o you’ve decided to take the plunge and get into freelancing. Good for you! Freelancing is a great way to supplement income while still working on a degree and develop into a full-time career after graduation. Any plan that eliminates a boss from the equation is a good one. There is far more money to be made as an entrepreneur than in trading hours for dollars.
One of the easiest and most cost-effective startup options in the world of freelancing is found in copywriting. Written content is the cornerstone of every successful marketing campaign, and it is foundational for good web page SEO. What follows is a list of apps that today’s successful freelance content writers use to steer themselves toward success. How many of these have you used or currently use to support and grow your business?
One of the keys draws of freelance writing is the ability to take the job anywhere in the world literally. Having constant, reliable access to important files and documents is vital for any mobile work environment. Most freelancers don’t have central offices or file servers that host those files and documents, leaving them tasked with finding a mobile solution that keeps them organised and productive.
We cannot emphasize enough how important a tool Dropbox is in that arena for the serious freelancer. Among its many benefits, Dropbox is one of the most efficient tools for keeping freelance businesses functional and mobile.
Files stored in Dropbox can be made accessible both locally and remotely. Better still, Dropbox is the simplest and most versatile app there is for both managing and sharing files. More online freelancing sites like Upwork integrate with Dropbox than any other file sharing application.
#2: EssayPro
Much more than just an app, EssayPro is a complete academic writing service with several tiers for struggling writers. This is an excellent source of help for writers who tackle complex academic or technical subjects and need help with any part or parts of the writing process.
Whether you are producing blog content for a client or writing an academic paper for a particularly tough professor, there are few things that readers criticize more readily than errors in grammar, syntax, and sentence structure. With this all can be handled by the writers from the EssayPro.
Also, the site offers free resources to help improve your writing as well as proofreading and editing. In a pinch, they are happy to subcontract for writing everything from academic papers to blog content, making them one of the most excellent writing services on the web.
#3: Grammarly
Fortunately, while the Grammarly app is quick to point out the flaws in these areas, it does it in a much more impartial and productive way than a reader, client, or grumpy professor ever would. Like Hemingway, it also helps fledgeling writers hone their skills and start recognising apparent errors in the areas above of written language.
Getting to know Grammarly is a fast track to learning all the differences between the written and spoken word and becoming a better communicator through writing.
#4: Google Docs android / iphone
For freelancers who pride themselves on real-time collaboration, Google Docs is a must-have suite of applications. There is no more efficient way to collaborate on documents and share the data within groups than with this powerful online-based suite.
Google Docs also boasts extensive integration with a host of platforms and it can export documents in a variety of formats. You can track all changes made to a document throughout the drafting and editing process. Assigning permissions for various tasks is simple, as is generating local copies of completed work.
#5: Hemingway
There are plenty of applications out there that help with writing, but precious few that help improve writing on the fly. Think of Hemingway as the ultimate beta reader. It reads and critiques each draft in real time, whether the writer decides to cut and paste an entire manuscript at once or uses the app to generate the document entirely online.
Hemingway flags problem areas in text and even offers advice on how to fix them. The result is more than just a better manuscript. Learning the kinds of things that it flags and how to fix them can, and will, make any severe freelance writer better at his or her craft. Better still, the learning curve is much faster and more efficient than trying to learn better writing in a classroom.
#6: Dragon Dictation
Some people have a better time composing thoughts by speaking as opposed to typing. This is where applications like Dragon Dictation can help augment good writing. It also takes far less time for most people to speak than it does to type, making producing more high-quality work in less time a more achievable goal.
Newer versions of the software require less “learning” to recognize the user’s speech patterns, so it works well right out of the box for most users. In the minus column, this solution is also the most expensive since it is licensed software and requires both hardware and software solutions to function optimally. Consider it an investment in quality and time management that will pay for itself in short order once you start working with it on a majority of writing projects.
#7: Buffer
A buffer is an excellent app for pre-scheduling posts on all the major social media platforms. It integrates seamlessly with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn. It also acts as a marketing tool for your freelancing skills, enabling posting to multiple platforms simultaneously. The “set it and forget it” structure of the app ensures on-time content publication and delivery with various customisation features to maximise impressions, visibility, and reach.
Final Takeaway
The only viable way to ensure success in any entrepreneurial venture is to have a good plan of how to get the work done and stay organised. Without managers or project leaders holding you accountable, it is easy to become sloppy, lazy, and complacent as a freelancer.
Having the right success tools at your disposal is one way to keep the quality of your work consistently high. In today’s high-tech world, that means employing technology to assist in maintaining productivity. We hope that some or all of the apps reviewed above will assist you in growing a robust and profitable freelance writing business.
