Substack or Beehiiv – The Creator’s Secret To Newsletter Success!

So, you’ve been dabbling the idea of turning your e-mail list right into an earnings stream, however you’re bewildered by all the options available. Audio acquainted? You’re not alone. If you’ve been utilizing a standard email service and damaging your head concerning sponsorships, advertisements, and paid subscriptions, it could be time to have a look at beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll stroll you with every little thing you need to know about utilizing beehiiv to turn your newsletter right into cash– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Substack or Beehiiv

Why You Could be Stuck with Your Current Email Platform

You have actually possibly attempted the usual suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble a lot of small web content developers, here’s what likely happened:

Limited Monetization Alternatives

You have a handful of faithful clients– possibly 500 to 1,000 people– but zero simple means to make money. Sponsorships seem like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands every month.

Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You want to trickle campaign brand-new clients, send a welcome series, and section folks for targeted emails … yet establishing those automations seems like you need a computer technology level.

System Charges Suck

Whenever you think about paid registrations, the system takes a massive portion, and the payment configuration is more challenging than it deserves.

Development Stalls

Growth hacks seem to work for everybody else– but not for you. You want there was an easy way to discover brand-new clients without manually chasing them down.

I was in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I would certainly been using Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but it seemed like a stumbling block for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is excellent for constructing funnels and setting up standard automations. But when it came to making a couple of hundred bucks a month from a little listing, there wasn’t a noticeable “on” button.

Enter beehiiv.

My Change to beehiiv: A Reality Check

In January 2024, I ultimately shot and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound enrollers, discuss prices, or build difficult paid funnels. I run a SEO writing organization permanent, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I needed something that practically ran itself.

The “Sell Me” Moment

What marketed me on beehiiv was easy:

Integrated Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can generate income below!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me combing LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings offers right to my dashboard. All I need to do is click “approve,” decrease in the advertisement copy, and struck send.
Passive Income Boosts: By promoting various other newsletters in my weekly email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred client. No heavy lifting, no complicated analytics– just consistent, step-by-step earnings.

Spoiler alert: It repaid. In my initial full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never ever topped 1,000 clients. I really did not produce a paid training course. I didn’t introduce an item and I simply let beehiiv do its thing.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that had not been enough, I also joined the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By blogging about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with friends, I filched $5,108 in referral payments with the end of 2024. Yep, you review that right: over 5 grand, simply by speaking about the system.

So if you’re wondering whether beehiiv is worth it for little makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. However, certainly, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the great, the negative, and the amazing things you need to understand.

The Upside of Using beehiiv

1. Money Making Made Unbelievably Straightforward

What I like ideal regarding beehiiv is just how simple it is to earn money on autopilot. You do not need a substantial target market. Below’s how it functions:

Advertisement Network Sponsorships: Once you strike just 1,000 energetic clients, brands start aligning. You obtain 3– 6 advertisement requests monthly usually. You choose the ones you like, place the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or see– no complicated invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with appropriate brand names, your customers are more likely to click.
Boosts Referral Income: Don’t have sponsors yet? No problem. Promote other creator e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for e-mail checklists. I earned a number of hundred dollars this way without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you choose to bill for exceptional content, beehiiv takes a very little fee (2.9% + $0.30 per deal by means of Stripe). You can set up numerous pricing tiers, run totally free tests, or even let clients “name their rate.”.
Partner Program Commissions: Not in it for the brief haul? Sign up for the affiliate program. Make 60% commission on beehiiv’s regular monthly or annual plans when somebody join your code. It’s actually additional cash for sharing something you currently enjoy.

Simply put, beehiiv turns money making into an integrated feature, as opposed to a task you fear.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever looked at a dashboard thinking, “What does any one of this actually suggest?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s technique:.

Clear Client Development Graphs: See precisely how many brand-new people joined, the amount of left, and why your listing diminished (extra on that particular in a sec).
Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last thirty day, so you can identify trends right now. For example, I watched on my open rate (hovering around 64%– not bad) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship revenue, boosts revenue, companion referral profits– you understand. Revenue streams are nicely separated so nothing gets lost in the shuffle.

It’s like having a partner who informs you, “Hey, your January email killed it– below’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open rates are tanking– let’s fix this.”.

3. Growing Your List Without Offering Your Spirit

Most newsletter platforms will bill you for each extra subscriber after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 clients, it’s free. You get:.

