Beehiiv or ConvertKit – Your Growth-Ready Newsletter System!

So, you have actually been toying with the concept of turning your email listing right into a profits stream, but you’re overwhelmed by all the choices around. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. If you’ve been making use of a standard e-mail solution and scraping your head concerning sponsorships, advertisements, and paid registrations, it may be time to look into beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll walk you with everything you require to know about using beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter into money– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv or ConvertKit

Why You May be Stuck with Your Existing Email Platform

You have actually most likely tried the usual suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you’re like most small-scale material makers, below’s what likely occurred:

• Restricted Money Making Choices

You have a handful of faithful customers– maybe 500 to 1,000 individuals– but no simple method to generate income. Sponsorships feel like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands monthly.

• Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You want to leak campaign brand-new subscribers, send out a welcome series, and section people for targeted e-mails … however setting up those automations seems like you require a computer technology level.

• Platform Fees Draw

Every single time you consider paid subscriptions, the platform takes a big chunk, and the payment setup is much more complex than it deserves.

• Development Stalls

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

I was in your footwear at the start of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (formerly ConvertKit), however it felt like a stumbling block for monetization. Do not get me wrong– Kit is great for building funnels and establishing basic automations. But when it involved making a couple of hundred dollars a month from a tiny checklist, there had not been an apparent “on” button.

Enter beehiiv.

My Switch over to beehiiv: A Reality Inspect

In January 2024, I lastly pulled the trigger and moved my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Right here’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to hunt down sponsors, bargain prices, or build difficult paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization creating business full-time, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I needed something that practically ran itself.

The “Offer Me” Minute

What marketed me on beehiiv was straightforward:

• Built-In Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can earn money here!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
• Low-Effort Sponsorships: As opposed to me scouring LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings deals directly to my dashboard. All I have to do is click “approve,” decrease in the advertisement copy, and struck send out.
• Passive Income Boosts: By advertising various other e-newsletters in my once a week email, I earn $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No hefty training, no complex analytics– simply consistent, incremental revenue.

Spoiler alert: It settled. In my initial complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never covered 1,000 customers. I didn’t produce a paid training course. I really did not introduce an item and I just let beehiiv do its point.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that had not been enough, I also signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By covering beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with pals, I pocketed $5,108 in referral payments via the end of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the platform.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv is worth it for small developers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, obviously, it isn’t flawless. Let’s break down the great, the bad, and the amazing stuff you need to know.

The Upside of Using beehiiv

1. Money Making Made Ridiculously Easy

What I enjoy ideal about beehiiv is exactly how easy it is to make money on auto-pilot. You do not require a big audience. Below’s exactly how it works:

• Ad Network Sponsorships: As soon as you strike just 1,000 active customers, brand names begin lining up. You obtain 3– 6 ad demands per month typically. You select the ones you like, put the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or see– no difficult invoicing. And due to the fact that beehiiv matches you with appropriate brand names, your subscribers are most likely to click.
• Boosts Referral Income: Do not have sponsors yet? No problem. Promote other creator newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but for e-mail checklists. I earned numerous hundred dollars by doing this without breaking a sweat.
• Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you determine to charge for superior material, beehiiv takes a marginal cost (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction by means of Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing rates, run cost-free trials, and even let subscribers “call their rate.”.
• Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the brief haul? Register for the affiliate program. Make 60% payment on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when a person join your code. It’s essentially added money for sharing something you already enjoy.

Put simply, beehiiv transforms money making right into a built-in feature, instead of a job you dread.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

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

• Clear Subscriber Growth Graphs: See specifically the number of brand-new people signed up with, how many handed over, and why your checklist reduced (extra on that in a sec).
• Open and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last one month, so you can identify fads today. For instance, I watched on my open price (floating around 64%– okay) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either metric dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
• Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship income, boosts income, partner referral revenues– you get the picture. Profits streams are nicely separated so absolutely nothing obtains lost in the shuffle.

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

3. Expanding Your List Without Offering Your Heart

Many newsletter systems will bill you for every single additional subscriber after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 customers, it’s cost-free. You get:.

