Is Beehiiv Better Than Mailchimp

So, you have actually been dabbling the concept of transforming your email list right into a revenue stream, however you’re bewildered by all the options available. Noise acquainted? You’re not alone. If you have actually been making use of a fundamental e-mail solution and scraping your head about sponsorships, advertisements, and paid registrations, it might be time to check out beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll walk you via whatever you need to learn about making use of beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter right into money– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Is Beehiiv Better Than Mailchimp

Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Current Email Platform

You have actually most likely attempted the normal suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you’re like the majority of small content developers, below’s what likely took place:

Restricted Monetization Choices

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

DIY Automation Headaches

You intend to trickle campaign brand-new clients, send out a welcome series, and section individuals for targeted e-mails … but setting up those automations seems like you need a computer science degree.

Platform Costs Suck

Every single time you consider paid subscriptions, the system takes a significant chunk, and the repayment arrangement is extra difficult than it deserves.

Growth Stalls

Development hacks seem to work for every person else– yet not for you. You want there was a simple means to locate new clients without manually chasing them down.

I remained in your shoes at the start of 2024. I ‘d been making use of Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but it seemed like a dead end for money making. Do not get me wrong– Kit is excellent for constructing funnels and establishing basic automations. But when it involved making a couple of hundred bucks a month from a little checklist, there wasn’t an obvious “on” button.

Go into beehiiv.

My Switch over to beehiiv: A Truth Inspect

In January 2024, I finally pulled the trigger and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to pursue sponsors, negotiate prices, or construct difficult paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing business full-time, so my e-newsletter was always mosting likely to be a side project. I required something that virtually ran itself.

The “Market Me” Minute

What offered 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 offers right to my control panel. All I need to do is click “accept,” decrease in the ad duplicate, and struck send out.
Easy Earnings Boosts: By promoting other newsletters in my weekly email, I make $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No heavy lifting, no challenging analytics– just consistent, step-by-step revenue.

Spoiler alert: It paid off. In my very first complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I drew in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a checklist that never ever covered 1,000 clients. I really did not create 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 sufficient, I also signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– basically an affiliate program. By blogging about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with pals, I filched $5,108 in referral compensations with completion of 2024. Yep, you check out that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the system.

So if you’re wondering whether beehiiv is worth it for little designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, naturally, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the awesome things you need to know.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Money Making Made Unbelievably Simple

What I enjoy finest about beehiiv is exactly how very easy it is to make money on autopilot. You do not require a massive target market. Here’s just how it functions:

Advertisement Network Sponsorships: Once you hit just 1,000 energetic subscribers, brands begin aligning. You get 3– 6 ad demands each month generally. You select the ones you like, insert the duplicate, and you’re done. They ppc or see– no difficult invoicing. And due to the fact that beehiiv matches you with pertinent brands, your subscribers are more likely to click.
Boosts Referral Earnings: Do not have enrollers yet? No problem. Advertise other developer e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for email checklists. I gained a number of hundred dollars by doing this without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you make a decision to charge for superior web content, beehiiv takes a marginal charge (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction via Stripe). You can establish several pricing rates, run totally free trials, and even let customers “name their price.”.
Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the brief haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Make 60% compensation on beehiiv’s regular monthly or annual plans when someone signs up with your code. It’s literally added cash for sharing something you already enjoy.

In other words, beehiiv transforms money making right into an integrated feature, as opposed to a task you fear.

2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever before stared at a control panel thinking, “What does any of this in fact mean?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s strategy:.

Clear Client Growth Charts: See specifically the number of new people joined, how many dropped off, and why your list shrank (a lot more on that in a sec).
Open Up and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last 1 month, so you can spot trends as soon as possible. As an example, I kept an eye on my open rate (hovering around 64%– not bad) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship profits, boosts revenue, partner referral incomes– you understand. Earnings streams are nicely separated so nothing obtains shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Expanding Your Listing Without Marketing Your Heart

The majority of e-newsletter platforms will charge you for every single extra client after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for approximately 2,500 customers, it’s totally free. You obtain:.

