Beehiiv Vs Substack – Everything Fully Explained!

So, you’ve been toying with the idea of turning your email listing into a revenue stream, however you’re bewildered by all the alternatives available. Noise acquainted? You’re not alone. If you’ve been making use of a fundamental email solution and damaging your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it may be time to take a look at beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll stroll you via everything you need to know about utilizing beehiiv to transform your newsletter into cash money– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Beehiiv Vs Substack

Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Current Email System

You’ve possibly tried the common suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble a lot of small-scale content creators, here’s what likely happened:

Minimal Money Making Choices

You have a handful of devoted customers– possibly 500 to 1,000 individuals– but zero very easy method to generate income. Sponsorships seem like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands on a monthly basis.

DIY Automation Headaches

You wish to trickle campaign brand-new subscribers, send out a welcome collection, and section folks for targeted e-mails … yet establishing those automations seems like you require a computer technology level.

Platform Charges Draw

Every time you consider paid memberships, the platform takes a massive chunk, and the payment arrangement is more difficult than it’s worth.

Development Delays

Development hacks seem to help everyone else– but except you. You wish there was an easy means to locate brand-new clients without manually chasing them down.

I was in your shoes at the start of 2024. I would certainly been utilizing Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but it seemed like a stumbling block for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is wonderful for constructing funnels and establishing basic automations. Yet when it involved making even a few hundred bucks a month from a small listing, there wasn’t an obvious “on” button.

Go into beehiiv.

My Change to beehiiv: A Reality Check

In January 2024, I finally shot and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound sponsors, work out rates, or develop complex paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing organization permanent, so my e-newsletter was constantly mosting likely to be a side project. I needed something that virtually ran itself.

The “Offer Me” Moment

What marketed 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 combing LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals right to my dashboard. All I have to do is click “accept,” drop in the ad copy, and hit send out.
Passive Income Boosts: By promoting other e-newsletters in my regular email, I earn $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No heavy training, no challenging analytics– just stable, step-by-step earnings.

Looter alert: It settled. In my first complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never topped 1,000 subscribers. I really did not develop a paid program. I really did not introduce a product and I just let beehiiv do its point.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that wasn’t enough, I likewise signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– basically an affiliate program. By covering beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with pals, I took $5,108 in referral compensations through the end of 2024. Yep, you review that right: over 5 grand, just by discussing the system.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv is worth it for tiny developers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, certainly, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the excellent, the bad, and the great stuff you need to know.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Ridiculously Straightforward

What I enjoy ideal regarding beehiiv is just how very easy it is to earn money on auto-pilot. You don’t need a big target market. Here’s just how it functions:

Ad Network Sponsorships: As soon as you strike just 1,000 active clients, brands start aligning. You obtain 3– 6 ad requests each month usually. You pick the ones you like, insert the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or see– no complicated invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with pertinent brand names, your clients are more probable to click.
Boosts Referral Earnings: Don’t have sponsors yet? No worry. Promote various other maker e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for e-mail checklists. I made a number of hundred dollars by doing this without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you decide to bill for superior material, beehiiv takes a very little cost (2.9% + $0.30 per deal through Stripe). You can set up several pricing tiers, run free trials, or perhaps let customers “call their rate.”.
Partner Program Commissions: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Earn 60% compensation on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when a person signs up with your code. It’s essentially additional money for sharing something you already like.

In other words, beehiiv transforms 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 looked at a control panel reasoning, “What does any one of this really suggest?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s approach:.

Clear Client Development Charts: See precisely the amount of new people signed up with, how many left, and why your listing diminished (a lot more on that in a sec).
Open Up and Click Prices: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last thirty day, so you can spot patterns immediately. For instance, I watched on my open price (hovering around 64%– not bad) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I fine-tune my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship revenue, boosts earnings, companion referral revenues– you get the picture. Profits streams are neatly divided so absolutely nothing obtains lost in the shuffle.

It resembles having a partner who informs you, “Hey, your January email killed it– below’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s fix this.”.

