Why Is Beehiiv Better Than Substack – All Details Explained!

So, you have actually been toying with the concept of turning your email checklist into an earnings stream, however you’re bewildered by all the choices out there. Sound familiar? You’re not the only one. If you’ve been utilizing a basic email solution and scratching your head regarding sponsorships, advertisements, and paid subscriptions, it might be time to look into beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll stroll you through every little thing you need to know about using beehiiv to turn your newsletter right into cash money– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Why Is Beehiiv Better Than Substack

Why You May be Stuck with Your Existing Email System

You have actually probably tried the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble most small-scale material makers, here’s what likely took place:

• Minimal Money Making Options

You have a handful of faithful subscribers– perhaps 500 to 1,000 individuals– however zero simple way to make money. Sponsorships seem like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands on a monthly basis.

• Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You want to drip campaign brand-new clients, send a welcome collection, and section individuals for targeted emails … yet setting up those automations seems like you require a computer technology degree.

• Platform Costs Draw

Each time you consider paid registrations, the platform takes a big piece, and the payment arrangement is more difficult than it deserves.

• Development Stalls

Growth hacks seem to help everybody else– yet except you. You desire there was an easy method to discover new clients without by hand chasing them down.

I remained in your shoes at the beginning of 2024. I ‘d been using Kit (previously ConvertKit), but it seemed like a dead end for money making. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is wonderful for developing funnels and setting up basic automations. Yet when it involved making a few hundred dollars a month from a small listing, there had not been an apparent “on” button.

Enter beehiiv.

My Switch to beehiiv: A Fact Inspect

In January 2024, I ultimately shot and relocated my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Right here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to pursue enrollers, work out prices, or build complicated paid funnels. I run a SEO creating service full time, so my newsletter was constantly 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:

• Built-In Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can earn money here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
• Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me searching LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings offers right to my dashboard. All I have to do is click “approve,” decrease in the advertisement copy, and struck send out.
• Passive Income Boosts: By promoting various other newsletters in my weekly email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No heavy training, no difficult analytics– simply steady, incremental income.

Spoiler alert: It repaid. In my first full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a checklist that never ever topped 1,000 customers. I really did not produce a paid training course. I really did not release an item and I simply let beehiiv do its thing.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that wasn’t sufficient, I additionally joined the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By discussing beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with buddies, I took $5,108 in referral payments with completion of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, simply by talking about the platform.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv is worth it for tiny designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, obviously, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the excellent, the negative, and the great stuff you require to understand.

The Upside of Using beehiiv

1. Money Making Made Unbelievably Straightforward

What I love ideal about beehiiv is exactly how very easy it is to make money on autopilot. You don’t require a significant target market. Here’s just how it works:

• Advertisement Network Sponsorships: When you strike just 1,000 energetic subscribers, brand names start aligning. You get 3– 6 ad requests per month on average. You pick the ones you like, put the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or view– no challenging invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with relevant brand names, your clients are most likely to click.
• Boosts Referral Revenue: Do not have enrollers yet? No worry. Promote various other developer e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for email listings. I gained numerous hundred dollars by doing this without breaking a sweat.
• Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you determine to bill for exceptional content, beehiiv takes a marginal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase through Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing rates, run totally free trials, or perhaps let subscribers “call their price.”.
• Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Earn 60% commission on beehiiv’s regular monthly or annual plans when someone join your code. It’s essentially extra money for sharing something you currently like.

In other words, beehiiv transforms money making into an integrated feature, rather than a job you dread.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever looked at a dashboard thinking, “What does any of this in fact mean?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s approach:.

• Clear Client Growth Charts: See specifically the number of new people signed up with, the number of handed over, and why your list shrank (extra on that particular in a sec).
• Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last 30 days, so you can find fads right now. For instance, I watched 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 profits, boosts revenue, companion referral earnings– you get the picture. Income streams are neatly separated so nothing gets shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Marketing Your Spirit

A lot of newsletter platforms will certainly bill you for each extra client after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 subscribers, it’s totally free. You get:.

