how I keep both.
- Real example: When someone fills our “Sourdough Class” form, Zapier sends a Slack ping, adds the email to Mailchimp, and creates a draft welcome email with AI filling the first line (“Hey Jamie—can’t wait to see you on Sunday”). I proof it. Then I hit send. That little draft saves me 5 minutes per sign-up. Over a busy week, that’s an extra hour to frost buns.
- What I like: No-code flows. AI keeps messages personal.
- What bugs me: If a field name changes, the Zap can break. I check weekly.
For an even wider lens on what’s possible, Zapier keeps an updated roundup of top AI marketing picks that’s worth skimming when you’re hunting for fresh ideas.
Quick wins by goal (what I’d pick)
- Need ideas fast: ChatGPT, Jasper
- Need good-looking posts now: Canva, Buffer
- Need video that doesn’t look messy: Descript
- Need emails opened: Mailchimp Email AI
- Need search traffic: SurferSEO
- Need spare minutes back: Zapier + AI
What I learned the hard way
- AI helps me start. I still finish. That last 20% is where the magic lives.
- Voice matters more than speed. I keep a small “voice file” with real phrases customers use. I feed that to the tools.
- Numbers tell the truth. I track opens, clicks, saves, and replies. If a tool doesn’t move a number after a month, I cut it.
Marketers who want to understand how hyper-local classifieds still drive direct leads can peek at the real-time listing ecosystem in Lima, Ohio via Listcrawler Lima—scrolling the live posts there reveals headline formulas, timing patterns, and image styles that consistently rise to the top, offering actionable inspiration for any campaign that relies on standing out in a crowded feed.
I also learned this: people smell fake. If a caption sounds like a robot? I read it out loud. If I cringe, I fix it.
For marketers who’d rather, well, skip the endless tool-testing games and jump straight to proven, no-nonsense tactics, head over to [Skip the Games](https://fucklocal
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