Is Beehiiv Free – Best Newsletter Tool for Creators!

So, you’ve been toying with the concept of transforming your email list into a profits stream, however you’re bewildered by all the options available. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. If you have actually been utilizing a basic e-mail solution and scraping your head about sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it could be time to check out beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll walk you with whatever you need to know about utilizing beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter into cash– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Is Beehiiv Free

Why You May be Stuck with Your Current Email System

You have actually possibly attempted the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you’re like the majority of small-scale content makers, right here’s what likely happened:

• Limited Money Making Options

You have a handful of loyal subscribers– maybe 500 to 1,000 individuals– but no simple way to generate income. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names each month.

• DIY Automation Headaches

You wish to drip campaign new subscribers, send out a welcome series, and segment individuals for targeted emails … but setting up those automations feels like you need a computer science level.

• Platform Costs Suck

Every time you think of paid registrations, the platform takes a significant piece, and the settlement arrangement is more challenging than it’s worth.

• Growth Stalls

Growth hacks appear to benefit everyone else– yet not for you. You wish there was a simple method to find new clients without by hand chasing them down.

I remained in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I ‘d been using Kit (previously ConvertKit), yet it felt like a stumbling block for money making. Do not get me wrong– Kit is excellent for constructing funnels and setting up basic automations. However when it involved making a few hundred bucks a month from a tiny list, there had not been a noticeable “on” switch.

Get in beehiiv.

My Change to beehiiv: A Truth Check

In January 2024, I ultimately pulled the trigger and relocated my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to pursue enrollers, work out prices, or develop challenging paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing service full-time, so my newsletter was always mosting likely to be a side project. I required something that almost ran itself.

The “Sell Me” Moment

What offered me on beehiiv was straightforward:

• Built-In Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can make money right here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
• Low-Effort Sponsorships: Rather than me scouring LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings deals straight to my control panel. All I have to do is click “accept,” drop in the ad duplicate, and struck send.
• Passive Income Boosts: By advertising other newsletters in my regular e-mail, I make $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No hefty training, no complicated analytics– just constant, incremental 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 topped 1,000 clients. I really did not create a paid program. I didn’t launch a product and I simply let beehiiv do its point.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that had not been sufficient, I also joined the beehiiv Partner Program– primarily an affiliate program. By writing about beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with pals, I swiped $5,108 in referral compensations through the end of 2024. Yep, you review that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the system.

So if you’re wondering whether beehiiv deserves it for tiny makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, certainly, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the good, the poor, and the cool things you require to recognize.

The Advantage of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Ridiculously Basic

What I like ideal about beehiiv is how very easy it is to earn money on auto-pilot. You do not require a massive target market. Below’s exactly how it works:

• Advertisement Network Sponsorships: When you hit just 1,000 energetic subscribers, brand names start aligning. You get 3– 6 ad requests monthly usually. You pick the ones you like, place the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or see– no complicated invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with pertinent brands, your subscribers are most likely to click.
• Boosts Referral Earnings: Don’t have enrollers yet? No worry. Advertise various other designer e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for email lists. I gained several hundred bucks by doing this without breaking a sweat.
• Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you choose to charge for superior material, beehiiv takes a very little fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction through Stripe). You can establish numerous pricing rates, run cost-free trials, or even let customers “name their price.”.
• Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the short haul? Sign up for the affiliate program. Gain 60% compensation on beehiiv’s regular monthly or yearly plans when somebody signs up with your code. It’s essentially added cash money for sharing something you currently like.

Simply put, beehiiv turns monetization right into an integrated feature, instead of a task you fear.

2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever looked at a control panel thinking, “What does any of this actually suggest?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s strategy:.

• Clear Subscriber Growth Graphs: See specifically how many new people joined, how many dropped off, and why your list shrank (much more on that particular in a sec).
• Open and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last thirty day, so you can identify trends as soon as possible. For instance, I kept an eye on my open price (hovering around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
• Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship earnings, boosts revenue, companion referral earnings– you get the picture. Income streams are neatly divided so nothing obtains shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Growing Your List Without Offering Your Spirit

Most newsletter platforms will certainly bill you for each added customer after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 customers, it’s complimentary. You get:.

