You want some free stuff? Not just any free stuff, but genuinely useful things you’ll be glad you found?
Here are 52 things just like that.
See, I poke around the internet a lot. Every now and then I find something so good, I bookmark it and keep going back to use it again. The coolest thing, though, is that so much of what I find is free! You can take it, use it, don’t have to pay a cent.
With 52 free resources on this list, you can try a new one every week for the next year. Or, if you’re impatient like me, you can go nuts and grab ’em all today. Up to you. Take a look and help yourself to whatever you want.
This list contains only resources I’ve used and liked, and only resources that are free to use. If they cost anything, it’ll be your email address or maybe a tweet.
Some of the people on this list also offer other resources that you can pay for, if you want. And some of them have given me affiliate links — I’ve marked those with an asterisk (like this*) so you know who’s who.
To prevent you (and me) getting lost, I’ve split the list into sections according to what the freebies help you do: marketing, writing, research, and so on.
Free Resources to Get Freelance Writers Hired
1. The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs
It now gives you the details of over 500 online pubs and blogs that pay $50 or more in 20 different niches. Some of these sites pay way more (like $1000+ per post)!
2. How to Write a Pitch That’ll Wow Editors and Clients
Need to pitch an editor and don’t know what to say? This detailed article on pitching editors and clients will help you craft a winning pitch (plus give you some great examples to inspire you).
3. How This Freelance Writer Got a Major Magazine Byline
Ever wonder what it really takes to get hired to write for a popular blog or online publication? Read this story of freelance writer pitching success that ends with a major magazine byline.
4. How to Become a Paid Blogger
Get SmartBlogger’s roadmap to becoming a paid blogger even if you’re a complete newb (aff). They’ve only got a few thousand pro writers out there that can vouch for their expertise on this.
Free Business and Marketing Tips
5. The “How to Make A Living Blogging” Expert Interview Library
It’s still growing —have you seen the newest interviews in the collection? The latest addition is an interview with the CEO of People Per Hour explaining how to succeed in freelance marketplaces.
6. The Freebies That Sell and Serve 3-Day Minicourse
Learn how to get site visitors on your list that are ready to buy from email copywriter Kate Doster. She makes email copywriting easy to understand and fun to learn (if you like listening to quirky copywriters).
7. Learn How to Make $1000 as a New Freelance Writer
Writing Revolt’s free class will help you earn your first $1000, designed especially if you’re a beginning writer.
8. The Sure Fire, Can’t Screw It Up, Completely Kosher, Super Fun Trick That’ll Make Your Competition Totally Irrelevant… And Six Ways To Do It
Tiffany Jansen’s free ebook has such a descriptive title, I think you probably already know you want to read it.
9. The Complete Nobody Guide to Guest Posting Fame and Fortune (By the Guy Who Built a Career Out of It)
Read Aaron Orendorff’s complete guide to guest posting if you’re looking for ways to get more eyeballs on your blog or hire me page.
10. How to Become a Freelance Writer with No Experience
What do you do when you’ve got no article samples, no clients, and no testimonials? Veteran freelance writer Mandy Ellis talks about how to overcome this situation (because most of us start here).
11. Erika Lyremark’s Weekly Whip-Smart Tips
She’s one of those bloggers I’d love to sit down with for a hot chocolate and a chat. Her business book, Think Like a Stripper, is as funny as it is useful. It costs about $8 on Amazon, but you can get a piece of her business mind for free with her weekly whip-smart tips.
12. Henneke Duistermaat’s 16 Part Snackable Writing Course
Need to write more persuasive and not in that icky “buy my stuff” way? You’ll get quick, short emails you can use right away to upgrade your skills.
13. The Freelance Writer’s ABCs
Lauren Tharp’s excellent free guide to freelance writing, covering topics from “Action!” to “Zzzzz… Sleep”. When you sign up for your copy, you’ll also get her other free book, LittleZotz Writing Adventures in Freelancing.
14. This Copyblogger Comprehensive Guide to Content Marketing
You’ve heard of Copyblogger, right? It’s one of the biggest and best resources on content marketing. This what-you-need-to-know content marketing guide is a great place to understand exactly what it is.
Free Resources to Get You Paid
15. The Be a Freelance Blogger Rate Guide
It takes the uncertainty out of rate-setting. It shows you how much other freelance bloggers charge, how your experience level affects your rates, and how to use my foolproof rate-setting table to choose your minimum and target rates.
