Beehiiv or Ghost – Smarter Newsletter Tools!

So, you have actually been toying with the concept of transforming your e-mail list right into a revenue stream, however you’re bewildered by all the options available. Audio acquainted? You’re not alone. If you have actually been using a basic email service and scraping your head about sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it may be time to look into beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll stroll you through every little thing you need to find out about utilizing beehiiv to turn your e-newsletter right into cash– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv or Ghost

Why You Could be Stuck with Your Present Email System

You’ve possibly attempted the common suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you’re like the majority of small-scale web content designers, right here’s what likely occurred:

• Restricted Monetization Alternatives

You have a handful of devoted clients– possibly 500 to 1,000 people– but absolutely no easy method to make money. Sponsorships feel like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names monthly.

• DIY Automation Headaches

You wish to drip campaign new customers, send out a welcome collection, and section people for targeted emails … yet establishing those automations feels like you require a computer technology level.

• System Charges Suck

Every single time you consider paid registrations, the platform takes a huge chunk, and the payment setup is extra complicated than it’s worth.

• Development Stalls

Development hacks appear to help every person else– yet not for you. You want there was an easy way to find new subscribers without manually chasing them down.

I was in your shoes at the start of 2024. I ‘d been making use of Kit (formerly ConvertKit), yet it felt like a stumbling block for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is wonderful for building funnels and establishing standard automations. However when it involved making even a few hundred dollars a month from a little list, there had not been an apparent “on” switch.

Go into beehiiv.

My Switch to beehiiv: A Truth Examine

In January 2024, I ultimately pulled the trigger and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to hound enrollers, negotiate prices, or build challenging paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization composing business full-time, so my e-newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I required something that practically ran itself.

The “Market Me” Minute

What sold me on beehiiv was simple:

• Integrated Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can make money right here!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
• Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me searching LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings offers right to my dashboard. All I have to do is click “accept,” drop in the ad duplicate, and hit send.
• Passive Revenue Boosts: By promoting other e-newsletters in my weekly email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No hefty training, no challenging analytics– just steady, step-by-step income.

Looter alert: It paid off. In my very 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 subscribers. I didn’t produce a paid course. I didn’t launch an item and I simply let beehiiv do its thing.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that had not been sufficient, I also signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By covering beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with pals, I took $5,108 in referral compensations via 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 tiny designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, obviously, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the great, the bad, and the cool things you require to know.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Money Making Made Ridiculously Easy

What I love ideal concerning beehiiv is exactly how simple it is to generate income on autopilot. You don’t require a massive audience. Here’s exactly how it works:

• Ad Network Sponsorships: Once you hit just 1,000 active customers, brand names begin lining up. You get 3– 6 ad requests each month usually. You select the ones you like, place the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or see– no challenging invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with relevant brand names, your subscribers are more likely to click.
• Boosts Referral Earnings: Do not have enrollers yet? Not a problem. Promote various other maker e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for e-mail lists. I made several hundred bucks this way without breaking a sweat.
• Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you make a decision to charge for premium content, beehiiv takes a marginal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase via Stripe). You can set up several pricing tiers, run totally free trials, or perhaps let customers “call their cost.”.
• Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the brief haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Make 60% payment on beehiiv’s monthly or yearly plans when someone join your code. It’s essentially added money for sharing something you currently like.

Simply put, beehiiv turns monetization into a built-in feature, rather than a job you fear.

2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever before looked at a dashboard reasoning, “What does any of this in fact imply?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s technique:.

• Clear Client Development Graphs: See exactly how many brand-new people joined, the amount of handed over, and why your list reduced (extra on that in a sec).
• Open and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last 30 days, so you can identify patterns immediately. As an example, I watched on my open price (floating around 64%– not bad) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either metric dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
• Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship revenue, boosts income, partner referral revenues– you understand. Earnings streams are nicely separated so nothing obtains lost in the shuffle.

It’s like having a partner who informs you, “Hey, your January e-mail killed it– here’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s repair this.”.