• Unrestricted email sends out.
• Accessibility to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
• Fundamental analytics and kinds.

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

4. Built-In Web Site & Custom Pages

Picture abandoning WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace completely because your newsletter system functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv essentially:.

• E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past e-mails reside on a blog-like page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
• Custom-made Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet web page? A thank-you page? A page to offer an item? You can build it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
• Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks fantastic on phones– critical since a ton of people check out e-mails on mobile.

Certain, you will not obtain every expensive drag-and-drop that a devoted website builder uses, however, for the majority of makers, it’s sufficient.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is remarkable if you want to tap into a community of similar makers. When your subscriber clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring maker get credit scores. It’s a wise method to expand your list without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Keep an eye out for

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

Feature Overload at First

When you log in, there are many choices– Types, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel frustrating. If you’ve only used a simple solution that sends one-off e-mails, you might need a number of days to get comfy.

Pointless Advertisement Requests

Sometimes the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A pc gaming e-newsletter may obtain used a code-review device for designers. Make certain to decline anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.

No Time Zone– Based Sends

If your checklist is international, you can’t automatically set up emails based on each client’s time zone. All sends out head out at the same time, so you might awaken to low open rates if half your list is asleep.

Personalized Web Page Builder Isn’t Super Intuitive

Creating a landing page is possible, yet the UI could be smoother. I invested a couple of hours (and a useful conversation with assistance) obtaining a freebie opt-in page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might discover it clunky.

Minimal Integrations

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

All that said, beehiiv’s group is continuously rolling out updates– and those cons are gradually however undoubtedly being attended to.

Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?

Not everyone requires a totally featured newsletter system. Yet if any of the adhering to defines you, beehiiv could be a match made in heaven:.

1. Outright Beginners: You have actually never ever sent out an email blast, you don’t wish to invest cash upfront, and you require a totally free, simple way to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start for free, send out endless emails to as much as 2,500 customers, and expand organically with the boosts network.
2. Small-List Creators: If you already have a few hundred or a pair thousand clients but no clue exactly 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 concerning $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Okay for coffee cash, right?
3. Makers Who Dislike “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t want to pitch products nonstop or sling digital training courses. You ‘d rather share value, develop trust fund, and let the money come in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you gain without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
4. Switchers Who Don’t Intend To Reconstruct Every Little Thing: Maybe you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth migration from those platforms. And also, if you have a huge listing (state 10k+), you can obtain help from beehiiv’s support group to move everything over without losing your automations.

Starting: A Detailed Walkthrough

Subscribe and Discover the Control panel

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

Develop Your First Subscribe Type

Navigate to Audience �’ Subscribe Forms �’ Produce Brand-new Type. You’ll need:

• A heading that hooks site visitors
• A brief blurb describing what your newsletter is about
• A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
• Your logo or a pertinent image
• A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for signing up with! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)

You can select from various form styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail area), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The modification options are standard– colors for switches and history photos– yet it’s surprisingly efficient for recording e-mails.

Set Up Your Site and Personalized Pages

If you want greater than simply a kind, jump right into Style �’ Website Builder �’ Custom Pages �’ Internal Web Page. Utilize 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”).

Construct a thank-you page that goes real-time after somebody subscribes.

I invested a few hours tweaking my initial landing page, but once I mastered it, I understood just how powerful it is to have every little thing under one roofing. As opposed to juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your First E-newsletter

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

• Create your e-mail duplicate Why Is Beehiiv Better Than Substack
• Place images, headers, and custom HTML blocks
• Preview how it’ll look in inboxes and on your website
• Schedule or send promptly

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

Turn On Monetization

As soon as you hit 1,000 energetic clients, beehiiv will certainly invite you to:.

