So, you have actually been dabbling the idea of transforming your email list into a profits stream, yet you’re overwhelmed by all the options around. Noise acquainted? You’re not the only one. If you have actually been making use of a fundamental email solution and scratching your head about sponsorships, advertisements, and paid memberships, it might be time to have a look at beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll stroll you via everything you need to find out about using beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter right into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv Raises
Why You May be Stuck with Your Present Email System
You have actually possibly attempted the normal suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you resemble a lot of small web content makers, below’s what likely happened:
- Restricted Monetization Choices
You have a handful of faithful customers– possibly 500 to 1,000 individuals– but no simple way to earn money. Sponsorships seem like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names on a monthly basis.
- Do It Yourself Automation Headaches
You wish to trickle campaign brand-new clients, send out a welcome series, and segment individuals for targeted e-mails … but establishing those automations seems like you require a computer technology level.
- Platform Charges Draw
Every single time you think about paid subscriptions, the platform takes a big portion, and the payment arrangement is a lot more difficult than it’s worth.
- Growth Stalls
Growth hacks seem to work for every person else– yet not for you. You wish there was a simple way to find new subscribers without by hand chasing them down.
I remained in your shoes at the start of 2024. I would certainly been using Kit (formerly ConvertKit), yet it seemed like a dead end for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is great for building funnels and establishing basic automations. Yet when it pertained to making a few hundred dollars a month from a small checklist, there wasn’t an apparent “on” switch.
Enter beehiiv.
My Switch over to beehiiv: A Reality Examine
In January 2024, I finally shot and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound sponsors, discuss prices, or build difficult paid funnels. I run a SEO creating company permanent, so my e-newsletter was always going to be a side project. I required something that virtually ran itself.
The “Sell Me” Minute
What offered me on beehiiv was easy:
- Built-In Money making: Right from the beginning, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can make money below!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
- Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings offers straight to my control panel. All I have to do is click “accept,” drop in the advertisement copy, and hit send out.
- Easy Earnings Boosts: By advertising other newsletters in my weekly e-mail, I earn $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No hefty lifting, no difficult analytics– just stable, incremental income.
Spoiler alert: It settled. In my very first full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never ever covered 1,000 customers. I didn’t create a paid course. I didn’t introduce an item and I simply let beehiiv do its thing.
My Partner Program Windfall
As if that had not been enough, I also joined the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By discussing beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with pals, I pocketed $5,108 in referral payments with completion of 2024. Yep, you check out that right: over 5 grand, just by talking about the system.
So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv deserves it for little designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. However, of course, it isn’t flawless. Let’s break down the excellent, the bad, and the trendy stuff you require to recognize.
The Benefit of Using beehiiv
1. Monetization Made Ridiculously Simple
What I like best about beehiiv is exactly how easy it is to make money on auto-pilot. You do not require a massive target market. Right 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 advertisement demands per month on average. You select the ones you like, put the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or check out– no difficult invoicing. And because beehiiv matches you with relevant brand names, your subscribers are more likely to click.
- Boosts Referral Income: Do not have enrollers yet? Not a problem. Advertise other developer e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for email checklists. I made a number of hundred dollars this way without breaking a sweat.
- Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you make a decision to bill for superior web content, beehiiv takes a very little cost (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction via Stripe). You can set up numerous pricing rates, run cost-free tests, and even let clients “name their cost.”.
- Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Gain 60% compensation on beehiiv’s regular monthly or yearly plans when somebody signs up with your code. It’s literally additional cash for sharing something you currently enjoy.
Put simply, beehiiv turns monetization into an integrated feature, instead of a job you dread.
2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode
If you’ve ever looked at a control panel reasoning, “What does any of this really suggest?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s strategy:.
- Clear Customer Growth Graphs: See exactly how many brand-new individuals signed up with, how many dropped off, and why your list shrank (extra on that particular in a sec).
- Open and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last 30 days, so you can identify patterns right away. For instance, I kept an eye on my open rate (floating around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either metric dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
- Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship income, boosts earnings, partner referral earnings– you understand. Earnings streams are neatly divided so nothing gets shed in the shuffle.
It’s like having a sidekick who tells you, “Hey, your January e-mail killed it– here’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open rates are tanking– let’s repair this.”.
3. Expanding Your Listing Without Offering Your Soul
Many newsletter platforms will certainly charge you for each extra client after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 clients, it’s cost-free. You get:.
- Unlimited e-mail sends out.