3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Marketing Your Heart

A lot of e-newsletter platforms will certainly bill you for each extra subscriber after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for approximately 2,500 customers, it’s free. You obtain:.

Unlimited e-mail sends out.
Access to the boosts network (grow your target market by advertising your newsletter on various other beehiiv newsletters).
Basic analytics and forms.

If you’re a newbie or have a little audience, this is significant. You can try out subject lines, send regularity, and different lead magnets without bothering with striking a paywall.

4. Built-In Web Site & Personalized Pages

Imagine dumping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace entirely because your e-newsletter platform functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv basically:.

Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive a blog-like page that’s automatically SEO-optimized.
Custom Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A page to sell an item? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks wonderful on phones– critical considering that a ton of people read emails on mobile.

Sure, you will not get every elegant drag-and-drop that a dedicated website builder uses, however, for the majority of creators, it’s more than enough.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth

Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you wish to use a community of similar makers. When your customer clicks “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring creator obtain credit. It’s a clever way to grow your list without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No item is excellent– and beehiiv has its missteps. Prior to you dive in, right here’s what could trip you up:.

Feature Overload in the beginning

When you log in, there are a lot of alternatives– Types, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel overwhelming. If you’ve only made use of an easy solution that sends one-off emails, you may need 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 video gaming newsletter may obtain provided a code-review tool for programmers. Make sure to decline anything that doesn’t jive with your audience, or you’ll container your click-throughs.

No Time At All Area– Based Sends Out

If your checklist is worldwide, you can not automatically arrange emails based on each subscriber’s time zone. All sends head out at the same time, so you might awaken to low open rates if half your listing is asleep.

Customized Web Page Builder Isn’t Very Instinctive

Developing a landing page is possible, however the UI could be smoother. I spent a couple of hours (and a handy chat with assistance) getting a free offer opt-in web page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may locate it cumbersome.

Minimal Integrations

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

All that claimed, beehiiv’s group is continuously rolling out updates– and those cons are gradually but certainly being dealt with.

Who Should Consider beehiiv?

Not everybody requires a totally included newsletter system. However if any of the complying with defines you, beehiiv may be a match made in paradise:.

Outright Beginners: You have actually never ever sent an email blast, you do not intend to invest cash upfront, and you need a free, easy means to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start completely free, send out unlimited e-mails to up to 2,500 customers, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you already have a few hundred or a pair thousand customers however no idea exactly how to transform that into earnings, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my first 10 months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Tolerable for coffee cash, right?
Creators Who Despise “Salesy” Things: You do not want to pitch items nonstop or sling digital training courses. You ‘d rather share value, build trust fund, and let the cash been available in on autopilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
Switchers Who Don’t Wish To Rebuild Whatever: Perhaps you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth migration from those systems. Plus, if you have a big checklist (claim 10k+), you can obtain help from beehiiv’s support team to relocate everything over without shedding your automations.

Getting going: A Detailed Walkthrough

Subscribe and Discover the Dashboard

When you produce an account, beehiiv drops you into a control panel where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through rates, and any pending advertisement offers. Consider it as your mission control– everything you need is simply a click away.

Develop Your First Subscribe Kind

Browse to Target Market �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Produce Brand-new Type. You’ll require:

A heading that hooks visitors
A short blurb discussing what your newsletter is about
A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
Your logo design or a pertinent picture
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for joining! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)

You can select from various form designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the email field), or advanced (with monitoring codes). The customization alternatives are standard– shades for buttons and background images– yet it’s surprisingly effective for capturing e-mails.

Set Up Your Internet Site and Customized Pages

If you want greater than simply a kind, jump into Layout �’ Website Builder �’ Personalized Pages �’ Internal Web Page. Use this to:

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

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

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

I invested a few hours tweaking my first landing page, but once I mastered it, I realized just how effective it is to have whatever under one roof. Instead of juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First Newsletter

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

Create your e-mail duplicate Beehiiv Vs Substack
Place photos, headers, and custom-made HTML blocks
Preview exactly how it’ll search in inboxes and on your website
Arrange or send out promptly

One catch: Customization is limited. Every customer sees “Hello there” as opposed to “Hello there [First Name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you could miss that. But for the majority of people, a friendly, conversational introductory is enough.