• Unrestricted e-mail sends out.
• Access to the boosts network (expand your audience by advertising your e-newsletter on other beehiiv e-newsletters).
• Fundamental analytics and types.

If you’re a beginner or have a tiny target market, this is significant. You can try out subject lines, send regularity, and various lead magnets without stressing over hitting a paywall.

4. Integrated Internet Site & Custom-made Pages

Visualize dumping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether due to the fact that your newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in a nutshell:.

• Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive a blog-like page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
• Custom-made Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet page? A thank-you page? A web page to offer an item? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
• Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks great on phones– vital since a ton of folks review e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you won’t obtain every expensive drag-and-drop that a committed website builder provides, but for many creators, it’s more than enough.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you wish to tap into a community of similar creators. When your subscriber clicks “Recommend This E-newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring creator get credit. It’s a wise way to grow your checklist without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No item is perfect– and beehiiv has its hiccups. Prior to you dive in, right here’s what may journey you up:.

Feature Overload in the beginning

When you log in, there are numerous options– Types, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel frustrating. If you’ve only used a straightforward service that sends out one-off e-mails, you might require a number of days to obtain comfortable.

Pointless Advertisement Requests

Sometimes the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A gaming newsletter might get provided a code-review tool for developers. Make certain to decrease anything that doesn’t jive with your audience, or you’ll container your click-throughs.

No Time Area– Based Sends Out

If your listing is international, you can not automatically set up emails based on each customer’s time zone. All sends out go out simultaneously, so you may awaken to low open rates if half your listing is asleep.

Custom Web Page Builder Isn’t Extremely Instinctive

Producing a landing page is feasible, yet the UI could be smoother. I spent a couple of hours (and a useful chat with assistance) obtaining a free offer opt-in web page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might locate it clunky.

Minimal Integrations

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

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

Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?

Not everybody requires a fully included newsletter platform. But if any one of the complying with defines you, beehiiv might be a suit made in heaven:.

1. Absolute Beginners: You’ve never ever sent an e-mail blast, you don’t wish to spend cash ahead of time, and you require a totally free, easy way to experiment. Beehiiv allows you begin totally free, send out unrestricted e-mails to as much as 2,500 subscribers, and grow naturally with the boosts network.
2. Small-List Creators: If you currently have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand subscribers however no hint exactly how to transform that into revenue, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my first ten months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Not bad for coffee cash, right?
3. Makers Who Dislike “Salesy” Stuff: You don’t wish to pitch products nonstop or sling digital programs. You ‘d rather share value, construct trust, and let the cash been available in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s ad network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
4. Switchers Who Do Not Wish To Rebuild Whatever: Maybe you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv assures a smooth movement from those systems. Plus, if you have a large list (say 10k+), you can obtain help from beehiiv’s support group to move every little thing over without losing your automations.

Getting going: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Join and Discover the Dashboard

Once you develop an account, beehiiv drops you right into a dashboard where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through prices, and any type of pending ad deals. Think about it as your mission control– everything you require is simply a click away.

Develop Your Very First Subscribe Type

Navigate to Target Market �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Develop New Form. You’ll need:

• A headline that hooks visitors
• A brief blurb discussing what your e-newsletter is about
• A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
• Your logo or an appropriate photo
• A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Examine your inbox in a sec.”)

You can select from different form designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the e-mail area), or progressed (with tracking codes). The modification alternatives are fundamental– colors for buttons and background images– yet it’s surprisingly effective for capturing emails.

Set Up Your Web Site and Personalized Pages

If you want more than simply a form, jump into Layout �’ Website Builder �’ Customized Pages �’ Internal Page. Utilize this to:

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

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

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

I spent a couple of hours tweaking my initial landing page, once I got the hang of it, I realized how effective it is to have every little thing under one roofing. Rather than managing Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Initial E-newsletter

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

• Create your e-mail copy Is Beehiiv Free
• Place photos, headers, and personalized HTML blocks
• Preview just how it’ll search in inboxes and on your site
• Set up or send out instantly

One catch: Personalization is limited. Every subscriber sees “Hi there” rather than “Hey there [First Name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you may miss out on that. But for a lot of individuals, a pleasant, conversational introductory is enough.

