Substack Vs Beehiiv – Top Newsletter Solution!

So, you’ve been dabbling the concept of transforming your e-mail checklist into a revenue stream, however you’re overwhelmed by all the choices available. Audio familiar? You’re not alone. If you have actually been utilizing a standard email solution and scraping your head about sponsorships, advertisements, and paid memberships, it might be time to take a look at beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll walk you via every little thing you need to find out about using beehiiv to turn your newsletter into cash– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Substack Vs Beehiiv

Why You May be Stuck with Your Present Email System

You have actually most likely attempted the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you resemble the majority of small-scale web content makers, right here’s what likely took place:

Restricted Money Making Choices

You have a handful of devoted subscribers– possibly 500 to 1,000 individuals– however no very easy method to earn money. Sponsorships feel like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands monthly.

Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You wish to leak campaign brand-new customers, send out a welcome series, and sector individuals for targeted emails … but setting up those automations seems like you require a computer science degree.

System Fees Draw

Each time you think of paid registrations, the system takes a huge portion, and the payment arrangement is extra complicated than it’s worth.

Development Stalls

Growth hacks appear to benefit everyone else– yet except you. You want there was an easy method to discover new subscribers without by hand chasing them down.

I remained in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I ‘d been using Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but it seemed like a dead end for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is great for building funnels and establishing fundamental automations. However when it came to making even a couple of hundred dollars a month from a small checklist, there wasn’t an apparent “on” button.

Enter beehiiv.

My Change to beehiiv: A Truth Examine

In January 2024, I ultimately shot and relocated my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hunt down sponsors, work out prices, or develop difficult paid funnels. I run a SEO creating company full time, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I needed something that virtually ran itself.

The “Market Me” Minute

What offered me on beehiiv was straightforward:

Integrated Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can earn money below!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: As opposed to me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals directly to my control panel. All I need to do is click “accept,” drop in the advertisement duplicate, and struck send.
Easy Revenue Boosts: By promoting other e-newsletters in my once a week email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No heavy training, no complex analytics– simply stable, step-by-step income.

Looter alert: It settled. In my first full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a list that never topped 1,000 customers. I really did not develop a paid training course. I didn’t introduce a product and I just let beehiiv do its thing.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that wasn’t enough, I additionally signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– primarily an affiliate program. By discussing beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with friends, I took $5,108 in referral commissions via completion of 2024. Yep, you review that right: over five grand, simply by discussing the system.

So if you’re asking yourself whether beehiiv deserves it for little creators or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. However, naturally, it isn’t flawless. Let’s break down the great, the bad, and the trendy stuff you need to understand.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Money Making Made Ridiculously Straightforward

What I love best concerning beehiiv is how simple it is to make money on autopilot. You do not require a massive audience. Below’s how it functions:

Advertisement Network Sponsorships: When you strike simply 1,000 energetic subscribers, brand names begin aligning. You get 3– 6 advertisement demands each month generally. You pick the ones you like, place the duplicate, and you’re done. They ppc or watch– no challenging invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with pertinent brands, your customers are more likely to click.
Boosts Referral Revenue: Do not have enrollers yet? No problem. Promote other developer e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for email listings. I earned a number of hundred dollars in this manner without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you make a decision to charge for premium web content, beehiiv takes a minimal cost (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase via Stripe). You can establish multiple pricing tiers, run free trials, or perhaps let subscribers “call their rate.”.
Partner Program Commissions: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Gain 60% payment on beehiiv’s monthly or yearly plans when a person register with your code. It’s actually added money for sharing something you already enjoy.

Simply put, beehiiv turns money making right into a built-in feature, instead of a task you fear.

2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever stared at a control panel reasoning, “What does any of this actually mean?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s technique:.

Clear Client Growth Charts: See precisely the number of brand-new people joined, how many dropped off, and why your list diminished (much more on that particular in a sec).
Open Up and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last 1 month, so you can spot patterns as soon as possible. As an example, I watched on my open price (hovering around 64%– okay) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship earnings, boosts income, companion referral earnings– you get the picture. Profits streams are nicely separated so nothing gets shed in the shuffle.