3. Expanding Your Listing Without Selling Your Heart

A lot of newsletter systems will certainly charge you for every extra client after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 customers, it’s cost-free. You get:.

• Unrestricted e-mail sends.
• Access to the boosts network (grow your target market by promoting your newsletter on other beehiiv newsletters).
• Fundamental analytics and types.

If you’re a newbie or have a little audience, this is huge. You can trying out subject lines, send frequency, and various lead magnets without worrying about striking a paywall.

4. Integrated Site & Customized 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 emails survive a blog-like page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
• Personalized Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet web page? A thank-you page? A web page to market an item? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
• Mobile-Friendly Templates: Every little thing looks excellent on phones– crucial because a ton of folks review e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you won’t obtain every fancy drag-and-drop that a dedicated website builder offers, but also for a lot of creators, it’s more than enough.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Development

Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you want to use a community of similar makers. When your customer clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring maker obtain credit score. It’s a clever method to expand your checklist without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Look out for

No product is best– and beehiiv has its hiccups. Prior to you dive in, right here’s what may trip you up:.

Feature Overload in the beginning

When you visit, there are numerous choices– Forms, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel overwhelming. If you have actually only utilized a basic service that sends one-off e-mails, you could need a number of days to get comfy.

Pointless Advertisement Requests

In some cases the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your specific niche. A video gaming newsletter could get offered a code-review tool for designers. See to it to decline anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll container your click-throughs.

No Time At All Zone– Based Sends

If your checklist is global, you can’t instantly arrange e-mails based upon each subscriber’s time zone. All sends out go out at the same time, so you could awaken to reduced open rates if half your list is asleep.

Custom-made Page Builder Isn’t Extremely User-friendly

Producing 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 giveaway opt-in web page ideal. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may discover it cumbersome.

Limited Integrations

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

All that stated, beehiiv’s team is constantly rolling out updates– and those cons are gradually but certainly being attended to.

Who Should Think about beehiiv?

Not everybody needs a completely featured newsletter system. Yet if any of the complying with explains you, beehiiv might be a suit made in paradise:.

1. Outright Beginners: You have actually never ever sent out an e-mail blast, you do not want to spend cash in advance, and you require a totally free, easy means to experiment. Beehiiv allows you start totally free, send limitless emails to up to 2,500 customers, and expand organically with the boosts network.
2. Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand subscribers yet no clue exactly how to transform that into income, 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 checklist. Not bad for coffee cash, right?
3. Designers Who Dislike “Salesy” Things: You do not want to pitch items nonstop or sling digital training courses. You ‘d rather share value, construct trust fund, and let the money been available in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you earn without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
4. Switchers Who Don’t Wish To Rebuild Whatever: Maybe you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv assures a smooth migration from those systems. And also, if you have a large list (claim 10k+), you can get assist from beehiiv’s support group to relocate whatever over without losing your automations.

Starting: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Register and Discover the Dashboard

When you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through rates, and any type of pending ad offers. Think of it as your mission control– every little thing you require is just a click away.

Develop Your Very First Subscribe Type

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

• A headline that hooks visitors
• A short blurb clarifying what your newsletter has to do with
• A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
• Your logo or a relevant photo
• A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)

You can choose from various type designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail field), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The personalization options are fundamental– colors for switches and history images– yet it’s remarkably effective for recording e-mails.

Set Up Your Website and Custom Pages

If you desire greater than simply a form, hop right into Design �’ Website Builder �’ Personalized Pages �’ Internal Web Page. Use this to:

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

Develop a landing page for a free offer (e.g., “Download my search engine optimization cheat sheet”).

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

I spent a couple of hours tweaking my initial landing page, once I got the hang of it, I understood how effective it is to have whatever under one roof. As opposed to juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your First E-newsletter

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

• Compose your email copy Beehiiv or Ghost
• Place pictures, headers, and customized HTML blocks
• Preview exactly how it’ll look in inboxes and on your site
• Arrange or send quickly

One catch: Personalization is restricted. Every customer sees “Hi there” rather than “Hello [Given name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you could miss out on that. But also for the majority of people, a friendly, conversational introductory is enough.

