Frase Review

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Frase Review
4.2
4.2 of 5 stars 1 review
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Summary

The application is best suited for content writers, marketing agencies, link builders, web designers, SEO optimizers, web designers, and digital PR agencies that want to take their content to the next level and produce these great quality pieces of content faster than you ever thought possible.

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Pros

  • Fast and accurate search results
  • Generation of customizable content briefs
  • Summarizes content for you
  • Highlights essential keywords to include

Cons

  • Only three users allowed. Extra users are an add-on expense
  • Plain User interface
  • The small number of integrations

ABOUT

What do you get when a word processor like MS Word marries a search engine like Google? You get Frase! Touted as a content writer’s best friend, Frase is an online AI-driven platform that can help scribes streamline and supplement their writing process. It acts as a content researcher, curator, and qualifier all rolled into one. What’s great is that the platform gives you a strong foundation to build an article on, even before you’ve started it. Besides, Frase also acts as a help desk, answering any questions your site’s visitors may have.

The platform was started by Tomas Ratia and Frankie Liuzzi in 2016. Ratia came to the US to do his undergrad studies in Business at Northeastern University. After an unenjoyable year working at Banco Santander, an international finances company, he went to Harvard to pursue a master’s degree. It was during this period that he became interested in coding. He also found himself fascinated by the research and publishing world. These newfound interests, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit, led him to start several online platforms. Among these were Gapelia, a publishing tool, Folio, a content management system for academics, and Dat Ventures, an accelerator program for international startups looking to thrive in the US.

Ratia’s startup ventures enjoyed varying degrees of success, some flourishing, and others not so much. Not content with his business forays, he founded Frase in 2016. He convinced his Northwestern University pal Liuzzi to join him as co-founder. Together, they raised around $1 million in funding from VCs and angel investors. Since then, the platform has grown steadily with clientele numbering in the thousands. Today, with a team of just 7, they run perhaps the most exciting tool for content creators out there.

How It Works And Who Can Use It

After Google changed our lives for good, SEO became the buzzword in marketing circles. While a multitude of tools came up to help optimize SEO strategies, not many paid attention to the foundation SEO is built on – content. Fortunately, the market is now churning up aids for the harried writer. Frase is part of this niche. Its key differentiator is the fact that it puts content at the heart of its offering. For Frase, SEO is a mere tool to create the content for which your customers are looking. For most other content marketing software, it is the other way around. Another salient factor is that cutting-edge AI powers all its features, making it a trusty and speedy platform.

The application is best suited for content writers, marketing agencies, link builders, web designers, SEO optimizers, web designers, and digital PR agencies. With its pricing range, the company endears itself to a broad assortment of business types, from solo entrepreneurs and freelancers to small and medium business owners. Its tiered structure ensures that businesses can stick with the platform as they grow to need more of its features.

PRICING

At first glance, this writing-aide platform is reasonably priced. Starting at $39.99, it costs well below competitors such as SEMrush. However, even the premium plans are limited to only three users. For every additional user, you must pay an add-on fee of $15. So, if you have a team of 8 to 10 writers, it could turn out to be a costly affair. That said, Frase has four subscription plans, one of which is free. What’s great about the open plan is that it does not require you to disclose your credit card information. On the other hand, it is a limited plan that only allows you to check five documents every month. This limited access might work for someone who dabbles in writing now and then but is hardly sufficient for a serious writer.

Two of the three priced plans come with both monthly and annual subscription options. To entice them to commit for a more extended period, the company offers its users a 15% to 20% discount on the yearly subscriptions. The platform’s most premium plan only has an annual payment plan. You can cancel your subscription any time without any legal repercussions, but do not expect a refund if you are a yearly subscriber. Users who subscribe to the platform using AppSumo, however, can ask for a refund within 60 days, and the company will do so, no questions asked.