Switch on Monetization

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

Join the Ad Network: Immediately obtain sponsorship demands that match your specific niche. Pick which ones to accept, insert the ad duplicate right into your e-newsletter, and get paid per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Put on advertise other newsletters. If a person signs up with by means of your link, you earn $1–$ 3 per customer.

For paid newsletters, navigate to Money making �’ Paid Memberships. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv does not charge added fees beyond Stripe’s processing), establish your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Call Your Cost”), and choose what material goes behind the paywall.

Monitor and Optimize

Check your analytics weekly. If open prices go down below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains zero clicks, it might be irrelevant to your audience– decline comparable future ads. When a boost transforms well, submit even more boost requests or modify your deal.

It may feel like a whole lot in the beginning, however I promise you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the rewards– both financial and in regards to your audience’s growth– are worth the initial contour.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about turning your e-newsletter into a profitable device, let’s break down each earnings stream carefully.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Incomes)

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

How It Works: You sign up for the Partner Program, grab your special referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, any place. When someone clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Scale or Max), you make a payment.
Payment Rates: Up to 60% of their first-year payment. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
Payment: Beehiiv pays month-to-month by means of PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump via.

In my situation, I released a Medium post strolling individuals through my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this overview right here becomes part of that initiative). Via a combination of blog site web traffic and word-of-mouth, I made over $5,000 in affiliate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my authentic experience.

2. Boosts: Gain by Aiding Others Grow

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

End Up Being a Boost Sponsor: If you think your e-newsletter can help others expand, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll describe why your audience is an excellent fit and set a rate you would certainly spend for a brand-new subscriber.
Apply to Boost Others: If you want fast customers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on other developers’ lists. But what the majority of small creators love is the reverse: you apply to be a boost companion for various other newsletters. When someone register with your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost supplies each month, however beehiiv only surface areas 3 offers at a time to prospective companions.
- If a boost is doing well, other designers will pick it up promptly.

Below’s a fast instance: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO designer’s newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 brand-new subscribers for them– and made concerning $350 while doing so. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the huge bucks can can be found in, even if your list is “little.” Below’s how it goes:

Eligibility: You need at least 1,000 energetic subscribers and a constant send timetable (a minimum of one e-mail per month, though once a week is ideal).
Automation: When accepted, you’ll begin receiving 3– 5 sponsorship demands each month. Beehiiv matches you with brands based upon your audience’s interests– so a marketing SaaS business could approach an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
Repayment Version:
- Price Per Click (CPC): You make money every time a person clicks the ad in your e-mail.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You earn based upon a thousand impacts.
Reduce of Use: You can approve or decrease each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv takes care of all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad into your newsletter.

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

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Web Content”)

If you create genuinely distinct web content– deep dive records, exclusive tutorials, or insider evaluations– you might think about a paid tier. Right here’s the 101:

Setup: Most Likely To Money Making �’ Paid Registrations, attach Stripe, and select your pricing:
- Monthly
- Annual (normally discounted)
- Single settlement (for a single overview or program)
- Call Your Cost (your customers select what they can pay for)
Income Split: Beehiiv does not charge you a platform fee; they only pass Stripe’s handling charge (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
Examples: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe charges). Okay, best? Certainly, getting to 100 paid clients implies you require a devoted, engaged base.

Now, be realistic: Paid registrations are a work. You need constant, high-value material that makes people comfy pulling out their wallets. If you’re just starting, the advertisement network and boosts could be quicker victories.

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

I recognize pricing is a large question mark when you’re thinking about switching over systems. Here’s the break down as of mid-2025:.

Free Plan (approximately 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re evaluating the waters. You still get boosts for list growth, standard analytics, and limitless sends out– just no ad network or paid subscriptions yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about generating income from. You obtain ad network gain access to, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Writing Aide to accelerate your e-newsletter production.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (photo generation, grammar repairing, translation) matter to you, and you desire top priority support, this is the sweet spot. Plus, you can release a mobile app for your customers.
Enterprise (100k+ subscribers): For brand names and mega-creators who require personalized movements, service-level agreements, and progressed security. Very few tiny makers need this.

