- January 15, 2022
The best freelancer apps and tools for all writers
Nigel is a Technical SEO Specialist at a Digital Marketing Agency based in Singapore. He also dabbles in freelance SEO content writing and is an avid language learner.
As a professional freelance writer for hire, you’re pretty much a one-person show.
Whether it is de-conflicting client meetings, tracking assignment timelines, or managing cash flow, no one is really there to help you.
Having been a freelance writer for a while now, trust me. I feel you 😩
Strangely enough, the exhaustion that came with managing so many business operations didn’t motivate me to seek a solution earlier 😅 Well, better late than never am I right 😉
Using some of the best freelance tools and software has helped me save over 50% of the amount of time I would’ve spent managing those processes on my own.
That said, there is no need to go crazy with all the tools available. Just pick what you need.
In this article, I will be highlighting the most time-consuming processes that you absolutely should get help managing, as well as the best tools that do just that for freelancers.
What are the key businesses processes do freelance writers need to manage?
1) Projects and timelines
While this may not be an issue at the beginning, seasoned writers like myself can attest to the challenge when it comes to managing multiple projects.
Those of us who have been doing this for a while can safely say that it is not easy.
Some clients may be pickier and have many requirements (e.g. more pictures, unique tone of writing, more citations). For these types of projects, you’ll need to allocate more time to complete them.
This can become a problem as you take on more and more projects.
2) Appointment scheduling
Scheduling appointments with your clients can also become a nightmare as you take on more work.
You’ll need to schedule kickoff calls with brand new clients, follow-up calls with existing clients, exit calls with clients who wish to end the partnership, and many more.
This problem is only about to get worse as you progress in your career where you do freelance writing for corporations that are more fond of formal check-ins.
3) Writing and editing
What??? What good is a writer if they can’t write? 😱
Let me explain.
As more and more work piles up, you’ll probably face the problem of turning yourself into a one-man/woman writing sweatshop. You’ll definitely need all the help from automation tools you can get.
This does not render your role as a writer worthless. The knowledge you gained in content strategy development and using writing frameworks to structure your content will all still be needed in the editing phase of your work.
Your role would shift a bit more toward a strategic and editorial one and less of an operational one.
Here are the best tools for freelance content writers
1) Project management tool – Trello
Things can get messy 😵
Especially as you progress in your career as a freelancer. Even if you’re just starting out, it’s advisable that you lay the foundation for what’s to come. You’ll need a tool to design a project management system to help you manage all your tasks.
The tool I use to manage my work at Writing Wildly is Trello.
Within Trello, you can creat workflows like the one you see above ☝️
What I did to help me manage my work is to create specific columns that correspond to the different stages of writing. Some of which include research, graphic design, and editing. And on each card, you can even create checklists to help you list down the things you need to do for each task.
And when you’re done with the work needed for each step, you can simply drag the task card to move it to the next step. Here are some other cool features of Trello:
- Set task deadlines
- Assign tasks to other members of your team
- ‘Watch’ the task and get notified about any changes made to the task
- Leave comments for the task assignee to discuss the work
2) Appointment scheduling software – Timesync
I’m sure many of you have already heard of the appointment scheduling software Calendly. It helps people cut through the tedious process of scheduling calls via endless back-and-forth emails.
Clearly define your available days and time slots in your appointment scheduler generate a link based on that. Send that link to the person you want to schedule a call with and voila! One click is all you need to confirm that appointment.
While Calendly is probably one of the most well-known ones, it is not the only tool in the market.
Personally, I use Timesync to schedule check-in calls with my clients. Probably the most attractive thing about this product isn’t even it’s list of features, but its price. Check out this lifetime deal they offer.
Timesync costs less than half the price of an annual Calendly subscription for lifetime usage.
For those of you just starting out in your freelance career, this is probably the most affordable option out there. For the experienced freelancer, get Timesync so that you can invest your financial resources elsewhere.
Even other more affordable Calendly alternatives like Acuity have a monthly subscription fee starting at $14. And if you look at the features Calendly and Timesync both have, you’ll see that both pretty much do the same thing 😮
3) AI writing tool – Jarvis
Using an AI writing solution as a writer is by no means a shameful act. In fact, I’d like to argue that it is a practical and strategic one.
Too often have us writers encountered the fabled writer’s block. Couple that with the fact that career progression brings about the inevitable piling up of workload, these tools are what we need to keep going strong 💪
Jarvis is a fantastic AI writing software. And I don’t say this lightly.
It is able to generate text content based on the information you feed it. This can include focus keywords, content description, and preferred tone of voice.
Check out this sample blog post it generated.
Need to write a product description instead? Jarvis has got you covered. Let’s use Timesync as an example.
Pretty cool, huh?
And if you are looking for a tool that generates other types of content, fret not. Jarvis is able to generate words for a large variety of content types running from social media captions to email copies.
While the prices seem a bit hefty, it is actually a huge bang for your buck. The $29 starter plan for short copywriting allows you to generate 20,000 words. Just think of how many short product descriptions, social media captions, and headlines you can generate with this plan itself?
And for $59 a month, you can generate 50,000 words worth of content. That’s 50 pieces of 1,000-word blog posts 😱
4) Proofreading and grammar editing tool – Grammarly
Of course, how can we forget? The ultimate software for anyone who writes.
The most commonly used feature is its grammar checker chrome extension. Check out Grammarly at work when I was editing this very article itself.
It highlights the issue and provides you with alternatives to correct the issue. This basic feature is free and is even integrated with other tools like Gmail. This helps you correct any unnoticed grammar issues before sending out that important email.
Grammarly Premium even has a proofreading feature where you can paste your completed work into the tool and it will highlight all areas that need to be improved. Let’s take a look at an example.
It will highlight grammar issues, provide better synonym alternatives, and suggest that you switch from passive to active voice. This can help freelance writers save lots of time when it comes to the editing stage of their work.
Grammarly’s premium plan starts at $12.50 per month, while its business plan starts at $12.50 per person per month. For the suite of features it provides, it is definitely worth your money.
So, which of these content writer software are you lacking?
Regardless of the stage of your freelance writing career you’re at, having a little help from these tools can certainly go a long way.
Jarvis has allowed me to scale my work at an affordable price.
Timesync has saved me so much time that could’ve been wasted if I scheduled appointments the old fashion way.
And Grammarly? Well, let’s just say it saved me from being potentially dropped by a client for a mistake I almost missed despite checking my work three times.
We all need a little bit of help sometimes, and that’s ok!
I hope this list has been helpful for you! For more useful freelance writing tips, check out the writing blog over at Writing Wildly!
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