Which Is Better, Beehiiv or ConvertKit – Newsletter Success Made Simple!

So, you have actually been toying with the idea of turning your e-mail listing into an income stream, yet you’re bewildered by all the choices available. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. If you’ve been making use of a basic email service and scraping your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it may be time to have a look at beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you require to learn about utilizing beehiiv to transform your newsletter right into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Which Is Better, Beehiiv or ConvertKit

Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Current Email Platform

You’ve possibly tried the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you’re like many small-scale web content designers, below’s what likely occurred:

Minimal Monetization Alternatives

You have a handful of dedicated customers– perhaps 500 to 1,000 people– but no simple method to generate income. Sponsorships seem like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names every month.

DIY Automation Headaches

You intend to trickle campaign new customers, send a welcome series, and sector individuals for targeted e-mails … yet establishing those automations seems like you require a computer science degree.

System Fees Draw

Every time you think of paid registrations, the system takes a substantial chunk, and the repayment setup is a lot more challenging than it’s worth.

Development Delays

Growth hacks seem to work for every person else– however except you. You wish there was a very easy means to locate new customers without by hand chasing them down.

I was in your shoes at the beginning of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (previously ConvertKit), yet it felt like a dead end for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is terrific for developing funnels and establishing standard automations. Yet when it involved making even a few hundred dollars a month from a small listing, there wasn’t a noticeable “on” switch.

Go into beehiiv.

My Switch over to beehiiv: A Reality Check

In January 2024, I finally shot and relocated my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to hound sponsors, work out rates, or develop difficult paid funnels. I run a SEO creating organization full-time, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I needed something that almost ran itself.

The “Sell Me” Moment

What marketed me on beehiiv was easy:

Integrated Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can make money right here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: Rather than me searching LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings deals straight to my control panel. All I need to do is click “approve,” decrease in the ad copy, and struck send out.
Easy Income Boosts: By advertising various other e-newsletters in my once a week email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred client. No heavy lifting, no difficult analytics– simply constant, step-by-step earnings.

Looter alert: It settled. In my first complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a checklist that never ever topped 1,000 customers. I didn’t produce a paid program. I really did not launch an item and I simply let beehiiv do its point.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that wasn’t enough, I likewise signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– primarily an affiliate program. By blogging about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with buddies, I took $5,108 in referral commissions with the end of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, simply by speaking about the system.

So if you’re asking yourself whether beehiiv deserves it for tiny creators or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, naturally, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the awesome stuff you require to understand.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Extremely Simple

What I like finest regarding beehiiv is just how easy it is to make money on autopilot. You don’t require a substantial audience. Right here’s how it works:

Ad Network Sponsorships: As soon as you hit just 1,000 active clients, brands begin lining up. You obtain 3– 6 ad demands per month on average. You choose the ones you like, insert the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or check out– no complicated invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with appropriate brands, your clients are more likely to click.
Boosts Referral Earnings: Do not have sponsors yet? Not a problem. Promote other maker newsletters for $1–$ 3 per subscriber. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for email checklists. I gained numerous hundred dollars this way without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you decide to bill for premium content, beehiiv takes a minimal charge (2.9% + $0.30 per deal via Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing tiers, run free tests, or perhaps let customers “name their price.”.
Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the brief haul? Sign up for the affiliate program. Gain 60% commission on beehiiv’s month-to-month or annual plans when someone register with your code. It’s essentially added money for sharing something you already enjoy.

Put simply, beehiiv turns monetization into a built-in feature, rather than a task you dread.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever stared at a dashboard thinking, “What does any of this really indicate?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s technique:.

Clear Subscriber Development Graphs: See specifically how many new individuals signed up with, how many dropped off, and why your list diminished (extra on that in a sec).
Open and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last 30 days, so you can find patterns today. For instance, I kept an eye on my open price (floating around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship revenue, boosts income, companion referral profits– you understand. Earnings streams are neatly separated so nothing gets shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Growing Your Listing Without Selling Your Spirit

Most newsletter systems will charge you for every single additional subscriber after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 customers, it’s cost-free. You get:.

