So, you’ve been toying with the idea of turning your e-mail listing into a revenue stream, yet you’re bewildered by all the alternatives available. Noise familiar? You’re not the only one. If you’ve been utilizing a basic e-mail service and damaging your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid subscriptions, it may be time to look into beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll walk you via whatever you need to understand about using beehiiv to turn your newsletter into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv Dr. Jen Ashton
Why You May be Stuck with Your Existing Email System
You have actually probably attempted the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you’re like the majority of small content designers, right here’s what likely took place:
- Limited Money Making Options
You have a handful of faithful customers– possibly 500 to 1,000 people– however zero very easy way to make money. Sponsorships seem like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names every month.
- Do It Yourself Automation Headaches
You wish to drip campaign brand-new clients, send a welcome series, and sector people for targeted e-mails … but setting up those automations seems like you need a computer technology degree.
- Platform Fees Draw
Each time you think of paid registrations, the system takes a massive chunk, and the payment configuration is extra difficult than it’s worth.
- Growth Delays
Growth hacks seem to work for every person else– however except you. You wish there was a very easy way to locate brand-new subscribers without manually chasing them down.
I remained in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (previously ConvertKit), but it felt like a stumbling block for money making. Do not get me wrong– Kit is wonderful for developing funnels and setting up standard automations. But when it involved making even a few hundred bucks a month from a tiny listing, there wasn’t an evident “on” switch.
Go into beehiiv.
My Switch to beehiiv: A Fact Examine
In January 2024, I finally shot and moved my newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Right here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to pursue enrollers, bargain prices, or develop complicated paid funnels. I run a SEO composing organization full-time, so my e-newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I required something that virtually ran itself.
The “Market Me” Moment
What sold me on beehiiv was basic:
- Integrated Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can generate income 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 right to my dashboard. All I have to do is click “accept,” drop in the advertisement copy, and struck send.
- Passive Income Boosts: By promoting other e-newsletters in my regular email, I earn $1–$ 3 per referred client. No hefty training, no complicated analytics– simply steady, step-by-step revenue.
Looter alert: It settled. In my first full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a list that never ever covered 1,000 customers. I really did not produce a paid training course. I didn’t introduce a product and I just let beehiiv do its thing.
My Partner Program Windfall
As if that wasn’t enough, I also signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– essentially an affiliate program. By covering beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with chums, I took $5,108 in referral compensations through completion of 2024. Yep, you check out that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the system.
So if you’re asking yourself whether beehiiv is worth it for little makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, obviously, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the good, the negative, and the awesome things you require to understand.
The Advantage of Using beehiiv
1. Monetization Made Extremely Basic
What I enjoy best regarding beehiiv is just how easy it is to earn money on autopilot. You do not need a significant audience. Below’s exactly how it works:
- Ad Network Sponsorships: Once you strike simply 1,000 active customers, brand names begin aligning. You obtain 3– 6 advertisement requests monthly generally. You pick the ones you like, put the copy, and you’re done. They ppc or see– no complex invoicing. And due to the fact that beehiiv matches you with appropriate brand names, your clients are more probable to click.
- Boosts Referral Income: Do not have enrollers yet? No worry. Promote other maker e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for email lists. I gained several hundred dollars this way without breaking a sweat.
- Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you choose to charge for exceptional material, beehiiv takes a marginal cost (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase via Stripe). You can establish numerous pricing rates, run complimentary trials, and even let subscribers “call their cost.”.
- Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the short haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Gain 60% compensation on beehiiv’s monthly or annual plans when a person join your code. It’s literally extra money for sharing something you already love.
Simply put, beehiiv transforms monetization right into an integrated feature, instead of a task you fear.
2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode
If you’ve ever looked at a dashboard thinking, “What does any of this really indicate?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s strategy:.
- Clear Subscriber Growth Graphs: See precisely how many new individuals joined, the number of left, and why your list shrank (extra on that in a sec).
- Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last 1 month, so you can find fads right away. As an example, I watched on my open rate (floating around 64%– okay) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either metric dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
- Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship revenue, boosts revenue, partner referral incomes– you get the picture. Income streams are neatly separated so nothing gets shed in the shuffle.
It resembles having a sidekick who tells you, “Hey, your January e-mail eliminated it– below’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s repair this.”.
3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Offering Your Soul
A lot of e-newsletter platforms will certainly charge you for every added subscriber after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 customers, it’s free. You get:.
- Unrestricted email sends out.
- Accessibility to the boosts network (grow your target market by promoting your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
- Standard analytics and kinds.