• Endless email sends out.
• Access to the boosts network (grow your target market by promoting your newsletter on other beehiiv newsletters).
• Fundamental analytics and types.

If you’re a novice or have a little target market, this is massive. You can explore subject lines, send frequency, and various lead magnets without bothering with hitting a paywall.

4. Integrated Internet Site & Custom Pages

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

• Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive on a blog-like web page that’s automatically SEO-optimized.
• Customized Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet web page? A thank-you page? A page to offer an item? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
• Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks great on phones– crucial considering that a lots of individuals read emails on mobile.

Certain, you won’t obtain every fancy drag-and-drop that a dedicated website builder supplies, but also for the majority of creators, it’s sufficient.

5. Referral Program to Supercharge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is awesome if you want to tap into a community of like-minded developers. When your customer clicks on “Recommend This E-newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring designer get credit history. It’s a smart means 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, below’s what may trip you up:.

Feature Overload in the beginning

When you visit, there are so many choices– Types, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel overwhelming. If you have actually only used a straightforward solution that sends one-off emails, you might need a number of days to obtain comfortable.

Unnecessary Ad Requests

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

No Time Area– Based Sends

If your listing is worldwide, you can’t instantly schedule e-mails based on each client’s time zone. All sends out go out simultaneously, so you could wake up to low open prices if half your checklist is asleep.

Custom Page Builder Isn’t Incredibly Intuitive

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

Minimal Integrations

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

All that said, beehiiv’s group is frequently turning out updates– and those disadvantages are gradually however surely being resolved.

Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?

Not every person needs a fully included newsletter system. Yet if any of the adhering to describes you, beehiiv might be a suit made in heaven:.

1. Absolute Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an email blast, you don’t wish to invest cash in advance, and you require a complimentary, very easy method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you begin free of cost, send out unrestricted e-mails to approximately 2,500 clients, and grow naturally with the boosts network.
2. Small-List Creators: If you already have a few hundred or a pair thousand subscribers however no idea exactly how to transform that into income, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my first ten months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Not bad for coffee cash, right?
3. Designers Who Hate “Salesy” Things: You don’t want to pitch items continuously or sling digital courses. You prefer to share worth, develop count on, and let the money come in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s ad network and boosts let you gain without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
4. Switchers Who Don’t Intend To Rebuild Whatever: Perhaps you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth movement from those platforms. Plus, if you have a big list (claim 10k+), you can get help from beehiiv’s support group to move every little thing over without shedding your automations.

Beginning: A Detailed Walkthrough

Register and Discover the Dashboard

Once you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a control panel where you see your customer count, open prices, click-through prices, and any kind of pending advertisement deals. Consider it as your mission control– whatever you require is just a click away.

Construct Your First Subscribe Form

Navigate to Audience �’ Subscribe Forms �’ Develop New Form. You’ll require:

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

You can select from different form styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the email area), or advanced (with tracking codes). The customization alternatives are basic– colors for switches and background pictures– but it’s remarkably effective for catching emails.

Establish Your Web Site and Customized Pages

If you want more than just a form, hop right into Layout �’ Website Builder �’ Personalized Pages �’ Internal Web Page. Utilize this to:

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

Create a landing page for a giveaway (e.g., “Download my SEO cheat sheet”).

Develop a thank-you page that goes real-time after a person subscribes.

I invested a couple of hours tweaking my very first landing page, but once I mastered it, I understood just how powerful it is to have every little thing under one roof. Rather than managing Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First Newsletter

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

• Compose your e-mail duplicate Beehiiv or ConvertKit
• Place images, headers, and custom-made HTML blocks
• Preview exactly how it’ll search in inboxes and on your web site
• Arrange or send out right away

One catch: Customization is limited. Every customer sees “Hi there” as opposed to “Hello [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you may miss that. But also for most folks, a friendly, conversational introductory is enough.

Activate Monetization

When you hit 1,000 active clients, beehiiv will invite you to:.

• Join the Advertisement Network: Instantly receive sponsorship requests that match your niche. Select which ones to approve, insert the advertisement copy right into your newsletter, and make money per click/view.
• Establish Boosts: Apply to promote various other e-newsletters. If a person joins through your web link, you make $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Money making �’ Paid Registrations. You’ll connect your Stripe account (beehiiv does not charge additional costs past Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Call Your Rate”), and choose what content goes behind the paywall.