Limitless email sends.
Access to the boosts network (grow your audience by advertising your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
Fundamental analytics and kinds.

If you’re a beginner or have a small target market, this is big. You can try out subject lines, send out frequency, and various lead magnets without stressing over hitting a paywall.

4. Built-In Website & Personalized Pages

Visualize ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether due to the fact that your e-newsletter platform functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in short:.

Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive on a blog-like web page that’s automatically SEO-optimized.
Custom Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A page to sell an item? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Everything looks excellent on phones– crucial since a lots of individuals read e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you won’t get every expensive drag-and-drop that a specialized website builder supplies, but also for many designers, it’s more than enough.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth

Beehiiv’s referral program is amazing if you want to take advantage of a community of like-minded creators. When your subscriber clicks “Recommend This E-newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring developer get credit. It’s a smart method to grow your list without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No item is best– and beehiiv has its missteps. Prior to you dive in, here’s what may journey you up:.

Feature Overload at First

When you visit, there are many choices– Kinds, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel frustrating. If you’ve just utilized a simple service that sends one-off e-mails, you may require a couple of days to get comfortable.

Pointless Ad Requests

Sometimes the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A gaming e-newsletter might get used a code-review device for programmers. Make certain to decline anything that doesn’t jive with your audience, or you’ll container your click-throughs.

No Time Area– Based Sends

If your list is international, you can’t automatically schedule emails based on each client’s time zone. All sends out go out at the same time, so you may wake up to reduced open rates if half your list is asleep.

Customized Web Page Builder Isn’t Very Instinctive

Developing a landing page is feasible, yet the UI could be smoother. I invested a few hours (and a practical conversation with support) getting a free offer opt-in page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you could find it cumbersome.

Minimal Integrations

If you make use of Gumroad to offer products, you’re out of luck– no straight integration yet. You’ll need to use embed codes or a Zapier workaround.

All that claimed, beehiiv’s team is regularly rolling out updates– and those disadvantages are slowly yet definitely being attended to.

Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?

Not everybody needs a fully featured e-newsletter system. Yet if any one of the complying with defines you, beehiiv could be a match made in heaven:.

Outright Beginners: You’ve never ever sent an email blast, you don’t intend to invest cash upfront, and you require a complimentary, easy method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you begin totally free, send out limitless e-mails to as much as 2,500 subscribers, and grow organically with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand clients but no hint how to turn that right into earnings, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my very first ten months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Not bad for coffee cash, right?
Designers Who Dislike “Salesy” Things: You don’t intend to pitch items continuously or sling digital programs. You ‘d rather share value, construct trust fund, and let the money been available in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
Switchers Who Don’t Want to Restore Whatever: Perhaps you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv promises a smooth movement from those systems. And also, if you have a large list (claim 10k+), you can obtain help from beehiiv’s assistance team to move every little thing over without shedding your automations.

Starting: A Detailed Walkthrough

Register and Explore the Control panel

Once you produce an account, beehiiv drops you into a control panel where you see your subscriber count, open prices, click-through prices, and any type of pending ad offers. Consider it as your mission control– every little thing you need is simply a click away.

Construct Your Initial Subscribe Form

Navigate to Audience �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Create New Type. You’ll require:

A headline that hooks site visitors
A brief blurb clarifying what your e-newsletter has to do with
A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
Your logo or a relevant photo
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for signing up with! Check your inbox in a sec.”)

You can choose from different type styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail area), or progressed (with tracking codes). The personalization alternatives are basic– shades for switches and history pictures– however it’s remarkably effective for capturing e-mails.

Set Up Your Site and Custom Pages

If you want greater than simply a type, jump into Layout �’ Website Builder �’ Custom-made Pages �’ Internal Page. Utilize this to:

Host your newsletter archive (all past concerns, searchable and SEO-friendly).

Develop a landing page for a free offer (e.g., “Download my SEO cheat sheet”).

Build a thank-you page that goes online after a person subscribes.

