new freelance writer advice
Career Help

‘One thing I wish I knew…’ 6 freelance writers give advice for newbies

by Dusten Carlson
January 17, 2021

We talked to some freelance writers we know about their experiences breaking in, and what advice they have for writers who are just starting out.

My first job in freelance writing was literally handed to me. A friend of mine knew I wanted to be a writer. He had a friend who was the editor of a modest news aggregation blog. My friend asked me if I wanted an introduction. I said yes.

Without that first gig, I’m not sure how I would have started.

This was pre-Upwork/LinkedIn/reddit days. Content mills weren’t really the household names they’ve come to be in the industry.

The only one I knew of was Textbroker. I’d tried using it, but didn’t understand what clients wanted. Assignment briefs were sparse and confusing. A lot of them asked for “SEO content.” WTF was that?

And it never once occurred to me to find an editorial email address at the bottom of a site I wanted to write for and send a pitch. Websites don’t exactly hang “now hiring writers” banners on their homepage. I assumed that anyone who worked at Huffington Post made a connection through a big journalism school, and that ship had already sailed for me.

These gaps in my knowledge sound ridiculous looking back. Embarrassing, even.

But I shouldn’t be so hard on old me. These gaps are all too common.

Nowadays, aspiring freelance writers have more options to break in.

There are numerous job boards and content mills to find gigs to cut your teeth and build a writer portfolio on.

You have easier access to editors and business owners on social media.

Googling “how to become a freelance writer” will bring up all kinds of resources (some more helpful than others).

But a lot of freelance writers I talk to still have some of those big, familiar knowledge gaps I had.

They just don’t know how to get started.

Sure, there may be more options, but maybe that brings on an options paralysis.

Which courses will actually help me figure out how to break in?

Where do I get good jobs?

How many articles do I have to read before this all sinks in?

They say you start a business to solve a problem you yourself have. That’s a big reason Dave and I started ProWriter.

People have responded positively to the blog posts we’ve written, educational materials we’ve created, and ad hoc observations we’ve shared about the freelance writing space so far.

That’s awesome! That’s what we were hoping for.

But, we think it’s important to hear from other writers, as well. People who are working hard. In the “trenches,” so to speak. Other freelance writers like you.

What they’ve learned, what they’d tell themselves on Day 1 if they could go back.

We picked a handful of freelance writers we know well to help you understand where your priorities should be when you’re just starting out.

There might be things you’re anxious and worried about. Hopefully, these writers will give you permission not to.

There might be questions you have. Hopefully, these writers will help answer them.

You might feel very strongly that you should just do something. Hopefully, these writers will save you the headache. Or, better yet, give you permission.

We’ll take our backseat now and let these writers take over this blog post from here on. We hope you find it valuable.

The writer portfolio is critical early on

Ashley Reign:

“In the beginning, a lot of it is about building a resume rather than scoring a high-paying job right out of the gate. […]

“Focus on finding gigs that will allow you to do work you’d be proud to add to your online portfolio. Look for clients that will credit you and/or provide a link to your website or byline, even if they don’t pay all that well.  As your resume and portfolio grow, so should your asking pay rate.”

Jeanette R:

“One piece of advice: Build a diverse portfolio and get published in places that maintain an archive. […]

Mandy Lutman

“Promote your self-published material and personal (professional) blogs alongside your professionally-published work. Both are important.”

Elizabeth Belanger:

“Were I able to go back in time and advise my past self on my future freelance writing career, the most significant piece of advice I’d likely give myself is to develop a specific niche sooner rather than later. Being knowledgeable in certain industries or topics is fantastic, and clients who appreciate well-written, expert-level content are likely to request more work from you!”

Learn technical skills, like SEO

“On the content side, I didn’t pay enough attention to the technical side of SEO and everything it entails (from keyword ideation to titles and headings to schema to metadata)  at the outset. […]
Casey Watson

“While I’ll never be a wizard on the technical side, I found my ability to understand my client’s needs and meet their expectations grew once I knew more about the technological challenges they face in getting found and heard.”

