The Tools Have Changed, but Your Voice Still Matters
by Lisa Norman
In 2010, WordPress boldly declared its mission: the Democratization of Publishing. The idea was simple but powerful—give everyone the tools to share their voice with the world, affordably and without gatekeepers.
And for a long time, it worked.
Writers, bloggers, and creatives built entire careers on the promise that if they showed up, wrote their truth, and optimized for Google, readers would find them.
But now the online world looks different. That dream hasn’t died—it’s just changed hands.
When Your Website Starts to Feel Like a Second Job
Many of us remember when a simple WordPress blog was all you needed. But over the years, maintaining a site has gotten harder. Hosting costs are up. Themes are bloated. Security concerns have multiplied. What used to be empowering now feels… technical. Complicated. Expensive.
Instead of writing, we’re updating plugins, debugging contact forms, and trying to figure out why our newsletter signup widget isn’t showing up on mobile.
Platforms like Substack and Medium have stepped in with a fresh promise: streamlined, low-stress content sharing. They’re easy to use, cost little or nothing to maintain, and—bonus—can even generate revenue through reader support. For a writer who just wants to connect with an audience, they’re refreshingly simple.
Why Isn’t Google Bringing the Traffic Like It Used To?
Once upon a time, Google was the biggest driver of discoverability. We wrote blog posts, optimized keywords, and trusted the algorithm to do the rest.
But those days are fading fast.
As someone who regularly watches website stats, I’m seeing a trend: organic traffic is dropping—and not just by a little. More and more, writers find that even their best blog content isn’t showing up where it used to.
One reason? The rise of AI-driven search engines. Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience and other AI search tools are changing how people find content. Large content creating companies (often using AI to scrape and pull content from other places) are able to push or buy their way ahead of small blogs in the search results. It’s not personal. But it’s happening.
The Rise of Platforms with Built-In Audiences
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Platforms like Substack, Medium, and even Ko-fi have internal discovery systems. So does World Anvil. They’re not just places to post—they’re ecosystems. Built-in algorithms recommend your work to new readers. You’re not just shouting into the void; you’re being gently introduced to an audience that’s already interested.
And you don’t need to worry about hosting, security, or whether your theme still supports your mobile menu. You can just write.
But Wait—Do I Still Need an Email List?
Yes. Absolutely. Always.
While these new platforms help with discoverability, your email list is still your most valuable connection to the people who care about your work.
Readers who join your list are inviting you into their inbox. They’re your true fans—the ones who will click, comment, and recommend you to their friends. And that’s how real growth happens.
Do You Own Your Content?
It’s a good question—and one that deserves more time than we have here. I’ve written more about that in Owning Your Content: The Myth of Platform.
In short: using platforms is fine—as long as you’re thoughtful about how much you rely on them. Keep backups. Keep your list. And remember: accessibility doesn’t have to come at the expense of ownership.
What Writers Need to Ask Now
We don’t need to panic—but we do need to pause and think.
- Is your platform helping you reach readers… or just eating up your time?
- Are you trading hours of tech frustration for a trickle of visibility?
- Would a switch to a new platform simplify your life—or complicate it?
- What are you really paying (in time or money), and is it bringing the value you hoped for?
The tools have changed—but your ability to reach and connect with readers has never been more powerful. We just need to choose tools that work for us, not ones that work against us.
How has your approach to blogging, newsletters, or reader connection shifted in the past few years—and what tools or platforms are helping you stay visible and supported now?
* * * * * *
About Lisa
Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.
Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.
Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!
Top image from depositphotos.
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34 comments on “The Tools Have Changed, but Your Voice Still Matters”
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Wow, does this strike a nerve. I don't really want to admit it, but a big part of me has given up. I've had a WP blog for twelve years, posting weekly. For half of that, I had my own paid site with a mailing list where I was able to watch my readership shrink. Meanwhile, I spent hours, then days, trying to debug what I didn't understand and didn't have the funds to have someone else fix—while paying annual fees.
At last, I closed all that down and returned to the free site I'd kept.