It resembles having a partner who informs you, “Hey, your January e-mail killed it– below’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s fix this.”.

3. Expanding Your Listing Without Marketing Your Heart

The majority of e-newsletter platforms will bill you for each additional client after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 subscribers, it’s complimentary. You obtain:.

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

If you’re a beginner or have a small audience, this is significant. You can trying out subject lines, send out frequency, and different lead magnets without stressing over hitting a paywall.

4. Integrated Website & Custom-made Pages

Picture ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether since your e-newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv essentially:.

Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive on a blog-like page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
Personalized Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet page? A thank-you page? A web page to market an item? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks excellent on phones– critical given that a lots of folks review e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you will not get every elegant drag-and-drop that a committed website builder supplies, however, for many makers, it’s more than enough.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is remarkable if you wish to use a community of similar creators. When your subscriber clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring developer get credit scores. It’s a wise way to grow your list without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No product is excellent– and beehiiv has its missteps. Before you dive in, right here’s what might journey you up:.

Feature Overload at First

When you log in, there are so many options– Kinds, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel frustrating. If you have actually just made use of a straightforward service that sends one-off e-mails, you could need a number of days to obtain comfy.

Pointless Advertisement Requests

Occasionally the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A video gaming newsletter may obtain offered a code-review device for designers. Ensure to decrease anything that doesn’t jive with your target market, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.

No Time Zone– Based Sends Out

If your checklist is worldwide, you can not immediately arrange emails based upon each subscriber’s time zone. All sends out head out simultaneously, so you may awaken to reduced open rates if half your listing is asleep.

Custom-made Page Builder Isn’t Super User-friendly

Developing a landing page is feasible, yet the UI could be smoother. I invested a couple of hours (and a valuable chat with assistance) obtaining a giveaway opt-in web page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might discover it confusing.

Restricted Integrations

If you use Gumroad to market products, you run out good luck– no direct integration yet. You’ll need to make use of embed codes or a Zapier workaround.

All that claimed, beehiiv’s team is continuously turning out updates– and those cons are slowly however definitely being addressed.

Who Should Consider beehiiv?

Not everyone requires a totally included e-newsletter system. Yet if any of the adhering to defines you, beehiiv might be a suit made in heaven:.

Absolute Beginners: You’ve never sent an e-mail blast, you do not wish to spend money ahead of time, and you need a totally free, easy way to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start for free, send unrestricted e-mails to as much as 2,500 customers, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you currently have a couple of hundred or a couple thousand customers yet no hint exactly how to turn that into earnings, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my very first ten months, I was making concerning $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Okay for coffee money, right?
Developers Who Dislike “Salesy” Stuff: You do not intend to pitch items nonstop or sling digital courses. You ‘d rather share worth, develop count on, and let the money can be found in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you gain without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
Switchers Who Do Not Wish To Rebuild Every Little Thing: Maybe you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth movement from those platforms. Plus, if you have a big checklist (claim 10k+), you can get help from beehiiv’s assistance group to move everything over without shedding your automations.

Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Register and Check Out the Control panel

When you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your customer matter, open prices, click-through prices, and any pending advertisement deals. Think about it as your mission control– every little thing you require is just a click away.

Construct Your Very First Subscribe Type

Navigate to Audience �’ Subscribe Types �’ Produce New Type. You’ll require:

A headline that hooks visitors
A brief blurb explaining what your newsletter is about
A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
Your logo design or a relevant picture
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for joining! Examine your inbox in a sec.”)

You can select from different kind designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the email area), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The personalization options are basic– colors for switches and background photos– yet it’s remarkably effective for recording e-mails.

Establish Your Site and Custom Pages

If you want greater than just a kind, hop right into Design �’ Website Builder �’ Personalized Pages �’ Internal Page. Utilize this to:

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

Create a landing page for a freebie (e.g., “Download my SEO rip off sheet”).

Develop a thank-you page that goes real-time after someone subscribes.