Switch on Monetization

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

• Sign Up With the Ad Network: Immediately obtain sponsorship requests that match your particular niche. Choose which ones to accept, put the advertisement copy into your e-newsletter, and make money per click/view.
• Establish Boosts: Put on promote various other newsletters. If a person signs up with via your link, you gain $1–$ 3 per client.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Money making �’ Paid Memberships. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t bill added charges beyond Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Name Your Cost”), and decide what content goes behind the paywall.

Screen and Enhance

Examine your analytics weekly. If open prices drop below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains absolutely no clicks, it could be unnecessary to your target market– decrease comparable future ads. When a boost converts well, submit more boost requests or tweak your offer.

It could feel like a lot in the beginning, but I guarantee you’ll get the hang of it within a couple of days. And the benefits– both economic and in terms of your target market’s growth– are worth the first contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options

If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter into a money-making maker, let’s break down each earnings stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Incomes)

Think of this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Right here’s the lowdown:.

• How It Functions: You sign up for the Partner Program, get your unique referral web link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When somebody clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Scale or Max), you gain a payment.
• Compensation Rates: Up to 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
• Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly by means of PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to leap via.

In my case, I published a Medium message walking individuals with my beehiiv experience (looter: this overview right here is part of that effort). Through a mix of blog site traffic and word-of-mouth, I made over $5,000 in affiliate payments by December 2024. All I did was share my genuine experience.

2. Boosts: Earn by Assisting Others Expand

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

• Become a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your e-newsletter can assist others grow, apply in the Boosts control panel. You’ll discuss why your audience is a good fit and established a price you ‘d spend for a new client.
• Relate to Boost Others: If you desire fast subscribers, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on various other developers’ checklists. However what a lot of small designers love is the opposite: you put on be a boost companion for other newsletters. When a person join with your boost, you get $1–$ 3
• Restrictions:
  • You can send up to 25 boost supplies per month, however beehiiv just surface areas three deals at once to prospective companions.
  • If a boost is executing well, other developers will certainly choose it up rapidly.

Below’s a fast example: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow SEO creator’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over 2 weeks, I produced 200 brand-new subscribers for them– and earned concerning $350 while doing so. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

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

• Qualification: You require a minimum of 1,000 active clients and a constant send routine (at the very least one e-mail monthly, though regular is ideal).
• Automation: Once authorized, you’ll start getting 3– 5 sponsorship demands monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your audience’s passions– so a marketing SaaS firm may approach an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
• Payment Model:
  • Cost Per Click (CPC): You make money each time a person clicks the advertisement in your e-mail.
  • Price Per Mille (CPM): You make based on a thousand impressions.
• Ease of Use: You can accept or decline each offer right from your dashboard. Beehiiv manages all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement into your newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored ads, including a few high-profile brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my top campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Keep in mind: importance is king. Irrelevant ads tank click-through rates, so be careful.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Material”)

If you create truly unique content– deep dive reports, exclusive tutorials, or expert analyses– you could take into consideration a paid tier. Here’s the 101:

• Setup: Most Likely To Money Making �’ Paid Subscriptions, connect Stripe, and pick your pricing:
  • Month-to-month
  • Yearly (normally marked down)
  • One-time repayment (for a single guide or course)
  • Call Your Price (your clients pick what they can manage)
• Profits Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a system fee; they just pass Stripe’s processing cost (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
• Instances: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe fees). Tolerable, ideal? Obviously, getting to 100 paid subscribers means you require a dedicated, involved base.

