Do you enjoy writing your company blog or content marketing in general? If you find it a bit hard, we prepared for you a list of tools that will boost your creativity, optimise writing process and help you love writing like never before.
Note: The tools listed below apply only to writing itself. If you look for some tips on content distribution and creating visuals, check our previous post: 42 free online tools for business: planning, SEO, content, social media
What should I blog about?
Sometimes inspiration comes to you spontaneously. Sometimes your co-workers step by with great ideas. But it doesn’t happen all the time, while you need to add content on your company blog on regular basis. How to handle creative block?
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Buzzsumo: know what’s trending in your business. Buzzsumo shows you most attention-getting post according to chosen keywords. Free version gives you access to top 10 of the list, but it’ still worthwhile.
Quora: on Quora people ask each other most burning questions. Pick one of them and write a post about it. Registration required.
Feedly: RSS reader helps your be up to date with what your competitors and important blogs in the field are doing. Don’t be afraid of discussing the problem one of them is writing about!
Google Alerts: free media monitoring tool.
Ubersuggest: a SEO software, helping you find the right keywords. It can also serve as an inspiration for blog posts. Try also similar Keyword Tool.
Use also post topic generators. Sometimes their suggestions seem funny, but can lead you to interesting concepts.
We recommend:
Optimising writing process
Putting your thoughts on paper can become a frustrating experience, but you have software that will make it easier at your fingertips. Just focus on writing!
oTranscribe: you might find it more comfortable to speak than to write. If that’s your case, try recording your reflections and let Transcribe to do the transcription. Here you are! Your first draft is ready, just edit it!
Toggl: to stay focused on writing, use a productivity tool which will enable you to see how much time do you spend actually creating the text. It can be eye-opening and show you that you can write much more than you used to believe. There is a wide array of software of that kind available, we recommend Toggle.
Nosili: among many distraction-free editors we would like to draw your attention to Noisli – a white noise generator combined with text editor. A perfect tool to separate yourself from the outer world and concentrate on creating.
Keybr: writing might be consuming a lot of your time due to a trivial reason – you write too slowly, looking at the keyboard and not using all your fingers. Maybe it’s a good idea to learn how to type faster, without looking at the keyboard? If you think so, try Keybr.
Making your blog headline perfect
It might strike you, but 80% of your readers will only read your title. So make it a good one! Invest time an energy in creating a couple of versions to see which one sounds best. Use also these headline analysers:
While you shouldn’t rely on them completely, they might cast some light on your headlines and help you pick better one.
Working on style
Producing the first draft, outlining your point of view, is one thing. The other is editing and polishing the style. Asking someone else to read your piece works best, but isn’t always possible. Still you can find apps that will do the task.
Hemingway app: if you tend to construct multiple sentences, and use over-complicated phrases, Hemingway app is a perfect remedy for that condition. The app highlights parts of your text that are difficult to read, so you can simplify them.
PaperRater: will spot grammar mistakes and provide valuable insights on your style (do you use overused cliches? Do you build transitional phrases? How rich is your vocabulary?) Try also Grammarly.
Thesaurus: don’t repeat the same words all the time – it will annoy your readers. Use Thesaurus to find synonyms.
Collocation dictionary: if you aren’t a native speaker, writing natural-sounding English might pose a problem. Collocation dictionary will tell you which words go well together, so you won’t build awkward phrases.
And now – your turn! Let us know what tools help you write. We’re waiting for your comments!
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