Beehiiv Design Lab – A Full Breakdown!

So, you’ve been toying with the concept of transforming your e-mail listing right into an earnings stream, however you’re bewildered by all the choices available. Audio acquainted? You’re not alone. If you’ve been using a standard e-mail service and scraping your head concerning sponsorships, advertisements, and paid registrations, it may be time to check out beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll walk you via everything you require to know about utilizing beehiiv to turn your e-newsletter into money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv Design Lab

Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Existing Email System

You’ve possibly attempted the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you’re like many small-scale material makers, below’s what likely happened:

Limited Monetization Options

You have a handful of faithful customers– maybe 500 to 1,000 individuals– yet zero easy method to generate income. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands on a monthly basis.

Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You intend to leak campaign new customers, send a welcome collection, and section folks for targeted emails … but setting up those automations feels like you need a computer science level.

System Costs Draw

Every time you think about paid subscriptions, the platform takes a significant portion, and the repayment arrangement is much more challenging than it’s worth.

Growth Delays

Growth hacks seem to benefit every person else– yet not for you. You desire there was a simple means to locate new clients without by hand chasing them down.

I was in your footwear at the start of 2024. I ‘d been using Kit (previously ConvertKit), however it felt like a stumbling block for monetization. Do not get me wrong– Kit is fantastic for constructing funnels and setting up fundamental automations. But when it concerned making a couple of hundred bucks a month from a small list, there had not been an evident “on” button.

Get in beehiiv.

My Switch to beehiiv: A Reality Examine

In January 2024, I ultimately pulled the trigger and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hunt down enrollers, bargain rates, or construct challenging paid funnels. I run a SEO composing service permanent, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I required something that virtually ran itself.

The “Market Me” Moment

What marketed me on beehiiv was basic:

Integrated Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can earn money here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: As opposed to me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals right to my control panel. All I have to do is click “approve,” decrease in the ad duplicate, and struck send.
Easy Revenue Boosts: By promoting other newsletters in my regular email, I make $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No heavy lifting, no difficult analytics– just consistent, incremental income.

Looter alert: It paid off. In my initial full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never ever topped 1,000 customers. I really did not develop a paid program. I didn’t introduce an item and I just let beehiiv do its point.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that wasn’t enough, I additionally joined the beehiiv Partner Program– essentially an affiliate program. By writing about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with friends, I stole $5,108 in referral payments via completion of 2024. Yep, you check out that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the system.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv deserves it for small designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, obviously, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the excellent, the poor, and the awesome stuff you need to understand.

The Upside of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Unbelievably Simple

What I love finest about beehiiv is how easy it is to earn money on auto-pilot. You do not require a significant target market. Here’s just how it works:

Advertisement Network Sponsorships: As soon as you strike just 1,000 energetic subscribers, brands start aligning. You obtain 3– 6 advertisement requests each month on average. You select the ones you like, insert the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or check out– no complicated invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with appropriate brand names, your subscribers are more probable to click.
Boosts Referral Earnings: Don’t have sponsors yet? No worry. Promote various other developer e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for e-mail lists. I made a number of hundred bucks by doing this without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you determine to charge for exceptional content, beehiiv takes a very little cost (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase through Stripe). You can set up several pricing rates, run complimentary trials, or even let subscribers “name their cost.”.
Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Earn 60% payment on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when a person signs up with your code. It’s actually additional cash for sharing something you currently like.

In other words, beehiiv turns money making into a built-in feature, rather than a job you fear.

2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever before stared at a control panel reasoning, “What does any of this in fact imply?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s approach:.

Clear Subscriber Development Graphs: See exactly the number of new people joined, how many left, and why your checklist diminished (much more on that particular in a sec).
Open and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last thirty day, so you can identify patterns right away. For example, I kept an eye on my open rate (floating around 64%– not bad) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either metric dips, I fine-tune my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship income, boosts revenue, companion referral profits– you get the picture. Revenue streams are neatly divided so absolutely nothing obtains shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Marketing Your Heart

The majority of newsletter systems will certainly bill you for every single additional customer after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 subscribers, it’s totally free. You get:.

