Most content creation tools are built to help businesses (and sometimes individuals) create, manage, and distribute their content. In general, these tools fall into one of three categories:
Content creation tools that help researchers find and organize information for new content. These tools can be as simple as a spreadsheet or a Google document, or as complex as a knowledge management system.
Content creation tools that automate some aspect of the writing process. These include grammar checkers and style guides that automatically flag errors and provide recommendations for improvement. They also include software like Twine, which helps writers break down large projects into manageable pieces and is especially good at simulating “choose your own adventure”-style branching storylines.
Content creation tools that help with formatting and distributing content. Examples include CMSs such as WordPress, social media management platforms like Hootsuite, and email marketing software such as MailChimp.
Content Creation Tools And Their Uses
Using the right tools can make content creation so much easier and more successful.
And while you can’t replace a solid content marketing strategy with tools, using the right ones can help speed up parts of the process, gain insights that you otherwise wouldn’t have, and help you create better-performing content.
But where do you start?
What are the best content creation tools and resources you should use to help you create better content? Or, at least, which should you be checking out that you have not already used?
We have rounded up what we believe to be the most useful and valuable tools and resources to help you choose the right one to take your content to the next level.
Specifically, in this guide, we will share the best tools and resources, including:
Content Research and Planning Tools
Written Content Creation Tools
Visual Content Creation Tools
Podcasting Tools
Video Content and Webinar Tools
Content Creation Resources
Use this list to find a new tool to try or a resource to check out the next time you create content and improve your marketing efforts.
Content Research and Planning Tools
Coming up with ideas and inspiration for your content is one of the most difficult parts of the process, yet one of the most important.
Creating content without a solid plan makes it harder to focus your efforts and drive success, but there are a whole host of tools that are perfectly suited to helping plan and research your content.
SEMrush Topic Research Tool
Content ideas example
Topic research is one of the most effective ways to quickly come up with ideas to explore further and to inspire your content plan. The SEMrush topic research tool makes it a quick and easy process to come up with a whole host of potential ideas around your core topic in just minutes.
Just enter a subtopic and see related articles and questions being asked in real-time.
Cost: From $99.95 per month (but this includes an entire sweet of content, SEO, PPC, and social media tools)
SEMrush Marketing Calendar
Marketing Calendar screenshot
Once you have identified the content that you want to create, you need to map out a solid editorial calendar and stick to it.
Planning a content strategy around a calendar will help you be accountable and take the steps needed to regularly drive growth. It is a great way to motivate you to keep on top of a regular publishing schedule, and the SEMrush Marketing Calendar is the perfect tool to help you to do this.
Cost: From $99.95 per month
SparkToro
Sparktoro
SparkToro positions itself as a way to “Instantly discover what your audience reads, watches, listens to, and follows.” When it comes to planning your content strategy, it is absolutely imperative that you know who you are targeting and what their interests are.
The more you can create your content around your target market’s needs and wants, the better success you will enjoy, and this tool crawls tens of millions of social and web profiles to share the insights you need on your audience.
Cost: From FREE for 10 searches per month to $225 per month for 500 searches
Google Trends
Google Trends example
Google Trends can help you to understand the popularity of a search term or topic amongst Google searchers (which, let’s face it, is the majority of web users).
Enter a query and see how interest has trended over time and use this insight to create content around topics that are quickly gaining traction (gaining a competitive advantage by being the first to jump on a trend) or, similarly, identify those that are likely losing interest.
Cost: FREE
AlsoAsked.com
Also Asked example
Google is regularly referred to as an answer engine, and this means that we need to be considering the questions that are being asked by searchers.
And one of the most effective tools that you can use to help you to find the questions that you need to be optimizing your website for is AlsoAsked.com, a free tool that returns the “People Also Asked” data, giving you an insight into longtail searches and, importantly, defines the relationship between topics and questions.
Cost: FREE
Answer the Public
Answer The Public
As we have already discussed, you should be optimizing for questions as part of your SEO strategy, and the more insight you have access to, the better responses you can give to the different questions that are being asked.
