10 less well-known tools to help you create outstanding content

Use these tools to give your blogging a boost

Anybody who has ever owned a website knows how much hard work goes into creating, and then running and updating it, adding changes, uploading content and media, and keeping track of all the social media accounts tied into it. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The problem is, the only thing an end user sees is the content, which makes it the most important ingredient.

Coming up with exciting content is a bit tricky though, not just because everything has already been done to death, so it’s hard to come up with anything original, but also because once you set out to create it, it seems as if everything is turning against you and wants to prevent you from creating it. You name it: procrastination (although that one is on you), writer’s block (a little bit on you), distractions, the agony of having to edit your work, the list is seemingly endless.

We've mentioned tools to help with content marketing several times at Smart Insights. We thought it worth mentioning these tools because whilst you may already be using the likes of Trello and Hootsuite, these less well-known tools may also help you be that extra bit more effective when it comes to writing content.

1. Bubbl Bubbl.us

If brainstorming with the help of pen and paper isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps you’ll want to give Bubbl.us a shot. It is a tool which utilizes diagrams, graphs and other graphic elements in order to help you flesh out your ideas and organize them into something useful. It is based on the concept of mind mapping, and while that may sound complicated, Bubbl.us is anything but, with its extremely user-friendly and intuitive interface.

2. Omniwriter OmmWriter

Battling distractions while writing content is difficult because you need to be online to do your research, and the Internet, as we know, is the mother of all distractions. Unlike your usual word processors, OmmWriter enables you to work in a distraction-free environment, and makes writing an extremely pleasant experience, by playing relaxing ambient music, and offering specially designed backgrounds which help you retain focus. Also, every keystroke is followed by a custom sound effect. Probably the nicest app there is.

3. EduGeeks EduGeeksClub

Sometimes, in order to improve the quality of your content, you need a professional to help you out. We advise you to check out EduGeeksClub, where professional editing services are done personally by their editors, not just some piece of software. Their blog section is also incredibly useful and populated with practical advice on how to write, edit and manage your content.

4. CoSchedule CoSchedule Headline Analyzer

Headline Analyzer is an interesting tool which allows you to submit the headlines of your articles, blog posts, or newsletters for analysis. This app will check the grammar, readability, as well as structure of your headlines and assign each a rating on a scale of 0 to 100, along with suggestions and tips on how you can make it better. Another clever thing about it is that it can detect the type of headlines you’re using, which we did, using the title of this article, and the app correctly detected it as a list.

5. Impactbnd Impactbnd Blog Title Generator

If you are running low on ideas for blog titles, which does happen, especially if you are writing a lot, you need an app which can assist you in coming up with some intriguing ones. That’s where Impactbnd Blog Title Generator comes. All that is required of you is to enter keywords, which will be used by the app to narrow its focus, after which you will be presented with a partial title, which lets you flesh it out even further by inserting more keywords. So, instead of automatically creating random title for you, it allows you to actively participate in the creation of the titles, which is a plus.

6. Hemingway Hemingway App

Bearing a famous name, this online app was designed to edit content by improving its readability, making the sentence structure simpler and easier to follow, replacing complicated and overly long words with shorter ones, indicating the use of passive voice, among others. It will make your writing more focused and economical.

7. Grammarly Grammarly

Grammarly is the best grammar-checking tool online, and about the closest thing there is to a human editor when it comes to accuracy. But, it does a lot more than your average grammar tool. Its spell check is also highly accurate, and it will check your work for plagiarism, too. In addition to all of that, Grammarly will provide you with a detailed feedback, including error explanation and suggestions on how to correct them.

[Editor's note: This is also available as a Google Chrome extension which can be used within WordPress or any CMS, so we count it as an essential blogging tool]

8. Write App WriteApp

Another tool which allows you to create content in a distraction-free environment. You still get access to all the editing tools you need, plus the option to save and publish your work, as well as create, categorize and share notes. We would recommend that you use it in full-screen mode for best results.

9. Power Thesaurus Power Thesaurus

Power Thesaurus is similar to other thesaurus websites you may find online. What’s different about it is extremely clean and straightforward user interface, absolutely free of any ads and pop-ups. Another plus is that it’s, unlike its competitors, very up-to-date with current trends in linguistics.

10. Stay Focused Stay Focused

If you are a Chrome user, and you find it hard to resists all the temptations that the web has to offer you, help is at hand in the shape of Stay Focusd, an extension for your browser which limits your access to distracting websites by introducing a time limit. Once your time is up, you won’t be able to access those websites for the remainder of the day. The app has a default list of websites, but you can configure it to include or exclude other sites.

Now that you have these tools under your digital belt, you are fully equipped to go on and create content which you will be proud of, and which will attract, intrigue, and inspire others.

Thanks to Antonio Tooley for sharing their advice and opinions in this post. Antonio is a hopeless optimist who enjoys basking in the world's brightest colors. He loves biking to distant places and occasionally he gets lost. When not doing that he's blogging and teaching ESL. He will be happy to meet you on Facebook and Twitter