I spent a few hours tweaking my first landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I recognized just how effective it is to have everything under one roofing system. As opposed to juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First E-newsletter

Click the large “Begin Creating” button in the top-right corner. You’ll see a clean, distraction-free editor where you can:

Create your email copy Substack or Beehiiv
Insert pictures, headers, and customized HTML obstructs
Preview exactly how it’ll look in inboxes and on your web site
Set up or send instantly

One catch: Customization is limited. Every client sees “Hey there” as opposed to “Hi there [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you may miss that. But also for a lot of people, a pleasant, conversational introduction suffices.

Activate Monetization

When you hit 1,000 active subscribers, beehiiv will welcome you to:.

Sign Up With the Ad Network: Instantly receive sponsorship demands that match your specific niche. Select which ones to approve, place the advertisement copy into your newsletter, and get paid per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Relate to promote other newsletters. If someone signs up with using your web link, you gain $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid newsletters, browse to Monetization �’ Paid Registrations. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t charge additional charges beyond Stripe’s processing), set your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Name Your Price”), and choose what content goes behind the paywall.

Display and Maximize

Inspect your analytics weekly. If open rates go down below 40%, reconsider your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains no clicks, it could be irrelevant to your audience– decrease similar future ads. When a boost converts well, send more boost requests or fine-tune your offer.

It might seem like a great deal initially, however I promise you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the rewards– both economic and in terms of your target market’s growth– are worth the initial contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about turning your newsletter into a profitable device, let’s break down each income stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Earnings)

Think of this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Below’s the lowdown:.

How It Works: You register for the Partner Program, order your one-of-a-kind referral web link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When someone clicks, register for a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a commission.
Commission Rates: Approximately 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you might see $60. Cha-ching.
Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly through PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump via.

In my case, I released a Medium message strolling individuals through my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here belongs to that initiative). Through a mix of blog site website traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in affiliate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my real experience.

2. Boosts: Earn by Helping Others Expand

Boosts are primarily sponsored promos– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” version. Right here’s the scoop:.

End Up Being a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your newsletter can help others expand, apply in the Boosts control panel. You’ll discuss why your audience is a good fit and set a cost you would certainly pay for a new customer.
Apply to Boost Others: If you want fast clients, you can pay to boost your newsletter on various other creators’ lists. However what a lot of little makers enjoy is the opposite: you put on be a boost partner for various other newsletters. When a person subscribe with your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
Limits:
- You can send up to 25 boost offers monthly, yet beehiiv just surfaces three offers at a time to prospective partners.
- If a boost is executing well, other designers will select it up quickly.

Right here’s a quick example: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow search engine optimization developer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over 2 weeks, I created 200 new subscribers for them– and earned regarding $350 in the process. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the large bucks can be available in, even if your list is “small.” Right here’s how it goes:

Qualification: You require a minimum of 1,000 active clients and a regular send routine (a minimum of one email each month, though once a week is excellent).
Automation: As soon as accepted, you’ll begin receiving 3– 5 sponsorship demands each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based upon your target market’s passions– so a marketing SaaS business may approach an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
Settlement Version:
- Price Per Click (CPC): You earn money every time someone clicks the ad in your email.
- Expense Per Mille (CPM): You gain based on a thousand perceptions.
Alleviate of Use: You can accept or decline each offer right from your dashboard. Beehiiv handles all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad right into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded advertisements, including a couple of top-level brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my top campaign creating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Bear in mind: relevance is king. Unimportant ads container click-through rates, so be careful.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Web Content”)

If you produce truly special web content– deep dive records, unique tutorials, or expert evaluations– you could consider a paid tier. Right here’s the 101:

Setup: Go to Money Making �’ Paid Memberships, link Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Monthly
- Yearly (usually marked down)
- Single repayment (for a single guide or training course)
- Name Your Rate (your customers pick what they can pay for)
Profits Split: Beehiiv does not bill you a system charge; they just pass Stripe’s processing charge (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Examples: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Not bad, appropriate? Obviously, reaching 100 paid subscribers suggests you require a faithful, involved base.

Currently, be practical: Paid registrations are a work. You require consistent, high-value material that makes people comfortable pulling out their pocketbooks. If you’re simply starting, the advertisement network and boosts might be quicker victories.

Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Get)

I understand pricing is a huge question mark when you’re thinking of changing platforms. Here’s the breakdown as of mid-2025:.