While AlsoAsked.com shows results from PAA, Answer the Public returns results from Suggest data, showing combinations of auto-complete searches.
Use the two tools together to supercharge your insights and research.
Cost: FREE
Written Content Creation Tools
When we think about content creation, we almost always jump straight to thinking and talking about written content. And while other formats are, of course, an impactful way to use content to drive marketing results, written content remains the default format for many businesses.
And, with that in mind, we have compiled a round-up of the tools you need to know.
SEMrush SEO Content Template
SEO Content Template data screenshot
If you are creating content to help you rank on the SERPs, you shouldn’t be writing blind. You need to know what is helping the top results to rank and take this into consideration when creating your own content.
The SEMrush content template can help you analyze the content that is ranking top for your target keywords and help you understand what you need to include in your own pages to compete.
Cost: From $99.95 per month
Grammarly
Screenshot of Grammarly results
It might sound simple but creating mistake-free content is harder than it sounds.
Grammarly can help you check for spelling and grammatical errors in your content while writing, as well as helping you to focus the tone of your content and check for plagiarism. The browser add on also makes sure you avoid typos in social shares.
Think of it as your helping hand to make sure your content reads well and is free from errors.
Cost: Free version and Premium $139.95 a year
Hemingway App
Hemingway app example
In their own words, “Hemingway App makes your writing bold and clear” and helps you make your content more readable and also shorten sentences.
Run your written copy through the web app, and in seconds you will see the opportunities to make it better for your readers.
Cost: FREE
Izitext.io
izitext.io screenshot
Izitext is a transcription service that’s used by transcribers, podcasters, journalists, and more. You can sign up for a demo today and learn more about their services!
Cost: FREE DEMO and further pricing may apply
Visual Content Creation Tools
Including visuals in your content can help to make it easier to read and, ultimately, more engaging for your readers.
But creating visual content is also one of the biggest challenges that many marketers face, especially if they don’t have access to a professional designer.
Canva
Canva
Canva is, without a doubt, one of the most popular design platforms out there and a tool that even the world’s least creative people could use to create stunning visuals across a range of formats.
From social graphics and blog images to infographics and more, if you need to create simple and effective visuals without a designer, you’ll love Canva.
Cost: FREE and Paid Plans
Remove.bg
remove.bg screenshot
Ask a graphic designer to remove a background from an image using Photoshop, and it will likely take hours using the lasso tool.
Use Remove.bg and you will be able to remove backgrounds using AI in a matter of seconds.
It’s as simple as that and can save you hours when cutting out images to use in your visuals.
Cost: FREE and Paid Plans
Piktochart
Piktochart
Infographics remain a popular way to visualize data and to use as part of your link building strategy (assuming, of course, that the data that you are visualizing tells a great story), but without access to a graphic designer, it is not always easy to design a visually appealing graphic.
And that’s where Piktochart comes in.
The tool is perfect for people with no design skills to create beautiful infographics that look professional and help elevate your business’s content.
Cost: FREE and Paid Versions
Giphy
Giphy screenshot
Over the last few years, GIFs have found their way into pretty much every brand’s marketing in one way or another, but the reality is that you don’t always need to be creating your own for them to be effective.
Whether you are looking for one to sit alongside your latest social post or to use in a blog, GIPHY’s collections of thousands and thousands of GIFS is certain to have something suitable.
Cost: FREE and Paid Plans
Nimbus Screenshot and Screen Video Recording Chrome Extension
Youtube video thumbnail
Screenshots and screen recordings are the perfect way to help your audience understand what you are trying to show them in “how-to guides” and the like.
But capturing these, especially if you don’t want to have to edit them before using in your content, isn’t always the easiest thing to do.
We love the Nimbus Chrome extension to capture both screenshots and recordings without hassle, and we are pretty sure you will grow to love it, too!