I invested a couple of hours tweaking my first landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I understood exactly how powerful it is to have whatever under one roof covering. As opposed to managing Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Initial E-newsletter

Click the big “Start Composing” button in the top-right edge. You’ll see a clean, distraction-free editor where you can:

Compose your e-mail duplicate Substack Vs Beehiiv
Insert photos, headers, and custom-made HTML obstructs
Preview how it’ll look in inboxes and on your site
Schedule or send out instantly

One catch: Customization is restricted. Every customer sees “Hello there” rather than “Hi there [First Name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you may miss that. But for a lot of people, a friendly, conversational introductory is enough.

Turn On Money making

Once you hit 1,000 energetic subscribers, beehiiv will certainly welcome you to:.

Join the Ad Network: Instantly get sponsorship requests that match your specific niche. Pick which ones to approve, put the ad copy right into your newsletter, and get paid per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Put on promote various other newsletters. If someone signs up with using your web link, you make $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid e-newsletters, browse to Monetization �’ Paid Memberships. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t bill added costs beyond Stripe’s processing), establish your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Call Your Rate”), and decide what content goes behind the paywall.

Monitor and Optimize

Inspect your analytics weekly. If open prices drop below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains absolutely no clicks, it could be pointless to your target market– decline comparable future ads. When a boost converts well, submit more boost requests or fine-tune your offer.

It could seem like a whole lot initially, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it within a couple of days. And the rewards– both economic and in terms of your target market’s development– deserve the first curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter into a lucrative maker, let’s break down each income stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Earnings)

Consider this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Here’s the lowdown:.

How It Functions: You enroll in the Partner Program, grab your special referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When a person clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a compensation.
Compensation Fees: Up to 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you might see $60. Cha-ching.
Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly using PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap through.

In my instance, I released a Medium blog post walking individuals through my beehiiv experience (looter: this overview right here becomes part of that initiative). Via a mix of blog site traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in associate compensations by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.

2. Boosts: Earn by Assisting Others Expand

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

Come To Be a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your e-newsletter can assist others expand, apply in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll describe why your target market is an excellent fit and established a rate you would certainly pay for a brand-new client.
Apply to Boost Others: If you desire fast clients, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on other designers’ checklists. However what a lot of small makers enjoy is the opposite: you apply to be a boost companion for other e-newsletters. When someone subscribe with your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
Restrictions:
- You can send up to 25 boost uses monthly, however beehiiv only surface areas 3 deals each time to prospective partners.
- If a boost is executing well, other makers will choose it up rapidly.

Right here’s a quick instance: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO developer’s newsletter for $1.75 per subscriber. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 new customers for them– and gained regarding $350 at the same time. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the huge dollars can can be found in, even if your checklist is “small.” Right here’s how it goes:

Qualification: You require at least 1,000 active customers and a regular send routine (a minimum of one email monthly, though weekly is ideal).
Automation: Once approved, you’ll begin getting 3– 5 sponsorship demands per month. Beehiiv matches you with brands based on your target market’s rate of interests– so a marketing SaaS business could come close to an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
Settlement Design:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You earn money every single time someone clicks the ad in your email.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You earn based on a thousand impressions.
Ease of Use: You can accept or decrease each offer right from your dashboard. Beehiiv deals with all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad into your e-newsletter.

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

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Material”)

If you create genuinely one-of-a-kind content– deep dive records, exclusive tutorials, or expert analyses– you might take into consideration a paid tier. Right here’s the 101:

Setup: Most Likely To Monetization �’ Paid Memberships, connect Stripe, and pick your pricing:
- Month-to-month
- Yearly (normally marked down)
- One-time settlement (for a single overview or course)
- Name Your Price (your customers select what they can afford)
Profits Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a platform fee; they just pass Stripe’s processing charge (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Instances: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe fees). Not bad, ideal? Of course, reaching 100 paid subscribers indicates you need a loyal, involved base.

Now, be realistic: Paid registrations are a work. You need regular, high-value web content that makes people comfy taking out their budgets. If you’re just starting, the advertisement network and boosts could be quicker success.