How (not) fitting that I at last started publishing while all the rest that I'd built crumbled. I've had days when I want to chuck it all. I'm retired and barely get by, but I also work hard to put out the best books I can.
Spending days in tears while trying to fix what I don't understand, while referencing tech talk I don't understand, isn't worth it. If publishing is exclusively for the wealthy, then it isn't for me.
I've mastered Scrivener, Vellum, and ProWritingAid. I've published. Blogging, though, has become a beast I no longer recognize and hardly worth the effort I put into my posts. Just thinking about it makes me livid.
Christina - this is heartbreaking for me, and understand that you are NOT alone. It isn't you, it is the tools that are letting you down. And your point about this being only for the wealthy - that's what we have to fight. I want to encourage you to keep sharing your stories. Find less expensive more fun options, because they do exist!
Thank you.
A strong reminder that even with the tools changing, human insight will always be important. It's great to know that we still have a voice, despite the trends of the platforms. To those going through HR changes, help can make all the difference like CIPD Level 3 Assistance.
I think what writers need to ask is, is it worth it, knowing that AI is going to use what you post?
My concern is that every time a blogger posts anything, doesn't that feed the AI monster which gleans from the internet to create its verbal sludge? I mean, we're committed at this point, and it would probably be fiscal death to unplug, because the world lives on the internet, but it is irksome that AI just rolls past and rips off what it wants to use whenever it's in the mood.
I taught HS Grammar and Vocab this year, and one of the hardest things I have had to deal with is AI-generated content. I had my students do almost all of their creative writing by hand—some of this was done in order to create a baseline so I would know their writing voices and writing skills. Most students did their own work. I could tell. But I still encountered a few who occasionally resorted to AI for at least part of assignments which were not completed in the classroom. The temptation is no doubt great to save time by allowing the internet do the thinking and writing for you.
I'd already run into these problems as a math teacher, and that was bad enough, but I despise lazy AI-generated writing. The tip-offs were always voice (did it really sound like that student?) and the deviations in the knowledge of the mechanics of grammar (how has a student who never remembered to use commas or apostrophes in the past abruptly become an expert?). My class was small—enough so that I knew my students well and knew their writing very well by the end of the year.
So this comment may be a little off-topic, (and not even entirely proofread) but it's something I've had in mind as I consider my own sadly neglected blogs. Should I continue to write them? Plagiarism has become intensified via the internet, but at least the search engines weren't originally writing copy for unethical people. Individuals still had to do some work and research, and it was easier to catch the plagiarism, although time-consuming (at least from a teacher's perspective).
Is it worth it to feed AI search engines with your blog so they can thanklessly devour what you post and regurgitate it for the writing "created" by someone else? I honestly do not know. It's probably a topic for another time.
Beth,
I admit to being a little bit old-school. There's a book that I recommend called "The Go Giver" and while it is old and short and written about something completely different, I think it applies.
With the rise of AI search, if you don't let the AI see your blog, only people that you discover and bring in yourself will see it. On the other hand, even if an AI can see it, they may not do you any favors.
Translation: I don't have an answer. I think everyone needs to make their own decisions, but I think leaning into what feeds or drains your creativity and being aware of that... is something to be hugely aware of.
Yup, yup, yup. All these questions have been spinning around in my head for a while now. For now, I'm continuing as I have been because the answer isn't a simple one. If I don't post on my blog and others and I don't do social media--what do I do to grow my audience? Is it better to change my methods or to keep plugging away because this is a time of upheaval and there's no clear answer. I'm still experimenting with ways to grow my audience. It's growing at a snail's pace, but it is growth. So...the questions continue to swirl around in my head while I search for an alternative.
Lynette - growth is huge. Having an experimental mindset, being open to trying new things without becoming too attached... that's pretty much the mood of these days. Celebrate that growth!
I haven't tried to write anything substantial on Substack or Medium, only replies to others. One thing I like about WordPress (cloud hosted in my case) is that I can go in and edit or extend any of my articles in situ, even those published 10+ years ago. Can I do that on Substack?
If you have fans here, why not publish intros or summaries along with a link to the full essay or whatever on your blog? How hard is it to click on a link?