Cost: FREE
Unsplash
unsplash example
Images and photos can really help to make your blog content more engaging, and the reality is that not every marketer has access to a team who can take custom photos. While some have the luxury of a stock photo library at their disposal, not everyone does.
When you need a license-free image to use in your content, Unsplash’s library contains, as they claim, photos for everyone, something that we can confirm to be true!
Cost: FREE
Podcasting Tools
Podcasting has absolutely surged in popularity over the last few years, especially amongst B2B marketers, and it’s never been easier to create a DIY podcast and generate traction.
But having the right tools can really help you to maximize this channel.
Audacity
audacity screenshot
Ready to record your first podcast but not sure what tools you need to capture and edit your audio?
Audacity is an easy-to-use multitrack audio recording and editing platform that’s far easier than it looks to get to grips with.
In no time at all, you’ll be ready to hit record on your first podcast episode, and with the right software at your disposal, you’ll be able to edit out and little blips and background noises before exporting straight in your required format.
Cost: FREE
Alitu
aitu
You will undoubtedly want to spend your time creating podcast content and promoting it, not on editing.
But there as a clear need for your podcast to be the very best quality and edited in a professional way. At the end of the day, your audience will be used to pristine quality ‘casts and quite rightly so.
You can use Alitu to make better sounding podcasts without needing audio editing skills and experience. Simply load in your raw recordings, and the tool will help you to do the rest.
Cost: $28/month
Buzzsprout
buuzzsprout example
Once you have recorded your podcast, you need to host it somewhere. And Buzzsprout is a solid option to help you to manage and share your show with your listeners.
You will also gain insights into each episode’s performance, as well as the devices that they are using and where about in the world they are located — data that can help you to tailor your show’s content (and promotion strategy) to continue to grow.
Cost: FREE and Paid Versions
Scribie
scribie screenshot
While podcasts are booming in popularity, they are not for everyone, and only creating an audio version of your content could mean that you are missing out on engagement from your audience.
And for that reason alone, it is recommended that you transcribe your podcast episodes and offer a text-alternative. But doing this yourself is time-consuming.
Use Scribie as a cost-effective way to transcribe your podcasts quickly and efficiently, and spend your time creating content, leaving transcription to the pros.
Cost: From $0.10/min
Video Content and Webinar Tools
Webinars are more popular than ever, especially in a time when in-person events are off-limits. They are an effective way to engage your audience, invite participation, and reach new prospects.
And while a decent streaming session can’t go amiss, you are going to need to find simple and cost-effective software that you can use to host your webinar on.
But let’s not ignore other uses for video; understanding that it is still one of the more engaging formats of content that you can share on social platforms. The problem for many, however, is the investment needed to produce professional-quality video assets.
Again, there are tools that can help, and here are our favorites:
Webinar Ninja
Touted as “The Best All-In-One Webinar Software,” the reason why Webinar Ninja has become so popular is due to it’s simplicity.
Want to launch your own webinar? You can literally be ready to go live in minutes, and the platform now powers millions of webinars from companies like Podio, Baremetrics, and AppSumo, so you are in good company.
But one of the main reasons why it comes recommended is the extensive template library that it comes with, helping you to launch professional-looking sign-up pages without needing a designer and developer’s resources.
Cost: From $39 per month
Zoom Webinars
Youtube video thumbnail
Find us someone who isn’t familiar with Zoom by now. And while many of us have spent much of the last few months speaking with friends, family, and colleagues over the platform, there is no denying that it is one of the most popular options for hosting a webinar.
This is partly due to its sudden familiarity amongst pretty much everyone’s audience, but also the fact that it has a solid offering that comes with a cost-effective price tag.
Cost: From $40 per month, per license
Streamyard
streamyard screenshot example
While we have all recently come to love webinars, there has also been a huge surge in interest in live streams, and Streamyard is perhaps the top tool that is out there to help you to go live across Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms.
Keep your audience engaged across any of the platforms that they follow you on, and benefit from a simple and straightforward solution that doesn’t need a complex tech set up for you to stream.
