Beehiiv Vs Squarespace – A Full Breakdown!

So, you’ve been dabbling the concept of transforming your email list right into an income stream, yet you’re bewildered by all the alternatives around. Audio acquainted? You’re not the only one. If you have actually been utilizing a basic e-mail solution and damaging your head regarding sponsorships, ads, and paid registrations, it could be time to look into beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll stroll you via whatever you need to learn about utilizing beehiiv to transform your newsletter into cash– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv Vs Squarespace

Why You May be Stuck with Your Current Email Platform

You have actually most likely tried the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you resemble most small-scale content creators, below’s what likely happened:

Restricted Monetization Options

You have a handful of devoted subscribers– maybe 500 to 1,000 individuals– however zero simple means to earn money. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands every month.

Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You intend to leak campaign new subscribers, send out a welcome series, and sector people for targeted emails … however establishing those automations seems like you need a computer science level.

Platform Charges Suck

Each time you think of paid subscriptions, the system takes a big chunk, and the payment arrangement is a lot more complex than it’s worth.

Development Stalls

Growth hacks appear to work for everybody else– however not for you. You desire there was a simple means to find brand-new customers without manually chasing them down.

I remained in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I ‘d been using Kit (formerly ConvertKit), however it seemed like a stumbling block for monetization. Do not get me wrong– Kit is fantastic for building funnels and setting up standard automations. But when it pertained to making even a couple of hundred bucks a month from a little list, there wasn’t an obvious “on” switch.

Enter beehiiv.

My Switch over to beehiiv: A Reality Check

In January 2024, I ultimately shot and moved my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound sponsors, work out rates, or construct difficult paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing company full time, so my e-newsletter was always going to be a side project. I required something that virtually ran itself.

The “Offer Me” Moment

What sold me on beehiiv was simple:

Integrated Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can generate income right here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me combing LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings deals right to my control panel. All I need to do is click “approve,” decrease in the ad copy, and struck send out.
Passive Earnings Boosts: By advertising other e-newsletters in my weekly e-mail, I make $1–$ 3 per referred client. No hefty lifting, no complex analytics– just steady, step-by-step revenue.

Looter alert: It repaid. In my initial full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I drew in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a list that never covered 1,000 clients. I really did not create a paid course. I really did not introduce an item and I just let beehiiv do its thing.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that wasn’t sufficient, I additionally joined the beehiiv Partner Program– essentially an affiliate program. By writing about beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with chums, I swiped $5,108 in referral commissions with the end of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, just by discussing the system.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv deserves it for small makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. However, certainly, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the great, the negative, and the trendy stuff you require to understand.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Unbelievably Straightforward

What I love best concerning beehiiv is exactly how easy it is to make money on autopilot. You do not need a significant target market. Here’s how it works:

Advertisement Network Sponsorships: As soon as you hit just 1,000 active clients, brands begin aligning. You obtain 3– 6 ad demands per month usually. You choose the ones you like, place the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or see– no complex invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with appropriate brands, your subscribers are most likely to click.
Boosts Referral Earnings: Don’t have enrollers yet? Not a problem. Advertise various other developer newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for e-mail listings. I gained several hundred dollars in this manner without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you choose to charge for exceptional content, beehiiv takes a marginal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase through Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing rates, run complimentary trials, or even let customers “name their cost.”.
Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the brief haul? Register for the affiliate program. Gain 60% commission on beehiiv’s regular monthly or yearly plans when a person signs up with your code. It’s literally additional money for sharing something you already enjoy.

Simply put, 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 looked at a control panel thinking, “What does any one of this in fact indicate?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s technique:.

Clear Customer Growth Charts: See precisely the number of new people signed up with, how many handed over, and why your listing reduced (a lot more on that particular in a sec).
Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last thirty days, so you can detect trends as soon as possible. For example, I kept an eye 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 earnings, boosts earnings, partner referral profits– you get the picture. Profits streams are neatly separated so nothing obtains lost in the shuffle.

