Making a freelance career from your writing skills and helping clients with your compelling content and winning words that sell can be both rewarding and lucrative for both parties.
But whether you are a freelance copywriter or content writer, there are some must-have online tools to include in your freelance writer toolkit to help you run your business and add that little bit extra for your clients.
Here are 6 super useful tools to consider:
1. Proofreading and Editing
If you cannot afford to hire a proofreader or don’t have a proofreader or editor on your team, then using an online tool is essential to ensure your client’s copy is error-free. And, even if you do have a proofreader, you might still want to run your copy through a typing tool assistant like Grammarly to act as an extra pair of eagle eyes.
Grammarly is an online grammar checker that includes spelling and punctuation along with suggestions to improve your writing. It comes with a free and paid version.
There are other similar products on the market, such as ProWriting Aid, and tools to make your writing easier to read and more concise, such as the Hemingway app.
You should also consider a plagiarism checker; you can use Grammarly for this or other tools such as Copyscape.
2. File sharing
It’s important to consider how you will securely and confidentially share your work and other documentation with your clients.
This is not just limited to the client content and copy you provide but also freelancer-client business documentation such as written agreements, quotes and contracts.
For example, will you share client copy via Google Docs or use a separate tool such as Dropbox to share files?
Your client could have their own processes for file sharing, but if they don’t, it makes sense to use a user-friendly yet secure online tool and stick to it rather than sharing files via various different mediums, i.e. emails, social media, etc., and in different formats.
This becomes even more important as your client base grows and you are running multiple projects at the same time – keeping organized is key!
3. Invoice software
Good invoice software with professionally designed and branded templates is a must-have for any freelance writer who wants to come across as professional and trustworthy when it comes to billing your clients and getting paid.
Not only can it save you from having to put together the invoices yourself (which, unless you are a design pro, can be cumbersome), but it can also save you from making errors and help you get paid on time. With a range of payment gateways, you can send (and get your invoices paid) at the click of a button.
Invoice Ninja is a leading free invoicing software for small business invoicing, online payments, tracking expenses and billable tasks. It also includes attractive, professional invoice template designs you can customize with your logo and brand colors.
Try it for free here.
4. Design tools
Graphic design software such as Canva can be great for all your freelance writing design needs.
From your social media posts to business documentation, presentations, and even website templates, design tools can be used for your marketing communications and your client’s social media posts, etc.
Canva has a free version, so it doesn’t have to break the bank.
Other Canva alternatives include Visme, Adobe Express, Vista Create, and Easil.
It’s worth checking out which one suits your particular needs and opting for a paid version if you do a lot of work that requires high-quality design (i.e. social media management).
5. Onboarding tools
First impressions count, so professional-looking freelancer client proposals and client booking tools should be a regular part of your arsenal for onboarding clients as smoothly as possible.
These can range from client meeting schedulers that are simple to use, such as Calendly and Google Meet, to more comprehensive tools like the customer collaboration platform Recapped.io or Book Like A Boss for booking and selling your services.
It pays to put some time and effort into these first touchpoints that can go a long way to winning a client.
6. Workflow tools
A project management, workflow tool or to-do list (or a combination of all three) is a must if you want to properly manage your tasks and time.
There are lots of apps online that offer some or all of these features. Examples include but are not limited to Trello, TikTik, Todoist, Asana, Basecamp and Monday.com.
You’ll likely need to track your time when working on some freelance projects, too.
Invoice Ninja has a task time tracking system that allows you to accurately record every second spent on each task and quickly transfer timed data to the relevant client invoice.
We’ve even got a Google Chrome extension to help.
Quick, simple, and easy!
Oh, and whatever workflow tool you use – remember to schedule in some downtime to avoid freelancer burnout.
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All the above tools can help your freelance writing business run smoothly so you can provide an excellent service to your clients.
If you know of anyone else who might benefit from knowing about these tools – please share. Thank you!