Switch on Money making

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

• Sign Up With the Ad Network: Automatically get sponsorship requests that match your particular niche. Choose which ones to approve, insert the advertisement copy into your newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
• Set Up Boosts: Relate to promote various other newsletters. If someone signs up with using your web link, you gain $1–$ 3 per customer.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Money making �’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll connect your Stripe account (beehiiv does not charge extra charges beyond Stripe’s handling), establish your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Call Your Cost”), and decide what material goes behind the paywall.

Display and Enhance

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

It may seem like a whole lot at first, but I assure you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the incentives– both economic and in terms of your target market’s growth– are worth the initial contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

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

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Earnings)

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

• How It Works: You register for the Partner Program, order your one-of-a-kind referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When somebody clicks, register for a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a payment.
• Payment Rates: Approximately 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you might see $60. Cha-ching.
• Payout: Beehiiv pays month-to-month using PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump with.

In my instance, I released a Medium blog post walking people with my beehiiv experience (looter: this overview right here is part of that effort). Via a combination of blog site traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in associate compensations by December 2024. All I did was share my genuine experience.

2. Boosts: Earn by Helping Others Expand

Boosts are generally sponsored promotions– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” version. Below’s the scoop:.

• End Up Being a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your newsletter can help others expand, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll discuss why your target market is an excellent fit and established a rate you ‘d pay for a new client.
• Relate to Boost Others: If you desire fast subscribers, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on various other creators’ checklists. However what a lot of tiny designers enjoy is the reverse: you relate to be a boost partner for various other e-newsletters. When somebody subscribe via your boost, you get $1–$ 3
• Limits:
  • You can send up to 25 boost uses monthly, but beehiiv just surfaces 3 deals each time to possible companions.
  • If a boost is carrying out well, various other developers will certainly pick it up rapidly.

Right here’s a quick instance: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow SEO designer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 new clients for them– and earned concerning $350 at the same time. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the big dollars can can be found in, even if your checklist is “little.” Below’s how it goes:

• Eligibility: You need a minimum of 1,000 active customers and a consistent send out schedule (a minimum of one email monthly, though once a week is optimal).
• Automation: As soon as approved, you’ll start obtaining 3– 5 sponsorship demands monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your audience’s passions– so a marketing SaaS business might approach an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for instance.
• Payment Design:
  • Price Per Click (CPC): You make money every time somebody clicks the advertisement in your email.
  • Expense Per Mille (CPM): You earn based upon a thousand perceptions.
• Ease of Use: You can accept or decline each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv deals with 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 brands like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my leading campaign producing $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Bear in mind: importance is king. Unnecessary ads storage tank click-through prices, so be discerning.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Material”)

If you produce absolutely unique content– deep dive reports, exclusive tutorials, or expert evaluations– you might consider a paid tier. Here’s the 101:

• Arrangement: Most Likely To Money Making �’ Paid Registrations, connect Stripe, and select your pricing:
  • Regular monthly
  • Yearly (typically marked down)
  • One-time repayment (for a single guide or program)
  • Name Your Cost (your clients select what they can manage)
• Profits Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a system fee; they only pass Stripe’s processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
• Examples: If you have 100 customers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Tolerable, appropriate? Obviously, reaching 100 paid clients implies you need a dedicated, involved base.

Currently, be sensible: Paid registrations are a work. You require regular, high-value material that makes individuals comfortable taking out their pocketbooks. If you’re simply starting, the ad network and boosts might be quicker victories.

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

I recognize pricing is a huge question mark when you’re thinking about switching platforms. Below’s the break down since mid-2025:.

