Two years ago, I was spending several hours online looking for ways to earn money through blogging. I thought it was easy. After learning that most blogs take years before it can be monetized, I didn’t feel discouraged.
I must admit I started with the wrong mindset, but I created a blog anyway as a creative outlet.
I believed I could only hone my skills by actually writing.
After all, the act of doing or taking action beats learning.
I struggled setting up my first WP blog.
Setting up my first WordPress blog wasn’t easy. It took me months before I set up the pages, themes, and other complicated stuff.
I didn’t know a thing about WordPress, so I was pressed to learn from scratch. I didn’t know what a domain or hosting was.
In the end, I wasn’t able to take care of it.
I doubt if I have ever posted a thing there. Lol. I just gave it up!
In case you’re wondering, my first ever blog was called GoOrganicBenefits. I know the name sucks!
For many bloggers who want to start a blog but don’t know what a domain or hosting is, how to set up pages, and what theme to use, the thought of using a content management system like WordPress can be daunting.
How I wished there was a tutorial on how to make a blog without WordPress.
The first time I saw the WordPress dashboard, I wondered if I could set up a blog.
I didn’t know what functions or options to click. I didn’t understand a thing, and the only one who was there to teach me was YouTube.
However, WordPress tutorials before weren’t that comprehensive and easy to follow, unlike today, wherein bloggers record step-by-step videos, so it’s easier.
In case you’re not ready for WordPress yet, but still want to start a blog, thankfully, you can create a blog without WordPress.
So today, we’ll be discussing some cool blogging platforms that don’t require you to set up pages, customize themes, learn some programming, or even install and use WordPress.
6 Free Platforms to Start a Blog Without WordPress
If using WordPress is what’s stopping you from starting a blog today, then I’ll share with you six free blogging platforms that don’t require you to install plugins or set up pages.
This will help you get started with your writing. Eventually, when you’re ready to upgrade to WordPress, you can just quickly transfer all your content to WordPress. And perhaps begin monetizing your blog.
So today, I’ll explain what these free blogging platforms are so that you can create a blog without WordPress today.
1. Facebook
The first on our list is Facebook because everyone is familiar with it.
It’s so easy to use, and you just basically post your article the same way you post a social media post.
You might not have thought of using it this way, but believe me, it’s a great platform to practice your writing skills and get feedback from friends.
I’ve seen local mentors, coaches, and freelancers using Facebook to get leads and expand their network for their business.
In short, they use Facebook to leverage their online business.
You can do the same. In case you’ve been wondering if you need WordPress to blog, the answer is no because there are solutions.
You can use Facebook, not just to stalk someone but to flex your writing muscles by blogging consistently.
This is just one hack to use Facebook for your advantage other than socializing with friends or watching endless videos and wasting time.
Start with what you already have, which is Facebook, and commit to posting one short blog per day.
2. Medium
I love Medium, but before I discovered it, I asked myself many times, “Can I create a blog without a website?”
I know websites are essential, but you need to pay to set up a decent blog.
So imagine my happiness after I found out about Medium!
The thing with Medium is you can write about anything, and you can connect with fellow writers and publishers.
Medium is a place for writers, but that doesn’t mean a newbie writer can’t use it. You can publish your articles there.
Many well-known writers are using Medium, and for them, it’s a place where they can be untethered from what they usually write about. Because at Medium, you can write and publish anything for free.
You can write about your dog or cat, about your family, your hobbies, etc., and publish them right away.
But that’s not all.
Medium is also a platform where people can earn while they write.
Yes! You can join the Medium Partner Program. If someone reads your article, you get paid a small percentage.
The more people read your posts, the more you get paid.
I’ve read blogs about people earning over $1000 on Medium.
How cool is that?
It’s like hitting two birds with one stone. You get to practice your skills, plus you also get paid.
But remember, if you want to seriously earn money through writing at Medium, you’d want to brainstorm good ideas first and only write content that is interesting and worth the time to read.
To join Medium, you just have to sign up using your Google, Facebook, Twitter account, or email address.
