Developing a Content Creation Tech Stack

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Question: How does a creator build a tech stack that supports their objectives, makes them more productive, and produces high-quality content? 

For the last ten years, I ran a digital marketing agency that created high-quality content at scale for clients. Since selling the agency, I founded a decentralized Q&A platform that converts questions into articles featuring expert insights.  Along this journey, I’ve picked up some insights that may be helpful for creators to build a content marketing tech stack. And to make sure I’m up to date on content creation tools, I also asked content marketers a simple question: “what’s the content tool you’re really feeling these days?” I received 108 responses from around the world. In this article, I’ll share a summary of content creation tool recommendations so you can build an effective content marketing tech stack. 

AI-Powered Copywriting & Writing Assistants

AI writing assistants and copywriting tools seem to be the first and most important selection when it comes to formulating a content creation tech stack, but there’s a great divide between the tools content creators prefer. 

“Jasper is the content creation tool that I'm using almost every day now to grow your business online,” says Amira Irfan, a seven-figure blogger at A Self Guru. “It uses AI technology to create any kind of content ranging from blog posts to social media posts, infographics, and even video content.”

I had incorporated Jasper (then named Jarvis) into our tech stack at my digital marketing agency. After hearing Amira’s reply, I nodded along in agreement. But then a few other AI-powered copywriting tools began to emerge in conversations, including Copy.ai. “When you're trying to improve your content, one of the best tools to use is Copy.ai,” says Dr. Steve Hruby, a certified chiropractor & physical therapist at Superhumn. “It’s easy to use and saves on time that would be spent on research otherwise.”

Another tool I hadn’t heard of before was Writesonic.ai. “I have used almost every AI-powered copywriting tool available,” says Jessica Rafaeil, founder of More Than Press. “Most create robotic language that requires heavy editing or completely misses the mark on nuanced subjects. The language from Writesonic.ai is the highest quality delivered from any AI-powered copywriting tool I have used to date.”

Overall, the most important addition to a content creation tech stack is an Ai-powered writing assistant. Most offer free trials, and these tools seem to be good starting places. 

Proofreading & Editing for Grammar

Going into this article, I had assumed that Grammarly would be the de facto choice for proofreading and editing. However, a few new tools came on my radar as I heard from marketers. 

“ProWritingAid has changed the game of proofreading for me,” said Sam Browne, founder of the link-building service, HARO SEO. “It functions similarly to Grammarly—except that it's better and does not merely conform to grammar.”

At my agency, I always relied on Hemingway Editor. Viktor Holas, founder of Wise Barber, does the same. 

“We do a lot of product reviews and blog writing on our website, and Hemingway Editor helps keep your writing simple and easy to understand,” says Viktor, who generates approximately 350,000 organic visits a month to his website. “The app color codes your writing to let you know when the sentence is too difficult to read, when there is a simpler phrase available, and when you are drifting into passive voice. The free version of the application is a fit for us.”

Visual Platform For Professional Images & Productivity 

You know that saying about a good graphic or image saying 1,000 words? That’s why content marketers like Daria Shcherbakova, Growth Marketing Manager at Semrush turn to Canva.

“There are some situations when I need to use an external tool to create my content for social media or blog posts,” says Daria. “First, I always try to create a mockup in Canva for my internal design team before making a task for them. This saves a lot of time for the design team and me since they already know what I want to see as a final design. Second, we all know that sometimes the backlog is huge, and the design team can't finish my task as fast as I wish. That's when I would go to Canva and create my content in 10 mins and publish it immediately. We have uploaded a branding kit, making it fast and easy.”

Expert Insight Platforms for Sourcing + Promotion

Content creators sometimes need insights from experts to complete their articles. That’s where expert insight platforms come in.  Creators can ask a question on an expert insight platform to get connected with qualified sources and receive quotes for their articles. Being the founder of Terkel, I turned to our own platform to source insights for this article. However, there are a few other expert insight platforms that creators like to turn to, including Helpab2bwriter.com. 

“If you're creating content for any B2B audience, HelpaB2BWriter.com is an epic tool for gathering original quotes from legit industry experts,” says Zach Grove, a growth advisor who offers an additional pro tip when using expert insight platforms. “Once you've cited experts, many will be happy to share your article (with their quote included) to their audiences via channels like LinkedIn and Twitter. It's a win-win.”

Next Steps To Develop Your Content Tech Stack

Not all tech stacks are one size fits all. But hopefully, this article will help you identify the categories to succeed as a content creator, and provide you with a head start on tools to try. Be selective about your AI writing assistant, and use a professional editing tool to maintain quality for readers. Top off the content with a visual image, and consider trying expert insight platforms for built-in promotion. 

The end result? High-quality content, done effectively.