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

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

I understand pricing is a large question mark when you’re considering switching platforms. Right here’s the malfunction as of 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 development, standard analytics, and endless sends out– just no advertisement network or paid registrations yet.
• Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about monetizing. You get ad network access, boosts, paid registrations, and the AI Writing Aide to speed up your e-newsletter production.
• Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (picture generation, grammar fixing, translation) matter to you, and you desire priority support, this is the sweet place. And also, you can launch a mobile app for your customers.
• Enterprise (100k+ customers): For brand names and mega-creators who need personalized migrations, service-level arrangements, and progressed security. Not many little developers need this.

My suggestion? Beginning on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the control panel, grow your checklist to 1,000, after that update to Scale once you understand you classified ad revenue and boosts.

One-of-a-kind Features Beehiiv or Ghost

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

1. Audio E-newsletters

Ever thought of turning your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in sound newsletter feature instantly transforms your emails into spoken-word sound. No additional modifying software application, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your customers can listen on the go. For hectic audiences who drive or exercise, this is a convenient means to stay connected.

2. Custom Mobile Apps for Viewers

Many platforms give you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one step further: you can launch a personalized mobile application for your clients. Once they add it to their home display, your e-newsletter ends up being a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Picture awakening and seeing application alerts when you go down a brand-new concern. Talk about interaction.

3. “Call Your Cost” Memberships

As opposed to requiring everybody right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most dedicated fans choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can lead to higher lifetime value. I haven’t tested this feature personally yet, however, for creators who feel a bit uneasy about price factors, it’s a wonderful option to experiment with.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

• AI Creating Assistant: Create e-newsletter drafts based upon bullet factors 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 tidy, polished draft that feels human Beehiiv or Ghost.
• AI Picture Tool: Produce personalized header pictures or illustrations without acquiring stock photos. Just type a timely, and voila.
• AI Translator: Intend to send your e-newsletter in multiple languages? Convert your content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantaneously.

These features can cut hours off material production and assist you try out brand-new formats.

Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv

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

Clean Your Listing for Better Performance

In August 2024, I cut my subscriber matter in half (from concerning 2,400 down to 1,200) by removing inactive emails– people who had not opened up anything in six months. My open rates jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which indicated marketers paid more per click. It injured to shed subscribers, yet a lean, involved listing deserves greater than a puffed up, passive one.

Trying Out Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open rates. Do A/B tests on little sections before sending to your entire listing. Short, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to double your web traffic?”) often outperform generic ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an advertisement doesn’t resonate with your niche, say no. Unimportant ads frustrate visitors and container click metrics. Gradually, beehiiv’s formula will certainly discover what fits your audience– decline enough off-topic deals, and they’ll stop sending them.

Use Boosts to Examine New Audiences

Obtained a brand-new classification you want to check out? Attempt increasing your e-newsletter in an associated particular niche. The price per customer averages $1.63– yet if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as increased a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing audience and obtained a shocking uptick in retention.

Utilize AI for Faster Production

On nights when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Composing Aide to compose a rough outline: introductory, 3 bottom lines, final thought. Then I flesh it out with my very own anecdotes and design tweaks. It’s not ideal, but it’s a solid structure that saves me 30– 45 minutes per email.

Benefit from the Mobile App

Motivate customers to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your following e-mail, create a quick “Exactly how to Include Our E-newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more app installs imply even more presence, and press alerts beat inbox sound.

Deal Periodic Paid-Only Content

Instead of making every problem cost-free, tease a “reward report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your listing. Even if you just market 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your month-to-month beehiiv expense.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck with me this far, you probably fall under one of these camps:

• You have actually never sent a newsletter, but you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly tools are perfect for learning the ropes.
• You have a little checklist (< 2,500) and wish to generate income from without headaches-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing practically nothing extra.
• You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ subscribers) seeking to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program assist you expand quicker and gain a lot more.
• You dislike intricate e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance between effective features and easy to use layout.

Certain, the feature set can really feel intimidating in the beginning, and you could obtain a couple of unnecessary ad requests. However consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a tiny list and over $5,000 in affiliate payments just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen adequate to know that if you spend a bit of time learning the system, the returns can be substantial.

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