You know, I’m generally not a big fan of how much AI is thrown around as a buzzword for everything these days. I’ve seen it used so much just to grab people’s attention (and as we know, there are so many LLM wrappers out there…). It’s so common for companies these days to add the word “AI” into their products thinking it’s going to magically boost their stock prices or justify increasing their prices significantly just by introducing new AI features (I’m looking at you, Canva). Really brings a nice throwback to way back in 2017 when just adding the word “blockchain” would bring a nice share price bump of 394%.
But here’s the thing: AI may have its faults, but if we can look past the buzzwords, there are significant upsides to it and there are tools out there that can actually streamline your workflow. I wouldn’t talk about a tool unless I’ve used it myself and think it’s amazing. That’s why I wanted to discuss an app that I’ve been using non-stop called Letterly. I’m always looking for tools to boost my efficiency, as my day-to-day involves countless multitasking and juggling tasks. Writing long emails can be such a slog, so if a tool can help me organize my thoughts and get more done in less time, I’m all for it.
I often check AppSumo for their lifetime deals on early products. It’s a great way for startups to find their first hundred (or thousand) customers by offering value on both ends. Startups get users, improve their products, and hopefully convert lifetime customers into subscription-based ones. For users, it’s a way to become early adopters, discover new use cases and test new tools that could potentially replace existing subscription tools, saving money!
Letterly has changed how I answer emails and gather my thoughts. In fact, I’m using this tool right now to write this blog. Initially, I thought Letterly would be like other AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Meta AI. However, it’s a speech-to-text tool powered by AI. It doesn’t answer questions like those LLMs but summarizes your thoughts into well-written text. Essentially, it turns my word salads into readable paragraphs that I’d be proud to share.
I’ve been using this tool to draft emails and reports for work. The process is simple. I speak directly into the tool, and Letterly transforms it into the text I need. I then copy and paste it into this blog, clean it up a bit, and it’s good to go. I can generate a blog in an hour, whereas before, it used to take me two days of brainstorming (with a lot of procrastinating in between).
I think it’s quite similar to other transcription tools like otter.ai, supernormal, or fathom.ai, which as a meeting assistant to summarize your notes during team meetings. They’re great, and does a great job, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I need something that can translate my internal monologue and make it make sense.
I like the team too!
I also like the support team behind Letterly. Since I’ve started using it about a month ago, I’ve discovered a couple of bugs and reported them directly to the team. They almost always respond within 24 hours, which is incredible. When I ran into issues with their latest beta web version and some issues with my microphone not interacting with their app, but they were quick to troubleshoot and resolve those issues.
I even upgraded my plan on AppSumo from their Plan 3 to Plan 8 so that I could unlock additional licenses and use it on all my devices. Now, I literally have it on my home laptop, work laptop, phones, and tablet. Anytime I need it, I just use it to transcribe my thoughts. Since it’s a lifetime deal from AppSumo, I paid once and don’t have to worry about ongoing subscription costs. To be honest, I don’t know how sustainable their business model is as AI tech requires a lot of resources to maintain and improve. But for now, I’m happy to take advantage of it.
It’s funny because when I speak to myself using Letterly, people around me think I’m talking to myself and give me funny looks. But that’s okay. This tool has been significantly more efficient for me compared to traditional typing and saves my fingers from arthritis in the future.
Overall, Letterly has been a crucial part of my productivity toolkit. I love it and will continue using it. If you’ve discovered something cool like Letterly yourself, let me know! Let’s swap some tips, and let’s find ways to work smarter, not harder, together.
