Creating content material is not all the time a stroll within the park. (In actual fact, it may well typically really feel extra like making an attempt to swim towards the present.)
Whereas different components of enterprise and advertising have gotten more and more automated, content material creation remains to be a really handbook job.
That being stated, there are many instruments on the market to make creating content material a lot simpler.
Beneath, you will discover a record of 36 improbable instruments and sources that can assist you analysis, write, edit, and design content material extra simply. (You may discover there are a variety of design instruments in right here — that is as a result of visible content material is commonly the a part of the content material creation course of the place folks get probably the most nervous and pissed off. So don’t fret, we have a ton in there for you.)
Let’s get began.
36 Free Instruments & Assets to Make Content material Creation Simpler
For Researchers
1) Google Drive Analysis Software
Google not too long ago added a device to Drive that lets you conduct Google searches with out ever leaving your Drive window. All it’s important to do is click on “Instruments” from the menu bar and select “Analysis” from the dropdown menu.
2) Web site:search
It is a helpful Google hack I take advantage of on daily basis. Mainly, it lets you do a Google search that is restricted to a selected web site.
For instance, if I needed to go looking HubSpot’s weblog for advertising sources so I can cite certainly one of our previous weblog posts, I might do a web site:seek for weblog.hubspot.com with the search time period advertising sources. The system for web site search is web site:samplewebsite.com [search query]. So my instance could be web site:weblog.hubspot.com advertising sources.
3) Google Webmaster Instruments
Doing web optimization and key phrase analysis? Your advertising software program ought to be capable of assist. But when it may well’t (otherwise you’d like to enhance your information), Google’s Webmaster Instruments generally is a nice assist. You may test issues just like the variety of listed pages in your web site, submit your web site to Google so that you’re getting crawled and listed, and even disavow unhealthy inbound hyperlinks. It additionally can provide you info on search queries which have a big quantity of impressions however low clickthrough charge.
Inside Google Webmaster Instruments, go to “Your web site on the internet” and select “Search queries.” You may see a desk displaying a search question, impressions, clicks, and clickthrough charge (CTR). Evaluating this information to your different analytics information may also help uncover some alternatives.
4) Proportion Change Calculator
I am unable to even start to inform you how helpful this little calculator is when in search of and analyzing information. Ever wish to know the proportion change of two values with out having to recollect the system? Merely enter the 2 values into this calculator, and it will spit out the proportion change. Belief me, you will wish to bookmark this one.
Listed below are just a few different helpful calculators:
- 3-Approach Proportion Calculator – Calculates solutions to those questions: What’s X% of Y? X is what % of Y? X is Y% of what?
- Conversion Fee Calculator – Spits out a conversion charge while you enter the overall customer depend throughout a selected timeframe and the variety of occasions throughout that timeframe these guests took a selected motion.
- A/B Check Calculator – Works for a fundamental situation with two teams of individuals (A & B) who get to see one model of your web site and for whom you monitor the variety of conversions or objectives (purchases, downloads, clickthroughs, and so on.).
- ROI Calculator – Analyzes your web site’s month-to-month gross sales and lead technology efforts to find out methods through which advertising efforts will be optimized.
5) Atlas
Atlas is Quartz’s information heart, and it is chock-full of graphs, charts, and information visualizations. You may seek for nearly any subject or key phrase, and Atlas may have a graphic based mostly on latest analysis information for you. It is a useful gizmo to get background info on a subject you are researching, or to search out recent information to make use of in a undertaking you are engaged on. This is a chart based mostly on information from early 2016:
Supply: Atlas
6) Search in a Giphy
You realize that coworker who all the time appears to search out the proper animated GIFs to your social posts or inside chat consumer? With the free Giphy Chrome extension, you can discover nice GIFs simply as rapidly.
To make use of the device, all it’s important to do is open the extension in Chrome, search, select a GIF, and drag and drop. Up to now, the device works in Gmail, Twitter, Fb, and extra — and so they’re continuously increasing help.
For Writers
7) Evernote
I take advantage of the free model of Evernote each single day. From to-do lists and analysis notes to writing total chunks of articles, it is confirmed useful at each step of the writing and modifying course of.
One nice characteristic? Its cellular, desktop, and net apps sync robotically so long as you could have an web connection. (And in case you work offline, it will sync the subsequent time you could have web.) Plus — and that is tremendous essential for content material creators like us — it is continuously saving and syncing your work robotically, making it a secure place to jot down and retailer concepts.
Use it to maintain a operating record of concepts, take notes, retailer inspiring articles or ebooks, or plan your editorial and social media publishing calendars.
