So, you have actually been toying with the idea of turning your e-mail listing into a revenue stream, but you’re overwhelmed by all the choices around. Audio acquainted? You’re not the only one. If you have actually been using a basic email service and scratching your head about sponsorships, advertisements, and paid subscriptions, it might be time to take a look at beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll stroll you via whatever you require to understand about using beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter right into cash– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Shaan Puri Beehiiv
Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Existing Email Platform
You have actually probably tried the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble the majority of small-scale content makers, below’s what likely occurred:
- Minimal Money Making Alternatives
You have a handful of faithful subscribers– maybe 500 to 1,000 people– however no easy means to earn money. Sponsorships feel like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names on a monthly basis.
- DIY Automation Headaches
You wish to drip campaign new customers, send a welcome series, and section people for targeted e-mails … however establishing those automations feels like you require a computer technology level.
- Platform Charges Suck
Every single time you think of paid memberships, the system takes a substantial piece, and the payment setup is more complex than it’s worth.
- Development Delays
Growth hacks appear to benefit everybody else– but except you. You want there was an easy means to discover new customers without manually chasing them down.
I remained in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (previously ConvertKit), however it seemed like a dead end for money making. Do not get me wrong– Kit is terrific for building funnels and establishing standard automations. However when it came to making a couple of hundred bucks a month from a tiny checklist, there wasn’t a noticeable “on” button.
Go into beehiiv.
My Change to beehiiv: A Fact Examine
In January 2024, I finally pulled the trigger and relocated my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Right here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound enrollers, negotiate rates, or build complex paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing organization full-time, so my newsletter was always mosting likely to be a side project. I needed something that practically ran itself.
The “Market Me” Moment
What sold me on beehiiv was straightforward:
- Integrated Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can make money here!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
- Low-Effort Sponsorships: As opposed to me searching LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings offers directly to my control panel. All I have to do is click “accept,” drop in the advertisement duplicate, and struck send out.
- Easy Income Boosts: By promoting other e-newsletters in my regular e-mail, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred client. No hefty lifting, no challenging analytics– just stable, incremental income.
Looter alert: It repaid. In my very first full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I drew in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a checklist that never ever covered 1,000 subscribers. I didn’t create a paid training course. I really did not release a product and I just let beehiiv do its point.
My Partner Program Windfall
As if that wasn’t sufficient, I likewise signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By discussing beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with pals, I stole $5,108 in referral commissions via the end of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over five grand, just by talking about the platform.
So if you’re wondering whether beehiiv deserves it for small designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, of course, it isn’t flawless. Let’s break down the excellent, the poor, and the amazing things you need to understand.
The Benefit of Using beehiiv
1. Monetization Made Ridiculously Easy
What I love finest regarding beehiiv is how simple it is to generate income on auto-pilot. You don’t require a significant audience. Here’s how it functions:
- Advertisement Network Sponsorships: Once you hit simply 1,000 energetic subscribers, brands start aligning. You get 3– 6 ad requests monthly usually. You choose the ones you like, place the duplicate, and you’re done. They ppc or watch– no complicated invoicing. And due to the fact that beehiiv matches you with appropriate brands, your customers are more likely to click.
- Boosts Referral Revenue: Don’t have sponsors yet? No worry. Promote other maker newsletters for $1–$ 3 per subscriber. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for e-mail listings. I made numerous hundred dollars in this manner without breaking a sweat.
- Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you decide to charge for superior web content, beehiiv takes a minimal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction through Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing rates, run complimentary tests, and even let clients “call their rate.”.
- Partner Program Commissions: Not in it for the brief haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Gain 60% compensation on beehiiv’s regular monthly or yearly plans when a person join your code. It’s literally additional cash money for sharing something you already like.
Put simply, beehiiv turns money making right into an integrated feature, instead of a task you fear.
2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode
If you’ve ever before looked at a dashboard thinking, “What does any of this really mean?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s technique:.
- Clear Subscriber Growth Charts: See specifically the amount of brand-new people signed up with, how many dropped off, and why your checklist diminished (a lot more on that particular in a sec).
- Open and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last one month, so you can identify trends right away. As an example, I kept an eye on my open price (hovering around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
- Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship income, boosts revenue, partner referral revenues– you get the picture. Revenue streams are neatly separated so nothing obtains lost in the shuffle.
It resembles having a partner who tells you, “Hey, your January email eliminated it– here’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s repair this.”.