Unlimited e-mail sends.
Access to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your newsletter on other beehiiv e-newsletters).
Fundamental analytics and kinds.

If you’re a beginner or have a tiny target market, this is big. You can experiment with subject lines, send out frequency, and different lead magnets without bothering with striking a paywall.

4. Built-In Web Site & Personalized Pages

Visualize abandoning WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace completely because your newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv basically:.

E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past e-mails live on a blog-like web page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
Customized Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet page? A thank-you page? A page to sell a product? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Everything looks wonderful on phones– critical since a lots of individuals read emails on mobile.

Sure, you will not get every expensive drag-and-drop that a committed website builder provides, however, for the majority of developers, it’s ample.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you want to tap into a community of like-minded developers. When your customer clicks “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring creator obtain debt. It’s a clever means 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, below’s what could journey you up:.

Feature Overload initially

When you log in, there are a lot of alternatives– Kinds, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel overwhelming. If you have actually just used a simple service that sends one-off e-mails, you might require a number of days to get comfortable.

Unimportant Ad Requests

Occasionally the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your specific niche. A gaming e-newsletter may get offered a code-review tool for designers. Make certain to decrease anything that doesn’t jive with your target market, or you’ll storage tank your click-throughs.

No Time Area– Based Sends Out

If your checklist is worldwide, you can not instantly arrange e-mails based upon each subscriber’s time zone. All sends out go out simultaneously, so you might awaken to low open rates if half your list is asleep.

Customized Web Page Builder Isn’t Extremely Instinctive

Producing a landing page is possible, but the UI could be smoother. I spent a few hours (and a handy chat with support) getting a giveaway opt-in page ideal. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might locate it clunky.

Minimal Integrations

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

All that stated, beehiiv’s team is continuously turning out updates– and those disadvantages are slowly but undoubtedly being attended to.

Who Should Consider beehiiv?

Not every person needs a fully included newsletter platform. But if any of the complying with describes you, beehiiv might be a suit made in heaven:.

Outright Beginners: You have actually never ever sent an email blast, you don’t want to invest money in advance, and you require a totally free, very easy method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start for free, send unrestricted e-mails to approximately 2,500 customers, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand customers yet no idea how to turn that into revenue, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are custom-made for you. In my initial 10 months, I was making concerning $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Okay for coffee money, right?
Makers Who Hate “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t want to pitch items nonstop or sling digital training courses. You ‘d rather share value, develop trust fund, and let the money can be found in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you gain without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
Switchers Who Don’t Wish To Rebuild Everything: Perhaps 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 large listing (claim 10k+), you can obtain help from beehiiv’s assistance group to move whatever over without shedding your automations.

Starting: A Detailed Walkthrough

Register and Discover the Dashboard

As soon as you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a control panel where you see your client count, open rates, click-through rates, and any type of pending ad deals. Think about it as your mission control– whatever you need is simply a click away.

Build Your First Subscribe Form

Navigate to Target Market �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Create New Type. You’ll require:

A heading that hooks site visitors
A brief blurb clarifying what your e-newsletter is about
A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
Your logo design or a pertinent photo
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Check your inbox in a sec.”)

You can pick from different kind styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the email field), or advanced (with monitoring codes). The modification alternatives are basic– shades for switches and background pictures– however it’s surprisingly effective for catching emails.

Set Up Your Site and Custom Pages

If you want more than simply a form, jump into Layout �’ Website Builder �’ Customized 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 freebie (e.g., “Download my SEO cheat sheet”).

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

I invested a couple of hours tweaking my initial landing page, but once I mastered it, I recognized just how effective it is to have everything under one roofing. As opposed to managing Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First Newsletter

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

Write your e-mail copy Is Beehiiv Better Than Mailchimp
Insert images, headers, and customized HTML blocks
Preview how it’ll search in inboxes and on your web site
Set up or send right away

One catch: Customization is limited. Every client sees “Hello there” rather than “Hello there [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you may miss that. But also for many individuals, a pleasant, conversational introduction is enough.