8) Word2CleanHTML
When you like drafting weblog posts in applications like Microsoft Phrase, Evernote, or Google Drive as an alternative of your content material administration system (CMS), then this easy device will be your greatest good friend. Why? As a result of while you copy a doc from Microsoft Workplace and paste it into your CMS, a number of little, bizarre formatting points can crop up in your HTML.
Word2CleanHTML applies filters to repair all these issues added into the HTML, leading to well-formatted HTML you may paste straight into an online web page CMS. Merely paste in your draft, click on one button, after which copy the ensuing HTML straight from the device. Once you paste that into your CMS (most may have buttons studying “HTML” or “</>” of their device bar above your draft), it is going to seem good and clear. No hair-pulling or swimming via code required.
9) WordCounter
There isn’t any “proper reply” for the way lengthy a weblog put up ought to be. So long as it serves its goal — whether or not that is thought management, driving leads, explaining a brand new idea, or one thing else — size would not matter. However though we do not suggest writing weblog posts with a phrase depend in thoughts, typically phrase depend can come in useful. WordCounter works precisely the best way you assume it does: Paste in your content material and it will spit out precisely what number of phrases you could have.
10) Cofftivity
In response to a examine out of the College of Chicago, “A reasonable stage of ambient noise is conducive to inventive cognition.” In different phrases, being the tiniest bit distracted really helps you be extra inventive. That is why for many individuals, myself included, white noise helps promote focus.
There are a variety of white noise mills on the market, however my favourite is Cofftivity. This specific one presents continuous café background sounds at various intensities, from “Morning Murmur” and “College Undertones” to “Lunchtime Lounge” and “Brazil Bistro.” It is accessible on the internet and as an app on iOS and Android.
11) & 12) Zerys & eLance
Want to begin creating content material however haven’t got the bandwidth? We hear about this roadblock so much. One solution to get round it’s by hiring freelancers from respected marketplaces like Zerys or eLance. These sources provide you with entry to expert freelance writers who can write weblog posts, ebooks, whitepapers, and different items of written content material for you.
13) HTML Hacks for Entrepreneurs
Whereas this is not strictly a writing useful resource, fundamental coding information is rapidly turning into a must have talent for the fashionable marketer — bloggers and written content material creators included. However studying from scratch will be daunting. The place on earth do you begin?
When you’re a complete newbie, begin with HTML Hacks for Entrepreneurs, which my colleagues at HubSpot created with Codeacademy. It’s going to train you fast however helpful hacks anybody — no matter coding information — can use of their advertising. For instance, you will learn to make small adjustments to HTML like altering headers and spacing, creating textual content in block-quote kind, and inserting social share hyperlinks. My private favourite is the hack to alter font colours.
As soon as you’ve got mastered these fundamental HTML expertise, transfer on to Codeacademy’s free interactive programs. They discovered a solution to make studying HTML and CSS really enjoyable — and you’ll undergo every lesson at your personal tempo.
14) Weblog Subject Generator
If it is advisable get to writing weblog posts however aren’t positive of an angle or title to get your creativity shifting, HubSpot’s Weblog Subject Generator can do the be just right for you. Merely enter just a few key phrases that your weblog focuses on, and the Weblog Subject Generator will produce every week’s price of titles and subject concepts for you. It won’t produce the ultimate title of your weblog put up, nevertheless it helps get you enthusiastic about inventive new angles for subjects you’ve got written about earlier than.
Listed below are the weblog put up titles I acquired once I entered “content material,” “inbound advertising,” and “running a blog”:
15) Weblog Publish Templates
All weblog posts aren’t created equal, however we have discovered that there are steps you may take to make your posts complete and shareable. With these weblog put up templates, we’ll stroll you thru a top level view to jot down profitable how-to, listicle, newsjack, and curation weblog posts. As an alternative of ranging from scratch, you will save time and, hopefully, nail your weblog objectives.
For Content material Editors
16) Editorial Calendar Template
Making a balanced editorial calendar will be robust, particularly if you do not have one centralized calendar that you just and your group can consult with. To save lots of you time and headache, we have created editorial calendar templates for Google Calendar, Google Sheets, and Excel you could fill in and share along with your group to begin the subsequent month or 12 months off on the fitting foot.
17) & 18) Grammarly & Correctica
Whereas human editors will be capable of catch most grammatical errors, modifying instruments like Grammarly and Correctica are nice instruments for triple-checking earlier than you press “publish” or “ship.” Each free instruments test for grammatical errors — and Grammarly even checks for plagiarism.