Free Plan (as much as 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still get boosts for list development, basic analytics, and unrestricted sends out– simply no ad network or paid memberships yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about monetizing. You obtain advertisement network accessibility, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Writing Assistant to quicken your e-newsletter creation.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (image generation, grammar repairing, translation) matter to you, and you want priority support, this is the sweet area. And also, you can release a mobile application for your subscribers.
Enterprise (100k+ subscribers): For brand names and mega-creators who need personalized migrations, service-level contracts, and progressed safety and security. Not many tiny makers need this.

My referral? Beginning on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, grow your checklist to 1,000, after that upgrade to Scale when you understand you classifieds profits and boosts.

One-of-a-kind Features Substack or Beehiiv

You could be thinking, “Okay, ads and boosts are awesome. But what else can beehiiv do that can’t?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.

1. Audio Newsletters

Ever before thought about turning your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in audio e-newsletter feature automatically converts your emails right into spoken-word audio. No added editing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your customers can listen on the go. For active target markets who drive or exercise, this is a helpful means to stay connected.

2. Custom Mobile Apps for Readers

Many systems offer you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one action even more: you can introduce a personalized mobile app for your clients. Once they include it to their home display, your newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Imagine awakening and seeing application notifications when you drop a brand-new concern. Talk about interaction.

3. “Call Your Rate” Registrations

As opposed to compeling everyone right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most dedicated followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building relocation and can lead to higher lifetime value. I haven’t tested this feature directly yet, but for makers who really feel a bit uneasy regarding cost points, it’s a wonderful option to try out.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI tools are a blessing:

AI Composing Assistant: Produce newsletter drafts based on bullet factors or topics. For days when you’re looking at an empty web page, this jumpstarts your creative thinking.
AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no need for Grammarly. You get a clean, refined draft that really feels human Substack or Beehiiv.
AI Photo Tool: Create custom-made header photos or images without buying stock pictures. Simply type a timely, and voila.
AI Translator: Want to send your e-newsletter in multiple languages? Equate your content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantaneously.

These features can cut hours off web content creation and assist you experiment with new layouts.

Pro Tips For Doing well on beehiiv

Now that you understand what beehiiv can do, below are some insider hacks to maximize it:

Clean Your List for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I reduced my customer count in half (from concerning 2,400 down to 1,200) by eliminating non-active emails– individuals who had not opened anything in 6 months. My open rates leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which indicated advertisers paid more per click. It hurt to shed clients, however a lean, involved listing is worth greater than a puffed up, passive one.

Trying Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open rates. Do A/B tests on small sectors before sending to your entire listing. Brief, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to double your web traffic?”) frequently outperform common ones (” April Newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Advertisement Offers

If an advertisement does not reverberate with your particular niche, say no. Irrelevant advertisements irritate viewers and tank click metrics. Gradually, beehiiv’s formula will certainly discover what fits your target market– decrease enough off-topic deals, and they’ll quit sending them.

Use Boosts to Check New Audiences

Obtained a new category you want to discover? Try increasing your newsletter in a related niche. The expense per subscriber standards $1.63– however if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as enhanced a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and obtained an unexpected uptick in retention.

Leverage AI for Faster Production

On evenings when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to prepare a rough outline: introduction, three bottom lines, conclusion. Then I flesh it out with my own stories and design tweaks. It’s not excellent, however it’s a strong foundation that saves me 30– 45 minutes per email.

Make use of the Mobile App

Motivate clients to mount your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your next email, create a fast “Just how to Include Our E-newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. More app installs indicate even more visibility, and press notifications defeat inbox sound.

Deal Occasional Paid-Only Content

Rather than making every problem complimentary, tease a “benefit report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it greatly to your list. Even if you only offer 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv costs.

Concluding: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck with me this much, you most likely come under among these camps:

You have actually never sent out a newsletter, but you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and intuitive devices are perfect for learning the ropes.
You have a little checklist (< 2,500) and wish to generate income from without frustrations-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing virtually nothing extra.
You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ clients) seeking to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program assist you expand much faster and earn a lot more.
You despise intricate e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance in between powerful features and straightforward layout.

Sure, the feature set can feel daunting initially, and you may get a few unimportant advertisement requests. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made virtually $1,000 on a tiny listing and over $5,000 in associate compensations just by sharing my experience. I’ve seen adequate to know that if you spend a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be considerable.

So, what are you waiting for? Enroll in beehiiv, check out the dashboard, and let the monetization engines transform. Your future self will thank you when the checks roll in.