How to Build and Monetize a Technology Entrepreneurship Blog: Platform Strategy

Platform Strategy: What platform should you write on?

When I started, most of us early bloggers were writing on WordPress.

I set up my own domain (sramanamitra.com) and built my site around WordPress.

Today, you have many more options.

LinkedIn has created its publishing platform and you can publish your blog on it.

Medium and Quora are some other options.

I have had a unique experience with LinkedIn that I will share with you.

Around 2013, LinkedIn launched its Influencer platform. It invited a small number of people to start publishing opinion pieces. 

My first major piece that took off on LinkedIn was Talented Women: Please Do NOT Quit. It had about 350,000 views and 1200 comments. It was controversial, hotly debated.

It was the beginning of my close relationship with LinkedIn.

In December 2015, LinkedIn named me as one of their Top 10 Influencers. Bill Gates was No. 1. Richard Branson was No. 2. I was No. 10.

Today, I have a very large following, and also multiple Newsletters [Best of Bootstrapping, Cloud Stock Analysis, Colors] through which I engage a large audience.

LinkedIn has greatly enhanced their platform, and I would have no reservation in recommending that you start your blogging journey on LinkedIn.

Medium and others can also be very good starting points.

And WordPress remains a very reasonable choice as well.

Please note, your platform strategy should take into account your monetization strategy.

If you want to monetize with advertising revenue, an extremely difficult agenda, you may want to have your own domain with a WordPress or comparable platform powering it.

If, on the other hand, you want to monetize with affiliate revenues, a better model, you can start on any of the platforms mentioned above.

In general, though, I am a fan of having a site on your own domain.

Please keep that option open.

Photo Credit: Kevin Phillips from Pixabay

This segment is a part in the series : How to Build and Monetize a Technology Entrepreneurship Blog