19) Hemingway App
Ernest Hemingway, admired for his succinct writing model, is the namesake for this helpful modifying app. Wish to make your written content material simpler to learn? Paste your content material into this free net app, and it will assess your writing and determine alternatives to make it easier.
My favourite options embody figuring out passive voice and hard-to-read sentences. Try the right-hand aspect of the screenshot under, the place the device has summed up how readable my writing is with a grade. (Some room for enchancment right here.) Their suggestion to enhance readability total? Shoot for decrease than a tenth grade studying stage.
20) Headline Analyzer
This is a scary stat for you: Solely 60% of people that click on into an article find yourself studying previous the headline. That makes your headline each the primary and presumably the one probability so that you can compel readers to maintain studying — so it’s very price it to spend the additional jiffy arising with a very good one.
What does a very good headline appear to be? The free device Headline Analyzer by CoSchedule can inform you. It scores your headline high quality and charges its potential to drive social shares, site visitors, and web optimization worth. In my expertise, its energy helps you strengthen particular parts of your title. For instance, it experiences on perceived sentiment and commonality of phrase varieties. It’s going to even present you the way it will seem in search outcomes.
So though you must take these scores and grades with a grain of salt, you should use this to offer your headlines a “once-over.” (And browse this weblog put up to study extra about writing superior headlines.)
For Designers
21) Nimbus Screenshot
That is one other device I take advantage of on daily basis. Certain, you may seize a screenshot of your total display screen or a part of your display screen utilizing the previous keyboard shortcut methodology. However what if you need your screenshot to incorporate stuff that is not seen in your display screen?
Nimbus Screenshot allows you to seize the seen a part of an online web page, a specific space, a specific scroll (my private favourite), the complete web page, or the complete browser window — together with every thing under the fold.
As soon as you’ve got taken the screenshot, you may crop, edit (like including notes and callouts), and select to print or save to your desktop or Google Drive.
22) Canva
When you like creating lovely visible content material in a very quick period of time, you will love Canva. The time and sources it takes to study design, pay for design property, and/or get impressed to create magnificence from scratch will be actually troublesome while you’re looking at an extended record of to-dos — however Canva presents an enormous library of pre-made templates and property you could manipulate whereas additionally including your personal imagery.
Better of all, they’ve so many property and graphics accessible without cost that you just will not need to pay a cent in case you do not wish to. If you wish to use extra “premium” property and graphics discovered via their picture search, they’re going to cost you $1 for every. However there’s loads of worth without cost.
This is an instance of one thing you may make:
23) ThingLink
Ever needed to make a picture (or infographic) clickable? ThingLink allows you to add a picture and add little icons to it that seem when an individual hovers their cursor over the picture. These icons permit customers to go to hyperlinks, watch movies, or learn messages you’ve got written. Plus, it is easy to share: Customers can simply embed ThingLink photographs. (Click on right here for step-by-step directions.)
Beneath is a part of a a clickable infographic from Thinglink my colleague Ginny Mineo created for an additional put up:
24) Skitch
Skitch is a free app by Evernote that helps you talk extra visually. It allows you to mark up photographs, digital property, PDFs, and different recordsdata with arrows, callout containers, textual content, and extra multi function place.
Within the instance under, I opened this system on my desktop and used the “Display Snap” button to take a screenshot of an online web page — which then opened proper in Skitch for modifying and exporting.
Though it is free, it does require you to open an Evernote account — however that is additionally free (see above).
25) Infogram
Whereas much like Canva, Infogram is a visible content material device that focuses on serving to you create infographics, charts, and information visualization. When you wish to create charts utilizing Microsoft Excel, you are in luck — it additionally presents compatibility with Excel via Infogram Charts. Additionally, their infographics are responsive with cellular gadgets.
26) Infographic Templates
As a content material marketer, you may really feel extra snug creating written content material than visible content material, however that is no excuse to exclude infographics out of your technique. Visible content material is rising in demand out of your viewers, and infographics are notably shareable. We have created the backbones of 15 completely different templates you could simply mess around with to customise to your content material and viewers — here is a sneak peek of 1 template, and you’ll seize the remainder right here.
Supply: 15 Free Infographic Templates in PowerPoint
27) Google Fonts
Wish to spruce up your web site pages, displays, ebooks, and different content material with cool and completely different new fonts? Little-known reality: Google has a listing of 600 free fonts prepared so that you can obtain and use.
