So, you’ve been toying with the idea of turning your email list right into an income stream, however you’re overwhelmed by all the alternatives available. Sound familiar? You’re not the only one. If you have actually been making use of a standard email service and scraping your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid subscriptions, it could be time to take a look at beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll stroll you via whatever you need to find out about using beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Ms. Beehiiv
Why You May be Stuck with Your Current Email System
You’ve most likely tried the common suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble a lot of small content makers, right here’s what likely happened:
- Minimal Monetization Alternatives
You have a handful of faithful subscribers– maybe 500 to 1,000 people– however absolutely no very easy way to make money. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands monthly.
- DIY Automation Headaches
You intend to leak campaign new customers, send out a welcome collection, and segment individuals for targeted emails … but establishing those automations seems like you need a computer science level.
- System Fees Suck
Whenever you consider paid registrations, the platform takes a huge portion, and the repayment configuration is a lot more complicated than it’s worth.
- Growth Stalls
Development hacks appear to benefit everyone else– but except you. You wish there was a simple way to locate new clients without manually chasing them down.
I remained in your shoes at the start of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but it seemed like a dead end for money making. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is wonderful for constructing funnels and establishing basic automations. Yet when it involved making even a few hundred bucks a month from a little list, there had not been a noticeable “on” switch.
Get in beehiiv.
My Change to beehiiv: A Fact Check
In January 2024, I ultimately pulled the trigger and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to hound sponsors, discuss prices, or construct complex paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing company permanent, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I required something that practically ran itself.
The “Market Me” Minute
What marketed me on beehiiv was basic:
- Built-In Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can earn money right here!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
- Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals directly to my dashboard. All I have to do is click “approve,” decrease in the ad copy, and hit send out.
- Easy Earnings Boosts: By advertising various other e-newsletters in my once a week e-mail, I earn $1–$ 3 per referred client. No heavy lifting, no challenging analytics– simply consistent, incremental earnings.
Spoiler alert: It paid off. In my initial full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a list that never ever covered 1,000 customers. I didn’t produce a paid training course. I really did not launch a product and I simply let beehiiv do its thing.
My Partner Program Windfall
As if that wasn’t enough, I also joined the beehiiv Partner Program– primarily an affiliate program. By writing about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with chums, I swiped $5,108 in referral payments via completion of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the platform.
So if you’re asking yourself whether beehiiv is worth it for small makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, naturally, it isn’t flawless. Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the great things you need to recognize.
The Advantage of Using beehiiv
1. Monetization Made Extremely Easy
What I enjoy best regarding beehiiv is just how easy it is to make money on auto-pilot. You don’t need a significant audience. Right here’s how it works:
- Ad Network Sponsorships: When you strike simply 1,000 energetic clients, brand names start aligning. You get 3– 6 ad requests monthly on average. You choose the ones you like, put the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or check out– no difficult invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with relevant brands, your subscribers are most likely to click.
- Boosts Referral Revenue: Don’t have sponsors yet? Not a problem. Advertise various other creator e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for e-mail checklists. I made several hundred dollars by doing this without breaking a sweat.
- Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you determine to charge for premium content, beehiiv takes a marginal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per deal via Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing rates, run cost-free tests, and even let customers “name their rate.”.
- Partner Program Commissions: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Make 60% commission on beehiiv’s monthly or annual plans when a person join your code. It’s essentially additional cash for sharing something you currently like.
Put simply, beehiiv transforms monetization right into an integrated feature, rather than a job you fear.
2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode
If you’ve ever before looked at a dashboard reasoning, “What does any one of this in fact imply?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s method:.
- Clear Client Development Graphs: See specifically the amount of new people joined, how many left, and why your listing shrank (a lot more on that in a sec).
- Open and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last 1 month, so you can find fads right away. For example, I watched on my open rate (floating around 64%– not bad) 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 earnings, companion referral profits– you get the picture. Profits streams are neatly separated so nothing obtains lost in the shuffle.
It’s like having a sidekick who informs you, “Hey, your January e-mail killed it– right here’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s fix this.”.
3. Expanding Your List Without Offering Your Spirit
The majority of newsletter systems will bill you for every single extra customer after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 customers, it’s totally free. You get:.
- Endless email sends out.
- Access to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your newsletter on various other beehiiv newsletters).
