Key Takeaways:
- Substack excels in newsletter-focused monetization and direct audience relationships.
- Medium offers built‑in traffic and simplicity but limits branding and revenue control.
- WordPress provides full customization, SEO power, and scalability, with a steeper learning curve.
1. Audience & Discoverability
- Substack relies on email lists, so you must grow your own readers.
- Medium gives instant access to millions via its algorithmic curation.
- WordPress requires SEO effort but rewards you with lasting search traffic.
Consequently, choose Substack for loyal subscribers, Medium for quick visibility, and WordPress for organic reach.
2. Monetization & Revenue Control
- Substack offers subscription tiers and revenue sharing (10% fee + Stripe).
- Medium pays via the Partner Program, based on member reading time.
- WordPress supports ads, memberships, and ecommerce through plugins.
Therefore, Substack gives clear subscription income. Medium’s model can fluctuate. WordPress offers the most diverse revenue streams.
3. Branding & Customization
- Substack allows minimal design tweaks but enforces its header and footer.
- Medium uses a uniform layout, limiting brand identity.
- WordPress supports custom themes, plugins, and full CSS control.
Thus, WordPress wins for unique branding. Substack sits in the middle. Medium ranks lowest for customization.
4. SEO & Traffic Strategy
- Substack newsletters are not optimized for search engines by default.
- Medium ranks well for some topics but doesn’t let you tweak permalinks or metadata.
- WordPress offers full SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math) to optimize titles, meta descriptions, and schema.
As a result, WordPress is the clear SEO leader in 2025.
5. Ease of Use & Learning Curve
- Substack and Medium both require almost zero setup: perfect for beginners.
- WordPress demands hosting setup, theme selection, and plugin management.
However, WordPress has a larger support community and extensive tutorials to flatten your learning curve.
6. Community & Engagement Tools
- Substack focuses on comments, simple polls, and direct replies via email.
- Medium features highlights, claps, and responses within its ecosystem.
- WordPress can integrate forums (bbPress), comments (Disqus), and social share plugins.
Therefore, WordPress again provides the richest engagement toolkit, while Substack and Medium offer more streamlined options.
7. Cost Comparison
| Platform | Setup Cost | Transaction Fees | Plugin/Add‑on Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | Free | 10% + Stripe fees | N/A |
| Medium | Free | 2.5% + Stripe fees | N/A |
| WordPress | Hosting ~$5–$30/mo | Depends on payment gateway | Premium plugins/themes ($0–$200) |
8. 2025 Best Practices & SEO Tips
- Use Focus Keywords in headlines and subheads (e.g., “Substack vs Medium vs WordPress”).
- Optimize Images with descriptive alt text and compressed sizes.
- Implement Internal Links to related articles for longer session times.
- Leverage Schema Markup for articles to boost rich snippets.
- Promote on Social and repurpose excerpts as threads on X, LinkedIn, or Threads.
9. Which Platform Should You Choose?
- Select Substack if you thrive on direct subscriber revenue and email relationships.
- Opt for Medium if you want fast exposure with minimal setup and don’t mind platform control.
- Choose WordPress if you need full branding, SEO power, and scalable revenue channels.
Ready to decide? Visit WriteLightGroup.com for expert guidance on platform setup, design, and growth. We’ll help you launch your writing career on the right foundation.
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