- Accessibility to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your e-newsletter on other beehiiv e-newsletters).
- Basic analytics and forms.
If you’re a beginner or have a tiny target market, this is significant. You can explore subject lines, send out regularity, and different lead magnets without worrying about striking a paywall.
4. Integrated Web Site & Custom-made Pages
Think of dropping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace entirely because your newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in a nutshell:.
- E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails reside on a blog-like page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
- Customized Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A web page to sell a product? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
- Mobile-Friendly Templates: Every little thing looks excellent on phones– important since a ton of people check out emails on mobile.
Sure, you won’t get every fancy drag-and-drop that a specialized website builder offers, but for many makers, it’s sufficient.
5. Referral Program to Supercharge Development
Beehiiv’s referral program is amazing if you intend to tap into a community of similar developers. When your subscriber clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring developer obtain credit. It’s a wise method to grow your listing without spamming.
The Downsides: What to Keep an eye out for
No product is ideal– and beehiiv has its hiccups. Prior to you dive in, below’s what could trip you up:.
Feature Overload at First
When you log in, there are numerous choices– Forms, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel overwhelming. If you have actually just utilized an easy solution that sends one-off e-mails, you may require a couple of days to obtain comfy.
Unnecessary Ad Requests
Occasionally the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A video gaming newsletter might get offered a code-review device for designers. Make sure to decline anything that does not jive with your audience, or you’ll tank your click-throughs.
No Time At All Zone– Based Sends
If your listing is international, you can’t automatically arrange emails based on each subscriber’s time zone. All sends out go out at once, so you might wake up to low open prices if half your listing is asleep.
Personalized Page Builder Isn’t Extremely User-friendly
Producing a landing page is possible, yet the UI could be smoother. I spent a few hours (and a practical conversation with support) obtaining a giveaway opt-in web page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may discover it clunky.
Minimal Integrations
If you make use of Gumroad to offer products, you run out luck– no straight integration yet. You’ll have to make use of embed codes or a Zapier workaround.
All that stated, beehiiv’s team is regularly turning out updates– and those disadvantages are gradually but certainly being attended to.
Who Should Consider beehiiv?
Not every person requires a totally featured newsletter platform. However if any of the complying with explains you, beehiiv could be a suit made in paradise:.
- Outright Beginners: You have actually never ever sent out an email blast, you do not intend to spend cash upfront, and you need a cost-free, very easy method to experiment. Beehiiv lets you begin free of cost, send out limitless emails to as much as 2,500 clients, and grow organically with the boosts network.
- Small-List Creators: If you already have a few hundred or a couple thousand subscribers but no clue exactly how to transform that right into earnings, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are custom-made for you. In my initial ten months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Tolerable for coffee cash, right?
- Developers Who Dislike “Salesy” Things: You don’t intend to pitch products continuously or sling digital programs. You ‘d rather share value, construct count on, and let the cash been available in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you gain without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
- Switchers Who Do Not Wish To Restore Everything: Maybe you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv promises a smooth movement from those systems. Plus, if you have a large checklist (say 10k+), you can obtain assist from beehiiv’s support group to relocate every little thing over without losing your automations.
Starting: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Sign Up and Check Out the Control panel
Once you develop an account, beehiiv drops you into a control panel where you see your customer count, open prices, click-through prices, and any pending ad offers. Think of it as your mission control– everything you require is just a click away.
Develop Your Very First Subscribe Type
Browse to Target Market ’ Subscribe Forms ’ Develop New Kind. You’ll need:
- A heading that hooks visitors
- A short blurb describing what your newsletter has to do with
- A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
- Your logo design or a pertinent image
- A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for signing up with! Check your inbox in a sec.”)
You can pick from various kind designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the e-mail area), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The modification choices are standard– colors for switches and background images– but it’s remarkably effective for recording emails.
Establish Your Site and Personalized Pages
If you desire greater than just a form, hop right into Design ’ Website Builder ’ Custom Pages ’ Internal Page. Utilize this to:
Host your newsletter archive (all past problems, searchable and SEO-friendly).
Develop a landing page for a freebie (e.g., “Download my search engine optimization rip off sheet”).
Develop a thank-you web page that goes live after somebody subscribes.