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

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

Free Plan (up to 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re checking the waters. You still obtain boosts for list development, standard analytics, and endless sends out– simply no advertisement network or paid registrations yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Perfect if you’re serious about monetizing. You get advertisement network gain access to, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Creating Assistant to speed up your e-newsletter creation.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (picture generation, grammar taking care of, translation) matter to you, and you want concern assistance, this is the wonderful area. Plus, you can introduce a mobile application for your customers.
Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who need personalized migrations, service-level agreements, and advanced safety and security. Not many little makers require this.

My recommendation? Beginning on the Free plan. Get a feel for the dashboard, expand your listing to 1,000, after that update to Scale once you know you want ad profits and boosts.

Unique Features Substack Vs Beehiiv

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

1. Audio Newsletters

Ever thought about turning your e-mail right into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in sound e-newsletter feature immediately transforms your e-mails into spoken-word sound. No added editing software application, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your subscribers can pay attention on the move. For active target markets who drive or work out, this is a helpful means to remain linked.

2. Custom Mobile Application for Visitors

Most platforms give you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one action even more: you can launch a custom mobile application for your clients. Once they include it to their home screen, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Visualize awakening and seeing application notices when you drop a new problem. Discuss engagement.

3. “Call Your Cost” Registrations

Instead of requiring everybody into $5 or $7 rates, let your most faithful followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building move and can cause greater lifetime worth. I have not tested this feature personally yet, but for creators who feel a little bit worried regarding cost points, it’s a wonderful choice to try out.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI devices are a godsend:

AI Creating Assistant: Produce e-newsletter drafts based upon bullet points or topics. For days when you’re staring at a blank web page, this boosts your creativity.
AI Text Device: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a clean, sleek draft that feels human Substack Vs Beehiiv.
AI Photo Tool: Create custom header pictures or illustrations without acquiring supply images. Just type a punctual, and voila.
AI Translator: Intend to send your e-newsletter in several languages? Translate your material into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese promptly.

These features can shave hours off material creation and help you try out new formats.

Pro Tips For Being successful on beehiiv

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

Tidy Your Listing for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I cut my customer matter in half (from concerning 2,400 to 1,200) by eliminating inactive e-mails– people who hadn’t opened up anything in six months. My open rates leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which indicated marketers paid more per click. It harmed to lose clients, but a lean, engaged list deserves greater than a bloated, easy one.

Try Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open rates. Do A/B tests on little sections before sending to your entire list. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to increase your traffic?”) often outperform generic ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your specific niche, say no. Unnecessary advertisements annoy readers and storage tank click metrics. In time, beehiiv’s formula will discover what fits your target market– decrease sufficient off-topic offers, and they’ll stop sending them.

Use Boosts to Test New Audiences

Got a new classification you intend to discover? Attempt boosting your e-newsletter in a relevant specific niche. The price per customer averages $1.63– but if those customers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as increased a SEO newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got an unusual uptick in retention.

Utilize AI for Faster Manufacturing

On evenings when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Writing Aide to draft a rough outline: introductory, three main points, final thought. After that I flesh it out with my very own stories and style tweaks. It’s not perfect, however it’s a solid foundation that conserves me 30– 45 minutes per email.

Benefit from the Mobile Application

Encourage subscribers to install your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your next e-mail, compose a quick “How to Add Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application installs indicate more presence, and push alerts beat inbox sound.

Offer Periodic Paid-Only Material

Instead of making every concern free, tease a “bonus report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it greatly to your listing. Even if you just offer 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv costs.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you have actually stuck with me this much, you most likely fall into among these camps:

You have actually never ever sent a newsletter, but you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and intuitive tools are perfect for learning the ropes.
You have a small checklist (< 2,500) and wish to generate income from without migraines-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing nearly absolutely nothing additional.
You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ subscribers) wanting to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program assist you grow much faster and make more.
You hate complicated e-mail systems– beehiiv strikes a balance in between effective features and easy to use layout.

Sure, the feature collection can feel discouraging in the beginning, and you might get a few unnecessary advertisement demands. However consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a small checklist and over $5,000 in associate payments just by sharing my experience. I’ve seen adequate to know that if you invest a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be substantial.

So, what are you waiting for? Register for beehiiv, explore the dashboard, and let the monetization engines turn. Your future self will certainly thanks when the checks roll in.