Cost: FREE and Paid Plans
Biteable
Biteable video templates screenshot
The one problem that most marketers have with video content is the resources that are needed to produce something that looks professional, and that stands out. It is a format that an increasing number of us want to use but aren’t able to due to a lack of available resources.
And this means we are missing out on the engagement that it can bring.
But Biteable is one solid solution to help you to overcome this problem, providing you with a huge amount of templates that you can use to create powerful videos with, just like companies such as Airbus, Panasonic, and Virgin. In fact, it has now been used by more than 7 million people.
Cost: FREE and Paid Plans
Animoto
Animoto example
If you are looking for an easy-to-use drag-and-drop video maker, you could do far worse than check out Animoto.
Start with one of the many available templates or upload your own photos and videos, and you will have an awesome video asset in no time at all, all without the help of a videographer or editor.
Cost: FREE and Paid Plans
free content creation tools
To the outside world, creating posts for social media may seem easy. But, marketers and brands know there’s a lot more to social media content creation and editing than meets the eye, particularly in today’s social media landscape.
From choosing the perfect image to representing your point of view, to creating the perfect Twitter hashtag to making a video for TikTok, here are some great content creation tools to help you along the way.
- Canva
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
A social media tools list wouldn’t be complete without Canva. One of the most popular tools for creating social media graphics, Canva allows users to create high-quality images quickly using layouts, templates and design elements.
The free version of the tool is extremely comprehensive, but those who want more can invest €11.99 per month (up to 5 people) or go with pro or enterprise pricing if it’s the best fit for the business. It is free for education and non-profits.
How to Create Beautiful Graphics with Canva:
Search Canva’s amazing library of templates and choose to use them as-is or to customize for your needs. There is a section dedicated to social media graphics for an array of content formats across platforms.
Choose your unique elements to make the graphic your own.
Share your new visual on any social media platform!
- Crello
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Similar to Canva, Crello is a graphic design tool that makes it easy for certified social media marketers to create stunning graphics without a lot of design knowledge.
Crello’s advantage over Canva is that it offers more than 30,000 free design templates, 180 million photos, 32,000 videos and 15,000 illustrations. You can also design as a team by inviting members (up to 10), animate your designs and choose from a music library. Like Canva, a variety of different image types are offered, including templates specifically for social media. Crello is free for users, with limited usage, and pro plan starts at $9.99 a month.
How to Build Graphics Quickly with Crello:
Use Crello’s ‘Create’ tab to find a free design template or templates that work for your brand.
Simply click on a design template you love, and customize it using the Crello editor.
Save your finished product, and/or share it across your social media sites.
3 Hashtagify.me
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Hashtagify.me is a free tool (with paid add-on features) that allows you to search for hashtags. Once you’ve searched for a hashtag, you can determine its popularity and how it’s used. The tool is simple to use: in the search box, type in a hashtag you are curious about, and search to find out its performance and related hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll also see the top influencers for that hashtag, as well as recent tweets using that hashtag and other demographics. Paid users can sign up for alerts on particular hashtags, track influencers and usage patterns, and more.
- Prezi and Flipsnack
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Prezi allows you to create stand-alone presentations, appear alongside a presentation, and design awesome interactive graphics and charts. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, presenting and collaborating from home has become hugely important and the platform has capitalized on its technology to make it seamless while looking good!
Check out this Coronavirus handbook for social media managers to get more insight.
Prezi can be integrated with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webdex and has an ‘Inspiration’ section where you can see what other brands have done to engage their audiences. You can also get reusable designs and templates so you don’t need to start from scratch. An individual subscription starts at $3 a month.
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
If you’re looking to take your PDFs or ebooks to the next level, look no further than Flipsnack (previously known as SlideSnack. This tool has a flip book maker that allows you to create, share and embed online flip page formats.
For your mobile visitors, you can convert PDFs to HTML5 to make a book that’s fully mobile responsive and create mobile friendly content that engages.