I spent a couple of hours tweaking my first landing page, once I mastered it, I realized exactly 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 First Newsletter
Click the large “Start Writing” switch in the top-right edge. You’ll see a tidy, distraction-free editor where you can:
- Write your email copy Beehiiv Raises
- Place pictures, headers, and custom-made HTML obstructs
- Preview how it’ll search in inboxes and on your internet site
- Schedule or send right away
One catch: Customization is restricted. Every customer sees “Hello there” rather than “Hello [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you could miss that. But also for many folks, a friendly, conversational introduction is enough.
Switch on Money making
Once you hit 1,000 active subscribers, beehiiv will certainly welcome you to:.
- Sign Up With the Ad Network: Instantly get sponsorship requests that match your particular niche. Select which ones to approve, put the ad duplicate right into your newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
- Establish Boosts: Put on advertise various other e-newsletters. If somebody signs up with through your link, you gain $1–$ 3 per client.
For paid newsletters, navigate to Monetization ’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv does not bill additional fees beyond Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Call Your Price”), and choose what web content goes behind the paywall.
Screen and Enhance
Inspect your analytics weekly. If open rates drop listed below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets absolutely no clicks, it could be pointless to your target market– decrease similar future ads. When a boost transforms well, send more boost demands or tweak your offer.
It might seem like a whole lot at first, but I guarantee you’ll master it within a few days. And the rewards– both financial and in terms of your target market’s development– deserve the first curve.
Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options
If you’re serious about turning your e-newsletter into a money-making device, let’s break down each earnings stream carefully.
1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Profits)
Think of this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Here’s the lowdown:.
- How It Works: You register for the Partner Program, get your unique referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, any place. When somebody clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a commission.
- Commission Fees: Up to 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you might see $60. Cha-ching.
- Payment: Beehiiv pays month-to-month using PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to jump via.
In my situation, I published a Medium article walking people with my beehiiv experience (looter: this overview right here belongs to that effort). Via a mix of blog traffic and word-of-mouth, I made over $5,000 in associate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my real experience.
2. Boosts: Earn by Helping Others Expand
Boosts are basically funded promotions– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” version. Right here’s the scoop:.
- Come To Be a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your e-newsletter can help others grow, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll explain why your audience is a great fit and set a price you ‘d pay for a new subscriber.
- Put on Boost Others: If you want fast subscribers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on various other makers’ listings. However what a lot of small developers like is the reverse: you put on be a boost companion for other e-newsletters. When a person signs up through your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
- Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost supplies per month, yet beehiiv just surface areas 3 deals at once to potential companions.
- If a boost is performing well, other makers will choose it up quickly.
Here’s a quick example: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow SEO developer’s newsletter for $1.75 per subscriber. Over two weeks, I generated 200 new customers for them– and earned concerning $350 at the same time. Win-win.
3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)
This is where the big bucks can be available in, even if your list is “tiny.” Below’s exactly how it goes:
- Eligibility: You require a minimum of 1,000 active clients and a regular send routine (a minimum of one e-mail each month, though weekly is suitable).
- Automation: As soon as approved, you’ll start obtaining 3– 5 sponsorship requests each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your target market’s passions– so a marketing SaaS business might approach an SEO-focused newsletter, as an example.
- Payment Model:
- Price Per Click (CPC): You generate income each time someone clicks the ad in your email.
- Expense Per Mille (CPM): You gain based on a thousand impacts.
- Relieve of Use: You can approve or decline each offer right from your dashboard. Beehiiv deals with all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement into your e-newsletter.
In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored advertisements, including a couple of high-profile brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my leading campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Remember: significance is king. Irrelevant ads storage tank click-through rates, so be discerning.
4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Material”)
If you create absolutely unique content– deep dive reports, special tutorials, or insider evaluations– you might consider a paid tier. Below’s the 101:
- Arrangement: Go to Monetization ’ Paid Memberships, attach Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Month-to-month
- Annual (usually discounted)
- One-time repayment (for a single guide or course)
- Name Your Rate (your subscribers select what they can manage)
- Revenue Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a platform charge; they just pass Stripe’s processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
- Examples: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe fees). Tolerable, ideal? Naturally, reaching 100 paid customers suggests you need a dedicated, involved base.
Now, be practical: Paid registrations are a grind. You require constant, high-value content that makes people comfortable taking out their wallets. If you’re just starting, the ad network and boosts may be quicker wins.
Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Get)
I understand pricing is a large enigma when you’re thinking about switching systems. Right here’s the breakdown as of mid-2025:.
- Free Plan (up to 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still get boosts for listing development, basic analytics, and unlimited sends– just no advertisement network or paid memberships yet.
- Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Perfect if you’re serious about monetizing. You obtain advertisement network gain access to, boosts, paid registrations, and the AI Composing Aide to speed up your e-newsletter creation.
- Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI devices (image generation, grammar fixing, translation) issue to you, and you want concern support, this is the wonderful spot. Plus, you can launch a mobile app for your customers.
- Enterprise (100k+ customers): For brand names and mega-creators who require custom-made movements, service-level agreements, and advanced protection. Very few little designers require this.
My referral? Beginning on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the dashboard, expand your list to 1,000, after that upgrade to Scale as soon as you know you want ad earnings and boosts.
Distinct Features Beehiiv Raises
You could be assuming, “Okay, ads and boosts are awesome. Yet what else can beehiiv do that others can not?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.
1. Audio Newsletters
Ever thought of turning your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated sound newsletter feature instantly transforms your emails into spoken-word audio. No extra editing and enhancing software, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your subscribers can listen on the move. For busy target markets who drive or exercise, this is a useful way to stay connected.
2. Custom-made Mobile Application for Viewers
Many systems give you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one step further: you can release a custom-made mobile application for your customers. Once they add it to their home screen, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Envision awakening and seeing application notices when you go down a new issue. Discuss engagement.
3. “Name Your Rate” Memberships
As opposed to requiring everyone into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most loyal fans choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building action and can result in greater lifetime worth. I haven’t tested this feature personally yet, however, for designers who feel a bit worried regarding rate points, it’s a wonderful option to trying out.
4. beehiiv AI Collection
For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI tools are a blessing:
- AI Writing Assistant: Produce e-newsletter drafts based upon bullet points or topics. For days when you’re looking at a blank page, this boosts your creative thinking.
- AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no demand for Grammarly. You get a clean, refined draft that feels human Beehiiv Raises.
- AI Photo Tool: Produce customized header images or illustrations without buying supply photos. Just type a punctual, and voila.
- AI Translator: Want to send your e-newsletter in several languages? Translate your web content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantly.
These features can shave hours off web content creation and assist you experiment with new layouts.
Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv
Now that you understand what beehiiv can do, right here are some expert hacks to take advantage of it:
Tidy Your Checklist for Better Efficiency
In August 2024, I reduced my customer matter in half (from concerning 2,400 down to 1,200) by removing non-active e-mails– people who hadn’t opened anything in 6 months. My open prices jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested advertisers paid more per click. It injured to shed clients, but a lean, involved listing deserves more than a puffed up, easy one.
Experiment with Topic Lines Like a Pro
Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B examinations on tiny sectors prior to sending out to your whole list. Brief, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to increase your traffic?”) often outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).
Be Pickier with Ad Offers
If an ad does not reverberate with your particular niche, say no. Unnecessary advertisements annoy readers and storage tank click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your target market– decrease enough off-topic offers, and they’ll stop sending them.
Use Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences
Got a new classification you wish to explore? Try increasing your newsletter in a related particular niche. The price per client averages $1.63– yet if those customers linger, it deserves it. I once enhanced a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and got an unexpected uptick in retention.
Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Production
On nights when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Writing Aide to compose a rough outline: introduction, 3 main points, final thought. Then I flesh it out with my own narratives and design tweaks. It’s not ideal, but it’s a solid structure that conserves me 30– 45 minutes per e-mail.
Benefit from the Mobile App
Urge subscribers to install your e-newsletter’s mobile application. In your next email, write a fast “How to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application sets up imply more presence, and press alerts beat inbox noise.
Deal Occasional Paid-Only Material
Instead of making every issue totally free, tease a “bonus offer record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Promote it heavily to your listing. Even if you only market 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your monthly beehiiv costs.
Finishing up: Is beehiiv Right for You?
If you have actually stuck with me this far, you probably come under one of these camps:
- You have actually never sent a newsletter, however you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly devices are best for learning the ropes.
- You have a tiny checklist (< 2,500) and wish to monetize without headaches-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing almost absolutely nothing extra.
- You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ subscribers) looking to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program aid you grow much faster and earn a lot more.
- You despise intricate email systems– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium between effective features and easy to use design.
Sure, the feature set can feel daunting in the beginning, and you may get a few unimportant advertisement demands. But consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a tiny checklist and over $5,000 in associate compensations simply by sharing my experience. I have actually seen adequate to understand that if you invest a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be considerable.
So, what are you waiting on? Register for beehiiv, check out the dashboard, and let the monetization engines transform. Your future self will certainly thank you when the checks roll in.