• Join the Ad Network: Automatically obtain sponsorship demands that match your specific niche. Select which ones to accept, put the advertisement copy into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
• Establish Boosts: Relate to promote various other newsletters. If a person joins by means of your link, you earn $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Monetization �’ Paid Memberships. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv does not bill added fees past Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Name Your Rate”), and determine what content goes behind the paywall.

Display and Enhance

Check your analytics weekly. If open prices drop below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets no clicks, it could be unimportant to your audience– decrease comparable future advertisements. When a boost transforms well, submit more boost requests or modify your deal.

It might seem like a lot initially, however I guarantee you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the benefits– both economic and in regards to your target market’s growth– deserve the first contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about transforming your e-newsletter into an economic machine, let’s break down each revenue stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Revenues)

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

• How It Functions: You enroll in the Partner Program, get your special referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When someone clicks, register for a paid plan (Scale or Max), you earn a commission.
• Compensation Rates: Approximately 60% of their first-year settlement. If they pay $100, you may see $60. Cha-ching.
• Payment: Beehiiv pays month-to-month through PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap through.

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

2. Boosts: Earn by Helping Others Grow

Boosts are primarily sponsored promotions– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” design. Below’s the scoop:.

• Come To Be a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your newsletter can aid others grow, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll discuss why your audience is a great fit and set a price you ‘d pay for a new client.
• Put on Boost Others: If you desire quick customers, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on various other designers’ checklists. Yet what the majority of tiny creators enjoy is the reverse: you apply to be a boost companion for various other e-newsletters. When someone register with your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
• Limitations:
  • You can send up to 25 boost provides each month, yet beehiiv just surfaces three deals at a time to potential partners.
  • If a boost is carrying out well, various other developers will choose it up swiftly.

Below’s a fast example: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow SEO developer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over two weeks, I generated 200 brand-new clients for them– and made about $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 “little.” Here’s how it goes:

• Qualification: You need at the very least 1,000 active clients and a consistent send out routine (a minimum of one e-mail per month, though once a week is perfect).
• Automation: As soon as authorized, you’ll begin obtaining 3– 5 sponsorship requests monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brands based upon your target market’s interests– so a marketing SaaS firm may approach an SEO-focused e-newsletter, as an example.
• Repayment Version:
  • Cost Per Click (CPC): You generate income each time someone clicks the ad in your e-mail.
  • Expense Per Mille (CPM): You earn based upon a thousand impressions.
• Ease of Use: You can accept or decrease each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv takes care of all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad right into your newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored ads, including a couple of prominent brands like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my leading campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Keep in mind: importance is king. Irrelevant ads container click-through rates, so be careful.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Content”)

If you produce genuinely unique content– deep dive reports, special tutorials, or insider analyses– you could take into consideration a paid rate. Below’s the 101:

• Setup: Go to Monetization �’ Paid Subscriptions, connect Stripe, and choose your pricing:
  • Monthly
  • Annual (normally marked down)
  • One-time payment (for a solitary overview or training course)
  • Name Your Cost (your customers select what they can manage)
• Earnings Split: Beehiiv does not bill you a platform charge; 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 costs). Not bad, right? Certainly, getting to 100 paid customers suggests you need a faithful, engaged base.

Currently, be practical: Paid subscriptions are a grind. You need regular, high-value web content that makes people comfy pulling out their wallets. If you’re simply beginning, the advertisement network and boosts might be quicker victories.

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

I know pricing is a big enigma when you’re considering changing systems. Here’s the failure since mid-2025:.

• Free Plan (approximately 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re examining the waters. You still obtain boosts for list growth, fundamental analytics, and unlimited sends– simply no advertisement network or paid registrations yet.
• Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Perfect if you’re serious about generating income from. You get ad network accessibility, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Writing Aide to speed up your newsletter production.
• Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (picture generation, grammar repairing, translation) issue to you, and you desire concern assistance, this is the wonderful area. And also, you can introduce a mobile application for your subscribers.
• Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who need custom migrations, service-level agreements, and progressed security. Not many little creators require this.