- Basic analytics and types.
If you’re a novice or have a small target market, this is big. You can try out subject lines, send regularity, and various lead magnets without stressing over hitting a paywall.
4. Built-In Web Site & Custom Pages
Picture ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace completely due to the fact that your e-newsletter system functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in short:.
- E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails reside on a blog-like page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
- Customized Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A web page to sell an item? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
- Mobile-Friendly Templates: Everything looks fantastic on phones– critical since a ton of individuals review e-mails on mobile.
Sure, you won’t obtain every expensive drag-and-drop that a committed website builder provides, however, for a lot of designers, it’s more than enough.
5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth
Beehiiv’s referral program is awesome if you intend to take advantage of a community of like-minded makers. When your customer clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring maker obtain credit history. It’s a wise way to grow your list without spamming.
The Downsides: What to Keep an eye out for
No product is ideal– and beehiiv has its hiccups. Before you dive in, right here’s what could journey you up:.
Feature Overload in the beginning
When you log in, there are a lot of options– Kinds, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel frustrating. If you have actually just used a simple service that sends out one-off e-mails, you might require a number of days to get comfortable.
Unnecessary Ad Requests
In some cases the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A video gaming e-newsletter may get provided a code-review device for developers. Make certain to decrease anything that doesn’t jive with your target market, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.
No Time Area– Based Sends Out
If your listing is international, you can not immediately set up emails based on each customer’s time zone. All sends out head out at the same time, so you might awaken to reduced open rates if half your list is asleep.
Personalized Web Page Builder Isn’t Incredibly Instinctive
Creating a landing page is feasible, but the UI could be smoother. I invested a couple of hours (and a helpful chat with assistance) obtaining a freebie opt-in page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might locate it cumbersome.
Limited Integrations
If you make use of Gumroad to market items, 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 group is regularly presenting updates– and those disadvantages are slowly yet definitely being resolved.
Who Should Think about beehiiv?
Not everybody requires a fully included newsletter system. But if any one of the adhering to describes you, beehiiv may be a suit made in heaven:.
- Outright Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an e-mail blast, you don’t wish to spend money upfront, and you require a cost-free, simple way to experiment. Beehiiv allows you begin absolutely free, send out limitless e-mails to as much as 2,500 subscribers, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
- Small-List Creators: If you currently have a few hundred or a couple thousand subscribers yet no hint how to turn that right 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. Tolerable for coffee cash, right?
- Designers Who Despise “Salesy” Stuff: You do not want to pitch items continuously or sling digital programs. You ‘d rather share worth, develop depend on, and let the money come in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s ad network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
- Switchers Who Do Not Want to Rebuild Whatever: Maybe you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth movement from those systems. And also, if you have a big checklist (say 10k+), you can get aid from beehiiv’s support group to move every little thing over without losing your automations.
Getting going: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Join and Discover the Dashboard
Once you develop an account, beehiiv drops you right into a control panel where you see your customer count, open rates, click-through prices, and any kind of pending ad deals. Think about it as your mission control– whatever you require is just a click away.
Build Your Initial Subscribe Kind
Navigate to Target Market ’ Subscribe Forms ’ Produce Brand-new Kind. You’ll need:
- A headline that hooks visitors
- A short blurb describing what your e-newsletter has to do with
- A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
- Your logo design or a pertinent image
- A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)
You can pick from various kind designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the email area), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The personalization choices are basic– shades for buttons and background photos– but it’s remarkably effective for capturing e-mails.
Establish Your Internet Site and Personalized Pages
If you desire more than just a kind, jump right into Layout ’ Website Builder ’ Custom-made Pages ’ Internal Web Page. Utilize this to:
Host your e-newsletter archive (all past concerns, searchable and SEO-friendly).
Develop a landing page for a freebie (e.g., “Download my search engine optimization cheat sheet”).
Develop a thank-you page that goes real-time after somebody subscribes.
I invested a few hours tweaking my very first landing page, once I got the hang of it, I understood how powerful it is to have whatever under one roof covering. Rather than juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.
