25 free tools for content creation

In the 30th edition of “On Writing Well,” Willam Zinsser reminisced about a particular picture hanging in his mid-Manhattan office.

It’s a photograph of E.B White taken by Jill Krementz when he was 77 years old.

In the photograph, White was sitting on a wooden bench, typing on a manual typewriter. He only had his ashtray and a nail keg to serve as his wastebasket for sentences that didn’t come out the right way.

The most fascinating thing about the photograph was the simplicity and difficulty of White’s process. Many years later, the writing process has improved.

Writers no longer need nail kegs to prune every bit of clutter and excessive adverbs. There are also tools to fast-track and improve the quality of your content creation process.

Here, I will walk you through 25 free tools that will aid your content creation process. These tools are divided into 8 sections.

Are you ready?

3 Search-Engine-Optimization (SEO) tools

With Google processing 105,703 queries every second, SEO shouldn’t take the backseat in your content creation process.

SEO enhances your visibility on search engines and optimizes your website for performance. While they are tons of free SEO tools, here are some worthy of your consideration:

1. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a multifunctional SEO tool that gives you insight into strategies working for others in your industry. It provides a top-SEO page report by mapping out which of your competitor’s pages are ranking for organic keyword phrases.

On top of that, Ubersuggest generates top-ranking content ideas and provides backlink data.

2. Google Search Console

Google Search Console by Google is a free tool to monitor, maintain, and improve your search appearance on Google’s search result pages (SERPs). It lets you view the outcome of your SEO efforts as it would on Google search result pages.

Not just this, Search Console also lets you optimize your content for ranking and help you make informed decisions on your website’s appearance on the search engine.

You can easily detect and resolve server errors without the help of an SEO expert.

3. Ahrefs Keyword Generator

Within seconds, you can generate thousands of keyword ideas on the free SEO tool.

Ahrefs Keyword Generator provides top 100 keyword ideas as well as top 50 questions - when you enter a phrase or keyword. It also provides relevant data like keyword difficulty (KD) and searches volume.

One of my favorite features of the tool is that you can easily conduct keyword research without the obligation of signing up or entering your card details.

4 content writing tools

We cannot downplay the role of crafty headlines, error-free grammar, and clear communication in content writing.

Many writers fail to spot misspelled words and clutters lurking in paragraphs —- even after rounds of revision.

The following softwares will improve the quality of your writing and fast-track your content creation process.

1. CoSchedule Headline Studio

It's tough writing headlines that grab attention and compel the audience to read your content - especially if you are just starting out as a content writer.

However, Coschedule Headline Studio allows you to write click-worthy titles that drive traffic to your content. It provides detailed analyses on headline scores/type, reading grade, and word balance.

2. Hemingway Editor

Next on the list is Hemingway Editor, a writing assistant tool that ensures your content is clear and readable.

Hemingway Editor highlights excessive usage of adverbs and passive voices. It also replaces lengthy words with punchy ones. Furthermore, the editing tool will prune every bit of clutters from your content - making it more engaging and digestible.

3. Google Docs

Google Docs is a cloud-based word processor that allows you to write, edit, and share your documents.

You don’t have to worry about losing your work, as you can easily access them on any device, as long as the doc syncs and you have a Gmail account.

It's a deal for collaborating with other members of your time in real time. Multiple people can edit, comment, chat, and get on a call with Google Meet on Google Docs.

4. Grammarly

Grammarly is also a writing assistant tool that checks for grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. It provides suitable suggestions where the error is detected.

It also doubles as a plagiarism checker. You can use Grammarly to edit blog posts, video scripts, newsletters, website copy, case studies, etc.

4 graphic design tools

Visual content performs better than the ones with only text - because 90% of information transmitted in the brain is visual.

Creating content with dazzling visuals evokes emotions, attracts attention, and lingers in the memory.

These are some graphic-designing tools you can use to create dazzling visual content - even if you are not a savvy graphic designer.

1. Stencil

Stencil is a cloud-based graphic-designing tool offering 1000+ templates and 5,000,000+ stock images and - more than you ever need.

You can generate email images and content visuals.

The first ten visual designs you create in a month are free. However, you need to subscribe to the premium package to create more designs.

Stencil is made easy for newbies.

2. Canva

With over 75 million monthly active users, Canva has grown to become one of the most used graphic-designing tools in the world. It lets you create visuals for your content.

Canva is preferred for many reasons:

• It has 8000+ free pre-set templates - making it easy to create custom visuals for your content.

• A drag-and-drop editor that streamlines the graphic-designing process.

• Access to thousands of free photos and graphics.

• Not only that, it has a web version - as well as an app for mobile devices and computers.

