Killer Perspective: Saving Time and Money with The Ghost Blogging Platform

Blogging Consistently Without Burning Out

Welcome back to Field Notes for Modern Life, a place for human stories. For more than a decade, I have published words on the internet using almost every platform available to an independent writer. Wordpress, Medium, Squarespace, Substack and Ghost have all been tested by me.

Each one promised freedom, reach, simplicity, or sustainability. Some delivered parts of that promise. Others introduced friction in places that mattered more than the marketing copy admitted.

Today, I am an active Substack publisher. It remains a powerful ecosystem for discovery and community. But when it comes to owning a publishing home, running a serious writing practice, and building something that feels durable rather than rented, I keep coming back to Ghost.

This is not a sales pitch. It is a field-tested guide to Ghost blogging for independent writers, written by someone who has moved platforms more than once and understands why those choices matter.

Why Ghost appeals to Independent Writers

Most blogging platforms are built for marketers or hobbyists. Ghost is built for publishers.

That difference becomes obvious the moment you start using it. The editor is clean. The interface is quiet. Writing feels like the point, not a step towards something else.

For independent writers, three things matter more than feature lists.

Ownership.

Speed.

Focus.

In my experience, Ghost performs well on all three.

You own your content. You control your domain. Your relationship with readers is direct. Pages load quickly. The platform stays out of the way.

After years of managing plugins, page builders, newsletter workarounds, and platform incentives that reward noise over substance, that simplicity stops feeling basic and starts feeling intentional.

A decade across Blogging Platforms: What worked and what did not

I did not arrive at Ghost by accident, and my original go-to platform always felt like I was pushing water uphill.

WordPress

WordPress is powerful, but it demands attention. Over time, simple blogs grow into complex systems of plugins, updates, conflicts, and maintenance tasks. Writing becomes secondary to managing the machine.

For some writers, that control is worth it. For many, it becomes friction.

I see Wordpress as a kit car. It can achieve high performance, but it takes a lot of fettling, and managing plugins.

Medium

Medium is elegant and easy to use. It is also not yours.
You are publishing inside someone else’s ecosystem, under rules you do not control. It can be useful for reach, but it is a fragile foundation for long-term independence.

Squarespace

Squarespace looks good out of the box and works well for static sites. I really enjoy the platform, but one area really lets it down.

Where it failed me was newsletters. The subscription system felt clunky and slow. Managing readers and content together never felt natural. That friction was the main reason I moved on. Newsletters require an additional subscription. Ugh!

Buy Me a Coffee

Buy Me a Coffee is excellent as a support layer. It is not a publishing platform. It works best alongside something else, not as the core.

Substack

Substack does newsletters extremely well. Discovery, payments, and community are strong, and I continue to publish there.

What Substack does not offer is a true publishing home. Design flexibility is limited. SEO control is basic, but it does work. Your archive lives inside Substack’s ecosystem rather than independently of it.

I like the fact that I am not having to pay Substack for hosting. Substack writers also benefit from the platform's extensive community, something that I find really useful for growing my subscriber list.

Ghost

Ghost was the first platform that felt designed for writers who think long term.

Newsletters, memberships, publishing, and SEO sit inside one coherent system. No plugin sprawl. No stitched-together workflows. No unnecessary complexity.

Ghost simply works.

What makes Ghost different from other blogging platforms

Ghost does fewer things than many platforms. That is deliberate, because everything revolves around publishing. Newsletters are native, not an afterthought, and memberships are built in, not bolted on.

I love that the SEO tools are integrated, not dependent on plugins.

The editor is clean, easy to use and it prioritises words over layout tricks. I am writing on this using my iPad Air, which is great when I am on the road carrying my camera bag and a bunch of lenses.

Compared to WordPress, Ghost trades infinite flexibility for speed and stability.

Compared to Substack, Ghost trades network effects for ownership and control.

The decision is not about which platform is best. It is about which one supports how you want to write.

Setting up a Ghost blog as an independent writer

Starting a Ghost blog is refreshingly straightforward. You choose how to host it. Ghost Pro if you want managed simplicity. Self-hosted if you are comfortable with servers and updates. Once live, the essentials are simple.

