If you don’t already know, content marketing is one of the most affordable and effective means of getting your brand out there. And in an age where the internet is increasingly dominated by social networks, is it still worth it to launch a blog? The answer may vary, but some people believe social networks have made blogging stronger, because they deliver content to more people.
Nowadays, creating a blog is a really easy thing to do, as there are services for all tastes and objectives. In addition, today’s major platforms offer numerous features, giving users the options to provide any kind of service.
Among the many tips necessary to launch a successful blog, choosing the right platform is important. WordPress, Medium and other platforms are quite well-known, but there are several other free options you should know about. Check out these four simple to use, alternative blogging platforms that will improve your content marketing strategy:
Pancake.io
Very simple and straightforward, Pancake.io is powered by Dropbox. To use it, simply drop a Markdown-formatted content file into the Dropbox folder the app creates for your site. Those files can use .md, .txt or .markdown as an extension.
If you are not familiar with Markdown, the default template comes with demo content, so you can get the gist of it before you get started.
Commaful
Formerly known as Pencil, Commaful is a blogging platform clearly dedicated to the new generation of millennials. It makes the reading experience much easier and intuitive, as stories there are shown in slides with character count limits.
With these engaging visuals and easy to read format, Commaful is a great option for those who want to share short stories in a new and more visual way.
Postach.io
Dubbed “the easiest way to blog,” Postach.io is a truly innovative blogging platform. Built by the people behind Evernote, it heavily relies on this system to function – in fact, it lives on Evernote.
In order to use Postach.io, users simply need to have Evernote installed and connect a notebook to Postach.io’s platform. Then, any notes inside that notebook that have the tag “published” will be posted, right after Evernote is synced. Easy as 1-2-3.
Pen.io
Pen.io system is quite different from what we are used to. Its sign up requires no personal information at all – you just need to choose a URL and establish a password. With that, your own page on Pen.io is created. Unlike other platforms, each page is really a single page, as there no individual posts.
Every time you want to add a new “post”, simply update your page or create a new one. To update your page, just go to yoururl.pen.io/edit and make your changes. It supports images as well which, to be uploaded, can just be dragged to the page.