3. Adobe Express

Adobe Express has thousands of ready-made templates on the web and mobile devices. It is user-friendly and has a non-techie interface. With the tool, you can add photos, texts, and try different layouts on the graphic-designing tool.

It also comes with tons of royalty-free Adobe Stock collection photos to create stunning visuals for your content.

4. Pixlr

Pixlr is a free Adobe Photoshop alternative. You can use it to edit images and create graphics for your content.

Pixlr has some exciting features like transforming objects, using gradients, replacing colors, and sharpening images. It can also perform basic functions like crop or resize images - which is handy for optimizing images for content.

4 infographic creation tools

Infographics are informative and enhance the overall appeal of a content. They can also increase the traffic to your website by 12%.

Here are some free tools you can use to create infographics:

1. Visme

Approximately 80% of all Visme functionality is free. It’s a web-based design tool that allows you to create custom infographics.

Visme is great for static and animated infographics. It has tons of templates, stock images, icons, charts, content blocks, and colour schemes.

2. Piktochart

Piktochart is yet another web-based tool you can use to create compelling infographics — even if you have no design experience.

It has pre-set templates and a drag-and-drop editor fast-tracking your content creation process.

3. Venngage

Venngage is packed with 1000+ pre-set infographic templates, allowing anyone to create eye-catching infographics within an hour.

It is ideal for designing timelines, comparisons, and statistical infographics. It comes with other branding features like colors, typeface, and tagline.

When you are done designing, you can easily download or share your infographic with the members of your team.

4. Infogram

Infogram is a data-visualization software that you can use to create infographics. With the drag-and-drop editor, you can create custom-made infographics. It has over 500 maps, 35 charts, and 20 pre-installed templates.

2 source-scouring tools

Many writers can relate to at least one of these scenarios.

• Working on technical content without any experience in the industry.

• Writing a story that aims at providing a good user experience on a specific feature of a product, which demands the input of an expert or experienced user.

• You were required to create in-depth content addressing diverse angles.

If any of these scenarios is familiar, you need source scouring tools.

Interviewing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) let you create content that provides a great user experience. Content like this has tons of practicable tips and examples.

If you’ve not been interviewing SMEs, these are some tools you should try out:

1. Haro

Haro is an acronym for Help a Reporter Out. It is a platform that helps journalists gather feedback from the public. Haro provides sources for upcoming stories.

You can either register as a source or a journalist. It has an easy to use interface.

To get started, sign up, set up your profile, and start responding to queries.

2. Help a B2B Writer

Help a B2B Writer is a source scouring program by Elise Dopson. It was created to help B2B writers struggling to find unique quotes from experts.

Unlike Haro, Help a B2B Writer is entirely free.

3 meme creation tools

According to Forbes, a meme is “A Digital Marketing Tool For Every Industry.” Memes are funny, clever, and easy to digest. They also improve engagement with your content. Here are tools to create witty memes:

1. Memedroid

Memedroid allows you to create funny and engaging memes for free. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.

Once you sign up, you can upload your memes and share them on the platform.

2. Make a Meme

Make a meme is yet another freemium tool that lets you generate enthralling memes that captivate your audience. You can also share the memes you create with others on the platform.

3. Imgflip

You can create custom memes with Imgflip without paying a dime. When you are down, you can either share the meme on the platform or download it on your device.

3 screen capture tools

Screenshots let you capture what’s on your screen for reference later. They convey a message 3X clearer and faster to your audience.

Including screenshots on your content makes it more engaging and actionable. Here are some tools you can use to create screenshots.

1. CloudApp

CloudApp lets you capture what’s on your screen and share it with your customer or audience for clearer communication.

To get started, drag the mouse and select the area of your screen you want to capture.

2. Lightshot

Lightshot is a free tool that lets you capture your screen. It has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to use. You can get the tool on your Mac and Windows computers.

3. PicPick

You can easily capture your screen with PicPick. It provides 8 different ways to screenshot.

PicPick is free for personal use. But you will be required to subscribe for the premium plan to enjoy customer support and commercial usage.

2 GIF creation tools

GIF is an acronym for Graphic Interchange Format. It communicates your message to the audience with utmost clarity.

Here are some free and effective tools for GIF creation:

1. Make a GIF

Make a GIF lets you make a GIF from YouTube videos, Facebook, pictures, and your webcam. You can also share the GIFs you’ve created with other GIF creators on the platform.

2. EZGIF.com

EZGIF.com allows you to create engaging GIFs for your content. It comes with basic tools that can be used for GIF editing.

Not only that, you add can create, crop, resize, and apply some effects to your GIF.

What did we miss?

I’m sure you've had hands-on experience with any of these tools. Did we leave out the good ones?

Share your favorite free content creation tools with us in the comment section, or drop me a line to LinkedIn!