Piper Gourley:

“One skillset I would like to continue to expand my knowledge on is search-engine optimization (SEO) writing. As the web continues to become an even wider medium for writing, and more articles about the same topics are being produced, SEO skills have become more relevant to writers than ever. SEO pieces also tend to bring in more money than non-SEO writing, both for freelancers and publishers, so mastering SEO is a profitable skill to commit to in the long-run.”

On self-care and other career advice

Mandy Lutman:

“Don’t overwork yourself. Burnout is a real and scary thing and having a work/life balance is important from the get-go. It’s very easy to fall into the workaholic hole, but if you do, it’ll take years of healing to dig yourself out of it.”

Casey Watson:

“Anticipate that you’ll succeed. That sounds terribly inspirational-poster, but I mean it more practically. […]

“If your goal is to develop a remunerative sideline or even a stable source of sole income, anticipate — but don’t expect out of a sense of entitlement — that it will happen. From the start, develop habits and systems that will allow you to sustain what you’re doing.”

Piper Gourley:

“It’s important to be flexible. You’re going to be writing for a smorgasbord of clients. Your style needs to be in flux with their needs. Adaptability is one of the most useful skills you can have. […]


Piper Gourley

“Rigid stylistic writing is not likely to get you very far in freelance work that requires you to deliver a variety of pieces (blogs, articles, advertorial writing) to various clients, all of whom have different expectations for your writing. Stay adaptable, ask questions when they emerge, and always, ALWAYS read the style guide, even if it’s a client you’ve already worked with!”

Casey Watson:

“One more thing! Find a portfolio set up that you like and systematically keep and organize your stuff as you go. It’ll help you in myriad ways.”

Final takeaways and resources

ProWriter offers a free, professional writer portfolio, designed to highlight experience and skills to help you stand out when applying for jobs. You can claim yours and start building it out in minutes here.

If you want to learn more about SEO and other more technical freelance writing topics, you can look at our resources library.

You can also check out our courses page here, and take our introductory course to freelance writing for free.

Finally, as always, find me on LinkedIn if you have any questions or feedback.

If You Are A Writer ProWriter Featured
Content Strategy

Are you a writer? Then you need to learn content strategy

by Dusten Carlson
July 27, 2020

 

Your client should be able to explain what they want. Many can’t. If this happens to you, what should you do?

Every writer should know enough about content strategy to fill in the gaps and educate their clients if necessary.

We’ve all had clients who have funny ideas about what makes content successful.

How often have you seen a job post that says something vague like “we’re looking for writers with proven success” or talked with a potential client who wanted “sticky content that goes viral”?

Proven success? What does that even mean?

What are you supposed to say when you apply for that job? That you can drive huge amounts of traffic to their website? That you can get a lot of shares on Twitter? That you can write content that ranks highly on Google?

That’s probably what they want to hear, but it’s just lip service.

Ranking content in Google is a complicated, long-term endeavor of which good writing is only a part.

Shares on Twitter don’t automatically translate to clickthroughs to the site.

A huge amount of traffic doesn’t automatically mean huge sales.

And yet, so many clients have vague metrics for writer success and are convinced by superficial promises of “big wins.” They don’t think they’re hiring freelance writers, they think they’re hiring magicians who can turn a few hundred bucks into quarterly sales records.

Why do they think things like this?

I’ll tell you who you usually can’t tell you why: Your client.

Because there’s a big problem with the dialogue between freelance writers and their clients.

“Gee, only one?”

Alright, there are many. But one problem at a time, okay?

Today let’s talk about one that’s particularly hard to put your finger on — Figuring out who is responsible for content strategy.

In my experience, this simple role misunderstanding causes nothing but headaches for clients and freelance writers both.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s the fastest way to ensure a new relationship with a client ends before it begins, with everyone leaving the table disappointed.

Why does this keep happening, and who’s responsible for fixing it?