Turn On Money making

Once you hit 1,000 energetic clients, beehiiv will invite you to:.

Sign Up With the Advertisement Network: Instantly receive sponsorship requests that match your niche. Pick which ones to approve, put the ad copy right into your newsletter, and make money per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Apply to promote other newsletters. If someone joins by means of your link, you earn $1–$ 3 per subscriber.

For paid e-newsletters, browse to Money making �’ Paid Memberships. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t bill added costs past Stripe’s handling), establish your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Name Your Rate”), and choose what material goes behind the paywall.

Monitor and Enhance

Inspect your analytics weekly. If open rates drop below 40%, reconsider your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains zero clicks, it may be irrelevant to your target market– decrease comparable future advertisements. When a boost converts well, submit even more boost requests or modify your offer.

It might feel like a lot at first, however I guarantee you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the rewards– both monetary and in regards to your target market’s growth– are worth the preliminary curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter right into an economic equipment, let’s break down each revenue stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Incomes)

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

How It Works: You sign up for the Partner Program, get your one-of-a-kind referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When somebody clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Scale or Max), you gain a payment.
Commission Fees: As Much As 60% of their first-year settlement. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
Payout: Beehiiv pays monthly using PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump with.

In my instance, I published a Medium message walking individuals via my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here becomes part of that initiative). With a combination of blog web traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in affiliate compensations by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.

2. Boosts: Make by Assisting Others Grow

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

Come To Be a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your e-newsletter can aid others grow, apply in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll clarify why your target market is a good fit and established a price you ‘d pay for a new subscriber.
Relate to Boost Others: If you want fast clients, you can pay to boost your newsletter on various other makers’ lists. But what the majority of small makers enjoy is the opposite: you put on be a boost partner for various other e-newsletters. When somebody register through your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
Restrictions:
- You can send up to 25 boost uses monthly, however beehiiv just surfaces 3 deals at once to potential partners.
- If a boost is doing well, various other creators will certainly select it up promptly.

Right here’s a quick example: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO maker’s newsletter for $1.75 per subscriber. Over 2 weeks, I produced 200 brand-new subscribers for them– and earned concerning $350 at the same time. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

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

Eligibility: You require a minimum of 1,000 energetic customers and a constant send schedule (at least one e-mail monthly, though weekly is optimal).
Automation: Once approved, you’ll begin receiving 3– 5 sponsorship requests each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your target market’s interests– so a marketing SaaS firm might approach an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for example.
Settlement Model:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You make money each time someone clicks the advertisement in your e-mail.
- Cost Per Mille (CPM): You make based upon a thousand perceptions.
Reduce of Use: You can approve or decrease each offer right from your dashboard. Beehiiv deals with all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded advertisements, consisting of a few top-level brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my leading campaign creating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Bear in mind: significance is king. Unnecessary ads container click-through rates, so be careful.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Web Content”)

If you develop truly distinct material– deep dive reports, unique tutorials, or expert evaluations– you could consider a paid tier. Below’s the 101:

Arrangement: Most Likely To Monetization �’ Paid Subscriptions, attach Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Month-to-month
- Yearly (typically discounted)
- Single payment (for a solitary guide or training course)
- Call Your Cost (your customers pick what they can pay for)
Earnings Split: Beehiiv doesn’t charge you a system fee; they only pass Stripe’s processing cost (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Examples: If you have 100 customers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe charges). Tolerable, ideal? Certainly, getting to 100 paid customers suggests you require a dedicated, involved base.

Currently, be realistic: Paid memberships are a work. You need consistent, high-value web content that makes individuals comfortable taking out their wallets. If you’re just beginning, the advertisement network and boosts may be quicker victories.

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

I know pricing is a large enigma when you’re thinking about switching systems. Here’s the failure as of mid-2025:.

