Beehiiv Open Source – Top Newsletter Platform!

So, you’ve been toying with the concept of transforming your e-mail listing into an income stream, but you’re overwhelmed by all the alternatives out there. Noise familiar? You’re not alone. If you have actually been utilizing a fundamental e-mail solution and damaging your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it may be time to take a look at beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll stroll you via whatever you need to learn about using beehiiv to turn your e-newsletter right into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv Open Source

Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Existing Email Platform

You’ve possibly attempted the common suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you resemble the majority of small-scale content designers, right here’s what likely occurred:

Minimal Monetization Alternatives

You have a handful of faithful clients– maybe 500 to 1,000 individuals– however no very easy method 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 intend to drip campaign new customers, send out a welcome collection, and section folks for targeted emails … however setting up those automations seems like you require a computer science degree.

Platform Charges Suck

Every time you consider paid registrations, the system takes a massive piece, and the repayment setup is more complicated than it deserves.

Growth Delays

Growth hacks seem to work for everyone else– however except you. You desire there was an easy means to find new customers without manually chasing them down.

I was in your shoes at the beginning of 2024. I would certainly been using Kit (previously ConvertKit), yet it felt like a dead end for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is fantastic for building funnels and setting up basic automations. But when it came to making a few hundred bucks a month from a tiny checklist, there wasn’t a noticeable “on” button.

Get in beehiiv.

My Change to beehiiv: A Truth Inspect

In January 2024, I finally shot and relocated my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound sponsors, work out prices, or develop difficult paid funnels. I run a SEO writing company permanent, so my e-newsletter was always mosting likely to be a side project. I needed something that almost ran itself.

The “Market Me” Minute

What marketed me on beehiiv was simple:

Integrated Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can generate income below!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: Rather than me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals right to my dashboard. All I need to do is click “accept,” drop in the advertisement copy, and struck send out.
Easy Income Boosts: By advertising other newsletters in my regular email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No heavy training, no complex analytics– just constant, incremental revenue.

Looter alert: It repaid. In my first complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I drew in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a list that never ever topped 1,000 subscribers. I really did not create a paid course. I didn’t release a product and I just let beehiiv do its thing.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that had not been enough, I likewise joined the beehiiv Partner Program– basically an affiliate program. By covering beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with chums, I stole $5,108 in referral compensations with completion of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, just by discussing the platform.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv deserves it for tiny makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. However, of course, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the great, the bad, and the great things you need to know.

The Advantage of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Extremely Basic

What I enjoy ideal regarding beehiiv is how very easy it is to generate income on auto-pilot. You don’t need a big target market. Right here’s just how it works:

Ad Network Sponsorships: When you hit just 1,000 active customers, brands begin aligning. You obtain 3– 6 ad requests each month typically. You select the ones you like, insert the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or view– no complicated invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with relevant brand names, your subscribers are most likely to click.
Boosts Referral Revenue: Don’t have sponsors yet? No worry. Promote other creator newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but for email checklists. I earned several hundred dollars in this manner without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you make a decision to bill for premium material, beehiiv takes a minimal cost (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction by means of Stripe). You can establish numerous pricing tiers, run totally free trials, or even let subscribers “call their cost.”.
Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the short haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Gain 60% payment on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when someone join your code. It’s literally additional cash money for sharing something you already enjoy.

In other words, beehiiv transforms monetization into a built-in feature, instead of a task you fear.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

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

Clear Client Growth Graphs: See specifically the number of brand-new people joined, the amount of left, and why your listing shrank (much more on that in a sec).
Open Up and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last one month, so you can identify trends today. For instance, I watched on my open rate (floating around 64%– okay) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship earnings, boosts earnings, partner referral earnings– you get the picture. Income streams are neatly separated so nothing gets lost in the shuffle.

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

3. Growing Your List Without Selling Your Spirit

Most newsletter platforms will certainly charge you for each additional customer after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for approximately 2,500 subscribers, it’s totally free. You obtain:.

