Here Are the Best (and Worst) Places to Post Your Writing, in 2024.
Reader statistics (updated: June 2024)
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Last year, I wrote this story, breaking down the reader behaviour of the internet’s most popular writing platforms.
And, since the writing landscape changes quickly, I figured it was time for an update. 📝✅
So, here is an updated breakdown of all the major writing platforms’:
Traffic count
Demographics
Reader behaviour
I hope it helps you make an informed decision on where you should be posting your writing…
The only thing that matters.
I’m not very analytical.
But, if there’s anything I’ve learned in life, it’s…well, life is nuanced
When I first started writing online, I thought there was one golden platform. Once I found it, it would only be a matter of time before the world recognized my brilliance. But, after years of trial and error, I realized there is no such platform.
And, where you write will change constantly.
Today, there are nearly endless ways to monetize your words. So, discovering which platform is right for you comes down to understanding yourself as a writer.
What works for you is what works. Period. 📝 ✅
Below, is a list of the most popular writing platforms on the internet along with recent statistics. This will help you decide which platforms are right for you. Numbers don’t lie, but not all numbers were created equal, either.
Let’s get into it…
The 7 most popular writing platforms.
If you’ve ever done a Google search for “the best writing platforms”, you’ve likely come across most, if not all, of these platforms.
But, it can be difficult to discern which one is right for you. So, what I’ve outlined below is a list of key data points:
Traffic: to assess potential views
Demographics: to assess audience building
Referring platforms: to understand what platforms pair well
Plus, important metrics to give you a holistic understanding of where your writing will perform best…
1. Medium:
👉 All of the analytics below come from a website called Similar Web (no affiliation).
Medium is perhaps the most popular writing platform on the internet. Its cozy aesthetic and easy-to-use interface makes it perfect for beginners and side hustlers.
The following metrics are an average from the past 90 days…
Average monthly visits: 168 million
Visit duration: 1:58 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 25–34
Top traffic source: organic search*
Top referring social platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit
Reader interests (by niche): programming, software, technology
💡 70% of Medium’s traffic comes from organic search, meaning the vast majority of readers come from search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo.*
2. Substack:
Substack is a newsletter hosting platform with a subscription-based pay model. You can send written newsletters as well as share podcasts and videos.
Average monthly visits: 59 million
Visit duration: 2:34 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 25–34*
Top traffic source: direct search
Top referring social platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit
Reader interests (by niche): news & media, technology, lifestyle
💡Although 25-34 is the top age demographic (28%), the ages of readers on Substack is evenly spread from 34-65 (16%).*
3. Newsbreak:
Newsbreak is a news-based platform where you can sign up, start writing, and get paid for the read time on your articles. Click here, to become a writer.
Average monthly visits: 19 million
Visit duration: 2:29 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 55–64
Top traffic source: direct search
Top referring social platform: Facebook
Reader interests (by niche): news & media, finances, pets & animals
👉 Newsbreak has become one of my most lucrative side hustles. Here’s a breakdown of exactly how I use it to make $500 - $1,000+ per month.
4. Twitter/X:
Most people don’t think of Twitter/X as a writing platform. But, the default content is text-based, meaning it has readers. And, it’s a great place to write on and cross-promote with other platforms.
Average monthly visits: 5.9 billion
Visit duration: 11:05 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 18–34
Top traffic source: direct search*
Top referring social platforms: YouTube, Reddit
Reader interests (by niche): news & media, adult content, video games
💡68% of Twitter’s traffic comes from direct search, meaning the vast majority of traffic comes directly from Twitter.*
5. LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is another great place to build an audience of readers, as posts are essentially mini articles. It also has a newsletter feature if you’d like to write long-form.
Average monthly visits: 1.8 billion
Visit duration: 7:31 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 25–34
Top traffic source: organic search*
Referring social platforms: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter
Reader interests (by niche): programming & software, jobs, technology
💡 67% of LinkedIn’s traffic comes from organic search, meaning the vast majority of readers come from search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo.*
6. Reddit:
Reddit is a forum-based website where users can ask questions and upvote quality answers. Although many people don’t think of it as a writing platform, it’s a great place to promote your work. And, build authority in a particular niche.