Here is a detailed look at Frase’s subscription plans:

Plan

Free

Basic

Growth

Answer Engine

Price

–

$39.99/Month Billed Annually

Or

$44.99/Month Billed Monthly

$99.99/Month Billed Annually

Or

$114.99/Month Billed Monthly

$199.99/Month Billed Annually

Users

1

1

3

3

Documents

5/Month

30/Month

Unlimited

Unlimited

Answer Engine

30-day Free Trial

–

–

500 Answers/Month

Google Search Crawls

1/Month

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

 

FEATURES​

  1. Topic Understanding
  2. Summarization
  3. Research Briefs
  4. Content Qualification And Optimization
  5. Answer Intelligence

1. Topic Understanding

The software uses AI to understand the intent behind the topic you are writing on. For example, the word ‘cloud’ may refer to the software infrastructure, or the fluffy-looking, water-vapor filled one in the sky. Once the software understands the topic, it gets you the top 20 results on Google for that query. This function might seem no different from using the Google search bar at first. However, Frase goes a step further than just showing you the top results. It uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand each article, find out how many subtopics exist, and how they are all related to each other, across the articles. What is surprising is the accuracy of the results. The AI is by no means perfect, and you do get the odd unrelated article now and then. However, that is an exception rather than the rule.

2. Summarization

Once Frase has understood all the topics covered by the top 20 articles on Google SERP, it then uses Natural Language Generation (NLG) to pick and connect the sentences that matter. The software does this in an intelligible way, automatically summarizing the content for you. These summaries can prove invaluable for someone who is researching a completely different topic. They help writers get a gist of the subject and provide a base as good as any to start their article.

3. Research Briefs

The platform’s content or research briefs are perhaps one of its best features. It is a neat little document that the software produces when you type in your search query. The material comes divided into five subsections for easy distinction, complete with sources, links, and summaries. Uniquely, one of the sections is a statistics tab that displays any analytical research that the software has found during its search. This statistics tab is especially beneficial if you need to write a fact-based report.

Another nice feature is that the platform displays all the latest news articles published on your query in a separate section. Helpfully, these are presented in order of publication, going from the most recent issuing to the older ones. You also get an average word count that articles with your typed-in keywords have. This way, you have a general idea of the number of words your write up should aim for right from the get-go.

Now, if you were to compile a comprehensive document such as the one described above, it would take you anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, if not more. What is remarkable with Frase is that you get all this in a matter of seconds. Moreover, the software allows you to choose where it sources its materials. All you need to do is select which websites or countries you want the Frase bot to comb through, and it will customize its search accordingly.

4. Content Qualification And Optimization

When you conduct a document search on Frase, it opens two side-by-side windows. On the right side is a window displaying the platform’s search results with the content briefs and summaries, as described above. The left-hand side window is a blank document you can use to type on just as you would on any other word processor. This way, you can perform both the actions of writing and researching at once without constantly changing tabs.

Frase’s content editor does all the usual grammar and spelling checks needed to correct your document. Also, the software assigns a score to your content. The rating is based on your keyword density and the percentage of subtopics you have included in your document. Frase also lets you know the average topic score across all your competitor websites so that you can plan accordingly.

A key feature here is the software’s ‘Questions Tool.’ This tool is a section of commonly asked questions that people are asking around your chosen topic. The intelligent software combs through sites such as Reddit, Mahalo, Answers.com, and Quora, so you do not have to. You can then include and answer some of these questions in your article to improve your search engine score. Once you are done with your article, you can download it as a Word, PDF, plain text, or HTML text file. Since the software integrates with WordPress, MailChimp, and Google Docs, you can directly upload your document to these platforms.

5. Answer Intelligence

This feature is one of Frase’s latest offerings. Essentially, it is a chatbot that uses existing content from your website to answer any questions your visitors may have. This tool works great for brands that do not have a knowledge base or FAQ section set up. The software crawls through the different pages on your website to create a virtual database from which it forms answers. What’s great is that the feature is a set-it-and-forget-it kind of tool. That is because you can configure the system to automatically re-crawl your site every week, so the bot is always updated.