Matthew, I think what you're talking about is going back, freshening the content and re-posting it? You absolutely can do that on Substack.
How hard is it to click a link? Well, depends on your ideal readers. Do they read? Or are they the types that will give you 5 seconds and not go beyond that? Remember that many readers these days do very little beyond skim even content they love.
Also - remember that some links in our modern world take people to scary places. I am not sure what the current statistic is of how many people you won't have click and follow through a link, but it's a significant percentage.
Doesn't mean don't do it. Just means that's a thing that we need to be aware of. You can use it to separate out your super-fans from the casual ones. The ones that click the link are the ones who can help you market your work.
Sigh. One of the many reasons I can't stand AI. I would MUCH rather read the words of actual, real people, writing about topics I'm interested in, than some inane "AI-generated summary." I can think for myself, thanks. And even when I stumble across writing I don't like, there's value in seeing that, too, if only to see what not to do when writing.
Anyway, sorry for the anti-AI rant. AI has been weighing on my mind a lot lately. Do you still recommend WordPress for sites? I need to build a site for my business soon and I'm torn between sticking with WordPress or trying Squarespace. I worry about Squarespace for the reasons listed in that Substack article.
Is that your Substack? I've been getting into Substack lately so I need to start subscribing to some more writers on there. 🙂
Natalie,
AI is on everyone's mind because it is changing everything at a frantic pace. But I want you to consider that you are not alone and many people would much rather read a human's words and as writers, this is GOOD for us.
Yes, that's my Substack.
What I recommend for building websites varies a LOT based on what people want to do with it. Do you know you can build a website ON Substack? For a one time $50 fee to point your domain name at it? (I haven't done that yet for ... reasons...)
Compare platforms, costs, difficulties. If you have books out, check out Author Websites by BookBub. Pretty and easy. If you just want a simple landing page, try Carrd.io. For a blog, try Substack. Play, try different things. What is good today may be replaced by something else amazing tomorrow.
I'm just finishing up a class with a group of authors. One of my students said this, made me very happy: "I hadn't realized that this could be FUN!"
Find a platform that helps you reconnect with the fun factor and that works well with your ideal readers.
Thanks, Lisa! Yes, I do think it's a good thing that there are loads of people out there who do want to read other people's words. 🙂
I just subscribed to your Substack.
And thanks for your suggestions—I'm thinking Carrd.io for my author website, but I'll probably want a WordPress site for my accounting business. And I definitely want to give Substack a try. I've read and commented on there, but haven't actually written anything myself yet.
I set up a WordPress blog in 2018, and it has never seemed like anything but work. To wit, after first blush I left it largely neglected, twice trying (weakly) to make a push to make it relevant to my writing career. Nevertheless, it still feels like I should knuckle down and properly crank it up.
This year I learned about Substack and set up an account, although have not used it yet. I'm trying to build a backlog of articles, stories, etc. so I'll have at least a two month's start on posts–hopefully then developing contacts and keeping it going. I understand mailing lists are probably the best addition to whatever posting I do, but not sure if I can do that through WordPress or Substack.
Jerold - have you tried importing your posts from WordPress into Substack?
If you haven't heard the news from Google this week about the changes in search engines... just be aware that it is going to hit our WordPress sites pretty hard, in my opinion. I'm seeing stats dropping quickly.
AND... if it isn't fun, it won't actually work. Why? Because people can tell when you are having fun and when you're making it happen because you have to. I encourage authors who find these things hard and unpleasant to NOT do them.
We have new toys every day. An author just showed me a website she built in Fourth Wall. (I may be writing that wrong...) But what I loved was the smile and the joy on her face as she talked about it. THAT is what we want to find.
Same thing with BookBub for authors (not the best for blogging or newsletters YET) - I see authors smiling when they build on it.
Same thing with Substack. It connects for some authors and I see them connecting with others and having a good time.
I want to encourage you to find that space that works for you. Don't feel like you need to stay with WordPress because you SHOULD or you have history with it. It worked - as well as it did - for you in the past. Now look at something new. Take your domain name and your content and go play somewhere else!
Great post, Lisa!