Unlimited e-mail sends.
Access to the boosts network (expand your audience by advertising your newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
Fundamental analytics and forms.

If you’re a novice or have a tiny target market, this is substantial. You can try out subject lines, send out regularity, and various lead magnets without stressing over striking a paywall.

4. Built-In Internet Site & Custom Pages

Visualize ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace completely since your newsletter platform doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv essentially:.

E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past e-mails live on a blog-like page that’s automatically SEO-optimized.
Customized Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet page? A thank-you web page? A page to market a product? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks fantastic on phones– essential given that a lots of folks read e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you will not obtain every fancy drag-and-drop that a specialized website builder supplies, however, for the majority of makers, it’s ample.

5. Referral Program to Supercharge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is outstanding if you want to take advantage of a community of similar developers. When your customer clicks “Recommend This E-newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring creator obtain credit history. It’s a wise way to expand your checklist without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No item is excellent– and beehiiv has its missteps. Before you dive in, below’s what could trip you up:.

Feature Overload in the beginning

When you log in, there are numerous choices– Kinds, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel overwhelming. If you’ve only made use of a straightforward solution that sends out one-off e-mails, you may require a couple of days to obtain comfortable.

Pointless Ad Requests

In some cases the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A video gaming newsletter may obtain supplied a code-review tool for developers. Ensure to decline anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll storage tank your click-throughs.

No Time At All Area– Based Sends

If your list is worldwide, you can’t immediately set up e-mails based upon each client’s time zone. All sends go out simultaneously, so you might wake up to low open prices if half your list is asleep.

Customized Page Builder Isn’t Extremely User-friendly

Creating a landing page is possible, however the UI could be smoother. I spent a couple of hours (and a helpful chat with assistance) getting a free offer opt-in page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may find it clunky.

Restricted Integrations

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

All that stated, beehiiv’s group is regularly turning out updates– and those cons are gradually however definitely being dealt with.

Who Should Think about beehiiv?

Not everyone requires a completely included e-newsletter platform. But if any of the complying with explains you, beehiiv might be a match made in paradise:.

Absolute Beginners: You’ve never sent an e-mail blast, you do not intend to invest cash upfront, and you require a complimentary, simple method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you begin totally free, send endless emails to up to 2,500 subscribers, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you currently have a couple of hundred or a couple thousand subscribers yet no hint just how to transform that into income, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my initial ten months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Okay for coffee cash, right?
Developers Who Dislike “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t wish to pitch items continuously or sling digital training courses. You ‘d rather share worth, construct trust, and let the cash come 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 Rebuild Every Little Thing: Maybe you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth movement from those platforms. And also, if you have a huge listing (say 10k+), you can obtain aid from beehiiv’s assistance group to move whatever over without losing your automations.

Beginning: A Detailed Walkthrough

Sign Up and Discover the Control panel

Once you produce an account, beehiiv drops you into a control panel where you see your subscriber matter, open rates, click-through prices, and any kind of pending advertisement deals. Think about it as your mission control– everything you need is simply a click away.

Construct Your Initial Subscribe Type

Navigate to Audience �’ Subscribe Forms �’ Produce Brand-new Form. You’ll require:

A heading that hooks visitors
A short blurb clarifying what your newsletter has to do with
A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
Your logo or an appropriate photo
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for joining! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)

You can choose from various kind styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the email area), or advanced (with tracking codes). The personalization choices are fundamental– shades for buttons and history images– yet it’s remarkably efficient for catching e-mails.

Set Up Your Web Site and Custom-made Pages

If you desire more than just a kind, hop into Design �’ Website Builder �’ Custom Pages �’ Internal Web Page. Utilize this to:

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

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

Develop a thank-you web page that goes online after somebody subscribes.