Merely discover and choose the fonts you want from their listing, then click on “Use” to get the HTML code you may copy and paste onto your web site. Alternatively, you may obtain the fonts to your desktop and use them when making new advertising content material by clicking “Add to Assortment.” (Click on right here for step-by-step directions for doing this within the HubSpot software program.)
28) Picture Shade Picker
Keep in mind that time you needed to match your call-to-action design to that coloration you have been utilizing on all of your occasion swag … however the one one who would know what that coloration was did not work at your organization anymore? Subsequent time that occurs, snag an image of that swag and add it to ImageColorPicker.com, or use any picture URL to do the identical factor. Choose any level of the image, and instantly see its corresponding HEX, RGB, and HSV values.
29) PowerPoint Templates
Is there something extra boring than a PowerPoint presentation that includes black textual content on a white background? With the assistance of those templates, you can put collectively compelling, visually interesting displays. Whether or not you are driving lead technology or reporting in your weblog’s progress to your group, maintain your viewers’s consideration with these eye-catching displays.
30) SlideShare Templates
SlideShare would not must be daunting. You may simply create shareable, embeddable SlideShare displays in PowerPoint with the assistance of those templates — no want to begin from scratch or rent a freelancer. As soon as you’ve got created your first presentation, try our information to advertising SlideShares efficiently.
31) Haiku Deck
When you’ve ever needed to create a PowerPoint or SlideShare presentation in a pinch, you will want you knew about Haiku Deck. This device helps you rapidly discover easy layouts, lovely photographs, and nice fonts. It is accessible for the net and for iPad.
Wish to see what one seems to be like? Beneath’s an instance I pulled from their record of featured decks. Notice the simplicity of the design — if you wish to create tremendous detailed slides, this might not be the fitting device for you.
Snowed In? – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software program that conjures up
32) HubSpot’s Free Inventory Images
Trying to find and shopping for inventory imagery generally is a ache within the you-know-what — particularly in the case of deciphering legalese for various use circumstances. I’ve a liberal arts diploma, and Nietzsche was simpler to learn than no matter legalese inventory imagery firms tended to offer me. All I needed to know is whether or not to quote or not cite a inventory picture of a laptop computer. Why was it so onerous?
That is why our group determined to create a library of 550+ free and royalty-free inventory images. Whether or not it is a distinctive picture wanted for an e-book or that excellent photograph you wish to add to a weblog put up, that assortment ought to have you ever lined. This is certainly one of our “across the kitchen” inventory images — yum.
Supply: The Free Inventory Images You have Been Looking out For
33) PlaceIt
PlaceIt serves a really particular goal: It lets you add photographs of your web site or product into real-world environments of individuals holding telephones, tablets, and laptops. PlaceIt will robotically alter the picture to make it seem pure with the angle of the cellphone’s display screen — which is able to prevent time studying and/or modifying in additional superior software program to get the angle proper.
You may need to pay per picture to get actually giant or high-resolution variations, although I’ve discovered free photographs work simply nice for weblog posts and product web page content material. The paid downloads additionally take away that PlaceIt watermark from the underside proper.
34) LICEcap
In search of the proper GIF to incorporate in your weblog put up? If it would not exist already on Giphy, you can also make one your self utilizing LICEcap. Movie a screenshot and switch it right into a GIF utilizing this helpful, free device — we use LICEcap for our weblog posts, too.
35) & 36) The Noun Mission & HubSpot’s Resizable Icons Assortment
Like with inventory images, one other problem content material creators face is discovering elegant icons that resize with out getting all fuzzy. There are just a few sources on the market for nice, resizable icons.
The Noun Mission is an intensive library of hundreds of icons uploaded by contributors. With a free account, you should use icons so long as you both give credit score to the creator or buy them royalty-free for $1.99 apiece.
HubSpot has a library of resizeable icons, too, which you’ll obtain without cost and with none licensing or attribution. The package comes with a free information for the right way to change the colour of the icons utilizing PowerPoint, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
To that, we are saying …
(From HubSpot’s Free Icon Assortment.)
It is Not the Wand, It is the Wizard
The instruments and sources listed above may also help you create, nevertheless it’s in the end as much as you to manage the standard of your content material. You continue to must know your buyer extremely properly, perceive what challenges they face that your services or products solves, and create content material that helps them handle these challenges.
The brains and coronary heart behind the content material creator trump the code behind any instruments and know-how — and that is an excellent factor for succeeding in advertising as we speak.
What different instruments or apps do you utilize to create content material extra simply? Go away them within the feedback so we will lengthen this record proper right here!
Editor’s Notice: This put up was initially revealed in December 2013 and has been up to date for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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