- Grammarly
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Grammarly is an all-in-one spellcheck and grammar tool. It helps users write error-free copy on Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and almost anywhere else on the web.
Grammarly works by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to scan your text for common and complex grammatical mistakes, including everything from subject-verb agreement to article use and modifier placement. It also goes beyond regular checking to provide users with explanations and helps them improve their writing skills. The plugin is free for individual users, with premium and business plans also available.
- Typeform
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Asking questions is a great way to prompt engagement on social media. But sometimes asking one question isn’t enough to get the response you want from your audience. That’s where Typeform comes in.
Typeform is a user-friendly quiz, form and survey builder that allows you to ask your audience questions in different formats, including image-based, multiple choice, short answer, yes or no, and more.
Once you have your quiz in place, you can share it across multiple social media networks in the formats that work best for your audience. 10 questions and 10 responses per month are free, and Basic, Plus, and Business versions with additional features are also available.
- Anchor
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Anchor is one of the most popular platforms for creating, distributing and monetizing your podcast. All for free! It integrates with all key podcasting outlets and free social media platforms for audio. Its easy distribution with Spotify – the great audio disruptor allows you to analyze podcast performance through analytics through engagement insights. We use it at the DMI for distributing our own digital marketing podcast, Ahead of the Game.
With the Anchor app, users can easily create videos and audio recordings that are perfect for sharing on social media.
- CapCut
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
There are many free graphics tools that allow users to easily create beautiful images for social media, but most of them aren’t available (or aren’t very intuitive) on your smartphone.
CapCut (previously known as ViaMaker) is a free all-in-one editing app for iOs and Android developed by the creators of TikTok, ByteDance. What makes it popular is the ease of use and a big music library. Like TikTok, the app has advanced filters along with stickers and fonts along with a range of magical effects.
CapCut recently topped the U.S app store so it must be doing something right. Best of all, CapCut is free to use so get editing and sharing!
- PowToon
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Video is the most popular medium on social media networks. The problem is, many companies rely on expensive external agencies to create these videos. The finished product can look too contrived, miss the message mark, and really drain the budget.
A tool like PowToon means you don’t have to be a video master to create engaging videos, especially for presentation purposes. The platform allows you to choose from several templates and customize them according to your business. You can simply plug and play your content and share across your social media networks. Free and paid versions are available from $19 to $99 per month.
Interested in learning more about video? Check out this guide to video marketing on social media.
- Animoto
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
Animoto is another great video platform that allows non-experts to create captivating multimedia. Animoto allows you to turn existing video clips and images into video slideshows with little effort. You can either use one of their existing storyboard templates or build a video from scratch depending on how much time you have and your ambition!
Animoto does offer a free version, if you don’t mind having their branding on your videos. Other plans are at €28 or €69 per month based on your business’s needs. Annual subscriptions offer significant discounts.
How to Create Quick Videos with Animoto:
Use one of the many storyboards provided by Animoto to speed up your video creation process. Each comes with a song, a style, and a particular structure.
Replace the existing template content with your own text, video clips, and photos.
After you create your video, you can download it in various formats and levels of quality and upload it directly to your social media platforms. There are many ways to use video in your social media marketing, so make sure you do some research to find out the best route for you.
Knowing how to create a great video is one thing but understanding how to create good marketing videos is another. Consider a social media and marketing course to use video to its full potential!
- Placeit
11 Social Media Tools Every Content Creator Needs
One more video tool in this list is PlaceIt. This image and video tool allows brands to showcase their products and digital designs in realistic web/video environments. It can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on externally sourced product videos and images.
A one-time purchase on the platform costs a few dollars, or you can choose to pay $14.95 per month, or $89.69 yearly, depending on your brand’s needs.
How to Create Video mock-ups with Placeit:
Search for your desired environment. Tip: include your preferred device (e.g. iPhone or Mac) and background (e.g. office or cafe).
Upload your image or enter a URL to grab a screenshot. Placeit will automatically place your image in your selected environment.
Conclusion
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