16. Invoicely
It has a free forever plan if you’re just getting started as a freelance writer. Once you get a few great clients, their paid services are pretty reasonable too.
17. Wave Accounting Apps
If you’re on a budget and need some US or Canada accounting software to go with your invoices, Wave has completely free accounting + invoicing. All you pay for is the processing costs when clients send you money (the same rates you get anywhere else). Score!
18. The All Indie Writers Freelance Rate Calculator
Use the handy freelance rate calculator at All Indie Writers to figure out how much you need to earn per hour to cover all your expenses.
19. Free Agent Invoice and Accounting Software
Are you a UK freelancer who needs to send nice-looking invoices to your clients but you don’t have fancy invoicing software (or the time and patience to create them from scratch), check out Free Agent. You can get free invoicing and accounting depending on where you bank.
20. Carrie Smith’s Careful Cents Blog
It’s chock-full of tips on making and managing your money as a business owner or a regular everyday person (in case you know any ;-).
21. Mike Michalowicz’s Free Tools and Resources
You’ve heard of Mike Michalowicz, right? The author of Profit First and other extremely user-friendly entrepreneur finance books. Well, he’s got free tools and resources for you too (as if his books and podcasts weren’t enough).
22. Calendly
This calendar scheduler has a generous forever free account for your appointment booking needs. You can schedule zoom or phone calls with potential clients (and send and get reminders automatically). You’ll never want to go back to the old-fashioned way again.
Free Ways to Improve Your Blogging
23. Hubspot’s free Content Marketing Certification
This free course will guide you through the ins and outs of writing content that attracts droves of readers while giving Google what it wants.
24. Kikolani’s Ultimate Guide to Blog Post Promotion
This comprehensive guide’s another fantastic free resource for anyone who wants to get more eyeballs on their website.
25. The Google Analytics Academy
Ok, it won’t turn you into Ernest Hemingway or Steven King, but it’ll show you which web pages are working…or not. And that will help you attract more visitors. Take the beginners course. You’ll be glad you did.
26. Digital Marketer’s Extreme Ultimate Guide on Digital Marketing
Seriously, they could sell this one as a book or a course, so get it while it’s still online. Bonus: it’s easy to read.
27. Ubersuggest
One big way to blog better is making sure your headlines, subheadings, and the blog post itself have good keywords (so you can get more interested readers on your website). This free tool will give you some free keyword searches every day, so take advantage of it.
Free Resources for Getting Shit Done
28. GoalsOnTrack*
The GoalsOnTrack productivity geniuses are giving away not one but four free ebooks on time management and goal-setting. All you have to do to get your free copies is subscribe to their email newsletter.
29. Get Control of Your Tabs
Got too many open tabs? Get this free and easy-to-use tab organizer for Chrome users. It’ll help you wrangle your research and keep your browser clean for quick access to the 100s of projects you’re juggling.
30. WorkFlowy
Do you like the idea of planning ahead and keeping a to-do list, but hate the learning curve of working with productivity software? Try WorkFlowy— it’s incredibly simple and you can use it to plan anything you can break down in words.
31. Asana
When you’ve got a full schedule of writing projects, Asana can help you keep it all straight and on time. It’s a pretty easy-to-learn project management program with a nice forever free option.
Free Research Resources
32. Verify Email
Before you send that query, use Verify Email to check the email address you’re sending it to still exists.
33. Free Scientific Studies at the Public Library of Science
Need a scientific study to support your point? Check out the Public Library of Science, where all the articles and research reports are free for anyone to read. (Most other scientific publishers charge a shocking fee for access to this type of stuff. PLoS kicks their asses.)
34. Google Alerts
Use Google Alerts to stay up-to-date on your favorite writing and marketing topics. Google will deliver emails full of new content on specific keyword combinations right to your inbox.
35. Hunter.io
When you need to find an email address, Hunter.io is the only one I know that’s pretty good and free. And if you’re sending pitches, queries, or letters of introduction, you’ll probably need to find certain email addresses.
Free Tools and Technical Resources
36. Mailerlite
Need a free email service provider? If you’ve got under 1000 subscribers, Mailerlite is an easy-to-use ESP even if you’re not sure how it all works yet. Send regular emails to your list of potential clients or to your blog readers.
37. Top 100 Resources for WordPress Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials.
Whether you’re a WordPress pro or a beginner, you’ll find plenty of useful blogs and other resources in this big list from WHdb.