Let me tell you a quick story.

I recently got coffee with an entrepreneur who wanted to pick my brain about content. He runs one of those box delivery startups and is beginning to see some real traction.

He has a few thousand followers on his social channels, and from all outside appearances, his marketing efforts online look like they’re successful.

But he runs a small team, and a lot of his content is whipped up on the fly and with no real strategy behind it. He’s on the cusp of a big business break and he has heard that blogging is a successful marketing tactic. But he’s skeptical.

“It’s just such an investment,” he said. “If I pay a writer a few hundred bucks for a blog post and it doesn’t go viral, then it was a waste of money. A sunk cost. Writers just don’t understand this.”

Is this your expression right now?

Mine too. Let’s talk about it.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘There’s a big problem with the dialogue between freelance writers and their clients — figuring out who’s responsible for content strategy.’ #writingcommunity #freelancewriter” quote=”‘There’s a big problem with the dialogue between freelance writers and their clients — figuring out who’s responsible for content strategy.'”]

Just from hearing him say this, I could tell we had a handful of misunderstandings on the horizon when it comes to expectations. Putting my content strategist hat on, there are a few things I’d advise him on at this point.

Problem #1, he assumes going viral = success. If he were running a business that depends primarily on advertising revenue, like a publication or a blog, then going viral would indeed be the right strategy.

But his revenue model is based on products he sends customers in the mail. Is going viral really the right way to go?

Maybe. If he has a lot of money to put into content creation. But, Problem #2, he has a small budget for content. 

This means top-tier freelance writers are probably out of his range. He’ll need to hire first-year freelancers who are still cutting their teeth and building their portfolios.

There’s nothing wrong with those writers of course, but they probably don’t have enough content strategy experience to explain why “going viral” is a bad strategy for him, or what he should do instead.

Which leads to Problem #3, he implicitly assumes that success or failure is on the writer.

At that level of pay and experience, freelance writers should pretty much only be expected to do a job and collect their check, not feel pressured to guarantee results for a strategy they didn’t design and don’t have any input on.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘Many clients don’t seem to think they’re hiring freelance writers — they think they’re hiring magicians who can turn a few hundred bucks into quarterly sales records.’ #writingcommunity #writelife” quote=”‘Many clients don’t seem to think they’re hiring freelance writers — they think they’re hiring magicians who can turn a few hundred bucks into quarterly sales records.'”]

If he can’t afford top-tier, experienced freelance writers, then all of the content strategy is on him, and the success or failure of the content is his as well.

So, if we’re keeping track, this client misunderstands:

  • What it means for content to be a success for his business
  • How much investment it takes to succeed with content
  • Who is responsible for the success of his content

The saddest part of this story? Running into clients like this is not uncommon for freelancers.

This is you right now, right?

If you’re the first-year novice writer this guy was able to afford, this puts you in an awkward situation.

First, it’s possible that you just don’t know enough about content strategy yet to explain to the client where he’s wrong, even though you probably intuit that he’s wrong.

Second, even if you do know he’s wrong, and even know some of the reasons that he’s wrong, you might feel that it’s not your place to educate your client, or you might lack the confidence to do so.

Whatever the reason, the client now assumes that you know enough about content strategy to make this one piece of content an absolute, unqualified success for him, and you assume he knows something you don’t, or just hope that the content you put together does what he wants it to do.

You’re both now co-pilots in a project headed for disaster.

And to think, it could have been avoided.

Who is responsible for content strategy?

What does all of this mean for writers, especially ones that are earlier in their careers?

First: In an ideal world, your client is responsible for content strategy. And you’re well within your rights to expect that of them.

They should know things like:

  • Exactly what kind of content they need produced
  • What it should look like
  • Which channel(s) it should be optimized for
  • What topics they want to cover
  • What keywords (if any) they want to target, and
  • Have a realistic idea of what success looks like.

Simply put, if you’re not being paid to do so, your role isn’t to create a strategy. Your role is to execute their strategy.

