Writing. For some lucky individuals, it comes naturally, but for the rest of us…well, let’s just say we could use a little extra help. The thing is, the ability to write well is more important than ever these days, thanks in large part to the rise of content marketing. And to really do well in the digital sphere, you need to know how to write—and not just taglines, either.
After all, blogs, videos and social media are all essential parts of connecting with your audience, and all of these require that you know how to write engaging, authentic content. In many cases, the quality of this content will make or break your digital marketing success.
With that in mind, here are five of the best free (or at least mostly free) online resources where you can learn and apply the techniques that will make you a better writer and help you get the marketing results you need.
Copyblogger
If you’re looking for specialized advice on writing marketing materials for a digital audience, there is perhaps no better resource on the web than Copyblogger. This site is wholly dedicated to helping you achieve content marketing success with practical tips to help you get more from your writing.
Whether you need to set up a blog or perfect your email marketing campaign, Copyblogger’s blog has a post that applies to you. With specialized tips from industry experts, this blog will help you master the most effective techniques and strategies for each type of marketing communications. From broader marketing strategy to tips for writing in an engaging tone, Copyblogger covers it all.
HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator
Of course, it’s not always easy to come up with topics for your next blog post. Writer’s block has a nasty habit of showing up at the most inconvenient times—like when you need to get that new post up by the end of the day. Thankfully, HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator helps you find a way around this common pitfall.
The way this tool works is simple: enter up to three relevant terms that you’d like to write about, and the tool will come up with a list of potential titles for your content. While the blog topics aren’t always the most original, this is a great go-to resource if you need some help generating ideas.
Grammarly
While a well-written blog post can generate greater audience engagement and improve your SEO, a sloppy post will only hurt your brand. The thing is, even people who don’t write can recognize poor grammar or simple spelling mistakes. If your content is plagued with these types of issues, your audience isn’t going to stick around. This is where Grammarly comes in.
Grammarly is a browser extension for Safari and Chrome that checks your content for a wide range of grammar and spelling errors. The online version of the application is free, though the paid, premium version checks for additional issues and offers several other features, such as plagiarism detection and a context-based thesaurus. Before you hit “publish” on your next post, be sure to check out this valuable resource.
Twinword Writer
Few moments are more frustrating than when you’re churning through your writing, only to suddenly find yourself stuck without any idea how to continue your sentence. Twinword Writer makes it so you’ll never have to worry about this problem again.
Anytime you get stuck, the program will analyze your article’s content and open a box with word suggestions to help you keep moving. Twinword Writer also offers semantic highlighting to help you recognize any words that you’re overusing. With this tool, you can avoid writer’s block and ensure that your writing doesn’t become repetitive.
AtomicWriter
AtomicWriter is a unique writing tool because it helps you adapt your content to match your target audience. AtomicWriter connects with your social media accounts and Google Analytics data to analyze your target audience and their reading abilities, and then offers customized writing suggestions based on the content you add to the app.
When you submit content to AtomicWriter, the app provides you with feedback on your article’s language, body and audience based on your audience data. By analyzing your unique audience, AtomicWriter will help you adapt your content so that it is more engaging and readable for the people who are most likely to connect with it.
Conclusion
Writing can be a challenging task, but with the right tools, you can easily create content that will wow your audience and deliver the marketing results you need. So don’t wait. Start exploring some of these tools today, and see how they can make a difference in your work.