38. Small SEO Tools Free Plagiarism Checker
Some blogging clients are intensely paranoid about plagiarism and “duplicate content”. To make sure you haven’t accidentally used the same phrasing as an existing online article on your topic, run your post through this free plagiarism checker at Small SEO Tools before you send it to your client.
39. The Grammarly Handbook
If you’ve ever struggled with English grammar (and especially if English isn’t your first language), use the Grammarly Handbook to remind yourself of the rules. Try out the free version of Grammarly to catch typos and hard-to-spot mistakes.
40. Online Utility Readability Checker
Online Utility offers a whole set of free tools that help you write more clearly. Use their readability checker to find out which sentences of your post you might want to revise before you submit it.
41. GMail Canned Responses
If you use Gmail for email, try Canned Responses to instantly add “here’s one I wrote earlier” text into your email replies. That means you can save and insert your canned responses with just a couple of clicks — use it to send potential clients a list of your best blog posts, a signature with your social media URLs, a text advertisement for your services, or any other text you can write out in advance.
42. Mozbar Plugin
If you’re interested in SEO (or you’re researching this type of data while you plan a guest blogging spree), try the Mozbar plugin for your web browser. It works with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and it’ll overlay your search results with basic SEO information as well as giving you a toolbar that shows you info about the sites you’re browsing.
43. Down For Everyone Or Just Me
Trying to visit a website and it just won’t load? Go to Down For Everyone Or Just Me and type the URL in the box. It’ll tell you if the site’s down.
44. Clockify
Need to keep track of your time? Clockify is a free time tracking Chrome extension, so you can get more productive or find out the hard and dirty truth about how much time you really spend on…pretty much anything.
Free Business Inspiration and Motivation
45. NPR How I Built This Podcast
Get entertained and inspired all at the same time on the NPR How I Built This podcast. Learn just how crooked the road to success really is with these household names.
46. 25 How I Made It Freelance Writer Stories
Need an inspiring story of a freelance writer who made it? How about 25 right here, because sometimes we all need reminding.
47. The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast
You’ve probably already heard of Duct Tape Marketing the book, but have you listened to the 10+ year podcast all about small business marketing? Get informed, inspired, and motivated in 30 minutes or less.
48. Seth Godin on Youtube
You’ve probably heard of Seth Godin and hopefully read some of his books. But have you ever watched any of his Youtube videos? Well, you should if you’re looking for a motivational boost to go with the outstanding marketing wisdom.
49. The Middle Finger Project
Need a kick in the pants that makes you laugh and ask for more? The Middle Finger Project may just be the irreverent wake-up call you’re looking for. Read the blog or get on their email list for more no-holds-barred inspiration.
Free Places to Get Even More Resources
50. 52 Totally Free Resources for Freelance Bloggers
I made another list like this one a few months ago with 52 completely different free resources for freelance writers and bloggers.
51. 3 Great Cheat Sheets for New Freelance Writers Looking for Work
Make a Living Writing has some great advice for beginning (and even more experienced) writers on getting the job, finding great clients, and staying motivated right here.
Free Bonus
52. Ask Me in the Comments
That box down there. It’s for your comments, and it’s free to use. Talk to me about what you need — I’ll do what I can to help! [If you want more than a quick comment, take a look here, too.]
Sophie, this might be even more awesome than the first free resources post:) Loved all the items! Thanks!:)
You’re welcome, Pinar! I’ll start working on the next one now…
Thanks for including me in the list, Sophie. I’m honored to be in such fantastic company.
Absolutely deserved! You can never read too many queries, and seeing the finished stories really helps too.
Thank you! I’m finally getting serious about my business, using your first list, and now you’ve come up with a second. (Already downloaded the “Think Like a Stripper” AND started reading it.) Much appreciated, Sophie!
It’s a great book with all the right amounts of humour and ass-kicking. 🙂 Enjoy.
Sophie, thank you so much for including me in this list! So honored to be included among such fabulous resources. Can’t wait till my computer comes back from the repairman so I cn start downloading these puppies (the ones I don’t already have, anyway). Thank you so much for taking the time to put together these lists!
You’re welcome, Tiffany! Have I got a guest post submission from you somewhere, or is my memory failing me?
Nope, no failing memory – at least not with this particular memory 🙂 I’ll have it to you before the new year. Thanks!