Limitless e-mail sends.
Access to the boosts network (grow your audience by promoting your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv newsletters).
Basic analytics and forms.

If you’re a beginner or have a tiny audience, this is significant. You can trying out subject lines, send out regularity, and different lead magnets without bothering with hitting a paywall.

4. Built-In Internet Site & Personalized Pages

Visualize ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace completely since your e-newsletter platform functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv basically:.

E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past e-mails reside on a blog-like web page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
Customized Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet 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: Whatever looks wonderful on phones– vital since a lots of individuals review e-mails on mobile.

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

5. Referral Program to Supercharge Growth

Beehiiv’s referral program is outstanding if you wish to take advantage of a community of like-minded developers. When your customer clicks on “Recommend This E-newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring developer obtain debt. It’s a clever means to grow your checklist without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Look out for

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

Feature Overload initially

When you log in, there are a lot of alternatives– Forms, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel frustrating. If you’ve only made use of a simple solution that sends one-off emails, you could need a number of days to obtain comfortable.

Irrelevant Ad Requests

In some cases the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your specific niche. A pc gaming e-newsletter might get offered a code-review tool for programmers. Make certain to decrease anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.

No Time At All Zone– Based Sends Out

If your checklist is global, you can’t instantly arrange e-mails based upon each client’s time zone. All sends head out at the same time, so you might awaken to reduced open rates if half your list is asleep.

Custom-made Page Builder Isn’t Extremely Intuitive

Developing a landing page is feasible, yet the UI could be smoother. I invested a couple of hours (and a helpful chat with support) getting a free offer opt-in web page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you could locate it confusing.

Restricted Integrations

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

All that claimed, beehiiv’s team is regularly presenting updates– and those cons are slowly yet certainly being addressed.

Who Should Think about beehiiv?

Not every person requires a completely included newsletter platform. However if any one of the adhering to explains you, beehiiv could be a match made in paradise:.

Outright Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an email blast, you do not intend to invest money ahead of time, and you need a free, very easy method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start completely free, send limitless emails to approximately 2,500 clients, and expand organically with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand subscribers yet no hint just how to turn that right into revenue, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my initial ten months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k checklist. Tolerable for coffee money, right?
Developers Who Despise “Salesy” Stuff: You do not want to pitch items continuously or sling digital courses. You ‘d rather share worth, construct depend on, and let the money can be found in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
Switchers Who Don’t Intend To Restore Everything: Maybe you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth movement from those platforms. And also, if you have a huge listing (claim 10k+), you can obtain aid from beehiiv’s support group to relocate everything over without shedding your automations.

Starting: A Detailed Walkthrough

Subscribe and Explore the Control panel

As soon as you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your client matter, open prices, click-through prices, and any type of pending advertisement deals. Consider it as your mission control– whatever you require is simply a click away.

Develop Your Initial Subscribe Type

Navigate to Target Market �’ Subscribe Types �’ Develop Brand-new Kind. You’ll require:

A headline that hooks site visitors
A brief blurb describing what your e-newsletter has to do with
A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
Your logo or a relevant image
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Check your inbox in a sec.”)

You can choose from different form styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail area), or advanced (with tracking codes). The customization choices are fundamental– shades for switches and history images– however it’s remarkably effective for recording e-mails.

Set Up Your Web Site and Personalized Pages

If you desire more than simply a type, hop into Style �’ Website Builder �’ Custom Pages �’ Internal Page. Use this to:

Host your e-newsletter archive (all previous 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 online after a person subscribes.

I spent a couple of hours tweaking my very first landing page, but once I mastered it, I realized exactly how effective it is to have everything under one roof covering. As opposed to handling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Initial E-newsletter

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

Create your email copy Beehiiv Open Source
Put pictures, headers, and customized HTML obstructs
Preview how it’ll search in inboxes and on your website
Schedule or send instantly

One catch: Customization is restricted. Every subscriber sees “Hey there” instead of “Hey there [Given name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you may miss that. However, for a lot of folks, a pleasant, conversational intro is enough.

