There is no right way to go about something. Especially when we’re talking about digital and print publications. Don’t believe me? Go to a magazine store and pick up a couple of random issues.
For a while, WordPress has been the go-to guy for blogging. This status quo is frequently challenged by fresh alternatives. One of those alternatives is Publisha.
In short, Publisha allows you to easily set up your own blog, with a minimum of technical knowledge and maintenance. It comes packed with a number of interesting features, and allows you to easily reach to though demographics on Facebook and the iPhone/iPad as well.
Publisha
On a mighty superficial level, Publisha might be considered an alternative to WordPress. At the very least, they’ve got the same goal; to help you reach other people. To do so, Publisha also helps you set up your own blog. This blog is hosted on their own servers, and people can find you via your free subdomain, e.g. this-is-an-example.publisha.com. Of course, you can also link the blog to your own subdomain.
Articles are written in the built-in WYSIWYG editor. The tool is simple, but sufficient, and will grant all but the most needy a good place to write. This, too, feels very familiar to an ex-WordPress user. Of course, such a thing can be expected; there likely won’t be a new blogging tool that hasn’t been influenced by WordPress.
Apart from the usual; organizing your written word by category, you can also create ‘issues’. These issues are in fact compilations of articles, much like print magazines. Categories and Issues can be used indiscriminately, and are overlapping concepts.
There are currently up to eight available website templates. These can be set up in a handful of clicks and don’t require anything in the way of configuration. More advanced users can also use raw HTML and CSS to style their blogs.
Although Publisha isn’t as customizable with plugins like WordPress, it comes precooked with a number of exciting features, including Analytics and revenue configuration (adverts).
Earn Revenue From Your Website
Revenue can be earned via a number of advertising networks, including Dastardly, NikeAgency, Ur-Ban.com. Custom advertisers can also be added. Sadly, Publisha doesn’t have a pre-built ad network ready, although such a feature is said to arrive in the near future.
To earn revenue money, you need to create your own campaign, enter your advertising network’s details, and specify the size and location of the ad.
The price of Publisha translates itself to 30% of your revenue income. Other pricing plans have a fixed monthly fee, but allow you to retain a bigger part of your revenue. More an that below.
Publish on Facebook and iPhone
Publisha advertises itself as a multi-platform publishing system. That’s because their service isn’t limited to ‘ordinary’ blogs. They also allow you to easily reach the Facebook and mobile demographic, specifically the iPhone and iPad.
Your Facebook fan page can feature an extra tab, displaying your latest articles. This is not just a feed overview; users can browse your Facebook blog-counterpart and read the full articles.
You can also request for your writing to be published via the Publisha iPhone/iPad application. Although not all publications might be approved, there are no special requirements stated, except that you have already written at least three articles.
Additional Pricing
Basic Publisha usage doesn’t require a monthly fee. However, it has a few restrictions. There’s a cap of 10GB bandwidth, although you can purchase extra for $2 per GB without upgrading your plan. 80% of the ad slots are kept by you, and 90% of the revenue goes to your own pockets.
The professional and enterprise plans are a bit pricy with a respective monthly fee of $50 and $250, but they increase the monthly bandwidth and allow you to keep a bigger part of the site revenue. Obviously, this is only profitable (and advisable) for popular publications with big readership numbers and income.
What are your own thoughts on Publisha? A good alternative for WordPress? Tell us why (or why not) in the comments section below!
Tagged: better alternatives • blogging • blogging tools