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

3. Growing Your List Without Marketing Your Heart

A lot of newsletter systems will certainly charge you for each additional customer after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 customers, it’s free. You obtain:.

Limitless e-mail sends out.
Access to the boosts network (expand your audience by promoting your newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
Standard analytics and types.

If you’re a beginner or have a tiny audience, this is massive. You can experiment with subject lines, send regularity, and different lead magnets without fretting about hitting a paywall.

4. Built-In Site & Custom Pages

Envision dumping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace entirely since your e-newsletter platform doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in a nutshell:.

E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive a blog-like web page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
Customized Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet page? A thank-you web page? A page to offer an item? You can build it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Every little thing looks excellent on phones– critical since a ton of individuals review e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you won’t get every fancy drag-and-drop that a specialized website builder uses, however, for a lot of designers, it’s sufficient.

5. Referral Program to Supercharge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is outstanding if you want to take advantage of a community of like-minded developers. When your customer clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring creator obtain credit score. It’s a smart method to expand your listing without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Look out for

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

Feature Overload initially

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

Unnecessary Ad Requests

Sometimes the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A gaming e-newsletter may obtain offered a code-review device for developers. See to it to decline anything that does not jive with your audience, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.

No Time At All Zone– Based Sends Out

If your checklist is global, you can not instantly arrange emails based on each client’s time zone. All sends out head out at the same time, so you might wake up to low open rates if half your checklist is asleep.

Custom-made Web Page Builder Isn’t Extremely Instinctive

Producing a landing page is feasible, yet the UI could be smoother. I invested a few hours (and a valuable chat with assistance) obtaining a giveaway opt-in web page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may discover it cumbersome.

Restricted Integrations

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

All that said, beehiiv’s team is frequently presenting updates– and those cons are gradually yet undoubtedly being resolved.

Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?

Not every person requires a totally included e-newsletter platform. But if any of the adhering to describes you, beehiiv may be a suit made in heaven:.

Absolute Beginners: You have actually never ever sent an e-mail blast, you do not want to spend cash upfront, and you need a free, simple method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start for free, send out unrestricted e-mails to approximately 2,500 customers, and grow organically with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you currently have a few hundred or a couple thousand clients but no idea how to transform that right into earnings, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are custom-made for you. In my first 10 months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Okay for coffee money, right?
Creators Who Dislike “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t intend to pitch products continuously or sling digital courses. You prefer to share value, construct count on, and let the cash come in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you earn without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
Switchers Who Do Not Intend To Restore Whatever: Perhaps you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth migration from those platforms. And also, if you have a big listing (say 10k+), you can get aid from beehiiv’s support team to relocate every little thing over without shedding your automations.

Beginning: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Sign Up and Discover the Control panel

As soon as you develop an account, beehiiv drops you right into a control panel where you see your subscriber count, open prices, click-through rates, and any type of pending advertisement deals. Think about it as your mission control– whatever you need is just a click away.

Develop Your First Subscribe Form

Browse to Target Market �’ Subscribe Forms �’ Develop Brand-new Form. You’ll need:

A heading that hooks visitors
A short blurb clarifying what your newsletter has to do with
A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
Your logo or a relevant image
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for signing up with! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)

You can select from different type styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the e-mail field), or progressed (with tracking codes). The modification alternatives are basic– colors for switches and background photos– but it’s surprisingly effective for capturing e-mails.

Establish Your Site and Custom Pages

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

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

Create a landing page for a giveaway (e.g., “Download my search engine optimization rip off sheet”).

Construct a thank-you web page that goes online after somebody subscribes.

I spent a few hours tweaking my initial landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I understood how powerful it is to have every little thing under one roof. Instead of juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First Newsletter

Click the big “Start Composing” button in the top-right corner. You’ll see a tidy, distraction-free editor where you can:

Create your e-mail duplicate Beehiiv Vs Squarespace
Insert pictures, headers, and personalized HTML blocks
Preview exactly how it’ll search in inboxes and on your site
Schedule or send out promptly

One catch: Personalization is limited. Every subscriber sees “Hello there” instead of “Hey [Given name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you could miss that. But also for a lot of folks, a friendly, conversational intro suffices.