I just did a quick scan through and I’m blown away. Can’t wait to dig in later! Thanks Sophie 🙂
Have fun! 🙂
Fabulous!! Thanks soooooo much. And Erika is the best. 🙂
Agreed. Thanks for checking it out, Willi!
Yay! It’s an honor to be a part of this list. 😀
I had the stomach flu yesterday, so this was a very nice thing to wake up to today.
I can’t wait to check out the resources I hadn’t heard of before. Awesome list, Sophie!
Thanks, Lauren – you rock!
Sophie,
What an excellent post this is – plenty to look at. It’s like Christmas come early!
Enjoy, Tony –there’s a whole string of prize giveaways coming up, too!
Shockingly good list! Number 31 is brilliant! Will save me some serious time looking for figures to back up my facts 🙂
Sophie,
Amazing! From marketing tips to community opportunities, you read my mind on exactly the resources I’m looking for. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thank you so much for these resources. I’m just getting started with writing as a career and your resources are so helpful. Looking forward to the 28 days of prizes contest too!
Thanks a million, Sophie. Your information is always so good!
This post is absolutely amazing and I just can’t stop loving. My freelance writing business will never be the same again. Thanks a lot for this post.
Thank you for such awesome resources. I wasn’t even aware of most of these before this post. I’d say that is hitting the ‘jackpot.’ : )
Whoa! Feel like a kid in a candy store. Thanks so much. Best of holidays.
Thanks a heap, Sophie! This is loaded with some real gems. I truly appreciate all the hard work you put into creating this list for us! Merry Christmas!
This is ridiculously useful, thank you! I’m also glad to see you have an updated version of your better paid blogging gigs. I’m going to be busy for days going through this list. Much appreciated.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! This list is terrific.
Yep, excellent work Sophie. Love the 60 Day MBA stuff.
LOL Sophie, it’s going to take me a year to get through all of these. You’re the best.
Annie
Amazing list, I think I have 20 open tabs right now. Thank you!
Amazing list Sophie Lizard. This is what I call content worth bookmarking.
I will need to visit this page too often now. Anyways thanks for compiling this wonderful list. I really appreciate your efforts. 🙂
Excellent work Sophie. If anyone can be graded for the work that they do on the web-wide universe, it has to be an A+ for you!
A great job!
BM
I love this list even more than the last one. Too bad I didn’t know Grammarly makes their handbook available free before I paid for a subscription.
I’m about to use #20 on a client. Does anyone have suggestions for when/if you should ever ask for a percentage of the payment up-front?
Sophie, this is fantastic as always. But #2 – 25 Types of Writing Gigs That Pay Well (And How to Find Them) [ebook by Francesca Nicasio] comes up with a 404 message.
Help!
Thank you!
Hi Caroline, looks like Francesca’s web host isn’t serving up that page any more. No idea why that happened — but if you visit http://beafreelancewriter.com/blog/ you can enter your email address in the sidebar to get copies of Francesca’s free ebooks (she has another one available now as well, titled “How to Land a Client in 10 Days”).
Killer content guys! Might recommend this course as well, no cost and dives into the technical and strategy of building a personal branded blog http://sean.co/382
Oh dear, how could I forget to comment on this?!
Sophie, you made my day back in December when I saw my free comic featured here, but you just made my day again with all the other wonderful resources in the list! (And it’s a day started bad because of back pains.)
Thank you!
~ Luana
Thanks for the resources. Think we can see an updated list?
Wow, Sophie! Well done! I am so excited about all of these resources you have found, I am just vibrating! I am in the process of starting a blog and you are a vast wealth of information! Thank you so much!
Good thing I’m new to this or I would puking info., but when you need it, it’s there.
Thanks A Ton.
Hey Sophie, thanks for this great resource! Just wanted to let you know that several of the links led to 404 pages.
Thanks, Dana – we’re in the process of updating this post with new resources to replace those broken links! 🙂
Not today, all the links I clicked on (which were most of them) worked.
Hi Sophie,
1’m so happy I came across this. It’s a great resource and very well put together.
Thank.
Great post.
Thanks a bunch. I can definitely see myself using at least three of those. And it is going to be an immense help.
Glad you’ve found some helpful freebies.
Ok, I had to scroll way down to write my comment. I had to let you know that this post is gold! Thank you for sharing resources. I’m a beginner in writing, but your post has set me up with good materials and equipment to proceed and suceed. God bless you.
So glad to hear it!
Hope you’re enjoying all the great advice about becoming a freelance writer on the blog too.