WordPress, Substack, or Both?
I have been blogging since 2008 and have published 800 articles. Recently, I have written less, but I am so grateful that WordPress.com, unlike some other platforms I have used, has stayed in business. Fingers crossed that it continues.
My desk. In first grade my teacher wrote on my report card that my desk was messy.Some things never change.
When Substack started attracting a lot of writers, I played along and have a fledgling presence there. I have been following other writers with larger audiences: Parker Palmer, Heather Cox Richardson, Courtney Martin, Dan Blank, and others. And I am starting to notice other writers with similar interests, trying to figure out how Substack works. It appears to be more like a social media platform than a publishing platform like WordPress.
I am interested in the experiences of readers and writers. Which writing platform do you prefer and why?
Who are your favorite writers on any platform and why?
I am considering continuing personal and family blogging here and doing very occasional “public intellectual” (using my academic training in American literature, and religion) essays, like this one, on Substack.
I’m open to your thoughts on any of the above!
Your voice and insight would be perfect for the Substack platform. I love the idea of having Substack for your more public-facing writing, and WordPress for your more personal writing. You have so many good things to say, and I imagine you would have a substantial following. Highly recommend you do this (if that’s what you want to do!)
Thank you for your encouragement and these kind words. Are you on Substack? I think I recall your blog was on Patreon?
My personal choice is to stay with WordPress, because I do a lot of the “outward” on Facebook, which is not a grand media but is wildly egalitarian and I get to speak to people who are different from those who might choose to be followers … I do not reserve anything for “friends” and I don’t put any personal information on it — spouse, children, personal pictures. I am also (at 75) preaching 40+ weeks a year so there’s that weekly sermon which is writing and I am slowing down. That said … it seems that Substack is the forward moving engine and trying it for 6-9 months would let you know whether you want to stay.
Shirley, I’m enjoying Substack. Most of the people I follow on that platform are book-related (authors, publishing, industry experts). My favorite Substack is Brooke Warner. Here’s the endorsement I wrote when I recommended her:
“Brooke Warner has been my publisher at She Writes Press for over a decade, and she’s an absolute dynamo. As an author of six books, TEDx speaker, and co-host of Memoir Nation, she brings unparalleled industry expertise to everything she does. Above all, Brooke is a fierce advocate for authors. Her Substack is a masterclass in publishing strategy and a generous font of insider information she gladly shares. If you want to navigate the publishing landscape, subscribing to her work is a must.”
I have been blogging since 2013, a few years after you were blogging, Shirley. I am enjoying Word Press and hoping they don’t go away either. It is easy to use, usually. I have had many viewers, and I mainly do it as a sort of diary. I hope our children are able to keep some of the things I’ve written about as a sort-of-memoir, too.
I almost always read your posts and enjoy them! Blessings.
Good question, Shirley!
I have written 77 posts on Substack and have found several compelling writers there, including two you named: Brooke Warner and Dan Blank, who always features updates on his children, including a child-prodigy younger son. I’ve billed myself as a family history buff on Substack and have met several genealogists. Some have read my books, and I, theirs.
WordPress is my first love, though, where I met you in 2013. Fortuitous indeed. These are my “people.” So far, I’ve written 741 posts and enjoy the elasticity of the site. I feel free to write family history but also feature contemporary topics. It’s hard to keep up the momentum on two sites, however. I have slowed down on Substack since my husband’s surgery.