Endless e-mail sends.
Accessibility to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your newsletter on various other beehiiv newsletters).
Basic analytics and kinds.

If you’re a newbie or have a tiny target market, this is massive. You can experiment with subject lines, send out frequency, and various lead magnets without worrying about hitting a paywall.

4. Integrated Web Site & Personalized Pages

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

Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past e-mails survive a blog-like web page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
Custom Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A web page to sell an item? You can build it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Everything looks wonderful on phones– important considering that a lots of people review emails on mobile.

Certain, you will not get every elegant drag-and-drop that a committed website builder offers, but also for most creators, it’s more than enough.

5. Referral Program to Supercharge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is awesome if you want to tap into a community of similar developers. When your customer clicks “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring developer obtain credit report. It’s a smart way to expand your checklist without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Keep an eye out for

No item is best– and beehiiv has its hiccups. Before you dive in, here’s what may trip you up:.

Feature Overload at First

When you log in, there are so many choices– Types, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel overwhelming. If you have actually only made use of a simple solution that sends one-off emails, you may need a couple of days to get comfortable.

Unnecessary Advertisement Requests

In some cases the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A video gaming newsletter might obtain provided a code-review device for developers. See to it to decline anything that doesn’t jive with your target market, or you’ll container your click-throughs.

No Time At All Area– Based Sends

If your checklist is worldwide, you can’t instantly arrange e-mails based on each customer’s time zone. All sends out head out at the same time, so you may awaken to low open rates if half your checklist is asleep.

Personalized Web Page Builder Isn’t Extremely Instinctive

Developing a landing page is possible, but the UI could be smoother. I invested a few hours (and a handy chat with assistance) getting a freebie opt-in web page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you could locate it cumbersome.

Minimal Integrations

If you use Gumroad to offer items, you run out luck– no direct integration yet. You’ll need to utilize embed codes or a Zapier workaround.

All that stated, beehiiv’s team is frequently rolling out updates– and those cons are gradually however surely being attended to.

Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?

Not everyone needs a completely featured e-newsletter platform. However if any of the following describes you, beehiiv could be a suit made in heaven:.

Absolute Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an e-mail blast, you don’t intend to spend money in advance, and you require a complimentary, simple means to experiment. Beehiiv allows you begin free of charge, send out endless emails to as much as 2,500 clients, and grow organically with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand subscribers however no idea how to transform that right into revenue, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are custom-made for you. In my first 10 months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Tolerable for coffee money, right?
Creators Who Despise “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t want to pitch items continuously or sling digital training courses. You prefer to share worth, construct count on, and let the cash can be found in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you earn 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 systems. And also, if you have a big checklist (state 10k+), you can get help from beehiiv’s support group to relocate everything over without losing your automations.

Beginning: A Detailed Walkthrough

Join and Explore the Control panel

As soon as you produce an account, beehiiv drops you right into a dashboard where you see your customer matter, open prices, click-through rates, and any pending ad offers. Think of it as your mission control– everything you require is just a click away.

Construct Your First Subscribe Form

Browse to Audience �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Produce Brand-new Kind. You’ll need:

A heading that hooks visitors
A brief blurb discussing what your e-newsletter is about
A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
Your logo or a pertinent image
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for joining! Examine your inbox in a sec.”)

You can select from various kind styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail field), or advanced (with monitoring codes). The personalization alternatives are fundamental– colors for switches and background pictures– however it’s remarkably efficient for capturing emails.

Set Up Your Web Site and Custom Pages

If you want greater than just a kind, jump into Design �’ Website Builder �’ Customized Pages �’ Internal Page. Use this to:

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

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

Build a thank-you web page that goes live after somebody subscribes.

I spent a few hours tweaking my first landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I understood how effective it is to have everything under one roof. Rather than handling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First E-newsletter

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

Create your e-mail copy Beehiiv Design Lab
Place photos, headers, and customized HTML blocks
Preview just how it’ll look in inboxes and on your website
Set up or send immediately

One catch: Personalization is restricted. Every client sees “Hey there” as opposed to “Hey there [First Name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you could miss out on that. But also for most people, a friendly, conversational introductory is enough.

