I do a very specific type of blogging.

My blog is the wheel that moves my business forward.

And to do that, this “blog” needs to be a heavy-lifter.

For example, this blog is not just a blog; it’s a website where I:

• teach
• sell courses and digital products
• run a membership
• publish free posts
• publish paywalled posts

And guess what?

I do ALL OF THAT from inside ONE platform… a platform that many of you love to hate:

WordPress. (The queen bee, hate if you want, but it trumps all other platforms. Period.)

Didn’t see that coming?

Well, too bad.

But yeah, I love WordPress (open source, self-hosted), and it is still the best blogging platform in my honest opinion, and the only one I recommend to my readers who want to start an online business.

That said, not everyone has the same types of aspirations.

Not everyone needs all the bells and whistles that come with WordPress.

Some of you are just trying to write and see where this all goes. You don’t need WordPress if all you’re doing is hitting publish every week.

And if that’s you, or you’re just not into WordPress (to each their own, I get it), let me share my thoughts on a few of the popular blogging platforms so you can make an educated decision when it comes to choosing a platform for yourself, based on your specific needs.

WordPress (.org)

Let me repeat myself so you really get it:

I have free posts, paid posts, a membership, a community, an online course platform, and a digital product shop… inside one single platform that you all love to hate: WordPress.

So yes, if you ask me, WordPress rules.

It is not perfect, but it gets pretty close!

Upper management and their many shenanigans aside, WordPress is a SOLID open-source platform and a VERY powerful one at that.

So my vote, obviously, goes to WordPress-based websites for bloggers and creator-educators, and online entrepreneurs in general (the self-hosted kind, not the managed one from WordPress.com, and if you don’t know the difference, Google it… this post ain’t WordPress 101).

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Alright.

In all seriousness, a platform is only as good as its use case.

If a user has no need for the many bells and whistles that come with WordPress, then is it really necessary, especially if they’ve never used WordPress?

A powerful platform like WordPress can be overwhelming to complete newbies, so I’m always careful who I recommend it to.

Consider why you may or may not want to use WordPress:

• Design freedom: While the platform itself can be hair-pulling-level frustrating for brand-new users, it does offer easy (and scalable) design options with no-code page builders
• Third-party integrations: Almost anything can be integrated within WordPress — PayPal, Stripe, practically any and all email service providers — you name it, WordPress’s got it
• Memberships and subscriptions: Want to paywall content or run paid memberships? You can do that with WordPress
• Online stores: E-commerce, drop-shipping, Stripe or PayPal or pretty much any other payment gateway integration, Pay-What-You-Want offers, and more
• Communities and forums: Yes, you can create communities with cool features like private DM’s and chats, within WordPress
• Custom forms: For contact and newsletter signups
• Popups and sticky banners: for special promotions, newsletter opt-ins, and more

And so much more!

If you can think of it, someone has already built a plugin for it to be used with WordPress.

I mean… at this stage, there’s very little WordPress cannot do, y’know what I mean?

If you need even more reasons to blog on WordPress, I’ve written about why it’s still the best blogging platform here.

Also, if you’ve decided to go with a self-hosted WordPress site, these are some of my recommended resources:

• Hosting: SiteGround
• Domain: NameCheap
• Theme: Astra
• Page-builder: Elementor or Divi
• Newsletter software: Some plugins can add native newsletter functionalities on WordPress, but I prefer, recommend, and myself use… Kit

That said, if the learning curve or the regular maintenance needs are too much for you, or you just can’t bring yourself to like WordPress, I have options for you.

Blogmaker

If you’re looking for an antithesis to WordPress that hits all the right notes, look no further than Blogmaker.

There’s a lot to love about this platform, and I’ll list some of my favorite features in a second, but what truly stood out to me was how easy (and FAST) it was to start a blog with Blogmaker, while at the same time, the platform sports some really powerful native features, such as subscriptions, newsletters, private posts, and more… starting at only $19 per year.

That’s not a typo. Blogmaker is one of the most affordable blogging platforms built not only for hobby bloggers, but also for business owners who appreciate simplicity but need advanced features and functionalities at the same time.

Here’s a list of things I love about Blogmaker:

• Native subscriptions and newsletters: Build your audience and send newsletters without paying for third-party tools
• SEO tools: Built-in tools and automatic sitemaps to ensure you get discovered in both traditional and generative (AI) search
• Zero maintenance: Regular automatic backups and security are handled for you
• Multi-author support: Easily add guest authors for seamless collaboration
• Built-in analytics and custom domains: Everything you need to track growth under your own brand
• Stellar support: Priority support is available in the Expert tier and above
• Historical excellence: Blogmaker has been around for 5+ years and has a near 5-star rating in Capterra and Trustpilot

And many more impressive things that are built right into the platform, while keeping the user experience and user interface simple and easy to navigate.

You can see a full list of Blogmaker features here.

Finally, there’s another thing I love about Blogmaker: It was bootstrapped by founder Val Sopi, and is NOT backed by Venture Capitalists or Private Equity. Meaning, the platform isn’t just trying to squeeze every dollar possible from its users. The tool is built to serve its users and not billionaires.