Switch on Monetization

Once you strike 1,000 active clients, beehiiv will invite you to:.

Join the Ad Network: Instantly receive sponsorship demands that match your niche. Select which ones to approve, put the advertisement duplicate right into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
Establish Boosts: Put on advertise other e-newsletters. If somebody signs up with via your web link, you make $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid e-newsletters, navigate to Monetization �’ Paid Memberships. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv does not charge added costs past Stripe’s handling), establish your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Name Your Rate”), and choose what material goes behind the paywall.

Display and Maximize

Examine your analytics weekly. If open prices drop below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets zero clicks, it might be unnecessary to your audience– decrease comparable future ads. When a boost transforms well, submit even more boost requests or tweak your offer.

It might feel like a whole lot at first, however I guarantee you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the rewards– both financial and in regards to your target market’s development– deserve the initial curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about turning your newsletter right into a profitable device, let’s break down each income stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Profits)

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

How It Functions: You sign up for the Partner Program, grab your unique referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When someone clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Range or Max), you earn a compensation.
Compensation Fees: Up to 60% of their first-year settlement. If they pay $100, you may see $60. Cha-ching.
Payout: Beehiiv pays month-to-month via PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to leap with.

In my situation, I published a Medium post strolling individuals via my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this overview right here belongs to that effort). With a mix of blog site traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in affiliate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my genuine experience.

2. Boosts: Gain by Aiding Others Expand

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

End Up Being a Boost Sponsor: If you think your newsletter can assist others grow, apply in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll describe why your target market is an excellent fit and established a rate you ‘d pay for a brand-new subscriber.
Relate to Boost Others: If you want fast subscribers, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on other designers’ lists. Yet what a lot of little makers love is the opposite: you put on be a boost partner for other newsletters. When a person subscribe via your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
Restrictions:
- You can send up to 25 boost provides each month, but beehiiv only surfaces three deals each time to prospective companions.
- If a boost is doing well, other makers will certainly choose it up quickly.

Below’s a fast example: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow search engine optimization designer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per subscriber. Over two weeks, I created 200 brand-new clients for them– and gained regarding $350 while doing so. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the huge bucks can come in, even if your list is “small.” Here’s how it goes:

Eligibility: You require at the very least 1,000 active clients and a consistent send routine (a minimum of one email each month, though weekly is excellent).
Automation: As soon as authorized, you’ll start getting 3– 5 sponsorship requests monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brands based upon your target market’s interests– so a marketing SaaS firm might come close to an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for example.
Settlement Version:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You earn money every single time somebody clicks the advertisement in your email.
- Expense Per Mille (CPM): You make based upon a thousand perceptions.
Reduce of Use: You can accept or decline each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv takes care of all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad right into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded ads, including a couple of high-profile brands like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my top campaign creating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Bear in mind: importance is king. Irrelevant ads container click-through rates, so be discerning.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Web Content”)

If you produce absolutely special material– deep dive reports, unique tutorials, or expert analyses– you may consider a paid rate. Below’s the 101:

Arrangement: Most Likely To Money Making �’ Paid Memberships, attach Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Regular monthly
- Yearly (usually discounted)
- One-time repayment (for a single guide or course)
- Name Your Cost (your clients pick what they can pay for)
Earnings Split: Beehiiv doesn’t charge you a system charge; they just pass Stripe’s processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Examples: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe fees). Okay, best? Naturally, getting to 100 paid customers suggests you require a devoted, involved base.

Currently, be reasonable: Paid registrations are a work. You require consistent, high-value material that makes people comfortable taking out their budgets. If you’re just starting, the advertisement network and boosts might be quicker victories.

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

I know pricing is a huge question mark when you’re thinking of switching over systems. Below’s the break down since mid-2025:.