Choose a theme that prioritises readability. I have tested a few of the paid versions, but I am content with using a stock theme.

Connect your custom domain early.

Enable SSL and leave it alone.

Set your site title and description clearly.

Within an hour, you can have a professional publishing site that loads quickly and feels calm to use. That matters. Momentum matters when you are building a writing habit. I don’t want to spend hours wrangling with plugins and expensive third party software.

Ghost SEO fundamentals for writers

Ghost handles most technical SEO quietly in the background. Writers do not need to become specialists, but understanding the basics pays off.

Clean URLs and metadata

Every post includes fields for titles, meta descriptions, and URLs. No plugins. No hidden menus.

Used consistently, this gives search engines clarity and readers confidence.

Canonical URLs

If you publish across platforms, canonical URLs matter. Ghost makes it easy to signal which version of a piece is the original source, protecting your authority over time.

XML sitemaps

Ghost automatically generates and updates sitemaps. Search engines can crawl your site efficiently without manual effort.

Tags as topic architecture

Tags in Ghost are structural, not decorative.

Used well, they help search engines understand what your site is about. Used poorly, they create noise.

Independent writers should use tags for themes they return to repeatedly, not one-off ideas.

Blogging consistently without burning out

I run five newsletters, so here is my top tip. Most writers do not fail because they cannot write. They fail because they try to publish like media companies.Ghost supports a slower, more sustainable rhythm.

A weekly essay.

A fortnightly reflection.

A monthly long-form piece.
Because posts and newsletters are unified, every piece of writing works harder. Your archive grows. Your email list grows. Your site deepens.

That means less effort, less pressure and more continuity.

Using Ghost newsletters to build a real audience

Email remains the most durable relationship a writer can have with readers.

Ghost treats newsletters as first-class citizens. You write once, publish once, and send without exporting, syncing, or juggling tools.That simplicity builds trust.

Readers know where they stand. Writers see their audience clearly. Growth happens through consistency, not gimmicks.

Memberships and paid writing on Ghost

Monetisation should follow trust, not precede it.

Ghost makes it easy to introduce paid tiers when it makes sense, not when a platform nudges you.

Memberships can support deeper essays, early access, behind-the-scenes notes, or simply the continuation of the work.

Because payments, content, and delivery live in one place, the experience feels cohesive rather than transactional.

Ghost blogging as a long-term writing practice

This is where Ghost quietly excels.

It encourages thinking in years rather than posts.

Your archive becomes meaningful. Your ideas connect. Your writing remains searchable and revisitable. You are not chasing the feed. You are building a body of work.

For independent writers who care about clarity, resilience, and meaning, that matters.

Is Ghost right for you as an independent writer?

Ghost is not for everyone. If you want instant discovery without owning the platform, Substack may suit you better.

If you want maximum design flexibility, WordPress may be the right choice.

If you want a marketing engine, other tools exist.

Ghost is for writers who want a home, and A place where writing comes first.

Where newsletters and essays coexist.

Where speed, simplicity, and ownership matter more than novelty.

After more than ten years across platforms, that is why I use Ghost.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ghost Blogging

Is Ghost good for independent writers?

Yes. Ghost is designed for writers and publishers who want to own their content, run newsletters, and build memberships without relying on plugins or third-party tools.

Is Ghost better than WordPress for blogging?

Ghost is better for writers who value simplicity, speed, and focus. WordPress offers more flexibility but requires more maintenance and technical management.

Can you run a newsletter on Ghost?

Yes. Ghost includes native newsletter functionality. You can publish posts, send emails, and manage subscribers from one platform.

Does Ghost support SEO?

Ghost includes built-in SEO features such as clean URLs, metadata fields, canonical URLs, and XML sitemaps. No plugins are required for basic optimisation.

Is Ghost better than Substack?

Ghost offers more control, design flexibility, and SEO ownership. Substack offers stronger built-in discovery. Many writers use both, treating Ghost as a home and Substack as a channel.

Can you make money blogging on Ghost?

Yes. Ghost supports paid memberships and subscriptions, allowing writers to monetise newsletters and content directly.

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