My suggestion? Begin on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the dashboard, expand your checklist to 1,000, then update to Scale as soon as you understand you classified ad profits and boosts.

Special Features Beehiiv Vs Substack

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

1. Sound E-newsletters

Ever before thought of turning your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in audio newsletter feature immediately converts your emails right into spoken-word sound. No extra editing and enhancing software program, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your clients can pay attention on the move. For active target markets who drive or work out, this is a helpful way to remain linked.

2. Custom Mobile Application for Readers

Most platforms offer you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one action additionally: you can introduce a customized mobile app for your clients. Once they add it to their home screen, your newsletter ends up being a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Visualize waking up and seeing application alerts when you go down a new problem. Talk about engagement.

3. “Call Your Price” Memberships

Instead of compeling every person into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most loyal followers choose what to pay. It’s a trust-building relocation and can result in higher lifetime worth. I have not tested this feature directly yet, however, for designers who really feel a bit worried regarding cost points, it’s a pleasant choice to experiment with.

4. beehiiv AI Collection

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

AI Composing Aide: Produce newsletter drafts based on bullet points or subjects. For days when you’re staring at a blank page, this jumpstarts your creative thinking.
AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no demand for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, refined draft that feels human Beehiiv Vs Substack.
AI Picture Tool: Produce personalized header images or images without acquiring supply pictures. Just type a punctual, and voila.
AI Translator: Intend to send your e-newsletter in several languages? Translate your web content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese promptly.

These features can shave hours off material creation and aid you explore brand-new styles.

Pro Tips For Doing well on beehiiv

Now that you know what beehiiv can do, below are some insider hacks to take advantage of it:

Clean Your Checklist for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I cut my customer count in half (from about 2,400 down to 1,200) by removing non-active emails– individuals who hadn’t opened anything in 6 months. My open rates jumped from ~ 45% to over 60%, which meant advertisers paid more per click. It harmed to shed clients, but a lean, involved listing deserves more than a bloated, easy one.

Explore Subject Lines Like a Pro

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

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your niche, say no. Unimportant advertisements frustrate visitors and storage tank click metrics. In time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your target market– decline enough off-topic offers, and they’ll quit sending them.

Usage Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences

Got a brand-new group you intend to check out? Attempt boosting your e-newsletter in a relevant specific niche. The expense per customer averages $1.63– but if those clients remain, it’s worth it. I once increased a search engine optimization newsletter in a digital marketing audience and obtained an unusual uptick in retention.

Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Production

On evenings when I’m burnt out, I ask the AI Creating Aide to compose a rough outline: intro, three bottom lines, final thought. Then I flesh it out with my very own anecdotes and style tweaks. It’s not best, but it’s a strong foundation that saves me 30– 45 minutes per email.

Take Advantage of the Mobile App

Motivate customers to install your e-newsletter’s mobile application. In your next email, compose a fast “How to Include Our E-newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. Even more app installs mean even more exposure, and press notices beat inbox noise.

Deal Periodic Paid-Only Content

Rather than making every concern totally free, tease a “perk record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your listing. Even if you only offer 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv bill.

Wrapping Up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck to me this much, you most likely fall into one of these camps:

You’ve never sent an e-newsletter, but you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly devices are perfect for learning the ropes.
You have a little checklist (< 2,500) and want to monetize without migraines-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing practically absolutely nothing additional.
You’re a mid-sized maker (1k+ clients) wanting to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program aid you expand much faster and gain much more.
You hate intricate e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium in between effective features and user-friendly layout.

Sure, the feature collection can really feel daunting at first, and you could get a couple of unnecessary advertisement demands. But consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a little checklist and over $5,000 in affiliate commissions just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen enough to understand that if you invest a bit of time learning the system, the returns can be significant.

So, what are you waiting for? Enroll in beehiiv, explore the dashboard, and let the money making engines transform. Your future self will certainly thanks when the checks roll in.