Imagine this.
You spend years building a beautiful house. You paint the walls your favourite colour. You plant a garden with roses and tomatoes. You invite all your friends over for dinner parties. You love this house.
Then, one day, a stranger knocks on the door.
He says, “Hi, I’m the landlord. I decided I don’t like your blue walls. Also, you can’t have parties anymore. Oh, and by the way, the rent just went up.”
You would be furious! You did all the work, but he has all the power.
This is exactly what happens when you build your blog on a platform you don’t own (like Medium, Instagram or TikTok). You are building on “Rented Land.”
I learned this the hard way. I once had a writing account with thousands of followers. Then, the algorithm changed. Poof. My readers disappeared overnight. I realized I didn’t own my audience; I was just borrowing them.
That is why today, we are talking about the biggest choice a new blogger has to make: The Apartment (Medium) vs. The House (WordPress).
Medium
Medium is like an apartment in the middle of a busy city.
Why it’s great:
- You don’t need to fix the plumbing or paint the walls. You just sign up and start writing.
- There are people everywhere! Medium has millions of readers already browsing the site. It is easier to get discovered by strangers.
- It’s Free: It costs nothing to start.
The Cons:
- You have to follow their rules. If they change the design, you stuck with it.
- Your readers might have to pay a subscription to read your work.
- If Medium disappears tomorrow, your blog disappears with it.
WordPress
WordPress is like buying a plot of land in the countryside.
Why it’s scary at first:
- When you start, there is nothing there. No furniture. No lights. You have to build it yourself (or hire someone to help).
- Nobody walks by accidentally. You have to invite people (bring your own traffic).
- You have to pay for “hosting” (which is like paying property tax).
Why it’s the best long-term decision:
- Total Freedom: Want to paint the walls neon pink? Go ahead. Want to sell t-shirts? Do it. Want to turn the living room into a swimming pool? Why not!
- It’s YOURS: No algorithm can take it away from you. You own your email list. You own your content.
- A self-hosted blog is an “asset.” It is a business you can actually sell one day.
So, Which Should You Choose?
This is the big question. And the answer depends on your goal.
Choose Medium If:
- You just want to write for fun.
- You hate technology and never want to look at “code.”
- You have $0 budget.
- You want to find an audience quickly without doing marketing.
Choose WordPress If:
- You want to turn your blog into a business or career.
- You want to sell products or services.
- You want total control over how your site looks.
- You are willing to learn a little bit of tech to have true freedom.
Here is a secret: You can do both.
Many smart writers (including me) use the “Hub and Spoke” strategy.
- The Hub (Home): Build your main site on WordPress. This is where you keep your best stuff and your email list.
- The Spoke (Marketing): Re-post your articles on Medium a week later. At the bottom, put a link that says, “Originally published on my blog. Click here for more.”
This way, you get the “neighbours” from the apartment complex, but you still sleep in the house you own.
Don’t let a landlord control your creative life. Grab a hammer (or a keyboard) and start building something that is truly yours.