I invested a few hours tweaking my very first landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I realized how powerful it is to have everything under one roof. As opposed to juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Initial E-newsletter

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

Compose your e-mail copy Which Is Better, Beehiiv or ConvertKit
Place pictures, headers, and personalized HTML obstructs
Preview exactly how it’ll search in inboxes and on your site
Arrange or send out right away

One catch: Personalization is restricted. Every client sees “Hello there” rather than “Hello [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you may miss that. But also for many people, a pleasant, conversational introduction suffices.

Switch on Monetization

As soon as you strike 1,000 active clients, beehiiv will welcome you to:.

Join the Advertisement Network: Instantly get sponsorship requests that match your specific niche. Pick which ones to approve, insert the ad duplicate into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Put on advertise other e-newsletters. If someone joins via your web link, you gain $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid newsletters, browse to Money making �’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll connect your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t bill extra fees past Stripe’s processing), set your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Call Your Cost”), and decide what content goes behind the paywall.

Monitor and Maximize

Examine your analytics weekly. If open prices drop below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets no clicks, it may be irrelevant to your target market– decrease comparable future advertisements. When a boost transforms well, submit more boost requests or tweak your deal.

It could seem like a whole lot in the beginning, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the benefits– both economic and in regards to your target market’s growth– deserve the initial contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about transforming your e-newsletter into a money-making maker, let’s break down each income stream carefully.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Profits)

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

How It Works: You sign up for the Partner Program, grab your distinct referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When a person clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a compensation.
Commission Rates: Approximately 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
Payout: Beehiiv pays monthly through PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump via.

In my instance, I published a Medium post strolling people through my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here is part of that effort). With a combination of blog site website traffic and word-of-mouth, I made over $5,000 in affiliate payments by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.

2. Boosts: Make by Assisting Others Expand

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

Become a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your e-newsletter can aid others expand, apply in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll clarify why your target market is a good fit and established a cost you would certainly spend for a new subscriber.
Put on Boost Others: If you want quick subscribers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on other creators’ checklists. But what a lot of small designers love is the reverse: you apply to be a boost partner for various other newsletters. When a person register with your boost, you get $1–$ 3
Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost offers each month, but beehiiv only surfaces 3 deals at once to prospective companions.
- If a boost is doing well, other developers will select it up rapidly.

Below’s a fast example: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow search engine optimization developer’s newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over two weeks, I generated 200 new subscribers for them– and gained regarding $350 in the process. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Advertisements)

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

Qualification: You require at the very least 1,000 energetic subscribers and a constant send timetable (a minimum of one e-mail each month, though regular is optimal).
Automation: When approved, you’ll start receiving 3– 5 sponsorship demands per month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your audience’s passions– so a marketing SaaS firm might come close to an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
Payment Version:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You generate income each time somebody clicks the ad in your email.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You gain based on a thousand impressions.
Ease of Use: You can accept or decrease each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv manages all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded ads, including a couple of high-profile brands like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my leading campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Bear in mind: importance is king. Unnecessary ads storage tank click-through rates, so be selective.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Material”)

If you produce absolutely special material– deep dive records, unique tutorials, or expert evaluations– you may take into consideration a paid rate. Right here’s the 101:

Setup: Go to Monetization �’ Paid Registrations, connect Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Month-to-month
- Annual (usually marked down)
- Single payment (for a single overview or program)
- Name Your Price (your subscribers choose what they can manage)
Earnings Split: Beehiiv does not charge you a platform fee; they just pass Stripe’s processing cost (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
Examples: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Tolerable, right? Obviously, getting to 100 paid subscribers means you require a loyal, involved base.

Currently, be practical: Paid subscriptions are a work. You need regular, high-value web content that makes people comfy taking out their pocketbooks. If you’re just beginning, the ad network and boosts may be quicker success.

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

I recognize pricing is a large enigma when you’re thinking of switching over systems. Right here’s the breakdown as of mid-2025:.