3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Marketing Your Heart
A lot of e-newsletter platforms will bill you for each additional subscriber after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for approximately 2,500 clients, it’s totally free. You get:.
- Endless email sends out.
- Access to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your e-newsletter on other beehiiv newsletters).
- Fundamental analytics and forms.
If you’re a newbie or have a tiny audience, this is substantial. You can experiment with subject lines, send out regularity, and different lead magnets without bothering with hitting a paywall.
4. Built-In Web Site & Customized Pages
Picture abandoning WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether since your newsletter platform functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv essentially:.
- Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails live on a blog-like page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
- Personalized Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet page? A thank-you web page? A page to offer a product? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
- Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks excellent on phones– crucial given that a ton of people check out emails on mobile.
Sure, you won’t obtain every fancy drag-and-drop that a specialized website builder supplies, however, for the majority of designers, it’s ample.
5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth
Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you wish to tap into a community of like-minded creators. When your client clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring maker get credit history. It’s a clever means to expand your listing without spamming.
The Downsides: What to Watch Out For
No product is excellent– and beehiiv has its missteps. Before you dive in, below’s what might journey you up:.
Feature Overload initially
When you visit, there are so many choices– Kinds, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel overwhelming. If you have actually only used a straightforward service that sends out one-off emails, you may need a couple of days to obtain comfortable.
Unnecessary Advertisement Requests
In some cases the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A video gaming e-newsletter may obtain offered a code-review tool for programmers. Make certain to decrease anything that doesn’t jive with your target market, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.
No Time At All Area– Based Sends
If your listing is international, you can’t instantly schedule e-mails based on each customer’s time zone. All sends head out at once, so you may wake up to low open prices if half your list is asleep.
Custom-made Web Page Builder Isn’t Super Instinctive
Producing a landing page is possible, however the UI could be smoother. I invested a couple of hours (and a useful chat with support) obtaining a giveaway opt-in page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might locate it confusing.
Minimal Integrations
If you utilize Gumroad to market products, you run out good luck– no straight integration yet. You’ll need to make use of embed codes or a Zapier workaround.
All that said, beehiiv’s team is constantly presenting updates– and those disadvantages are slowly however undoubtedly being addressed.
Who Should Think about beehiiv?
Not everybody needs a completely featured newsletter system. However if any one of the complying with defines you, beehiiv might be a suit made in heaven:.
- Absolute Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an e-mail blast, you do not want to invest money in advance, and you need a free, easy way to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start free of cost, send out endless emails to up to 2,500 clients, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
- Small-List Creators: If you already have a few hundred or a pair thousand clients however no hint how to transform that into income, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my first ten months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Not bad for coffee money, right?
- Creators Who Dislike “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t intend to pitch items nonstop or sling digital training courses. You prefer to share value, develop count on, and let the cash can be found in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s ad network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
- Switchers Who Don’t Want to Reconstruct Everything: Perhaps you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv assures a smooth movement from those systems. And also, if you have a big list (say 10k+), you can get assist from beehiiv’s support group to relocate everything over without losing your automations.
Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Register and Discover the Dashboard
As soon as you develop an account, beehiiv drops you right into a dashboard where you see your client matter, open prices, click-through prices, and any pending advertisement offers. Think about it as your mission control– whatever you require is just a click away.
Build Your First Subscribe Type
Browse to Audience ’ Subscribe Types ’ Create Brand-new Kind. You’ll need:
- A heading that hooks site visitors
- A short blurb clarifying what your newsletter has to do with
- A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
- Your logo design or a pertinent photo
- A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for joining! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)
You can choose from different type styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail field), or progressed (with tracking codes). The customization alternatives are basic– shades for switches and background photos– but it’s remarkably reliable for recording emails.
Establish Your Site and Custom Pages
If you desire greater than just a kind, hop into Style ’ Website Builder ’ Personalized Pages ’ Internal Page. Use this to:
Host your newsletter archive (all past concerns, searchable and SEO-friendly).
Produce a landing page for a giveaway (e.g., “Download my SEO cheat sheet”).
Build a thank-you page that goes real-time after somebody subscribes.
I spent a few hours tweaking my very first landing page, once I mastered it, I realized how powerful it is to have everything under one roof. As opposed to handling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.