Once done, click your profile and New Story to start writing. If you’re ready to publish your post, just hit Publish on the upper right side of the page, and you’re done!
3. Quora
Quora is another free platform where you can create a blog without WordPress.
It’s a question and answer forum site, but you can also use it to publish your blogs.
It’s so easy to join Quora. Just go to the site, and sign up using your Google account or Facebook. After signing up, you need to create a Space, where you can write your blogs.
To do this, click your profile photo on the right, and click your name.
On the next page, you’ll see Spaces on the right. Click the + sign to create a space. Enter the name and what’s about. It will tell you if the name of the blog is available or taken.
After clicking Done, you’re ready to publish your post. To do so, just click the space name and another click on Add your first piece of content to create and publish a post.
The great thing about Quora is it’s a community for people who have questions and people who have answers. It’s an excellent place to start if you want to build “brand” awareness.
Additionally, by answering questions, you get to interact with other people on the site.
Besides writing content, you can also ask a question for people to answer.
Or you can post an answer to other people’s questions.
It’s a good place to start building your network and improve your writing skills.
4. Tumblr
If, for the longest time, you’ve been searching about how to start a blog without WordPress, you might love Tumblr.
I love it, and it’s just so flexible. Tumblr is a microblogging site that allows you to post short-form blogs.
It’s a place for anyone, so you can post whatever’s on your mind, whether it’s a poem, a quote, or a short blog.
Ever heard of Lang Leav?
In case you didn’t know, it’s this site that catapulted her writing career and made her an internet sensation.
She first shared her poems on Tumbler in 2012 when she was building up her following and looking to save enough money to self-publish her first book.
But things turned out a lot better than expected. Now, she’s an international best-selling author, and her poetry books won several awards. And it all started from Tumblr.
So why not try Tumblr? Who knows? You’ll be the next to kickstart a writing career.
To join Tumblr, just visit the site, and you’ll see Sign up on the upper right and fill in the details.
To add a post, just click on the pencil image, and that’s it!
You can hit the ground running.
5. LinkedIn
If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, make sure you create one today.
LinkedIn is also another social site, but unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is a site for people looking to make professional connections.
On LinkedIn, you can connect with CEOs, Directors, Marketing Managers, co-bloggers or content creators, and other professionals.
It’s the best platform to build connections that may later on turn to clients.
So start your LinkedIn account today.
Once you’ve signed up, to write your first article, go to Home by clicking that home icon, and select Write article.
6. SelfGrowth
Last but not least is also one of my favorites, SelfGrowth.
SelfGrowth is an established self-improvement site, so you’ll find many self-help articles here.
It’s similar to Medium, except that you need to be a trusted author before you can publish any content there.
A trusted author is a title they give to writers who’ve passed the assessment or test.
What you need to do is to submit three articles to the webmaster, and they’ll check your content for quality.
You can find all the information to submit a post here. You need to sign up first by going to their site and clicking Join.
Then you’ll have a dashboard where you can submit your three articles. Before you submit the article, remember to follow their guidelines.
If you pass, they’ll make you a published author. You’ll receive an email within the month if your articles pass their editorial guidelines or not.
The good thing about SelfGrowth is if you become a published author, you can use the title to your profile to increase your credibility as a writer.
And if you pass their assessment, that means you have what it takes to be a writer.
So start writing your articles now.
To make sure your articles have zero misspelled words or grammar errors, run them past Grammarly before submission.
Don’t worry. It’s free.
Conclusion
Now, there’s no way you can’t practice your writing skills because you have all these free tools to create a blog without WordPress.
Keep in mind that whatever you write, aim to be consistent at publishing blogs or posts. You must be consistent at posting, even if your topic isn’t.
Later on, you’ll find it easy to crank out ideas, and writing will be much easier.
You’ll also be able to write faster. Just like this blog that only took me 50 minutes to write but took more than an hour to revise and edit. Lol!
So that’s it for now.
If this is something valuable, please don’t forget to share it with your friends or anyone who may get ideas from this.
See you tomorrow.