Draft Your Initial E-newsletter
Click the big “Start Composing” switch in the top-right edge. You’ll see a tidy, distraction-free editor where you can:
- Create your e-mail duplicate Ms. Beehiiv
- Put pictures, headers, and personalized HTML obstructs
- Preview just how it’ll search in inboxes and on your web site
- Set up or send out right away
One catch: Customization is limited. Every customer sees “Hello there” rather than “Hey there [First Name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you might miss that. However, for most individuals, a pleasant, conversational intro suffices.
Switch on Monetization
Once you strike 1,000 active subscribers, beehiiv will certainly invite you to:.
- Sign Up With the Ad Network: Automatically receive sponsorship demands that match your particular niche. Choose which ones to accept, insert the ad duplicate right into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
- Set Up Boosts: Relate to promote other newsletters. If someone joins via your web link, you gain $1–$ 3 per subscriber.
For paid newsletters, browse to Monetization ’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t bill added costs past Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Call Your Price”), and determine what content goes behind the paywall.
Screen and Maximize
Inspect your analytics weekly. If open rates go down below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains absolutely no clicks, it could be pointless to your target market– decline similar future advertisements. When a boost transforms well, send more boost demands or tweak your offer.
It could feel like a lot at first, however I assure you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the incentives– both monetary and in regards to your audience’s growth– are worth the first contour.
Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options
If you’re serious about turning your newsletter into a money-making equipment, 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 Works: You enroll in the Partner Program, get your one-of-a-kind referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When someone clicks, register for a paid plan (Range or Max), you earn a compensation.
- Compensation Fees: Approximately 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you may see $60. Cha-ching.
- Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly using PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap via.
In my instance, I released a Medium article walking individuals through my beehiiv experience (looter: this guide right here becomes part of that effort). Via a mix of blog traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in associate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.
2. Boosts: Gain by Assisting Others Expand
Boosts are basically funded promos– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” design. Here’s the scoop:.
- Come To Be a Boost Sponsor: If you think your newsletter can help others expand, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll explain why your target market is a great fit and established a price you would certainly pay for a brand-new client.
- Put on Boost Others: If you want quick subscribers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on various other developers’ checklists. However what a lot of little makers love is the reverse: you relate to be a boost companion for other newsletters. When a person join through your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
- Limits:
- You can send up to 25 boost uses monthly, but beehiiv just surfaces 3 deals each time to prospective partners.
- If a boost is executing well, various other designers will certainly choose it up swiftly.
Right here’s a fast instance: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO designer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 new customers for them– and made regarding $350 while doing so. Win-win.
3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)
This is where the huge bucks can be available in, even if your listing is “tiny.” Below’s how it goes:
- Qualification: You require at the very least 1,000 energetic customers and a consistent send out timetable (at the very least one email per month, though regular is optimal).
- Automation: When accepted, you’ll begin getting 3– 5 sponsorship requests per month. Beehiiv matches you with brands based upon your audience’s rate of interests– so a marketing SaaS business may approach an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for example.
- Payment Model:
- Expense Per Click (CPC): You generate income every time someone clicks the ad in your e-mail.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You make based upon a thousand impacts.
- Ease of Use: You can accept or decline each offer right from your control panel. Beehiiv takes care of all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your newsletter.
In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored ads, consisting of a couple of high-profile brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my leading campaign creating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Keep in mind: significance is king. Pointless ads tank click-through prices, so be careful.
4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Web Content”)
If you develop truly one-of-a-kind content– deep dive reports, exclusive tutorials, or expert analyses– you may consider a paid tier. Right here’s the 101:
- Arrangement: Go to Money Making ’ Paid Registrations, connect Stripe, and pick your pricing:
- Monthly
- Yearly (normally marked down)
- One-time repayment (for a single guide or program)
- Name Your Cost (your clients choose what they can manage)
- Income Split: Beehiiv doesn’t charge you a system charge; they only pass Stripe’s handling charge (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
- Instances: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Tolerable, ideal? Of course, getting to 100 paid customers implies you require a loyal, involved base.
Now, be sensible: Paid registrations are a work. You require consistent, high-value web content that makes individuals comfy pulling out their pocketbooks. If you’re simply beginning, the advertisement network and boosts may be quicker success.
Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Obtain)
I recognize pricing is a big question mark when you’re considering switching platforms. Here’s the malfunction as of mid-2025:.
- Free Plan (as much as 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still get boosts for list growth, standard analytics, and unlimited sends out– simply no advertisement network or paid memberships yet.
- Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Perfect if you’re serious about generating income from. You get ad network access, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Writing Aide to quicken your e-newsletter development.
- Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI devices (picture generation, grammar fixing, translation) matter to you, and you want priority assistance, this is the sweet spot. And also, you can release a mobile app for your customers.
- Enterprise (100k+ subscribers): For brand names and mega-creators who require customized movements, service-level arrangements, and advanced security. Not many little designers require this.
My suggestion? Start on the Free plan. Get a feel for the dashboard, grow your listing to 1,000, then upgrade to Scale when you recognize you classified ad income and boosts.
Distinct Features Ms. Beehiiv
You may be thinking, “Okay, ads and boosts are awesome. But what else can beehiiv do that others can not?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.
1. Audio Newsletters
Ever thought about turning your email right into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in audio e-newsletter feature instantly transforms your e-mails right into spoken-word audio. No extra editing software program, 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 useful way to stay linked.
2. Custom Mobile Application for Readers
Many platforms offer you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one action additionally: you can launch a customized mobile app for your clients. Once they add it to their home display, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Imagine waking up and seeing app notices when you go down a new problem. Talk about interaction.
3. “Name Your Price” Subscriptions
Rather than compeling every person right into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most faithful followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building action and can lead to higher life time value. I haven’t evaluated this feature directly yet, however, for makers who feel a little bit worried about cost points, it’s a sweet option to try out.
4. beehiiv AI Suite
For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI devices are a blessing:
- AI Writing Aide: Create newsletter drafts based on bullet factors or topics. For days when you’re staring at a blank web page, this boosts your imagination.
- AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no need for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, polished draft that feels human Ms. Beehiiv.
- AI Image Device: Produce custom-made header pictures or illustrations without buying stock images. Just type a timely, and voila.
- AI Translator: Want to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Translate your content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese quickly.
These features can shave hours off web content production and aid you explore brand-new styles.
Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv
Since you know what beehiiv can do, here are some expert hacks to make the most of it:
Clean Your List for Better Efficiency
In August 2024, I cut my customer count in half (from regarding 2,400 down to 1,200) by removing non-active emails– people who had not opened anything in six months. My open prices leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which implied advertisers paid more per click. It harmed to shed subscribers, however a lean, engaged list is worth more than a puffed up, passive one.
Experiment with Subject Lines Like a Pro
Subject lines make or burst prices. Do A/B tests on little sections prior to sending to your whole checklist. Short, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to double your web traffic?”) commonly outperform generic ones (” April Newsletter”).
Be Pickier with Ad Offers
If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your specific niche, say no. Pointless ads irritate visitors and tank click metrics. In time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly discover what fits your target market– decrease sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll quit sending them.
Usage Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences
Got a brand-new category you intend to check out? Try improving your e-newsletter in an associated particular niche. The cost per client standards $1.63– but if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as improved a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained an unexpected uptick in retention.
Utilize AI for Faster Manufacturing
On nights when I’m burnt out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to prepare a rough outline: intro, three bottom lines, final thought. After that I flesh it out with my own narratives and style tweaks. It’s not ideal, however it’s a strong structure that saves me 30– 45 minutes per email.
Take Advantage of the Mobile App
Motivate clients to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your following e-mail, write a fast “Exactly how to Add Our E-newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. More application sets up imply more presence, and push notifications defeat inbox sound.
Deal Occasional Paid-Only Content
Instead of making every issue free, tease a “reward report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it greatly to your listing. Even if you only offer 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv costs.
Completing: Is beehiiv Right for You?
If you have actually stuck with me this much, you most likely fall under among these camps:
- You have actually never sent out a newsletter, however you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and intuitive devices are ideal for learning the ropes.
- You have a small checklist (< 2,500) and intend to monetize without migraines-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing practically absolutely nothing additional.
- You’re a mid-sized creator (1k+ customers) aiming to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program help you grow much faster and make a lot more.
- You hate intricate email platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance between effective features and user-friendly layout.
Certain, the feature collection can feel discouraging at first, and you could get a couple of pointless ad requests. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made nearly $1,000 on a small list and over $5,000 in affiliate compensations simply 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 significant.
So, what are you waiting for? Register for beehiiv, explore the control panel, and let the money making engines turn. Your future self will thanks when the checks roll in.