Draft Your Initial E-newsletter
Click the big “Begin Writing” button in the top-right edge. You’ll see a tidy, distraction-free editor where you can:
- Compose your e-mail duplicate Shaan Puri Beehiiv
- Put photos, headers, and customized HTML blocks
- Preview just how it’ll search in inboxes and on your website
- Set up or send immediately
One catch: Personalization is restricted. Every subscriber sees “Hey there” instead of “Hi there [Given name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you may miss that. But also for many folks, a friendly, conversational intro suffices.
Turn On Money making
As soon as you strike 1,000 active subscribers, beehiiv will invite you to:.
- Join the Advertisement Network: Instantly obtain sponsorship demands that match your particular niche. Choose which ones to accept, insert the advertisement duplicate into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
- Establish Boosts: Relate to advertise various other newsletters. If somebody joins through your link, you gain $1–$ 3 per customer.
For paid e-newsletters, browse to Money making ’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll connect your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t charge extra fees past Stripe’s processing), set your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Name Your Price”), and determine what content goes behind the paywall.
Display and Enhance
Inspect your analytics weekly. If open prices go down listed below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains no clicks, it could be pointless to your audience– decline comparable future ads. When a boost transforms well, send even more boost demands or fine-tune your deal.
It could seem like a lot in the beginning, but I promise you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the rewards– both financial and in regards to your audience’s growth– are worth the first curve.
Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options
If you’re serious about transforming your e-newsletter into an economic device, let’s break down each income stream thoroughly.
1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Profits)
Think about this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Below’s the lowdown:.
- How It Functions: You enroll in the Partner Program, grab your special referral web link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When somebody clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Range or Max), you earn a commission.
- Commission Rates: Up to 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you might see $60. Cha-ching.
- Payment: Beehiiv pays month-to-month by means of PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap with.
In my instance, I published a Medium article strolling people with my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here is part of that initiative). Via a combination of blog web traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in associate payments by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.
2. Boosts: Earn by Aiding Others Expand
Boosts are generally funded promos– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” version. Below’s the scoop:.
- Become a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your e-newsletter can help others expand, apply in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll discuss why your audience is an excellent fit and set a price you ‘d pay for a new subscriber.
- Apply to Boost Others: If you want quick customers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on other developers’ listings. However what many little creators enjoy is the opposite: you put on be a boost partner for other newsletters. When someone join with your boost, you get $1–$ 3
- Limits:
- You can send up to 25 boost provides per month, however beehiiv just surfaces three deals at once to prospective partners.
- If a boost is carrying out well, other makers will certainly select it up promptly.
Here’s a fast instance: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO maker’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 new customers for them– and made regarding $350 at the same time. Win-win.
3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)
This is where the huge bucks can can be found in, even if your checklist is “little.” Below’s just how it goes:
- Eligibility: You need at the very least 1,000 active customers and a constant send routine (at least one e-mail per month, though weekly is suitable).
- Automation: When accepted, you’ll start getting 3– 5 sponsorship requests each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based upon your audience’s interests– so a marketing SaaS company could come close to an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
- Repayment Design:
- Price Per Click (CPC): You generate income every time somebody clicks the ad in your email.
- Expense Per Mille (CPM): You earn based upon a thousand impressions.
- Ease of Use: You can approve or decline each deal right from your dashboard. Beehiiv deals with all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your e-newsletter.
In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored advertisements, including a few prominent brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my top campaign creating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Keep in mind: importance is king. Irrelevant ads storage tank click-through rates, so be selective.
4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Content”)
If you develop really unique content– deep dive reports, special tutorials, or insider evaluations– you may think about a paid tier. Here’s the 101:
- Arrangement: Most Likely To Money Making ’ Paid Memberships, link Stripe, and pick your pricing:
- Regular monthly
- Annual (generally discounted)
- One-time repayment (for a single overview or course)
- Name Your Cost (your subscribers choose what they can pay for)
- Profits Split: Beehiiv does not bill you a system fee; they only pass Stripe’s processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
- Instances: If you have 100 customers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Not bad, best? Of course, reaching 100 paid clients implies you require a faithful, involved base.
Now, be reasonable: Paid memberships are a grind. You require consistent, high-value web content that makes people comfortable taking out their budgets. If you’re just beginning, the ad network and boosts could be quicker victories.
Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Get)
I recognize pricing is a large question mark when you’re thinking of switching platforms. Right here’s the failure as of mid-2025:.
- Free Plan (up to 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re checking the waters. You still get boosts for listing development, fundamental analytics, and unrestricted sends– simply no advertisement network or paid memberships yet.
- Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Suitable if you’re serious about monetizing. You get advertisement network access, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Creating Aide to speed up your e-newsletter development.
- Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI devices (photo generation, grammar repairing, translation) matter to you, and you want top priority assistance, this is the sweet spot. Plus, you can introduce a mobile app for your clients.
- Enterprise (100k+ subscribers): For brand names and mega-creators who need custom-made movements, service-level arrangements, and advanced protection. Very few tiny developers need this.
My suggestion? Begin on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the control panel, grow your listing to 1,000, after that update to Scale once you understand you classifieds profits and boosts.
One-of-a-kind Features Shaan Puri Beehiiv
You may be assuming, “Okay, ads and boosts are awesome. Yet what else can beehiiv do that can not?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.
1. Audio Newsletters
Ever considered turning your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated sound newsletter feature instantly converts your emails into spoken-word sound. No additional editing and enhancing software program, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your customers can pay attention on the go. For hectic audiences who drive or exercise, this is a helpful means to stay connected.
2. Customized Mobile Application for Visitors
Many platforms provide you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one step additionally: you can release a custom-made mobile application for your clients. Once they add it to their home screen, your newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Envision getting up and seeing application notifications when you drop a new concern. Talk about engagement.
3. “Call Your Rate” Registrations
Rather than requiring everyone right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most faithful fans choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can bring about greater lifetime value. I have not evaluated this feature directly yet, however, for designers who feel a little bit worried about cost points, it’s a pleasant alternative to try out.
4. beehiiv AI Collection
For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI tools are a godsend:
- AI Writing Aide: Produce newsletter drafts based on bullet factors or subjects. For days when you’re looking at a blank page, this boosts your creative thinking.
- AI Text Device: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no need for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, refined draft that really feels human Shaan Puri Beehiiv.
- AI Picture Device: Create custom header images or illustrations without purchasing stock photos. Simply type a prompt, and voila.
- AI Translator: Intend to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Equate your material right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese promptly.
These features can cut hours off web content creation and help you trying out new layouts.
Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv
Now that you recognize what beehiiv can do, below are some insider hacks to maximize it:
Tidy Your List for Better Efficiency
In August 2024, I reduced my client count in half (from concerning 2,400 to 1,200) by removing inactive emails– people who hadn’t opened anything in 6 months. My open prices jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which meant advertisers paid even more per click. It harmed to lose customers, but a lean, engaged checklist is worth more than a bloated, passive one.
Experiment with Subject Lines Like a Pro
Subject lines make or break open prices. Do A/B examinations on tiny segments prior to sending out to your entire list. Short, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to increase your web traffic?”) commonly outperform generic ones (” April Newsletter”).
Be Pickier with Advertisement Offers
If an ad does not resonate with your specific niche, say no. Irrelevant advertisements irritate viewers and tank click metrics. In time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your target market– decline sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll stop sending them.
Usage Boosts to Examine New Audiences
Obtained a brand-new classification you want to explore? Attempt enhancing your e-newsletter in a related particular niche. The cost per subscriber standards $1.63– however if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I when enhanced a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got a surprising uptick in retention.
Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Production
On nights when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Composing Aide to prepare a rough outline: introductory, three bottom lines, verdict. Then I flesh it out with my own narratives and design tweaks. It’s not ideal, however it’s a solid structure that saves me 30– 45 minutes per e-mail.
Make the most of the Mobile Application
Urge customers to mount your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your next e-mail, write a fast “Exactly how to Add Our E-newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application mounts suggest even more presence, and push notices defeat inbox noise.
Deal Periodic Paid-Only Material
As opposed to making every issue free, tease a “incentive report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it greatly to your listing. Even if you just sell 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv costs.
Completing: Is beehiiv Right for You?
If you have actually stuck to me this much, you probably fall into among these camps:
- You have actually never sent out a newsletter, but you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive tools are perfect for learning the ropes.
- You have a small checklist (< 2,500) and wish to generate income from without migraines-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing nearly absolutely nothing additional.
- You’re a mid-sized creator (1k+ customers) looking to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program assist you grow quicker and earn a lot more.
- You despise intricate e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance in between effective features and easy to use design.
Certain, the feature collection can really feel intimidating in the beginning, and you might get a few unnecessary ad demands. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made nearly $1,000 on a small listing and over $5,000 in affiliate payments just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen enough to understand that if you invest a little time learning the platform, the returns can be significant.
So, what are you awaiting? Enroll in beehiiv, check out the control panel, and let the money making engines turn. Your future self will thank you when the checks roll in.