Activate Money making

Once you strike 1,000 energetic clients, beehiiv will welcome you to:.

Join the Advertisement Network: Instantly get sponsorship demands that match your niche. Choose which ones to accept, insert the advertisement duplicate into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Put on promote other e-newsletters. If a person joins through your link, you make $1–$ 3 per customer.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Monetization �’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv does not charge added charges past Stripe’s processing), establish your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Call Your Cost”), and determine what content goes behind the paywall.

Display and Maximize

Inspect your analytics weekly. If open prices go down below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets zero clicks, it might be unnecessary to your audience– decline comparable future ads. When a boost converts well, send even more boost demands or fine-tune your deal.

It may feel like a whole lot initially, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it within a couple of days. And the benefits– both economic and in terms of your audience’s development– are worth the initial contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options

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

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Profits)

Think about this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Below’s the lowdown:.

How It Works: You sign up for the Partner Program, order your special referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When a person clicks, register for a paid plan (Scale or Max), you earn a compensation.
Compensation Rates: As Much As 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you may see $60. Cha-ching.
Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly through PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump with.

In my instance, I released a Medium article walking people through my beehiiv experience (looter: this overview right here is part of that initiative). With a mix of blog 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 Assisting Others Expand

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

Become a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your e-newsletter can assist others grow, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll describe why your target market is an excellent fit and established a rate you ‘d pay for a brand-new customer.
Put on Boost Others: If you desire fast subscribers, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on various other developers’ checklists. But what most tiny creators like is the opposite: you apply to be a boost companion for various other e-newsletters. When somebody subscribe via your boost, you get $1–$ 3
Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost uses per month, however beehiiv only surfaces three offers each time to prospective companions.
- If a boost is carrying out well, various other developers will choose it up quickly.

Here’s a quick instance: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow search engine optimization designer’s newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over two weeks, I produced 200 new customers for them– and earned regarding $350 in the process. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Advertisements)

This is where the large dollars can be available in, even if your list is “tiny.” Below’s how it goes:

Qualification: You need a minimum of 1,000 active subscribers and a consistent send routine (at the very least one e-mail per month, though regular is perfect).
Automation: Once accepted, you’ll begin receiving 3– 5 sponsorship demands monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your target market’s rate of interests– so a marketing SaaS firm could approach an SEO-focused newsletter, as an example.
Payment Design:
- Expense Per Click (CPC): You generate income every time someone clicks the advertisement in your email.
- Expense Per Mille (CPM): You gain based on a thousand impacts.
Reduce of Use: You can accept or decline each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv handles all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded ads, including a few top-level brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my leading campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Remember: relevance is king. Pointless ads container click-through prices, so be selective.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Content”)

If you develop really distinct web content– deep dive reports, exclusive tutorials, or insider analyses– you could think about a paid rate. Below’s the 101:

Configuration: Most Likely To Monetization �’ Paid Subscriptions, connect Stripe, and select your pricing:
- Monthly
- Yearly (typically marked down)
- Single repayment (for a single overview or course)
- Name Your Cost (your subscribers select what they can afford)
Profits Split: Beehiiv doesn’t charge you a system charge; they only pass Stripe’s processing cost (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Examples: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe charges). Okay, appropriate? Of course, getting to 100 paid clients implies you need a dedicated, engaged base.

Currently, be reasonable: Paid memberships are a grind. You need regular, high-value material that makes individuals comfy pulling out their budgets. If you’re just beginning, the ad network and boosts may be quicker wins.

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

I understand pricing is a big enigma when you’re thinking about switching systems. Below’s the malfunction as of mid-2025:.