Sure, maybe you can advise them here or there on technical stuff they might be missing, like headlines.

Let’s say you hire someone to paint your living room. They show up at the address, but it’s just an empty lot. They call you, confused. “Where’s your house?” Just as confused, you retort “well, you have to build it.”

No.

No no no.

This is not how it will go.

Writing is a skill, just like painting a house. It doesn’t mean that a house painter can also build a house. Similarly, a writer isn’t necessarily a content strategist.

And if a writer is a content strategist, then they, like the house painter, wouldn’t build the house for the same cost as it takes to paint the living room.

Here’s the reality check…

Between you and me, as the freelance writer, you’re completely justified in expecting that your client has already figured out exactly what they want.

But…

… it’s probably not going work out that way every time.

Heck, most times.

All too often, the client doesn’t actually have a strategy (or doesn’t understand what they should actually want) which means that many are setting themselves up for disappointing results.

And who are they going to blame? They’re going to blame you.

Even though it’s 100% their fault.

Here’s what writers should do.

Yes, in a perfect world, you’re not supposed to be the content strategist (unless you’re being paid for that).

But you can’t wait for clients to become the content strategist. If they are, that’s awesome. If they aren’t, you have to step in and educate them.

This means:

If you’re a writer, you’re also a teacher. Your students are your clients.

Understand a simple reality: Most clients you’ll be working with on a freelance basis aren’t content people.

They don’t know the ins and outs of your skillset. That’s why they’re hiring you. You’re the content person.

Most small business owners spend their days wrapped up in product and sales and payroll. Ultimately, they just want to be successful.

Most of them know that good content can be a big advantage over their competitors.

They just don’t know what success actually looks like, when to expect it, and what kind of content gets you there.

So what are we telling you to do, really?

We’re not advocating that you offer free content strategy services to your clients. Anything but.

We are saying that writers at all levels, but especially early on, need to prioritize learning content strategy.

If you’re a first-year writer and have one takeaway from this post, that’s it.

Start learning content strategy today. 

And don’t stop learning content strategy.

Make it part of your professional development.

Read marketing blogs and subscribe to marketing newsletters.

Learn, learn, learn.

Every writer picks up content strategy over the course of their careers.

But they do it haphazardly. They learn from experience.

We’re saying start the process now. Do it on purpose.

So you can offer free content strategy advice to clients?

No.

So you can recognize red flags your clients throw your way about content strategy.

So you can understand what you’re getting into.

So you can help manage expectations.

So you can push people who hire writers to set tangible, realistic goals for you.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘If you’re a writer, you’re also a teacher. Your students are your clients.’ #writingcommunity #strategy” quote=”‘If you’re a writer, you’re also a teacher. Your students are your clients.'”]

You can’t define your client’s goals for them, but you should ask what their goals are and be able to chime in if you think they’re unrealistic.

And if your client is lost and doesn’t know what their strategy should be, offer to create one for them (for pay, of course).

When it comes to the dialogue between freelance writers and their clients, we need to lead a paradigm shift.

Study after study after study after study after study shows that good content is a major driver of business growth and success. Every client who wants to hire a freelance writer already knows this.

But it takes time. It is an investment. Most clients don’t know this part.

That’s the expectations gap. That’s why clients think one blog post will set quarterly sales records.

The only way to fix this problem and hit the reset button on client expectations is to normalize conversations like this:

Client: “I want content to go viral.”

Writer: “Are you sure that going viral is the right strategy for you? What’s your ultimate goal?”

Client: “To sell more stuff, obviously.”

Writer: “Okay, well, going viral isn’t necessarily the best way to do that because [insert XYZ reasons].”

Client: “Oh. Well, what do you think we should do?”

Writer: “It sounds like you need to spend some time thinking about content strategy, or hire a content strategist. It just so happens, I could offer my services…”

That means you need to collect all of the knowledge about content strategy you can, as soon as you can.

Okay, sold. How do I learn more about content strategy?

