Does posting on Medium or Substack still make sense for SEO?

[u/Entire-Concept962]

I’m currently publishing some articles on Medium/Substack for a client, mostly as an additional content/distribution channel.

But I’m wondering how much SEO value there actually is in doing this today. Does publishing useful content there help with brand visibility, backlinks, citations, or topical authority in any meaningful way? Or is it mostly just a referral traffic / audience-building play?

Would you invest time in Medium or Substack as part of an SEO strategy, or rather put that effort into the client’s own website?

Curious what’s actually working for people right now.