Free Plan (approximately 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still get boosts for checklist development, basic analytics, and unrestricted sends out– just no ad network or paid registrations yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Perfect if you’re serious about monetizing. You get ad network accessibility, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Composing Aide to quicken your e-newsletter creation.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI devices (picture generation, grammar taking care of, translation) matter to you, and you want concern support, this is the sweet place. And also, you can launch a mobile app for your customers.
Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who require custom-made migrations, service-level arrangements, and progressed security. Few tiny creators need this.

My referral? Beginning on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, grow your checklist to 1,000, then upgrade to Scale once you recognize you want ad profits and boosts.

Unique Features Which Is Better, Beehiiv or ConvertKit

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

1. Audio E-newsletters

Ever before thought of transforming your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in sound e-newsletter feature automatically transforms your e-mails right into spoken-word sound. No extra editing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your customers can listen on the move. For hectic target markets who drive or exercise, this is a useful method to remain linked.

2. Customized Mobile Apps for Readers

The majority of platforms provide you a “mobile-optimized internet site.” Beehiiv goes one action further: you can introduce a customized mobile application for your clients. Once they include it to their home screen, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Visualize getting up and seeing application notices when you go down a brand-new concern. Talk about involvement.

3. “Call Your Cost” Registrations

Instead of requiring everybody right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most faithful followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can lead to greater lifetime worth. I haven’t checked this feature directly yet, but for designers who feel a little bit uneasy concerning price factors, it’s a sweet alternative to explore.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

AI Composing Aide: Generate newsletter drafts based on bullet points or subjects. For days when you’re staring at an empty page, this boosts your imagination.
AI Text Device: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a clean, sleek draft that feels human Which Is Better, Beehiiv or ConvertKit.
AI Image Tool: Produce personalized header pictures or illustrations without acquiring supply pictures. Just type a prompt, and voila.
AI Translator: Wish to send your e-newsletter in several languages? Convert your content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantly.

These features can shave hours off material development and help you try out brand-new formats.

Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv

Since you recognize what beehiiv can do, here are some insider hacks to make the most of it:

Tidy 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– people who had not opened up anything in 6 months. My open rates leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which implied marketers paid even more per click. It harmed to lose subscribers, yet a lean, engaged checklist deserves more than a puffed up, passive one.

Trying Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B tests on little sections before sending to your whole listing. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to double your web traffic?”) frequently outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Advertisement Offers

If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your niche, say no. Irrelevant advertisements annoy visitors and storage 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.

Usage Boosts to Examine New Audiences

Obtained a brand-new classification you want to explore? Attempt increasing your newsletter in an associated specific niche. The cost per customer averages $1.63– but if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as increased a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and got an unexpected uptick in retention.

Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Production

On nights when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Creating Assistant to draft a rough outline: introduction, 3 main points, final thought. Then I flesh it out with my own anecdotes and design tweaks. It’s not perfect, however it’s a solid foundation that saves me 30– 45 mins per email.

Make the most of the Mobile Application

Motivate clients to mount your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your following e-mail, write a quick “How to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application installs imply more presence, and press alerts defeat inbox noise.

Offer Occasional Paid-Only Web Content

Instead of making every issue totally free, tease a “reward report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it greatly to your listing. Even if you only market 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv bill.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck to me this far, you most likely fall into one of these camps:

You have actually never sent a newsletter, but you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive tools are excellent for learning the ropes.
You have a small checklist (< 2,500) and intend to generate income from without frustrations-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing almost nothing extra.
You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ customers) aiming to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program assist you grow faster and make a lot more.
You dislike complicated e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium between effective features and straightforward style.

Certain, the feature collection can feel intimidating initially, and you might get a few unnecessary ad requests. However consider this: in under a year, I made practically $1,000 on a small checklist and over $5,000 in affiliate compensations simply by sharing my experience. I’ve seen enough to know that if you invest a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be substantial.

So, what are you awaiting? Sign up for beehiiv, explore the control panel, and let the money making engines turn. Your future self will certainly thank you when the checks roll in.