Don’t Overwhelm Yourself With Too Many Writing Platforms. Start Here
Don’t make the mistakes I made when I was starting out
Introduction
You are a writer and want to start writing online, but are confused about what platforms you should choose to write on?
I get that as I was in the same place and that led me to try a shit lot of platforms. I wasn’t loyal to a single platform.
It had got something to do with my impatience. In retrospect, I was not patient enough to put in enough hard work into one platform and grow it to something significant.
I used to think the more places and platforms I wrote online on, the better. I could not be more wrong.
Now, after 1.5+ years of writing online, I think the exact opposite of this is true.
It doesn’t mean you have to get married to a platform. This just means you need to stay a little loyal to a handful of them.
A million options in front of you
In today’s digital era, the key to success is increasingly dependent on effective distribution.
With the rise of no-code tools and AI writing assistants, anyone can create products and write a million words every day.
The era where writing more or building more was the key to success is long gone.
Today, there are a million and one options in the form of tools and platforms to facilitate any step you are wondering to take.
The case is no different in the field of writing.
Nevertheless, not all platforms are created equally. Some platforms are better than others. They offer better distribution and community.
And this is exactly why you should pick a platform with care:
- Distribution
- Community
That’s why it’s crucial to stick to a couple of platforms rather than to spread your attention
Shortlist and focus wholeheartedly
If you are someone who’s new to this writing online game or are planning to start writing, choosing your primary platform is super important.
If someone tells you that platform doesn’t matter at all, they might be right. Tomorrow if Chris Evans decides to become a writer, it doesn’t matter which platform he chooses.
But most of us aren’t Chris Evans, are we?
Choosing a good platform can act as a catalyst for your writing career/side-hustle.
If I were to start writing again, I would select a couple from this list:
Medium
Yes, Medium. Yours truly started here and wouldn’t want to change even a single thing.
It’s best for long- and medium-length articles. You can also earn money directly from the platform through the Medium Partner Program.
Start by posting 1–2 articles every week and then escalate to your sweet spot where you can combine quality with consistency.
Submit to publications. They have helped me improve my writing a lot. Sometimes a rejection is all you need to remind yourself that you can do better.
Combine it with Medium and it will become a fiery combo. I see it as a blank canvas where I can paint and experiment.
Writing a couple of lines on tens of different aspects of relatively connected topics helps you get a 360-view. You are able to make interesting connections and that is a boon for your Medium article. Win-win!
Twitter is also full of life these days. This vibrant community paired with jam-packed capsules of information makes it an awesome learning destiny.
Not only this, you can also share and build things in public, if that interests you.
Substack
I never thought I’d become interested in an ancient tech — sharing my words with someone over e-mail.
But it turns out, it is one of the most efficient ways to reach your readers, if not the most efficient.
Substack is the best platform for your newsletters. It is simple, clean, intuitive, and easy to use.
Combined with features like Discover and Recommendation, it takes care of everything. You just need to focus on your craft.
As a beginner, you’d not want to overwhelm yourself with features and nitty-gritty. It’s simply not worth your time and effort.
Ex: Quora
I have mixed feelings for this platform.
Why mixed, you ask? Because this platform isn’t even remotely similar to what it used to be.
But when I was starting out, some 1.5 years ago, things were very different. I will never know why I didn’t write as much there.
That’s why I have included it under ex.
What I would definitely want is that you give this platform a short. Maybe the things you are writing about find its audience there because apparently there is no decrease in the traffic to the website.
It may well be just me who is missing the old days.
But it’s best to direct your focus primarily to the top 3. If you get time after that, you should explore Quora for sure.
The final choices will differ based on personal preferences, but I’ll highly suggest you choose from the list above.
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