Switch on Money making

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

Sign Up With the Ad Network: Immediately receive sponsorship requests that match your niche. Pick which ones to accept, put the ad duplicate right into your newsletter, and make money per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Apply to advertise various other e-newsletters. If somebody joins by means of your link, you earn $1–$ 3 per subscriber.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Monetization �’ Paid Registrations. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv does not bill additional charges past Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Name Your Price”), and decide what content goes behind the paywall.

Screen and Maximize

Inspect your analytics weekly. If open rates go down below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains zero clicks, it could be irrelevant to your audience– decrease similar future advertisements. When a boost converts well, send more boost requests or tweak your offer.

It could feel like a whole lot in the beginning, but I assure you’ll get the hang of it within a couple of days. And the incentives– both economic and in regards to your target market’s growth– deserve the first curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter right into a lucrative machine, 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 Functions: You register for the Partner Program, order your special referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When someone clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Range or Max), you gain a payment.
Commission Fees: As Much As 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
Payment: Beehiiv pays month-to-month by means of PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap through.

In my case, I released a Medium message walking people with my beehiiv experience (looter: this guide right here belongs to that effort). With a mix of blog website traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in affiliate payments by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.

2. Boosts: Gain by Helping Others Expand

Boosts are basically funded promos– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” model. Here’s the scoop:.

End Up Being a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your newsletter can assist others expand, apply in the Boosts control panel. You’ll discuss why your target market is an excellent fit and established a price you ‘d pay for a new client.
Relate to Boost Others: If you desire quick subscribers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on other developers’ checklists. However what many small developers like is the opposite: you relate to be a boost companion for various other e-newsletters. When a person join through your boost, you get $1–$ 3
Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost offers monthly, but beehiiv only surface areas 3 offers at once to possible partners.
- If a boost is doing well, other creators will choose it up swiftly.

Here’s a fast instance: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow SEO developer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per subscriber. Over 2 weeks, I created 200 new customers for them– and made about $350 at the same time. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

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

Qualification: You require a minimum of 1,000 energetic customers and a consistent send schedule (at least one email each month, though weekly is optimal).
Automation: When approved, you’ll start getting 3– 5 sponsorship requests each month. Beehiiv matches you with brands based on your audience’s interests– so a marketing SaaS company might approach an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for example.
Payment Model:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You earn money whenever a person clicks the advertisement in your e-mail.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You make based on a thousand impressions.
Alleviate of Use: You can approve or decline each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv handles all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored advertisements, including a couple of top-level brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my top campaign producing $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Remember: importance is king. Unimportant advertisements tank click-through prices, so be discerning.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Web Content”)

If you produce genuinely one-of-a-kind material– deep dive records, exclusive tutorials, or insider analyses– you could think about a paid rate. Right here’s the 101:

Arrangement: Go to Money Making �’ Paid Registrations, link Stripe, and pick your pricing:
- Regular monthly
- Annual (generally discounted)
- Single payment (for a single overview or program)
- Name Your Cost (your subscribers select what they can manage)
Profits Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a platform fee; they only pass Stripe’s processing charge (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Instances: If you have 100 customers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe fees). Not bad, appropriate? Certainly, getting to 100 paid subscribers means you require a dedicated, involved base.

Currently, be reasonable: Paid registrations are a work. You need consistent, high-value web content that makes people comfy pulling out their purses. If you’re simply beginning, the ad network and boosts might be quicker wins.

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

I recognize pricing is a large question mark when you’re considering switching over systems. Below’s the breakdown since mid-2025:.

Free Plan (approximately 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re checking the waters. You still obtain boosts for listing development, fundamental 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 ad network gain access to, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Composing Aide to speed up your newsletter production.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI devices (photo generation, grammar fixing, translation) issue to you, and you desire top priority support, this is the sweet spot. Plus, you can release a mobile app for your subscribers.
Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who need personalized migrations, service-level agreements, and advanced security. Very few tiny makers need this.