Free Plan (approximately 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re evaluating the waters. You still get boosts for checklist development, standard analytics, and endless sends out– just no advertisement network or paid registrations yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about monetizing. You obtain advertisement network accessibility, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Composing Assistant to accelerate your newsletter creation.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (photo generation, grammar dealing with, translation) issue to you, and you want top priority support, this is the pleasant place. Plus, you can release a mobile app for your customers.
Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brands and mega-creators who need custom-made migrations, service-level arrangements, and advanced protection. Few tiny developers need this.

My suggestion? Begin on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, grow your checklist to 1,000, then update to Scale as soon as you recognize you want ad earnings and boosts.

Unique Features Beehiiv Open Source

You could be believing, “Okay, ads and boosts are trendy. However what else can beehiiv do that can’t?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.

1. Audio E-newsletters

Ever considered turning your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated audio e-newsletter feature immediately transforms your emails into spoken-word audio. No extra editing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your clients can pay attention on the move. For active target markets who drive or exercise, this is a convenient way to stay connected.

2. Custom Mobile Apps for Visitors

Most platforms provide you a “mobile-optimized web site.” Beehiiv goes one action better: you can introduce a custom mobile application for your subscribers. Once they add it to their home display, your newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Imagine waking up and seeing app notifications when you drop a brand-new issue. Speak about involvement.

3. “Name Your Rate” Registrations

Rather than requiring everybody right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most faithful followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building move and can cause higher lifetime value. I haven’t evaluated this feature directly yet, but also for creators who really feel a little bit anxious about cost factors, it’s a wonderful choice to experiment with.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

AI Writing Aide: Create e-newsletter drafts based on bullet points or topics. For days when you’re looking at an empty web page, this jumpstarts your imagination.
AI Text Tool: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a clean, sleek draft that feels human Beehiiv Open Source.
AI Image Tool: Develop custom-made header pictures or pictures without buying supply photos. Simply type a timely, and voila.
AI Translator: Wish to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Equate your content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantaneously.

These features can shave hours off material production and aid you try out new formats.

Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv

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

Tidy Your List for Better Performance

In August 2024, I cut my customer matter in half (from about 2,400 to 1,200) by eliminating non-active emails– individuals who hadn’t opened up anything in six months. My open prices leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which indicated advertisers paid even more per click. It hurt to lose clients, yet a lean, engaged checklist deserves more than a bloated, passive one.

Trying Out Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst prices. Do A/B tests on small sectors before sending to your whole listing. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to double your traffic?”) often outperform generic ones (” April Newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Advertisement Offers

If an ad doesn’t resonate with your niche, say no. Unimportant advertisements annoy readers and tank click metrics. With time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your audience– decrease sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll quit sending them.

Use Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences

Got a brand-new group you want to explore? Try enhancing your e-newsletter in a relevant particular niche. The price per customer averages $1.63– however if those subscribers remain, it’s worth it. I when boosted a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got an unexpected uptick in retention.

Utilize AI for Faster Manufacturing

On nights when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Creating Aide to draft a rough outline: intro, 3 main points, verdict. Then I flesh it out with my very own stories and design tweaks. It’s not ideal, but it’s a strong foundation that conserves me 30– 45 minutes per e-mail.

Make the most of the Mobile App

Motivate subscribers to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your next e-mail, compose a fast “How to Add Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more app sets up imply more presence, and press alerts defeat inbox noise.

Offer Periodic Paid-Only Material

Instead of making every concern cost-free, tease a “benefit record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it greatly to your listing. Even if you only sell 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your monthly beehiiv costs.

Completing: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck to me this far, you probably fall under one of these camps:

You’ve never sent a newsletter, but you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive tools are perfect for learning the ropes.
You have a tiny list (< 2,500) and want to monetize without migraines-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing practically nothing extra.
You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ clients) seeking to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program assist you grow quicker and make extra.
You hate intricate email systems– beehiiv strikes a balance between effective features and user-friendly layout.

Sure, the feature set can feel daunting in the beginning, and you could obtain a couple of unimportant ad requests. But consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a tiny listing and over $5,000 in affiliate payments simply by sharing my experience. I’ve seen adequate to understand that if you invest a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be significant.

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