There aren’t a lot of good resources out there that are specifically geared toward writers. You’ll have to mostly stay away from freelance writing blogs and look for resources in marketing, PR, digital media, and more, depending on what lane you’re trying to steer into as a freelance writer.

Even if you’re getting your start writing listicles for a viral website, you can learn things about stuff like headlines and readability that will benefit you when working with a B2C blog.

Even if you want to become a master blogger, there are things you can learn about email subject lines and social media advertising that translate over.

Good copywriting habits are good copywriting habits.

Also, ProWriter is, in part, an attempt to bridge the divides we’re talking about.

That’s why this blog exists, and why we publish content like this on our social channels:

We publish content every day in an effort to help writers, especially those earlier in their careers, increase their knowledge of content strategy.

That way you can coach your clients instead of letting them set both of you up for failure.

Needless to say, happier clients means more jobs for you which means a happier you!

If you have any suggestions for topics you think we should cover, feel free to email us directly at [email protected]. Or, start a conversation with me on LinkedIn.

 

Career Help

7 Podcasts That’ll Make You A Better Freelance Writer

by Dave Polykoff
December 9, 2019

Freelance writing can be a crazy competitive career field, so it’s essential to always be learning and growing.

These 7 podcasts can help you improve your skills, creativity, and productivity, and teach you more about the business side of writing.

#AMWriting

This podcast covers everything you need to know about writing books, such as how to write your first draft, how to crush it with self-promotion, and how to find an agent.

Co-host KJ Dell-Antonia is a former editor at the New York Times, and fellow co-host Jessica Lahey is a NYT-bestselling author.

The Accidental Creative

If your goal is to conquer the world with your brand and your ideas, then this podcast hosted by Todd Henry is perfect for you.

It’s chock full of inspirational ideas and thought leadership, so it’s definitely worth listening to on a regular basis.

Better Biz Academy

Coach Laura is a highly successful freelance writer who gives away all her deepest secrets on her podcast. These include how to land quality freelance writing gigs and how to build a sustainable and rewarding business.

Beyond The To-Do List

This podcast was made for freelancers who want to reduce stress and improve their productivity, creativity, and focus.

Host Erik Fisher and his guests talk about things like self-care and why it’s important to take breaks sometimes, instead of being constantly obsessed with work.

High-Income Business Writing Podcast

For those who aspire to earn six figures or more through freelance writing, coach Ed Gandia is your guy.

He interviews some of the top freelance writers in the world on his podcast, which covers a wide variety of topics that can help you become a top writer too.

Grammar Girl

Even if you feel like your grammar’s perfect, you should definitely check out the Grammar Girl podcast.

It covers everything from how to use semicolons properly to the minute differences between very similar words, so you’ll definitely learn a lot.

Writing Excuses

This podcast geared toward fiction writers features a panel of published authors from various genres explaining things like character arc and how to insert elements like humor or romance into your stories, plus they cover the business side of fiction writing.

It’s now in its thirteenth season, and the four main hosts have since written a book together.

Listening to podcasts every day is one of the simplest ways to improve your game as a freelancer, and the best part is that you can just play them in the background while doing your usual daily tasks.

Getting Started

How To Earn Your First High-Paying Writing Client

by Dave Polykoff
December 2, 2019

Freelance writing can be one of the most lucrative ways to earn money online, but getting started can feel super intimidating.

There’s no need to fear though.

Even if you have no prior experience, following these steps will help you find your first high-paying client soon.

Choosing Your Niche

Although being willing to write for everyone may sound like a good idea, it can actually backfire on you.

A better idea is to choose one or two niches and position yourself as a specialist.

Here are some factors you should consider when choosing a freelance writing niche:

  • Does it have a high return on investment?
  • Is it in high-demand?
  • Most importantly, does it interest you?

The reason the last one is the most important is because you don’t want to write about things you hate.

That’s like working a job you hate, just because it pays well.

It may seem like it’s worth it at first, but it’s only going to make you miserable in the long run.