Another nice touch here is that you can configure the bot to your liking. Accordingly, you can give the bot a name, create a welcome message, and a unique avatar. Besides, you can draft custom messages for your target audience and include email capture forms, CTA buttons, and exit pop-ups. This feature is available only for subscribers of the ‘Answer Engine’ plan, which allows up to 500 answers per month. You can purchase 100 additional answers for an add-on price of $50.

INTEGRATIONS

At present, Frase integrates with only six third-party integrations. These are:

  • WordPress
  • MailChimp
  • Google Search
  • Google Drive
  • HubSpot CRM and
  • HubSpot COS

The sparseness in this department is not ideal. Busy writers would benefit from a broader range of integrations that would allow them to directly post their content onto various platforms without first downloading it. Hopefully, the company will soon broaden its integration list. In particular, it should look to include more CMS sites, connections to social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, and project management sites such as Trello. These additional integrations would only serve to make the platform more user friendly.

More About Frase

Set Up And Ease OF Use

Setting up your Frase platform is an easy, two-step process. All you need to do is sign up using an email account and then choose your type of work environment. If you are on a team plan, you will also have to add your employees. Once in, the software presents you with three options to get you on your way – start a document, set up tracking, or create an answer assistant. The brevity of choices is calming. Not only does it put a spotlight on the platform’s main features, but it also shows you where to begin.

The user interface sports a rather plain look. That said, the application is easy to navigate through. So, while not very pretty to look at, it is functional. A primary vertical menu runs down the left-hand side of the screen. It allows you to easily switch tabs between setting up your answering assistant and creating documents. Every time you use a feature for the first time, the software guides you on its tools with helpful pop-up boxes that briefly explain the nuances of each. There is also a help button located at the bottom corner of the screen that takes you to the software’s guide section.

Device Compatibility

Desktop Browser App

Android App

iOS App

Windows Phone App

Apple Watch App

✓

X

X

X

X

 

Frase does not have a dedicated mobile application at present. This shortcoming does present a problem for writers who are always on the go. That said, writers usually prefer working on their laptops and tablets rather than their mobile devices. Besides, the site’s browser version is a mobile responsive one, giving users the same functionality and features no matter what device they are on. So, if push comes to shove, you can access the platform through your phone’s browser.

Customer Service

Frase’s customer service offerings, while not the best, are adequate. The company provides its users with email and live chat support. While there is no in-app chat box, the software’s website has a useful live help option. You will first have to contend with the chatbot here that typically responds to your query with a host of articles, some helpful, others not. However, if you are not satisfied with the response, it quickly allows you to chat with one of the company’s reps.

The reps are available on business hours from Monday to Friday. They are knowledgeable and typically respond in a few hours. You can also book a 30-minute to 1-hour live demo with these reps, and they will walk through the ins and outs of the software with you. The platform’s resource library is sparse, containing only three guides. Its blog section is better endowed with a good selection of helpful articles, tips and tricks, and announcements. Also, there are a handful of case studies that you can peruse through to see how Frase helps other organizations.

PROS AND CONS

PROS

  • Fast and accurate search results
  • Generation of customizable content briefs
  • Summarizes content for you
  • Highlights essential keywords to include
  • Content scores help you improve document quality
  • Shows news articles, statistics, and commonly asked questions
  • AI-powered answer generator

CONS

  • Only three users allowed. Extra users are an add-on expense
  • Plain User interface
  • The small number of integrations

CONCLUSION

In the deadline-driven world that we live in, time truly is of the essence. And there is no doubt that Frase can help content writers save heaps of this valuable commodity. Not only does it do all your research for you, but it also creates a summary document and organizes it into neat little sections. That too, all in under a minute. Now all you need to do is start writing. Perhaps the only negatives with this platform are the add-on prices and its limited number of integrations. If you are someone who believes that time is money and values content-centric writing, those will probably be minor quibbles. While Frase’s free plan is a limited one, it is certainly worth signing up. That way, you can play around with its content creation tools to see if it is a good fit for your team or not.

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