Free Plan (approximately 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re checking the waters. You still get boosts for listing development, fundamental analytics, and unrestricted sends out– just no advertisement network or paid subscriptions yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about generating income from. You obtain ad network accessibility, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Writing Aide to accelerate your e-newsletter creation.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (image generation, grammar fixing, translation) matter to you, and you want top priority support, this is the wonderful area. Plus, you can introduce a mobile app for your customers.
Enterprise (100k+ subscribers): For brands and mega-creators who require custom movements, service-level agreements, and advanced safety and security. Not many little developers need this.

My recommendation? Begin on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the dashboard, grow your listing to 1,000, then upgrade to Scale when you recognize you classified ad income and boosts.

Special Features Is Beehiiv Better Than Mailchimp

You could be assuming, “Okay, advertisements and boosts are trendy. Yet what else can beehiiv do that others can not?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.

1. Sound Newsletters

Ever before thought of turning your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in audio newsletter feature immediately converts your e-mails right into spoken-word sound. No added editing software application, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your subscribers can pay attention on the move. For busy target markets who drive or work out, this is a useful way to remain connected.

2. Custom Mobile Apps for Visitors

Many systems give you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one step additionally: you can release a custom mobile application for your subscribers. Once they add it to their home display, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Envision getting up and seeing application notices when you drop a new issue. Talk about engagement.

3. “Call Your Price” Memberships

As opposed to requiring everybody into $5 or $7 rates, let your most devoted followers determine what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can lead to greater life time value. I haven’t checked this feature directly yet, but for designers who really feel a bit uneasy about price factors, it’s a sweet alternative to try out.

4. beehiiv AI Collection

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

AI Creating Assistant: Produce newsletter drafts based on bullet points or subjects. For days when you’re staring at a blank page, this boosts your creative thinking.
AI Text Tool: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, polished draft that feels human Is Beehiiv Better Than Mailchimp.
AI Image Tool: Create custom-made header pictures or pictures without acquiring stock pictures. Simply type a prompt, and voila.
AI Translator: Want to send your e-newsletter in numerous languages? Translate your web content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese immediately.

These features can cut hours off web content production and assist you trying out brand-new styles.

Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv

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

Clean Your Checklist for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I cut my subscriber count in half (from concerning 2,400 to 1,200) by removing inactive e-mails– people who hadn’t opened anything in six months. My open rates jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which implied marketers paid more per click. It harmed to lose clients, but a lean, involved list deserves more than a puffed up, passive one.

Explore Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst prices. Do A/B examinations on small segments before sending out to your entire listing. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to increase your website traffic?”) frequently outperform common ones (” April Newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t resonate with your niche, say no. Irrelevant advertisements irritate viewers and tank click metrics. Gradually, beehiiv’s formula will learn what fits your target market– decrease enough off-topic deals, and they’ll quit sending them.

Usage Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences

Obtained a new group you wish to check out? Try enhancing your e-newsletter in a relevant niche. The expense per client averages $1.63– but if those subscribers stick around, it’s worth it. I once enhanced a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got an unusual uptick in retention.

Leverage 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. Then I flesh it out with my own stories and style tweaks. It’s not excellent, but it’s a solid foundation that saves me 30– 45 mins per email.

Capitalize on the Mobile App

Urge subscribers to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your following email, write a fast “Exactly how to Include Our E-newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. Even more app sets up suggest even more visibility, and press notifications beat inbox noise.

Deal Occasional Paid-Only Web Content

As opposed to making every problem free, tease a “reward report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it heavily to your listing. Even if you just offer 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv costs.

Concluding: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck to me this far, you probably fall into among these camps:

You’ve never ever sent an e-newsletter, yet you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly tools are ideal for learning the ropes.
You have a small checklist (< 2,500) and intend to monetize without headaches-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing practically nothing added.
You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ clients) looking to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program help you grow quicker and earn more.
You despise complicated e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium between effective features and easy to use design.

Sure, the feature set can really feel intimidating initially, and you could obtain a few unimportant ad demands. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a little listing and over $5,000 in associate payments just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen adequate to know that if you spend a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be substantial.

So, what are you awaiting? Register for beehiiv, discover the dashboard, and let the money making engines turn. Your future self will thank you when the checks roll in.