Plus, choosing a niche that you enjoy means you’re probably already pretty knowledgeable about it.

Creating Your Portfolio

Once you’ve decided on your niches, the next step is to create your portfolio.

Because there’s no point in applying for jobs if you can’t send them writing samples.

Any legitimate writing job is going to expect them.

Don’t worry though, your samples don’t need to be real.

You can always write fake ones if you don’t have any real ones yet.

What matters most is making sure the client can see your skills.

Where To Find Your First Jobs

Once you’ve gained some freelance writing experience, you’ll probably start to have clients reach out to you.

But in the beginning, you’ll need to pitch them.

The best place to start is on freelance job boards, like UpWork and PeoplePerHour.

All you have to do is search for the keywords for your niche, and then send out pitches to jobs that resemble your portfolio samples.

That will increase your odds of getting hired.

Many freelancers make the mistake of sending out the same generic pitches to everyone though, so the key is showing that you read the job description and that your work aligns with what they’re looking for.

Another option is to cold pitch companies you’re interested in working with, by searching for the contact person on LinkedIn and sending them an email.

Jobs found this way can be better-paying compared to the ones posted on job boards.

Conclusion

If you follow all of the above steps, you’ll have your first freelance writing client soon.

But even if it takes you a while, don’t give up! Keep sending out pitches every day and eventually someone will decide to hire you.

Career Help, Writer Tip

Common Writing Mistakes Every Writer Should Watch For

by Dave Polykoff
October 31, 2019

Writing mistakes can quickly ruin even the best-researched and well-written pieces. New writers may feel intimidated by all the grammatical, story flow and other rules whether written or unwritten.

To forge ahead, understand that a handful of key tips can help avoid writing mistakes consistently. Don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over; and in the process strengthen your writing work potential.

Know Contractions

First, know how contractions operate. They just combine two words, as in “you” and “are” into “you’re.” When in doubt about it’s vs. its, or your or you’re, try this. Insert the option with the apostrophe, then say it aloud as the two words it’s supposed to represent. For instance, if you wrote “It’s you’re game,” say it without the contraction. “It’s you are game” indicates to use “your” instead.

You vs. you’re, its vs. it’s, and they’re-their are among the most common grammatical problems with writing. Often the option without the apostrophe, such as their, your and whose, describe possession of something: like your game in the example above. But saying it aloud is an easy trick.

Straightforward Grammatical Rules

Simple grammatical mistakes can convince readers that an article is sloppy or untrustworthy. Get comfortable that when choosing between “who” and “that,” go with who if it refers to a person. Joe is a driver who rarely speeds. Picking “then” or “that”? Remember than helps compare things. You’re better than that.

Some little writing rules are straightforward. Never use “alot” – a lot refers to a huge number of something, and allot means to assign or share. “Alot” is nothing.

Beyond Spelling and Grammar

Beyond grammatical and spelling errors in writing, important things to avoid are sentences that are too long or have too many commas. Good, easy-to-read text is best in bite-sized pieces. Keep sentences short. If you run across a long sentence divided by a comma, consider making it two sentences.

Same with too many commas in a sentence; it can break a reader’s train of thought and possibly confuse. Again, consider breaking the sentence into separate thoughts, or use a semicolon instead. To delete a comma, try “but,” “and,” “if,” “since” or “although” instead.

Eliminate Clutter and Plan Ahead

A writing mistake to avoid is clutter. If something seems to interfere with the flow of text or a reader’s ability to digest content, eliminate or replace it. Examples can include too many quotation marks around words; the above-mentioned overuse of commas; and too many pronouns.

Finally, a big writing mistake to avoid is disorganization. Either start from an outline or rough sketch of points you want to make and in what order, or in the end broadly review a draft from the perspective of organization. Does A lead to B which leads to C? Think of paragraphs as acts in a play.

Help guide the audience along with transitional words or sentences between acts, or with formatting options like subheadings or bullet points.