My suggestion? Beginning on the Free plan. Get a feel for the dashboard, expand your listing to 1,000, then upgrade to Scale as soon as you recognize you classifieds income and boosts.

Unique Features Beehiiv Design Lab

You may be assuming, “Okay, advertisements and boosts are amazing. However what else can beehiiv do that can’t?” Let me highlight a few 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 automatically transforms your emails into spoken-word audio. No added editing and enhancing software program, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your subscribers can listen on the move. For busy audiences who drive or exercise, this is a helpful method to stay connected.

2. Customized Mobile Application for Viewers

Most platforms provide you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one action even more: you can release a custom-made mobile app for your subscribers. Once they include it to their home screen, your e-newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Envision awakening and seeing app alerts when you drop a new problem. Talk about interaction.

3. “Name Your Price” Registrations

Instead of forcing every person into $5 or $7 rates, let your most devoted fans choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building move and can cause higher lifetime value. I have not tested this feature directly yet, but for designers who really feel a bit anxious regarding rate points, it’s a pleasant alternative to experiment with.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

AI Writing Aide: Generate newsletter drafts based upon bullet points or subjects. For days when you’re staring at a blank web page, this boosts your creative thinking.
AI Text Tool: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no need for Grammarly. You get a clean, sleek draft that feels human Beehiiv Design Lab.
AI Image Tool: Create custom-made header pictures or illustrations without acquiring supply photos. Simply type a prompt, and voila.
AI Translator: Want to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Equate your material into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantaneously.

These features can cut hours off material development and help you experiment with new formats.

Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv

Now that you know what beehiiv can do, right here are some expert hacks to make the most of it:

Clean Your Checklist for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I reduced my customer matter in half (from about 2,400 down to 1,200) by removing inactive e-mails– individuals 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 hurt to lose subscribers, yet a lean, involved listing deserves more than a puffed up, easy one.

Try Out Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open prices. Do A/B tests on tiny sections before sending to your entire listing. Short, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to double your traffic?”) usually outperform generic ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t resonate with your niche, say no. Irrelevant ads frustrate readers and container click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your target market– decline sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll quit sending them.

Usage Boosts to Examine New Audiences

Got a brand-new category you want to discover? Attempt boosting your e-newsletter in a related specific niche. The expense per client standards $1.63– however if those customers linger, it’s worth it. I when improved a search engine optimization newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got an unexpected uptick in retention.

Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Manufacturing

On nights when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to compose a rough outline: intro, three bottom lines, verdict. After that I flesh it out with my own stories and design tweaks. It’s not perfect, but it’s a strong structure that conserves me 30– 45 minutes per e-mail.

Benefit from the Mobile Application

Motivate subscribers to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your following email, write a fast “Exactly how to Add Our Newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. Even more application installs indicate more visibility, and press alerts defeat inbox noise.

Offer Periodic Paid-Only Material

Rather than making every problem free, tease a “perk record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it heavily to your list. Even if you just offer 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your month-to-month beehiiv bill.

Concluding: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you have actually stuck with me this far, you possibly fall into one of these camps:

You’ve never sent an e-newsletter, however you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly devices are excellent for learning the ropes.
You have a little list (< 2,500) and intend to generate income from without migraines-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing nearly absolutely nothing extra.
You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ clients) wanting to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program assist you expand much faster and gain a lot more.
You dislike intricate email systems– beehiiv strikes a balance between effective features and user-friendly layout.

Sure, the feature collection can really feel daunting initially, and you could obtain a couple of pointless ad requests. However consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a small listing and over $5,000 in associate compensations just by sharing my experience. I’ve seen adequate to know that if you spend a little bit of time learning the platform, the returns can be considerable.

So, what are you waiting for? Enroll in beehiiv, explore the control panel, and let the money making engines transform. Your future self will certainly thanks when the checks roll in.