I've definitely been experimenting! Trying out having a blog in Notion. (Not great for discoverability in itself. But Notion is nice for automation, which I'm starting to play with more.)
Ooooh. I haven't looked at Notion much yet. I do know that you have great content, Amy. You're the one who turned me on to Carrd and they are delightful. Can't beat that price point!
And discoverability... that's getting more challenging by the day. I think we need to find ways to drive our own discoverability or use platforms (like Substack) that help with it.
Something a lot of folks don't realize: the biggest problems with selling books is discoverability. The biggest problem with website growth is discoverability. It is the same challenge. Authors who learn to find a way through that are ahead, whether they learn to do it with books or websites!
Interesting questions.
Engagement in as many platforms as possible seems like a smart approach (and sometimes expected) for a published writer.
The problem is that new platforms are springing up all the time. I don't know what the answer is because, yes, maintaining content on multiple platforms can feel like an additional job.
As an unpublished writer, I've resolved to keep up with my blog (since 2010) and link my posts on various platforms.
I have an account on most new and old platforms, and I post links back to my blog content. This is not ideal and certainly will not generate much traffic, but I'm not trying to make a living from my blog.
Plus, I'm not focusing solely on my writing. I dabble in photography, and despite all my fiction being on my blog, there is more photography content than fiction content.
My lack of focus also contributes to low traffic numbers; maybe I don't care as much as I should.
I say this because if I had a lot of traffic, that, too, drains my time.
I like the idea of mailing lists, but I gave that up years ago because — again — of low engagement.
Really, the only sure way to get a lot of eyes on your stuff (aside from being brilliant) is to have a publisher who works to get your name and fiction out there.
For most little-known authors, I understand that doesn't happen much.
Disperser,
Oh, there's so much in your post that makes me feel for you.
Brilliant - won't necessary make any difference. There are a lot of brilliant authors who never get read. We use Vincent Van Gogh as an example... if his brother hadn't rescued his paintings would we even know that brilliance existed.
Traditional publishers - they don't have the money to make big promo work for most authors these days. Honestly? From working with a lot of publishers, I hear THEM struggling to get marketing to work as well. Discoverability is HARD.
Oh, I wish you had built an email list over those many years. I'm going to say something that may sound harsh, but know that I don't mean it that way. People these days are only reading our stuff when there is something in it for them. If you aren't getting the engagement you want, maybe you aren't making it clear what is in it for THEM.
It can be hard to know what we give, but for many authors that is entertainment. We give them an escape, or information, or adventure. We need to find out what our ideal readers want - ideally something we give easily - and then do that.
For example: a writer who can't help but write... can enjoy writing and sharing stories with readers.
It may not be that you don't care as much as you should, but it might be that you've been told you SHOULD care about things that you don't actually care about. Hoping that makes sense. Lean into what you do care about.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
First, no need to feel for me. I'm comfortable with my choices.
As for the rest:
Yeah, I hear publishers have it rough . . . I almost feel for them (a bit of sarcasm there).
At one time, my email list was close to 150 people. Mind you, these were all people I knew and had a personal relationship with. The problem was that engagement dropped off once I moved away from them. Over a few years, fewer and fewer people responded to my requests to confirm they still wanted to receive my email updates. Eventually, the numbers got low enough that I just asked the people, if interested, to follow the blog.
On paper, I have about 2K followers to the blog . . . in practice, 40-50 visitors is what I get on a good day. Of those, 4-5 engage. Truthfully, it's a comfortable number. Any more, and I'd be answering comments all day . . . long, meandering comments . . . like this one. Who has the time?!
I think these days, people are inundated with emails, so I wonder about the effectiveness of mailing list. I especially wonder about how many people who subscribe actually read the emails.
As for caring . . . nah, no one told me what I should or shouldn't care about. These days, everything I do (including writing) is for my enjoyment. If others also enjoy it, that's great. Mainly, I write so that I have something to read I know I'll enjoy.
I know it sounds trite, but my blog is mostly for me, its biggest fan. That's the main thing I got from attending Viable Paradise . . . a measure of confirmation that my writing does not, in fact, suck. Imagine the joy of being one's biggest fan!