If you’re looking for a WordPress alternative that’s simpler, requires zero maintenance, and yet is highly efficient and powerful, look no further than Blogmaker.

Squarespace

If you need a lot of bells and whistles, such as memberships and native online stores or course builders, but hate the idea of WordPress (.org), then next best solution is Squarespace.

(FYI: You can get 10% off a Squarespace plan if you use my unique coupon code: TSB10)

It has recently come to my attention that Squarespace now has more or less everything a small business owner might need, as native solutions, no less (meaning, no third-party required!):

• Course creator
• Membership
• Paywalled content
• Native event booking with Acuity Scheduling for single or multiple attendees (great if you offer coaching, for example)
• Native payment system
• E-commerce
• Invoicing
• Email marketing (not sufficient to replace something like Kit, for example, but enough to segment customers and/or members and send marketing campaigns)
• Popups, announcement banners
• And now, an easy-to-use, AI-powered native Squarespace website designer/builder, “Blueprint AI”

I recently reviewed Squarespace here and even have a video there showing you how to use Blueprint AI to set up a fully functional and good-looking Squarespace site in under 15 minutes.

Ghost

If you really hate WordPress and are not a fan of Squarespace, then I believe Ghost is your next best option.

I’ve never used it myself, but I hear good stuff from folks who do use it.

It comes with membership/subscription functionalities, even has a built-in ESP (Email Service Provider), though maybe not the best (you may have to use a third-party service like Outpost to get additional email features, especially is you run a membership/subscription site).

So yeah.

If you want a simple, membership/subscription-based site without the need for other fancy features, feel free to go with Ghost.

Substack/Beehiiv

Great for newsletter-first folks.

I have a Substack for a pet project, but I’ll be honest with you, personally I find the platform wonky and had it not been for a pet project that focuses on traditional writing with traditional writer folks as my audience (many of whom happen to be on Substack), I’d have gone with Beehiiv.

Speaking of Beehiiv, if you’re a serious newsletter-only business person, that’d be my recommendation.

They have bells and whistles, making them far superior to Substack.

For example, Beehiiv’s referral program is stellar, and you can even make some money by referring other Beehiiv creators.

They also have a built-in ad marketplace these days, so if you want to run ads in your newsletter, it’s a lot easier to set up your portfolio and accept payment from brands, all native within the Beehiiv platform.

So yeah… make sure to weigh your pros and cons carefully before you jump on the Substack bandwagon.

➡ ️One last thing about Substack:

One of the most annoying things about Substack is the lack of automation available. You can still do business without it, but depending on your goals, this may be a significant drawback.

For example, I’ve built my primary newsletter with free lead magnets.

Based on which lead magnet someone signs up for, they will get that specific freebie, and perhaps a sequence to help me sell a certain product related to that freebie.

With Substack, you have no way of doing this. So yeah, be careful before choosing Substack as your primary platform for both blogging and list-building.

Medium

I mean… I really don’t know what to say.

This platform is the biggest flip-flop I’ve ever seen.

The appeal of Medium was that anyone could start writing there, find an audience, and make some money on top of it all.

Back in 2017 and 2018, when I opened my first account there, I saw the opportunities right away!

But then Medium kept doing all sorts of x y z experiments with its algorithm that did nothing to actually help writers.

I’ll say that the Medium editor was and always is the best part of that platform.

Writing there is such a joy!

But beyond that… I really don’t know.

Maybe Medium will bounce back to its former glory, though I doubt it.

I go there to share fringe stuff, and maybe you’ll do the same. Some writers say it helps them build an audience the same way social media does.

Proceed at your own risk…is all I’ll say.

If you must use Medium, treat it as a place to build an audience. This platform cannot, as of writing this, be a viable income stream for you in and of itself. And it also should not be your primary business hub.

In other words, I highly recommend business owners to have their own site on self-hosted WordPress (.org), Squarespace, or Ghost, and then use Medium (if you must) as a lead capture platform… like social media, but with mid- to long-form content.

WordPress (.com)

OK… I didn’t want to mention it because I DO NOT recommend it.

But I will say a few words because so many people get confused and start a blog on WordPress.com, and it’s simply not what you want.

Go with self-hosted WordPress.org or go with something else (like Squarespace or Ghost).

WordPress.com is a middle-of-nowhere platform that’s way, way inferior to the self-hosted kind, that nobody should use (or pay for!!!). Period.

May as well go for one of the options below.

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OK, wait… so, at this point, if you’re wondering…

“Oh, but why should I start a blog when I could just have a newsletter only (especially with platforms like Substack and Beehiiv)?”

… Then I have just the thing for you.

Read the post below, where I shared why you may or may not want a separate blog, outside of your newsletter.

Do You Need a Separate Blog if You Have a Newsletter?

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OK, that’s all.

I’m sure there are a bazillion other platforms out there, but I don’t think they’re suitable for serious bloggers and content-entrepreneurs who want to make money off their writing.

New platforms shoot up all the time, just to vanish soon after. So, if you want to check out one of those shiny new platforms, do so with caution.

I’m not discouraging you from supporting a new platform, but make sure it can scale with your growth.