The Best Free Websites for the Content-Creating Public Relations Student

Creating exceptional, professional content on a budget

by Sophia Soliman

The old adage, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” still holds true. However, the truly exceptional content creator understands that offering their audience valuable content is the key to credibility, higher engagement and a stronger brand image. While CSULB students, particularly those in the public relations program, are exceptional, it’s essential to stay ahead of the curve. Here are some of the best free online programs to save to your public relations digital toolbox. If you want to elevate your content creation to the next level, keep reading.

Canva
By now, Canva is a staple in the PR toolbox. However, if you’re new to Canva, it’s an online graphic design tool with ready-made templates optimized for social media, infographics, brochures, and more. Piktochart and Easel.ly are excellent tools for creating infographics as well. 
If you’re familiar with Canva, consider trying Canva Design School. They have numerous educational series, but my favorite is the “graphic design basics.” This short and sweet mini-series covers the basics of good design, such as complimentary fonts, white space, coordinated colors and more. 

Sharethrough Headline Analyzer
My least favorite part of content creation is writing headlines. However, the Sharethrough Headline Analyzer is a great tool for analyzing the effectiveness of your headline. For example, the headline for this post received a 73, or an above-average score. Their algorithm is effective, and they offer explanations on how to make your headline even better.
 
Open Calais Demo
Part of effective search engine optimization (SEO) is understanding what keywords best highlight your written content. This program is merely a demo of the site’s capabilities but is nonetheless sufficient to identify tags. Simply copy and paste your text and it will analyze your text and identify the best keywords to tag your content with. For instance, their system has identified “public relations program,” “Canva” and “social media mastery” as a few of the keywords of this post. 
 
Grammarly and Hemingway App
Concise and effective writing is an essential skill in PR. That said, if your skills aren’t up to par, resources like Grammarly and Hemingway App can help. The Grammarly add-on for Google Chrome works on Google Drive, Gmail and most social media platforms. It helps catch spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. Hemingway App is great for understanding the readability and flow of your writing. It’s important to note that neither program is perfect, nor do they take AP style into account. 
 
Adobe Spark
Did you know that as a CSULB student, Adobe Creative Suite is available for $20 a year? While this isn’t a free program, like the others on this list, I would be remiss if I neglected to mention a deal this good. Take advantage of this incredible price, and in particular, Adobe Spark. It’s similar to Canva, but Adobe Spark offers website and short video templates. The website templates, in particular, are a unique offering I have yet to see on any other site. 
 
In sum, there are a lot of free resources available for the aspiring PR practitioner. These are just a few of them, so it’s worth doing a bit more research to bolster your digital toolbox even more.