• Free Plan (up to 2,500 clients): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still get boosts for listing development, basic analytics, and endless sends out– simply no advertisement network or paid subscriptions yet.
• Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Perfect if you’re serious about generating income from. You get advertisement network gain access to, boosts, paid registrations, and the AI Composing Aide to quicken your newsletter production.
• Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (photo generation, grammar fixing, translation) issue to you, and you want concern support, this is the sweet area. And also, you can launch a mobile application for your clients.
• Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who need custom migrations, service-level arrangements, and advanced security. Very few tiny designers need this.

My suggestion? Beginning on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, expand your listing to 1,000, then upgrade to Scale when you recognize you want ad profits and boosts.

Distinct Features Is Beehiiv Free

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

1. Audio E-newsletters

Ever before thought about turning your email right into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated audio newsletter feature instantly transforms your e-mails into spoken-word sound. No extra editing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your clients can listen on the go. For hectic audiences who drive or work out, this is a useful method to stay connected.

2. Custom-made Mobile Application for Readers

The majority of platforms provide you a “mobile-optimized web site.” Beehiiv goes one action even more: you can introduce a personalized mobile application for your clients. Once they add it to their home display, your e-newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Visualize getting up and seeing app notifications when you drop a new problem. Talk about engagement.

3. “Call Your Rate” Memberships

As opposed to forcing everybody into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most devoted followers decide what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can lead to greater life time value. I haven’t examined this feature personally yet, but for developers who really feel a little bit uneasy concerning price factors, it’s a sweet alternative to trying out.

4. beehiiv AI Collection

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

• AI Composing Assistant: Create e-newsletter drafts based on bullet factors or topics. For days when you’re looking at an empty page, this starts your creativity.
• AI Text Device: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a tidy, polished draft that feels human Is Beehiiv Free.
• AI Image Tool: Create custom-made header pictures or images without purchasing stock photos. Simply type a punctual, and voila.
• AI Translator: Intend to send your newsletter in multiple languages? Convert your web content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese immediately.

These features can cut hours off content development and aid you experiment with new formats.

Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv

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

Clean Your Checklist for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I reduced my customer count in half (from about 2,400 to 1,200) by removing non-active emails– individuals who had not opened up anything in six months. My open rates jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested marketers paid more per click. It injured to shed clients, but a lean, engaged listing is worth more than a bloated, easy one.

Trying Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B tests on small sectors prior to sending out to your whole checklist. Brief, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to increase your web traffic?”) frequently outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an advertisement does not reverberate with your specific niche, say no. Irrelevant advertisements irritate viewers and tank click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s algorithm will certainly discover what fits your audience– decrease enough off-topic deals, and they’ll stop sending them.

Usage Boosts to Examine New Audiences

Obtained a new group you wish to explore? Try enhancing your e-newsletter in a related particular niche. The price per subscriber averages $1.63– however if those subscribers remain, it deserves it. I as soon as increased a search engine optimization newsletter in a digital marketing target market and got a surprising uptick in retention.

Leverage AI for Faster Manufacturing

On evenings when I’m burnt out, I ask the AI Writing Aide to compose a rough outline: introduction, 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 structure that conserves me 30– 45 mins per email.

Make use of the Mobile Application

Motivate customers to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your following e-mail, create a fast “Exactly how to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. More application installs imply more presence, and press notices defeat inbox sound.

Offer Periodic Paid-Only Content

Instead of making every concern free, tease a “incentive record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your list. 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 to me this much, you probably come under one of these camps:

• You’ve never sent an e-newsletter, yet you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive devices are ideal for learning the ropes.
• You have a little list (< 2,500) and intend to generate income from without headaches-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing almost absolutely nothing additional.
• You’re a mid-sized creator (1k+ clients) wanting to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program aid you grow faster and earn a lot more.
• You dislike complex email systems– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium between powerful features and easy to use design.

Sure, the feature set can really feel daunting in the beginning, and you might obtain a few irrelevant advertisement demands. However consider this: in under a year, I made virtually $1,000 on a small listing and over $5,000 in associate payments just by sharing my experience. I’ve seen enough to recognize that if you invest a little time learning the system, the returns can be considerable.

So, what are you awaiting? Register for beehiiv, check out the dashboard, and let the monetization engines transform. Your future self will thank you when the checks roll in.