Perhaps you’re new to blogging and not sure where to start. Maybe you’re a long-standing blogger and could just use a helping hand. Perhaps you’re procrastinating from writing a blog right now…
Whatever it is, we’re here to help.
We’ve compiled some great tools to make your blog-writing life considerably easier. So grab a pen and paper (or a notes app on your phone), and start taking notes.
Your proof-reader, Grammarly, tidies up your writing as you go. It’s great for mopping up those pesky typos and grammar mistakes.
The free version is amazing on its own. I use it to write all my blog posts. The browser extension means it works across social media, emails, WordPress, Slack – almost everything you do.
The premium version offers added benefits and flags more complex writing issues. It’s worth looking into, but the free version is a good starting point.
Sometimes, you need a little inspiration. We’ve all been there. Luckily, the internet can work wonders when we need it to.
Blog title generators are perfect when you know what topic to write about but need help deciding what avenue to take.
Most of these title generators are free and very easy to use: simply enter a couple of keywords and let the generator generate some titles. Admittedly, some of the title ideas don’t make sense or seem odd, but it’s an excellent way to get some new ideas.
The HubSpot title generator offers some great title ideas to get you started. For a more creative approach, try Portent’s title generator.
If procrastination is your enemy, ZenPen is your friend.
Sometimes, you need to get in the zone and remove all distractions. ZenPen is a web app that lets you write on a blank canvas. There are no bells and whistles, just a blank page to start writing on. You can even make it full-screen for maximum productivity.
Don't overlook the humble thesaurus if you’re using the same word repeatedly or struggling to find the perfect word to emphasise your point (or you want to spruce up your writing).
While the days of using bulky paper thesauruses are behind us, the power of the thesaurus is timeless.
The classic Thesaurus.com works well, or try crowd-funded Power Thesaurus, which offers word suggestions from fellow writers.
There are several online thesauruses available, so try out a few and choose one that works for you.
There’s no point in writing a blog post that your target audience won’t read. You need to find out what your readers are interested in. What are they searching for? What questions are they asking?
Quora is a great place to discover what questions people ask about your industry. Search a topic and see what comes up.
For Flowbird, we might search for ‘marketing automation’, ‘CRM’, or ‘sales’. By finding out what discussions are being had on these topics, it’s much easier to know what to write about.
Writing can feel like a chore when you’re under pressure to write high-quality blog posts regularly. However, by adopting some of the tools suggested in this blog post, the writing process becomes easier, and your finished pieces of content will become sparkling works of art (hopefully).
Most of these tools have free versions, so there’s no reason not to try them.
For more guidance on blogging and content strategy, get in touch with Flowbird.