Why you should not start a blog and what you should do instead.

I thought I had the perfect plan for an unforgettable night in high school.

The prom was in full swing, but I had a better idea: an after-party at my house out in the literal boondocks of Oklahoma.

I know, what an idiot!

But if I was anything, I was determined. I grabbed a marker and scrawled “AFTER PARTY AT MY HOUSE” on a big sign, waving it proudly in the gym.

I was sure people would ditch the dancing and music early for my brilliant idea.

Suprise: no one came.

Why?

Because I gave them no reason to leave the excitement of prom for an unknown house in the middle of nowhere.

This is exactly what starting a blog feels like today.

For years, “You should start a blog” was solid advice. Blogs were the go-to way for writers to share their thoughts and ideas.

But here’s the sneaky problem no one told you about: blogs don’t have a built-in audience.

A blog is like a house party in the middle of nowhere. You can decorate it, fill it with snacks, and have the best playlist ready, but unless you can get people there, it’s just you alone with the chips and dip.

To get traffic to your blog, you’ll have to:

• Post relentlessly on social media.

• Beg your friends and family to visit.

• Build an audience somewhere else, then funnel them to your blog.

Exhausting, right?

Instead of waving a metaphorical sign in the gym, why not go where the crowd already is?

In today’s digital world, platforms like X, Threads, Medium, and LinkedIn have one thing blogs don’t: ready-made communities of readers.

And they’re designed to make sure your content finds an audience.

“Okay, but what if I don’t have any followers?” 

That’s the beauty of these platforms. They don’t care.

Algorithms aren’t concerned with your follower count. They care about how engaging your content is.

When you hit publish, they test your content with a small group of people who might be interested. If those people interact—by reading, liking, or commenting—the platform serves it to even more readers.

That’s how someone with 100 followers can end up with 10,000 views on a post.

With a blog? The chances of that happening are slim to none.

"But I still want a place to host my writings."

Great! Many writers want a digital home. A place to collect their work and showcase their talent.

You don’t need a traditional blog to do that.

What you need is a Social Blog.

A Social Blog is your central hub, where you can store all your work in one place (that you own) while also using social platforms to distribute your writing. This way, you benefit from the wide reach of social platforms while still having a home for your content.

You’re not asking people to leave the party.

You’re setting up your table in the middle of it.

I’d recommend something like Typeshare (affiliate link) or simply launch a newsletter through Beehiiv (affiliate link).

So, if you are hell-bent on starting your own blog, at least make it a Social Blog and do it here.

Otherwise, your goal should always be to write and publish where readers already are.

And in the next lesson, we'll show you exactly how you can make it easy to get started (by writing 250 words at a time).

Write on 🤙

Payton

P.S. If you’re writing the best stories, but nobody is reading them, what’s the point? After years of studying what makes stories captivating and shareable, I’ve uncovered 7 proven story frameworks that hook readers every time. And I’m giving them away for the price of a coffee.

• Day 1: How to Overcome the 10 Biggest Fears Writers Have

• Day 2: The Only Real Secret to Never Running Out of Ideas

• Day 3: Why You Need 1 BIG Idea

• Day 4: Where You Should Be Writing Online (Hint: Not a Blog!)

• Day 5: How to Make Writing Effortless, 250 Words at a Time

• Day 6: The Secret to Writing in the Age of AI

• Day 7: The 4 Best Digital Writing Platforms