Writer Tip

How Grammarly Can Make You A Better Writer

by Dusten Carlson
October 17, 2019

All professional writers would love to be complete masters of grammar. However, creating flawless first drafts isn’t a natural skill. Producing nothing but error-free work is nearly impossible. Even those who are well-practiced at proper grammar can still make handfuls of mistakes in their work.

Although applications like Microsoft Word can catch grammatical inconsistencies with a fair amount of accuracy, they don’t necessarily help improve your relationship with proper grammar across the course of time.

One superb program, Grammarly, could be your long-term solution to not only correcting your grammar upfront but learning how to avoid mistakes and write more effectively in the future.

How does Grammarly work—and how can it make you a more adept writer?

No first draft is perfect.

However, writers often struggle to look at their own work with a critical eye. That’s what makes Grammarly such an essential tool for writers—it helps you recognize your mistakes and turn any first draft into a grammatically-polished gem. From exposing misused punctuation to pointing out misspellings to identifying errors in sentence structure, Grammarly ensures that your final drafts are free of any errors that turn audiences off of your writing.

It’s extremely easy to use.

Signing up for Grammarly is completely free (unless you want to upgrade). One phenomenal feature of Grammarly that competitors haven’t matched is that you can plug the application into your Google Chrome browser. Grammarly will then help you with your grammar, vocabulary, and general writing across all online platforms, from your work emails to your Google Docs files.

How does it work? Grammarly jumps into action while you write. The platform catches grammatical errors in real-time and suggests a number of thoughtful solutions to improve skewed sentences, misused vocabulary words, and incorrect usage of punctuation.

A major plus of the program is that Grammarly is both highly useful for improving individual pieces of work and for helping you achieve artistic success in the future. In addition, the application can help you develop essential skills for constructing well-written pieces on a deadline.

How does the solution-based application help you become a more skilled writer over the course of time?

Grammarly helps make your writing both error-free and effective.

The application doesn’t merely seek out issues with the simple grammar of your work. A unique feature of Grammarly that sets it apart from other grammar-checking software is that it also helps you find ways to improve the pre-existing, grammatically-correct writing on the page.

For example, if Grammarly notices a string of words that could be more concisely summarized in one word, it will suggest that you replace them in order to make your work more succinct (i.e. suggesting that you replace “a great number” with “several”).

Features such as these (i.e. recognizing a need for conciseness) can help you produce writing that communicates more effectively and is consistently engaging. In addition, as Grammarly reinforces practicing effective sentence structure, word choice, and punctuation, it’s training your brain to recognize how to make more effective writing choices on your own in the future.

Grammarly Premium offers even more ways to improve.

If you choose to upgrade to Grammarly Premium, you’ll be treated to a plethora of useful features that can vastly improve the quality and content of your writing. Grammarly Premium has all of the same tools as the free version, yet includes features that can take your text from great to outstanding.

These include suggesting thoughtful and unique vocabulary words to replace bland ones, scanning your writing for genre-based stylistic choices, detecting plagiarism, examining your document for readability, and much more.

The upgraded version also provides logistical insight about your writing process (number of unique vocabulary words, your average sentence length, etc.) and facilitates access between yourself and a human proofreader ($.02 per word). The prices for Grammarly Premium currently sit at $29.95 per month for a monthly subscription, $19.98 per month for a quarterly subscription, and $11.66 for an annual subscription. While you may feel that this application is a bit pricey, it’s difficult to place value on an application that is a virtual editor, a grammar checker, and a writing coach, all in one.

Final thoughts

Grammarly can help you improve both your finished pieces/works-in-progress and expanding your writing abilities, making it one of the best grammar-checking applications available on the market.

Not only does Grammarly help you improve your writing in real-time; the application also enriches your writing skill-set over time.

Whether you go for the free or paid version of the program, Grammarly’s reinforcement of proper and thoughtful grammar, sentence structure, word choice and more is certain to help you become a more effective, succinct writer in no time.