Average monthly visits: 2.1 billion
Visit duration: 7:37 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 18-34
Top traffic source: organic search
Referring social platforms: YouTube, Twitter
Reader interests (by niche): adult content, video games, technology
7. Quora:
Quora is another forum-based website. It’s one of the top places for getting answers to questions on various topics. And, Quora has recently introduced a creator program, allowing you to create Spaces and monetize answers.
Average monthly visits: 824 million
Visit duration: 2:32 (minutes)
Top country: United States
Top age demographic: 18–34
Top traffic source: organic search*
Referring social platforms: YouTube, Reddit, Facebook
Reader interests (by niche): investing, technology, programming
💡 77% of Quora’s traffic comes from organic search, meaning the vast majority of readers come from search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo.*
7 smaller platforms you may have heard about.
But, weren’t sure if they were worth it.
Below are 7 of the most popular, but lesser-known, writing platforms. Truthfully, I’ve yet to see proof of any writers earning substantial money on them. With that said, they are legitimate. And, do have genuine potential.
1. HubPages.com:
Average monthly visits: 2 million
Visit duration: 1:08 (minutes)
Top traffic source: organic search
2. Vocal.media:
Average monthly visits: 2 million
Visit duration: 1:11 (minutes)
Top traffic source: organic search
3. Wattpad.com:
Average monthly visits: 141 million
Visit duration: 16:41 (minutes)
Top traffic source: split between direct and organic search (44% each)
4. Beehiiv.com:
Average monthly visits: 11 million
Visit duration: 3:01 (minutes)
Top traffic source: direct search
5. Textbroker.com:
Average monthly visits: 682,000
Visit duration: 3:26 (minutes)
Top traffic source: organic search
6. Scripted.com:
Average monthly visits: 42,000
Visit duration: 1:36 (minutes)
Top traffic source: organic search
7. Simily.co:
Average monthly visits: < 10,000
Visit duration: 3:11 (minutes)
Top traffic source: organic search
What to do with this data.
Let me validate something really quickly… you’ve just absorbed A LOT of information.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, here are a few tips to best utilize this information… 🛠️ 🧠
For starters, I believe it’s best to write on 2–3 platforms (maximum). This is because:
You want to diversify your efforts
You don’t want to spread yourself too thin
Personally, I think 2 is the sweet spot. Any time I try to write on any more, my quality starts to suffer.
So, think about which 2 platforms excite you the most. Then, think about how they can support eachother. 🙌 ✍️
For example: 💡
If you want to write about news & media but don’t like the idea of writing for an algorithm, Substack may be a great choice. But, without a lot of organic traffic, you may want to pair it with Twitter to increase your visibility.
Or, you could repurpose your posts to Newsbreak for additional income as the readers share similar interests.
This is just one example of how to best utilize this post.
If you’re still unsure where you should be writing, I would urge you to write down the following questions:
Who am I writing for?
How am I earning money?
What (and how many) platforms am I writing on?
Then, spend some time weighing your options. Once you’ve become 80% certain in your decision, start experimenting!
Final thoughts: get comfortable with change.
One of the most helpful mindsets I’ve adopted over the years is to become comfortable with change.
The grass isn’t always greener, but you won’t know until you take a look. 🛣️
I really hope this list has helped inform you. Feel free to refer to it as you continue expanding your online presence. And, as always, feel free to reach out with questions.
Happy writing!
Thanks for reading! 🙌
If you’re not yet a subscriber to Writer’s Hub, why not become one? 👇
👉 And, for weekly videos on how to make money as a writer, subscribe to my YouTube channel. 🍿
Finally, if you know anyone who will benefit from this post, share it with them. 👇
That’s it from me.
Talk soon! 🙋♂️
— Hudson
Writing resources:
🙋♂️ Here’s everything I’ve got going on
📚 These are my favourite books on writing
🗣️ This A.I. voiceover was created with Eleven Labs
I agree that there is no perfect platform and you need to understand what works for you. But after trying countless content platforms for 14 years, I've come to a conclusion.
If a platform doesn't provide reliable organic reach, run.
Platforms change over the years. At some point they may make it very hard to grow an audience. Even if you do everything right. It happened to me on Mediums and X.
Substack for now has much better organic reach.
Informative
Thanks for sharing this