My suggestion? Begin on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, expand your listing to 1,000, after that update to Scale as soon as you recognize you want ad revenue and boosts.

One-of-a-kind Features Why Is Beehiiv Better Than Substack

You might be thinking, “Okay, advertisements and boosts are cool. Yet what else can beehiiv do that others can’t?” Let me highlight a few standout features:.

1. Audio E-newsletters

Ever considered transforming your email right into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in sound newsletter feature immediately converts your e-mails right into spoken-word sound. No additional modifying software application, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your clients can pay attention on the move. For active audiences who drive or exercise, this is a useful way to remain connected.

2. Personalized Mobile Application for Viewers

Most systems provide you a “mobile-optimized internet site.” Beehiiv goes one step further: you can launch a personalized mobile app for your clients. Once they include it to their home screen, your e-newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Think of getting up and seeing app alerts when you drop a new concern. Speak about interaction.

3. “Call Your Rate” Registrations

As opposed to requiring every person into $5 or $7 rates, let your most dedicated fans decide what to pay. It’s a trust-building move and can cause greater lifetime worth. I haven’t evaluated this feature personally yet, but for makers who really feel a bit uneasy regarding cost factors, it’s a pleasant alternative to explore.

4. beehiiv AI Collection

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

• AI Composing Aide: Generate e-newsletter drafts based upon bullet factors or subjects. For days when you’re looking at a blank page, this boosts your creativity.
• AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no demand for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, sleek draft that really feels human Why Is Beehiiv Better Than Substack.
• AI Image Tool: Develop custom-made header pictures or images without acquiring supply pictures. Simply type a timely, and voila.
• AI Translator: Want to send your e-newsletter in several languages? Equate your web content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese quickly.

These features can cut hours off web content production and assist you experiment with new formats.

Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv

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

Clean Your Listing for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I cut my subscriber count in half (from concerning 2,400 to 1,200) by removing non-active e-mails– people who had not opened up anything in six months. My open prices leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested marketers paid more per click. It injured to lose clients, yet a lean, engaged list is worth more than a puffed up, easy one.

Explore Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open rates. Do A/B examinations on little sectors before sending out to your entire checklist. Brief, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to double your web traffic?”) frequently outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad does not reverberate with your niche, say no. Irrelevant ads irritate visitors and storage tank click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s algorithm will certainly discover what fits your audience– decline enough off-topic offers, and they’ll quit sending them.

Use Boosts to Test New Audiences

Got a new group you wish to discover? Try improving your newsletter in a related specific niche. The cost per customer standards $1.63– but if those customers remain, it’s worth it. I when increased a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and obtained a surprising uptick in retention.

Leverage AI for Faster Production

On evenings when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Composing Aide to prepare a rough outline: intro, 3 main points, final thought. After that I flesh it out with my very own stories and design tweaks. It’s not perfect, however it’s a strong foundation that conserves me 30– 45 mins per email.

Make the most of the Mobile App

Motivate subscribers to install your newsletter’s mobile app. In your next email, create a fast “Just how to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more app mounts imply more presence, and press alerts defeat inbox sound.

Offer Occasional Paid-Only Material

As opposed to making every problem complimentary, tease a “incentive report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your checklist. Even if you just offer 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your month-to-month beehiiv expense.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck with me this much, you possibly come under one of these camps:

• You have actually never sent out an e-newsletter, however you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly devices are best for learning the ropes.
• You have a little listing (< 2,500) and want to monetize without migraines-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing almost nothing added.
• You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ customers) aiming to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program help you grow faster and gain more.
• You hate intricate e-mail systems– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium in between effective features and user-friendly style.

Certain, the feature set can feel intimidating initially, and you could get a few pointless ad demands. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a small checklist and over $5,000 in associate payments simply by sharing my experience. I’ve seen enough to recognize that if you invest a little time learning the platform, the returns can be substantial.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for beehiiv, check out the control panel, and let the monetization engines transform. Your future self will certainly thanks when the checks roll in.