And that's ultimately the problem. . . Writing for myself means that unless readers like exactly what I like, they're not going to be very interested in my writing.
Thanks again for the comment and advice.
Lisa, this is so well said—and hits right at the heart of what so many of us have been feeling but haven’t quite had the words for.
That original dream—the democratization of publishing—still burns bright for a lot of us. But you’re absolutely right: the path has shifted. It’s no longer about having one tool that does it all. It’s about finding the tools that fit us and help us stay creators first.
What I love most about your reflection is that it’s not doom-and-gloom—it’s an invitation. A pause. A breath. And a reminder that we do have power. Writers, artists, storytellers—we adapt. We build. And when the ground shifts, we don’t fall—we adjust our stance.
I’m with you 100%:
→ Use the platforms that lift your voice without burying you in stress.
→ Protect your list like a dragon hoarding gold.
→ Keep the heart of your work close… but let your light shine far.
And honestly? I’m excited. Not anxious—excited. Because even in this changing landscape, the one thing that hasn’t shifted is the fact that readers still crave connection. They still want voices that are real. And we get to be those voices.
Here’s to the next chapter—and to building it with intention, joy, and just enough weirdness to make it unforgettable.
Love it, Jaime! As always, you are cheerful and encouraging... and you see the bright future!
Lisa,
I really do believe there’s a bright future ahead for storytellers.
You know that, because we've talked about this.
The tools might change, the platforms might shuffle, but the need for connection, for meaning, for well-told stories is never going out of style.
"Need" is the key word.
And with people like you in the mix...thoughtful, insightful, and generous?
We’re not just heading into the future, we’re building it.
...one creative spark at a time.
Let’s keep going.
There's so much good ahead.
Oh, hey...and the rest of you reading this?
Cheer up...and remember:
You are MORE than you THINK you are!!
The future is bright for authors, that's for sure. People are hungry for what we offer. Stories, escape, entertainment... more valuable than ever before.
And the new toys are SO MUCH FUN!
I know you and I talk about these things, and try things out, and look around...because we are not afraid of tech. But many authors absolutely despise tech. I have a friend who regularly wants to quit writing because every time she learns some tech, in a few years they change the tech. It makes her batty, and she's not alone there.
That's the unfortunate side of technology, especially for creators. We spend our energy making stories from nothing. We rarely have energy left over to make tech things from a blank page too.
The new Author Websites by BookBub is stunning. Just had a student set up a website in 10 minutes. She had fun and it is BEAUTIFUL. We're getting better toys!!!
Lisa, for many reasons, I absolutely cannot put a lot of time and energy into writing books AND a blog. One or the other; not both, not at full throttle.
Finding Substack was a huge relief from the stress and expense of Word Press. Substack is easy to use, I feel more "findable", and it's cheap. It's good enough for me, given the alternatives.
BUT, it's smart to hedge your bets and not put all your eggs in the same basket. That is the constant drumbeat I hear from you whenever you discuss this topic. I have much to learn.
In the meantime, I have an account on X, which I enjoy as I learn to use it as a writer; and I absolutely love World Anvil for its worldbuilding capabilities.
For now, these are enough. And enough (in the words of many) is as good as a feast.
Thank you for your wisdom!
Victoria - that IS a feast. You've got good stuff going on. Isn't it interesting that the Substack blog doesn't feel like as much work? And that's what we want to lean into!
I'm on most social media platforms and I have a substack. I have a wordpress account and a domain name, but I haven't done the work to make it an official website.
Denise,
WordPress + Domain can be an expensive investment unless you are on WordPress.com. If you aren't using it, just point your domain name at Substack and call it good! That IS an "official website" - and if it is fun to use, that is all you need!
[…] post was called “The Tools Have Changed But Your Voice Still Matters.” And it details how, in even as few as five years ago, blogging and how readers find your blog […]
All I have now is a landing site. I'm afraid the world is changing by the day leaving many of us behind.
Good post. And good questions. I wonder some of that often.
[…] The Tools Have Changed, but Your Voice Still Matters […]