Are you a writer looking to get your content more exposure? Then free publishing platforms are your solution!
Read on for our best selection of 12 free online platforms for writers to publish articles.
If you're a writer or even an aspiring writer, this blog was written for you. Publishing your articles online can be a great way to reach a number of different goals, whether you want to:
The list goes on. Whatever your goal, publishing your articles online is a great way to get there.
Before we start, this article is about finding spaces to publish blog articles and shorter pieces of work here. You'll need a different approach if you've got a book to publish.
So without further ado, let's get started.
The first thing I recommend doing is setting up your own blog. Not only does this allow you to publish what you want when you want, but you can also customize it to your brand's colors. It also means you can use SEO to bring more readers to your blog, whereas that's something that's out of your control when using third-party platforms.
Here are some of my favorite free blogging platforms.
WordPress is a website and blog builder in one, so you get to choose which one most suits your needs. Do you have services to promote? Research projects or a portfolio to display? Then you could probably make use of the website function and have a blog attached to it, which you'll use to attract more visitors.
Just interested in writing for now? Use only the blog function. The great thing is if you decide later on that you want to start a website, you can do so without having to start all over again.
Wix is a great runner-up to Squarespace in that it is incredibly user-friendly. WordPress, for all its flexibility, can be a little complex to navigate if you're a first-timer.
Wix has pre-made templates, so all you need to do is pick one, customize it to your heart's content, and get writing.
Oh, and it has SEO tools to help you optimize your blog to appear higher up in search results.
Blogger.com have been around for a long time, so they know what they're doing. It has some nifty added features, too.
The Google Analytics tool comes included, which allows you to track how your posts are doing. This feature is not to be underestimated because it means you can write more about what your audience wants to read.
Another included bonus is Google AdSense, which allows you to make money via ads that your readers will see when they visit your blog. Not everybody wants that, though, so you'll have to decide if it's for you. Still, it's great to have the option to earn a bit of cash while you're getting set up.
As far as free publishing platforms go, third-party, independent platforms to publish your writing are a pretty good option since they already have an established used database, so the hard work has been done for you.
Medium is kind of like social media meets a publishing platform. The great thing is that its users are dedicated and serious about good writing. So if you think you have a talent for writing,
No doubt, you'll also find yourself pulled into reading some of the great articles you can find on there. And that's a great thing, of course, since avid reading is the best way to improve your own writing.
Longform content is received exceptionally well, so if you're into writing longer pieces, Medium might be for you.
You've definitely heard of Linkedin. Who hasn't? Well, if you haven't, let me sum it up for you. Linkedin is a professional networking platform that features job advertisements, news relevant to your industry, the opportunity to connect with others in your field, and… article publishing.
There are many reasons to publish on Linkedin. First of all, not only does it have the potential to appear on your connections' own newsfeeds but also on second and third-degree connections' feeds.
You can also feature your top articles on your profile so visitors can see them immediately.
Tumblr is a little different from other publishing platforms. First of all, it isn't exclusively for blog articles. You can also publish images and videos, have discussions and share other people's content. This means if you're creatively inclined, you can entertain your followers via mixed mediums.
But even if you exclusively want to write, Tumblr is an excellent place for that. It offers suggestions to readers based on their listed interests and what they've been reading. So if you play your cards right, you can have your articles recommended to others.
Flipboard brings together news stories with social content and, in that way, highlights diverse voices.
Not only is scoop.it a content publishing platform, but it also comes with content curation tools, meaning you can publish curated content and reach the right audience.
EzineArticles is a submission website, which means you'll have to submit your articles for approval before they can be published. The great thing about that is the site attracts people who are fans of good writing. Grammatically correct, error-free writing.
Article Alley, as the name suggests, is a hub for quality articles about a range of different topics. So no matter what you're writing about, you're sure to find people who'll be interested.
With Substack, you can also earn a little extra cash through paid subscriptions. That's right; you can use the platform to build a loyal readership, which is not only great in and of itself but also allows you to earn while you write.
There's one more area we haven't talked about when it comes to free publishing platforms, and that's the concept of guest blogging. That means writing for an established site that will publish your articles under your name.
Guest blogging can be a great way for you to increase your readership for several reasons.
What you'll want to do is search for online magazines or websites within your niche (the specific topic you write about), then make a list of websites you'd be interested in featuring on.
These sites will usually have a section with guidelines for article submissions. Read those, and decide whether it fits your writing style and whether it's worth your while. Try to think of the return on investment you're getting. Do they pay a fee for published articles?
Will they allow you to link back to your website?
Bear in mind that often, you'll have to write the article and submit it before knowing whether it's going to be accepted. But all isn't lost if you go to all that effort and the article isn't accepted: you can simply go ahead and publish it on one of the many free platforms listed above!
Well, that concludes this list of free publishing platforms for writers. I hope that you've found it helpful and that at least one of these will suit your needs. My recommendation is to use several different ones, however, so that you can make the most of what each one has to offer, tap into different audiences, and maximize the growth of your writing experience. Remember, experience is the best teacher!
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