Monitor and Enhance

Examine your analytics weekly. If open prices go down below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains absolutely no clicks, it might be pointless to your target market– decline comparable future ads. When a boost transforms well, send more boost demands or tweak your offer.

It might seem like a lot initially, however I assure you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the incentives– both monetary and in terms of your audience’s development– deserve the first curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options

If you’re serious about turning your e-newsletter right into a money-making equipment, let’s break down each earnings stream carefully.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Earnings)

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

• How It Works: You enroll in the Partner Program, get your special referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When a person clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a commission.
• Compensation Rates: Approximately 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you may see $60. Cha-ching.
• Payment: Beehiiv pays monthly through PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to jump with.

In my case, I released a Medium blog post walking people with my beehiiv experience (looter: this guide right here is part of that effort). Through a mix of blog website 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: Gain by Helping Others Expand

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

• Come To Be a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your e-newsletter can help others expand, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll clarify why your target market is a good fit and set a price you would certainly pay for a brand-new customer.
• Apply to Boost Others: If you want quick customers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on various other creators’ lists. However what the majority of tiny developers love is the reverse: you put on be a boost partner for various other newsletters. When someone join via your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
• Limitations:
  • You can send up to 25 boost uses monthly, however beehiiv just surfaces three deals each time to prospective partners.
  • If a boost is performing well, other developers will certainly select it up rapidly.

Here’s a quick example: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow search engine optimization maker’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over two weeks, I produced 200 new clients for them– and gained about $350 at the same time. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Advertisements)

This is where the big dollars can come in, even if your list is “little.” Right here’s just how it goes:

• Qualification: You require a minimum of 1,000 energetic clients and a regular send schedule (at least one email monthly, though weekly is perfect).
• Automation: As soon as authorized, you’ll start obtaining 3– 5 sponsorship requests each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based upon your audience’s interests– so a marketing SaaS company might come close to an SEO-focused newsletter, as an example.
• Repayment Design:
  • Cost Per Click (CPC): You make money every single time somebody clicks the advertisement in your email.
  • Expense Per Mille (CPM): You earn based on a thousand impressions.
• Reduce of Use: You can approve or decrease each deal right from your dashboard. Beehiiv takes care of all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored ads, including a couple of top-level brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my top campaign creating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Keep in mind: significance is king. Unnecessary ads storage tank click-through prices, so be careful.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Material”)

If you create truly unique material– deep dive records, special tutorials, or insider analyses– you could consider a paid tier. Here’s the 101:

• Setup: Go to Monetization �’ Paid Memberships, link Stripe, and pick your pricing:
  • Regular monthly
  • Annual (normally marked down)
  • One-time payment (for a single overview or course)
  • Name Your Rate (your subscribers pick what they can manage)
• Profits Split: Beehiiv does not bill you a platform fee; they only pass Stripe’s processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
• Examples: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe charges). Not bad, ideal? Naturally, reaching 100 paid customers implies you need a devoted, engaged base.

Now, be reasonable: Paid memberships are a work. You need constant, high-value web content that makes people comfy pulling out their wallets. If you’re just beginning, the ad network and boosts could be quicker wins.

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

I recognize pricing is a huge question mark when you’re thinking of switching over systems. Below’s the malfunction as of mid-2025:.

• Free Plan (approximately 2,500 clients): Great for pet projects or if you’re evaluating the waters. You still get boosts for list growth, fundamental analytics, and endless sends out– just no advertisement network or paid memberships yet.
• Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about generating income from. You get advertisement network gain access to, boosts, paid registrations, and the AI Composing Assistant to quicken your newsletter production.
• Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (image generation, grammar fixing, translation) issue to you, and you want concern assistance, this is the wonderful place. And also, you can introduce a mobile app for your subscribers.
• Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brands and mega-creators who require customized migrations, service-level contracts, and progressed safety and security. Very few little developers need this.