Free Plan (approximately 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re evaluating the waters. You still obtain boosts for list growth, standard analytics, and limitless sends– simply no ad network or paid subscriptions yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Suitable if you’re serious about monetizing. You get ad network gain access to, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Creating Aide to accelerate your e-newsletter development.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (image generation, grammar dealing with, translation) issue to you, and you desire priority assistance, this is the sweet spot. Plus, you can release a mobile application for your subscribers.
Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who require custom-made movements, service-level contracts, and advanced safety. Very few tiny designers need this.

My suggestion? Beginning on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, expand your list to 1,000, after that update to Scale when you recognize you want ad income and boosts.

Special Features Beehiiv Vs Squarespace

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

1. Sound Newsletters

Ever before thought of transforming your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in audio e-newsletter feature immediately transforms your e-mails into spoken-word audio. No extra editing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your customers can pay attention on the move. For active audiences who drive or work out, this is a handy means to stay linked.

2. Custom Mobile Application for Viewers

Most platforms offer you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one step even more: you can release a custom mobile application for your customers. Once they include it to their home screen, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Imagine getting up and seeing application alerts when you go down a brand-new problem. Speak about engagement.

3. “Name Your Rate” Registrations

As opposed to forcing every person right into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most loyal followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building action and can result in higher life time worth. I have not tested this feature directly yet, however, for designers who feel a bit uneasy regarding rate points, it’s a sweet option to explore.

4. beehiiv AI Collection

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

AI Writing Assistant: Create newsletter drafts based upon bullet factors or subjects. For days when you’re staring at an empty web page, this starts your creative thinking.
AI Text Device: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no need for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, sleek draft that really feels human Beehiiv Vs Squarespace.
AI Photo Tool: Produce customized header photos or illustrations without buying supply images. Simply type a punctual, and voila.
AI Translator: Intend to send your newsletter in several languages? Convert your content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese immediately.

These features can shave hours off material creation and aid you experiment with brand-new formats.

Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv

Now that you recognize what beehiiv can do, here are some insider hacks to take advantage of it:

Tidy Your Listing for Better Performance

In August 2024, I cut my client matter in half (from regarding 2,400 down to 1,200) by getting rid of inactive e-mails– people who hadn’t opened up anything in 6 months. My open rates jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which implied marketers paid even more per click. It harmed to lose clients, however a lean, engaged list is worth greater than a puffed up, easy one.

Try Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B tests on small segments before sending to your entire listing. Brief, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to increase your traffic?”) often outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your niche, say no. Unnecessary advertisements annoy readers and storage tank click metrics. Gradually, beehiiv’s formula will learn what fits your audience– decrease sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll stop sending them.

Use Boosts to Examine New Audiences

Obtained a new classification you wish to explore? Try increasing your newsletter in an associated niche. The price per client standards $1.63– but if those customers remain, it’s worth it. I once improved a search engine optimization e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained an unusual uptick in retention.

Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Manufacturing

On evenings when I’m burnt out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to draft a rough outline: intro, 3 bottom lines, final thought. After that I flesh it out with my very own narratives and design tweaks. It’s not ideal, but it’s a strong foundation that saves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.

Benefit from the Mobile Application

Urge subscribers to install your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your following e-mail, compose a quick “Exactly how to Add Our Newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. More app sets up suggest more presence, and push alerts defeat inbox noise.

Offer Occasional Paid-Only Material

As opposed to making every issue free, tease a “bonus record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your listing. Even if you just offer 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv bill.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you have actually stuck with me this much, you probably come under among these camps:

You’ve never sent out a newsletter, yet you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and intuitive tools are excellent for learning the ropes.
You have a little checklist (< 2,500) and want to generate income from without frustrations-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing nearly absolutely nothing added.
You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ subscribers) looking to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program aid you expand much faster and earn extra.
You dislike complex e-mail systems– beehiiv strikes a balance between powerful features and straightforward design.

Certain, the feature set can really feel discouraging initially, and you could obtain a couple of unimportant ad demands. But consider this: in under a year, I made virtually $1,000 on a small listing and over $5,000 in associate commissions just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen enough to understand that if you invest a bit of time learning the platform, the returns can be considerable.

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