If you’re a beginner or have a small audience, this is big. You can trying out subject lines, send out frequency, and different lead magnets without fretting about hitting a paywall.
4. Built-In Site & Custom-made Pages
Envision dropping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether because your newsletter platform 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.
- Custom Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet page? A thank-you page? A page to market an item? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
- Mobile-Friendly Templates: Everything looks great on phones– crucial given that a ton of people review emails on mobile.
Sure, you will not obtain every fancy drag-and-drop that a specialized website builder offers, however, for a lot of developers, it’s more than enough.
5. Referral Program to Supercharge Growth
Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you want to take advantage of a community of like-minded developers. When your client clicks “Recommend This E-newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring developer obtain credit scores. It’s a wise way to grow your listing without spamming.
The Downsides: What to Watch Out For
No product is perfect– and beehiiv has its missteps. Before you dive in, here’s what could trip you up:.
Feature Overload at First
When you log in, there are so many options– Types, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel frustrating. If you’ve just used a straightforward solution that sends one-off e-mails, you could need a number of days to obtain comfy.
Pointless Advertisement Requests
Sometimes the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A video gaming e-newsletter could get offered a code-review device for designers. Make sure to decline anything that doesn’t jive with your target market, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.
No Time At All Area– Based Sends
If your listing is worldwide, you can’t automatically set up emails based upon each client’s time zone. All sends go out at once, so you may get up to reduced open rates if half your list is asleep.
Personalized Page Builder Isn’t Super Instinctive
Developing a landing page is feasible, yet the UI could be smoother. I spent a couple of hours (and a useful chat with support) getting a freebie opt-in web page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you might discover it clunky.
Restricted Integrations
If you use Gumroad to sell items, you run out good luck– no straight integration yet. You’ll have to make use of embed codes or a Zapier workaround.
All that claimed, beehiiv’s team is frequently presenting updates– and those cons are gradually yet certainly being attended to.
Who Should Think about beehiiv?
Not everybody needs a completely featured newsletter platform. Yet if any one of the complying with describes you, beehiiv could be a match made in paradise:.
- Absolute Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an email blast, you don’t wish to spend cash ahead of time, and you require a complimentary, easy means to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start free of charge, send limitless emails to up to 2,500 clients, and expand organically with the boosts network.
- Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a couple thousand customers however no hint how to turn that right into earnings, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my very first ten months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Not bad for coffee money, right?
- Developers Who Despise “Salesy” Stuff: You do not want to pitch products nonstop or sling digital programs. You ‘d rather share worth, develop trust fund, and let the cash come in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s ad network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
- Switchers Who Do Not Intend To Reconstruct Everything: Perhaps you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv promises a smooth movement from those platforms. Plus, if you have a large checklist (claim 10k+), you can obtain aid from beehiiv’s support team to relocate whatever over without losing your automations.
Beginning: A Detailed Walkthrough
Subscribe and Check Out the Control panel
Once you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through prices, and any kind of pending advertisement offers. Consider it as your mission control– everything you need is just a click away.
Build Your Very First Subscribe Form
Navigate to Audience ’ Subscribe Kinds ’ Create Brand-new Kind. You’ll require:
- A heading that hooks site visitors
- A short blurb discussing what your e-newsletter is about
- A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
- Your logo or a pertinent photo
- A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for joining! Examine your inbox in a sec.”)
You can select from different form styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail area), or advanced (with monitoring codes). The personalization options are fundamental– colors for buttons and background images– yet it’s surprisingly reliable for catching e-mails.
Set Up Your Site and Customized Pages
If you want more than just a form, hop right into Layout ’ Website Builder ’ Personalized Pages ’ Internal Page. Use this to:
Host your newsletter archive (all previous problems, searchable and SEO-friendly).
Produce a landing page for a free offer (e.g., “Download my search engine optimization rip off sheet”).
Construct a thank-you page that goes real-time after a person subscribes.
I invested a couple of hours tweaking my initial landing page, once I got the hang of it, I realized just how effective it is to have whatever under one roofing. As opposed to handling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.
Draft Your First Newsletter
Click the huge “Begin Writing” button in the top-right edge. You’ll see a clean, distraction-free editor where you can:
- Compose your email copy Beehiiv Dr. Jen Ashton
- Place images, headers, and custom HTML obstructs
- Preview just how it’ll search in inboxes and on your web site
- Arrange or send immediately
One catch: Customization is limited. Every subscriber sees “Hey there” instead of “Hello there [First Name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you could miss that. However, for most people, a friendly, conversational introductory is enough.
