There’s no doubt about the fact that there’s something special about reading a newspaper, flipping through a magazine and receiving a letter in the mail.
But times are changing and with the innovation of the internet and other advanced technology, there are plenty of modern ways in which these types of publications and be shared and enjoyed online.
In fact, there are plenty of advantages to publishing content online rather than in print.
Benefits of Publishing Content Online
From lowering costs to reaching a far wider, potentially global, audience, there are plenty of reasons why you ought to consider publishing content online rather than in print.
Here are some of the most poignant benefits of using online publishing platforms.
- Reach a Wider Audience: By publishing content online, whether it’s a business newsletter or a book, you have the potential to reach far more people than if you were selling print versions of your content. That means you’ll have a larger audience and you should be able to make more sales too.
- Lower Cost: Printing content can be really expensive, but sharing a virtual version of something it’s free once it’s been created and formatted. So, by choosing to publish something online, you should be able to lower your costs and maybe even make more money.
- Sustainability: Many people prefer old-school printed newspapers and such, but in the long run, print is unsustainable and bad for the environment. Publishing everything online is far more sustainable.
- Diversify Your Audience: Not only does online publishing increase the size of your audience, it also has the potential to diversify your audience. You’ll have access to readers in different places who wouldn’t normally have seen your content.
- Track Reader Analytics: Keeping track of readership and enjoyment of content can be difficult, time-consuming and inaccurate when it comes to print content. It normally requires filling out surveys or interviewing people. With online content, however, publishers can view analytics and gain insight into things like how many people are reading your content, how long they spend reading it, how numbers have changed over time and more.
- Instant Access: If somebody chooses to subscribe or buy a publication online, they’ll be able to gain immediate access rather than having to go to a store or order it for delivery.
The Top Platforms for Online Publishing
Depending on the type of content you want to publish, there are several different options available for online publishing these days. Whether it’s a professional newsletter, an educational course or something else, you should be able to find the ideal platform to use to publish your content in an effective, efficient and professional way.
Substack
Substack allows independent writers to set up their very own publication and from there, they can offer readers a variety of subscription plans. In exchange for whatever they pay for their subscription plans (unless they pick a free version), readers will receive communication from writers of their choice, making the experience somewhat interactive.
The platform, founded in 2017, was created with the intention of allowing “ordinary” writers to monetise their content. Substack has its own built-in payment system, analytics programme and options for customisation of newsletters and more.
Patreon
Patreon, founded in 2013, allows creators to foster a direct relationship with fans while they monetise their content and sell digital products.
Fans are able to become active participants in the work they love while the artists can share their professional content and earn a living at the same time. Users can subscribe to the platform by means of the membership options.
One thing that sets Patreon apart from some competitors is that creators can share content in a variety of mediums, including audio, video, written, image and more.
Ghost
Ghost is an open-source content management system (CMS) that allows users to publish their own content – normally, blog posts and similar forms of writing.
Writers can not only publish their writing but also send out newsletters and also offer paid subscription options to readers.
Medium
Developed by Evan Williams, Medium is an online publishing platform that was launched in 2012.
The idea behind Medium is to allow people to share the thoughts, knowledge and ideas in a slightly less formal way than official publications. As of 2024, Medium has more than 100 million people contributing to Medium every month.
Users can read and write for free, but if you want to be able to read and write without limitations, you’ll need to pay for a membership.
SendFox
SendFox is specifically designed for email marketing and is used by content creators. It allows people running their own online businesses to simply and affordably share email content with customers and potential clients.
The platform offers a variety of payment tiers, ranging from about $50 to about $200, all including different services and offerings based on things like number of subscribers and more.
Beehiiv
Beehiv is an “all-in-one” online platform designed to be able to allow creators to design, write, send, promote and monetise email and newsletter content. Users can use Beehiv to send out newsletters without needing to do so from a website.
In terms of cost, Beehiv is free to use and get started until you get to 2,500 users – from that point, you need to start paying a subscription fee. But that’s why it’s such a great platform – it helps individual creators and small businesses and get started.
MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the older online email platforms, having been founded in 2001 by the team of Ben Chestnut, Mark Armstrong and later, Dan Kurzius.
The primary function of MailChimp is to send out automated emails and newsletters, acting as an all-in-one online marketing platform for businesses and organisations of all types and sizes.
Users can easily design and create their very own email templates, and the starter option is totally free. From there, users can choose from a few different paid versions at different prices, each of which includes different limits on the number of emails you can send out and more.
