How to Start Writing and Publishing on Leaflet

Updated

To start on Leaflet, open leaflet.pub and select Start Writing. You can begin drafting immediately; logging in is what lets you manage drafts, posts, analytics, and settings, and publish to a blog, newsletter, or other format. A custom theme and custom domain are optional extras you can add when you want them.

Before you begin

Leaflet describes itself as "a simple and powerful platform for social publishing — blogs, newsletters, and more," built on the Atmosphere. Its feature list covers:

  • Writing and management: fast text editing, drafts, posts, analytics, and settings.
  • Distribution: send updates via Email, Bluesky, and the Atmosphere.
  • Presentation: free custom themes and custom domains.
  • Collaboration: collaborative editing and easy sharing.
  • Community: newsletters, events, and conversations.

The site's pricing section lists a Free Basic tier described as "Leaflet is free for everyone," alongside a Pro option reachable through a "Get Pro" checkout link. The free tier's listed editing capability is "Fast, powerful text editing"; the page evidence does not detail the full feature split between Free and Pro, so check the pricing section on the site before committing to a paid plan.

Steps to publish your first piece

  1. Open the site and choose Start Writing. This is the entry point the homepage presents next to Log in. Expect to land in the editor.
  2. Log in if you want a persistent account. The homepage pairs "Log in" with "Start Writing," and the management features — Drafts, Posts, Analytics, Settings — sit behind an account. Logging in is what makes your work retrievable and manageable later.
  3. Write and save as a draft. Use the editor to compose. Drafts is listed as a distinct area, so save work in progress there rather than publishing prematurely.
  4. Decide your format. Leaflet supports blogs, newsletters, and what the site calls a "secret third thing" — in practice, a post you can send as an email update, a Bluesky/Atmosphere update, or a standalone blog entry. Pick the one that matches your audience.
  5. Publish and distribute. Publishing makes the post live; sending updates via Email, Bluesky, and the Atmosphere is how you reach readers. The Atmosphere connection is the differentiator: posts can travel into a social ecosystem the site describes as having millions of users.
  6. Review and iterate. Use Analytics to see how posts perform, and Settings to adjust your publication.
  7. Optionally, make it yours. Add a free custom theme and connect a custom domain when you want the publication to carry your own branding rather than a default address.

What you can expect once live

The homepage showcases writers using Leaflet for very different things: music blogging (zjsm.fm), network commentary (Cosmik Labs), politics and philosophy (Aaron Ross Powell), personal collections (Eva's Garden, Cat Café), link dumps (leaf litter, hyper girl shares hyperlinks), and project updates (microcosm, How Streamplace Works). That range is a useful signal: Leaflet does not force a single format, so a newsletter, a link blog, and a long-form essay blog can all live on the same platform.

If collaboration matters to you, the listed collaborative editing and easy sharing features mean you can write with others rather than solo — useful for co-authored newsletters or shared project updates.

Common sticking points

  • Skipping login. Writing without an account may let you compose, but Drafts, Posts, Analytics, and Settings are account features. Log in first if you intend to keep and manage the work.
  • Assuming the free tier covers everything. The page confirms a free Basic tier but does not enumerate Pro-only features. Check the pricing section before relying on a specific capability.
  • Publishing before choosing distribution. Decide up front whether a piece goes out by email, to Bluesky, or into the Atmosphere — the send step is part of publishing, not an afterthought.
  • Delaying domain setup. A custom domain and theme are free per the feature list, so there is little reason to publish for long under a default address if branding matters to you.

For the specific plan breakdown, see the pricing section on leaflet.pub; for collaboration details, the site's feature list is the authoritative summary.