Turn On Money making
Once you hit 1,000 energetic subscribers, beehiiv will certainly invite you to:.
- Join the Ad Network: Automatically obtain sponsorship requests that match your particular niche. Select which ones to accept, put the ad duplicate into your newsletter, and make money per click/view.
- Establish Boosts: Apply to advertise various other newsletters. If a person joins through your web link, you gain $1–$ 3 per customer.
For paid e-newsletters, browse to Money making ’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t charge extra fees beyond Stripe’s handling), establish your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Name Your Rate”), and decide what web content goes behind the paywall.
Monitor and Maximize
Check your analytics weekly. If open rates drop below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets no clicks, it could be unnecessary to your audience– decrease similar future ads. When a boost converts well, submit even more boost requests or fine-tune your deal.
It may feel like a whole lot in the beginning, yet I assure you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the benefits– both financial and in terms of your target market’s growth– deserve the first contour.
Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options
If you’re serious about turning your e-newsletter right into a money-making machine, let’s break down each income stream in detail.
1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Profits)
Consider this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Right here’s the lowdown:.
- How It Works: You register for the Partner Program, get your distinct referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, any place. When somebody clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Scale or Max), you make a commission.
- Payment Fees: As Much As 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you may see $60. Cha-ching.
- Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly using PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap with.
In my instance, I released a Medium message walking people through my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here is part of that initiative). Via a combination of blog 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 Aiding Others Expand
Boosts are primarily sponsored promos– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” model. Below’s the scoop:.
- Become a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your newsletter can help others expand, apply in the Boosts control panel. You’ll explain why your audience is a good fit and established a price you ‘d pay for a new subscriber.
- Apply to Boost Others: If you want fast clients, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on various other creators’ lists. Yet what a lot of tiny developers like is the reverse: you relate to be a boost partner for various other newsletters. When somebody subscribe through your boost, you get $1–$ 3
- Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost uses monthly, yet beehiiv only surfaces 3 offers at once to prospective partners.
- If a boost is performing well, other designers will certainly pick it up quickly.
Here’s a fast instance: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow search engine optimization maker’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over 2 weeks, I created 200 new customers for them– and made concerning $350 while doing so. Win-win.
3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)
This is where the big bucks can come in, even if your listing is “little.” Right here’s just how it goes:
- Eligibility: You need a minimum of 1,000 active clients and a regular send out routine (at the very least one e-mail per month, though regular is perfect).
- Automation: When authorized, you’ll start getting 3– 5 sponsorship demands per month. Beehiiv matches you with brands based on your audience’s interests– so a marketing SaaS firm may come close to an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for instance.
- Repayment Model:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You generate income every single time a person clicks the advertisement in your email.
- Expense Per Mille (CPM): You gain based on a thousand perceptions.
- Ease of Use: You can accept or decline each deal right from your dashboard. Beehiiv handles all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your e-newsletter.
In 2024, I ran 37 funded ads, consisting of a couple of high-profile brands like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my top campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Remember: significance is king. Unnecessary advertisements container click-through prices, so be selective.
4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Web Content”)
If you create genuinely one-of-a-kind material– deep dive reports, unique tutorials, or expert evaluations– you could think about a paid rate. Below’s the 101:
- Setup: Go to Monetization ’ Paid Registrations, link Stripe, and select your pricing:
- Monthly
- Yearly (typically discounted)
- One-time settlement (for a solitary overview or training course)
- Call Your Price (your clients pick what they can manage)
- Income Split: Beehiiv doesn’t charge you a system fee; they just pass Stripe’s processing charge (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
- Instances: If you have 100 customers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Tolerable, ideal? Naturally, getting to 100 paid customers suggests you require a faithful, involved base.
Currently, be practical: Paid memberships are a work. You require consistent, high-value web content that makes individuals comfortable pulling out their pocketbooks. If you’re just beginning, the ad network and boosts might be quicker victories.
Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Get)
I recognize pricing is a big question mark when you’re thinking of switching platforms. Right here’s the break down since mid-2025:.
- Free Plan (approximately 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re evaluating the waters. You still obtain boosts for list growth, fundamental analytics, and endless sends out– simply no advertisement network or paid subscriptions yet.
- Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Suitable if you’re serious about monetizing. You obtain advertisement network gain access to, boosts, paid registrations, and the AI Writing Assistant to accelerate your e-newsletter development.
- Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (image generation, grammar taking care of, translation) matter to you, and you desire priority assistance, this is the sweet area. Plus, you can release a mobile app for your clients.
- Enterprise (100k+ customers): For brands and mega-creators who need customized migrations, service-level arrangements, and progressed safety. Very few little creators need this.
My referral? Start on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the control panel, grow your list to 1,000, then update to Scale when you know you want ad earnings and boosts.
Distinct Features Beehiiv Dr. Jen Ashton
You could be thinking, “Okay, advertisements and boosts are trendy. Yet what else can beehiiv do that others can not?” Let me highlight a few standout features:.
1. Audio E-newsletters
Ever thought of turning your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in sound newsletter feature immediately converts your emails into spoken-word sound. No extra editing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your clients can pay attention on the move. For busy target markets who drive or work out, this is a helpful method to remain connected.
2. Personalized Mobile Application for Visitors
Most systems provide you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one action further: you can introduce a custom-made mobile application for your subscribers. Once they add it to their home screen, your newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Envision awakening and seeing app alerts when you drop a brand-new issue. Talk about engagement.
3. “Call Your Cost” Subscriptions
As opposed to forcing everyone right into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most dedicated followers decide what to pay. It’s a trust-building relocation and can bring about greater life time value. I have not examined this feature directly yet, but for creators who feel a bit uneasy regarding rate factors, it’s a pleasant alternative to explore.
4. beehiiv AI Suite
For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI tools are a godsend:
- AI Composing Aide: Produce newsletter drafts based on bullet points or topics. For days when you’re looking at an empty web page, this boosts your creative thinking.
- AI Text Device: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a tidy, sleek draft that feels human Beehiiv Dr. Jen Ashton.
- AI Photo Tool: Develop customized header images or pictures without purchasing stock pictures. Simply type a timely, and voila.
- AI Translator: Want to send your e-newsletter in numerous languages? Convert your material right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese immediately.
These features can shave hours off material creation and assist you trying out brand-new formats.
Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv
Since you understand what beehiiv can do, here are some expert hacks to make the most of it:
Clean Your List for Better Efficiency
In August 2024, I reduced my subscriber count in half (from about 2,400 to 1,200) by removing inactive e-mails– people who had not opened up anything in six months. My open prices leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested marketers paid even more per click. It harmed to lose customers, yet a lean, engaged listing deserves more than a puffed up, passive one.
Experiment with Topic Lines Like a Pro
Subject lines make or break open rates. Do A/B examinations on small segments prior to sending to your whole checklist. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to increase your web traffic?”) typically outperform generic ones (” April E-newsletter”).
Be Pickier with Ad Offers
If an advertisement doesn’t reverberate with your particular niche, say no. Pointless ads frustrate visitors and storage tank click metrics. In time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your audience– decrease sufficient off-topic offers, and they’ll quit sending them.
Usage Boosts to Test New Audiences
Got a new category you want to explore? Try boosting your e-newsletter in a related specific niche. The price per client averages $1.63– yet if those subscribers remain, it deserves it. I once increased a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got an unexpected uptick in retention.
Leverage AI for Faster Manufacturing
On evenings when I’m burnt out, I ask the AI Creating Assistant to draft a rough outline: intro, 3 bottom lines, verdict. Then I flesh it out with my very own stories and style tweaks. It’s not excellent, however it’s a solid foundation that conserves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.
Capitalize on the Mobile Application
Motivate customers to mount your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your following email, create a fast “Exactly how to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. Even more app installs mean more visibility, and press notices beat inbox noise.
Offer Periodic Paid-Only Content
As opposed to making every concern free, tease a “incentive record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it heavily to your checklist. Even if you only sell 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv expense.
Completing: Is beehiiv Right for You?
If you’ve stuck with me this far, you possibly fall into among these camps:
- You have actually never sent out an e-newsletter, however you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive tools are ideal for learning the ropes.
- You have a little checklist (< 2,500) and wish to monetize without frustrations-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing almost nothing added.
- You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ customers) aiming to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program help you grow faster and gain more.
- You despise complicated email platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance in between powerful features and easy to use style.
Sure, the feature set can feel intimidating in the beginning, and you could obtain a couple of irrelevant ad demands. But consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a little checklist and over $5,000 in affiliate commissions simply by sharing my experience. I’ve seen adequate to understand that if you invest a bit of time learning the system, the returns can be considerable.
So, what are you waiting on? Sign up for beehiiv, explore the dashboard, and let the money making engines transform. Your future self will thanks when the checks roll in.