My referral? Begin on the Free plan. Get a feel for the dashboard, expand your listing to 1,000, after that update to Scale as soon as you recognize you classified ad earnings and boosts.

One-of-a-kind Features Beehiiv or ConvertKit

You might be assuming, “Okay, ads and boosts are amazing. But what else can beehiiv do that can not?” Let me highlight a few standout features:.

1. Sound E-newsletters

Ever considered turning your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in sound e-newsletter feature instantly transforms your e-mails into spoken-word sound. No added editing and enhancing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your customers can listen on the go. For active target markets who drive or exercise, this is a convenient method to remain linked.

2. Custom-made Mobile Apps for Viewers

Most systems provide you a “mobile-optimized internet site.” Beehiiv goes one step even more: you can launch a custom mobile application for your customers. Once they include it to their home screen, your e-newsletter ends up being a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Visualize getting up and seeing application alerts when you go down a brand-new problem. Speak about involvement.

3. “Name Your Rate” Registrations

Rather than compeling every person right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most dedicated fans decide what to pay. It’s a trust-building action and can result in higher lifetime value. I have not tested this feature personally yet, but also for designers who feel a bit anxious concerning price factors, it’s a wonderful alternative to explore.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

• AI Writing Assistant: Produce newsletter drafts based upon bullet factors or topics. For days when you’re staring at a blank page, this jumpstarts your creative thinking.
• AI Text Device: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a tidy, sleek draft that really feels human Beehiiv or ConvertKit.
• AI Image Device: Develop customized header images or illustrations without buying supply images. Simply type a timely, and voila.
• AI Translator: Wish to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Equate your content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese quickly.

These features can shave hours off content creation and aid you trying out new layouts.

Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv

Since you recognize what beehiiv can do, right here are some insider hacks to maximize it:

Tidy Your Checklist for Better Performance

In August 2024, I reduced my client count in half (from about 2,400 down to 1,200) by eliminating inactive e-mails– people who had not opened up anything in 6 months. My open prices jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested marketers paid more per click. It injured to lose customers, yet a lean, engaged listing deserves greater than a puffed up, easy one.

Trying Out Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open rates. Do A/B tests on small sectors prior to sending out to your whole list. Brief, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to double your website traffic?”) often outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an advertisement doesn’t reverberate with your specific niche, say no. Pointless ads irritate visitors and tank click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s algorithm will certainly discover what fits your target market– decline sufficient off-topic offers, and they’ll stop sending them.

Use Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences

Obtained a new group you intend to discover? Try increasing your e-newsletter in a related particular niche. The cost per subscriber averages $1.63– but if those customers stay, it’s worth it. I once improved a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained an unusual uptick in retention.

Utilize AI for Faster Manufacturing

On evenings when I’m burnt out, I ask the AI Composing Assistant to draft a rough outline: introduction, 3 bottom lines, final thought. After that I flesh it out with my own narratives and style tweaks. It’s not perfect, however it’s a solid foundation that saves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.

Capitalize on the Mobile Application

Encourage customers to install your newsletter’s mobile app. In your next email, create a fast “Just how to Include Our E-newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application mounts indicate even more presence, and push notifications defeat inbox sound.

Deal Periodic Paid-Only Web Content

Rather than making every problem free, tease a “bonus offer report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it greatly to your listing. Even if you only offer 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your monthly beehiiv expense.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck with me this far, you most likely come under among these camps:

• You have actually never ever sent out a newsletter, however you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly tools are ideal for learning the ropes.
• You have a little list (< 2,500) and wish to generate income from without headaches-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing nearly absolutely nothing additional.
• You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ customers) wanting to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program assist you expand quicker and make much more.
• You dislike complicated e-mail systems– beehiiv strikes a balance between powerful features and straightforward style.

Sure, the feature set can really feel intimidating initially, and you could get a couple of unimportant ad requests. But consider this: in under a year, I made virtually $1,000 on a small list and over $5,000 in associate compensations just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen enough to recognize that if you invest a bit of time learning the system, the returns can be substantial.

So, what are you awaiting? Enroll in beehiiv, explore the control panel, and let the monetization engines turn. Your future self will thank you when the checks roll in.