Can You Use Beehiiv For Free – Complete Breakdown!

So, you’ve been dabbling the idea of turning your email checklist into a profits stream, yet you’re bewildered by all the choices out there. Noise familiar? You’re not alone. If you have actually been using a basic email service and scraping your head regarding sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it might be time to check out beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll stroll you with whatever you require to find out about utilizing beehiiv to turn your newsletter into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Can You Use Beehiiv For Free

Why You May be Stuck with Your Existing Email Platform

You have actually possibly tried the normal suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you’re like most small content makers, below’s what likely took place:

• Minimal Money Making Alternatives

You have a handful of loyal customers– perhaps 500 to 1,000 people– yet absolutely no simple means to make money. Sponsorships seem like an international language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands on a monthly basis.

• DIY Automation Headaches

You want to trickle campaign new subscribers, send out a welcome series, and sector people for targeted emails … yet establishing those automations seems like you require a computer science degree.

• System Charges Suck

Every single time you consider paid registrations, the system takes a big piece, and the repayment arrangement is much more complex than it’s worth.

• Growth Stalls

Growth hacks appear to help everyone else– but not for you. You desire there was an easy method to discover new customers without by hand chasing them down.

I was in your shoes at the start of 2024. I ‘d been making use of Kit (formerly ConvertKit), however it felt like a stumbling block for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is fantastic for building funnels and setting up fundamental automations. But when it pertained to making a couple of hundred dollars a month from a little list, there wasn’t an evident “on” switch.

Get in beehiiv.

My Switch to beehiiv: A Fact Inspect

In January 2024, I finally pulled the trigger and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Here’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to hunt down enrollers, discuss rates, or develop difficult paid funnels. I run a SEO composing service permanent, so my newsletter was constantly going to be a side project. I required something that practically ran itself.

The “Sell Me” Minute

What offered me on beehiiv was easy:

• Integrated Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv yells, “Hey, you can make money right here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
• Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me searching LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings deals right to my control panel. All I need to do is click “approve,” drop in the advertisement copy, and struck send.
• Easy Income Boosts: By advertising other e-newsletters in my once a week email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No heavy lifting, no difficult analytics– simply consistent, step-by-step revenue.

Looter alert: It paid off. In my initial complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never ever covered 1,000 clients. I didn’t produce a paid course. I really did not launch a product and I just let beehiiv do its point.

My Partner Program Windfall

As if that had not been sufficient, I likewise signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– basically an affiliate program. By writing about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with chums, I took $5,108 in referral commissions through the end of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over five grand, simply by talking about the system.

So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv deserves it for tiny creators or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, naturally, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the great, the negative, and the great stuff you require to understand.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Ridiculously Straightforward

What I love ideal concerning beehiiv is just how simple it is to make money on auto-pilot. You don’t need a significant audience. Below’s just how it works:

• Advertisement Network Sponsorships: When you hit just 1,000 active clients, brands start aligning. You get 3– 6 ad requests per month generally. You choose the ones you like, place the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or view– no complex invoicing. And due to the fact that beehiiv matches you with pertinent brand names, your subscribers are more probable to click.
• Boosts Referral Revenue: Do not have sponsors yet? No worry. Advertise other developer newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for e-mail lists. I gained a number of hundred bucks by doing this without breaking a sweat.
• Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you choose to bill for superior web content, beehiiv takes a marginal cost (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase through Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing tiers, run cost-free trials, or perhaps let customers “call their rate.”.
• Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the short haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Make 60% commission on beehiiv’s regular monthly or yearly plans when someone signs up with your code. It’s essentially added cash for sharing something you currently love.

Put simply, beehiiv transforms money making right into a built-in feature, rather than a job you dread.

2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever stared at a control panel reasoning, “What does any one of this really imply?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s approach:.

• Clear Client Growth Charts: See precisely the number of brand-new individuals signed up with, the amount of dropped off, and why your listing reduced (more on that in a sec).
• Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last 30 days, so you can identify patterns immediately. For instance, I watched on my open rate (hovering around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
• Money making Dashboards: Sponsorship earnings, boosts earnings, partner referral incomes– you get the picture. Profits streams are neatly divided so nothing gets shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Growing Your List Without Marketing Your Heart

Many e-newsletter systems will bill you for every single added client after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for approximately 2,500 subscribers, it’s totally free. You obtain:.

• Limitless email sends.
• Access to the boosts network (grow your audience by advertising your newsletter on various other beehiiv newsletters).
• Basic analytics and kinds.

If you’re a beginner or have a tiny audience, this is substantial. You can experiment with subject lines, send frequency, and various lead magnets without stressing over hitting a paywall.

4. Built-In Web Site & Custom Pages

Envision dropping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether due to the fact that your e-newsletter platform functions as a website builder. That’s beehiiv essentially:.

• Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails survive a blog-like page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
• Personalized Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A web page to market a product? You can build it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
• Mobile-Friendly Templates: Every little thing looks great on phones– essential considering that a lots of individuals review e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you will not obtain every elegant drag-and-drop that a committed website builder provides, but for most developers, it’s sufficient.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth

Beehiiv’s referral program is awesome if you wish to tap into a community of similar designers. When your client clicks “Recommend This Newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring creator obtain credit history. It’s a smart means to grow your checklist without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No product is ideal– and beehiiv has its hiccups. Before you dive in, below’s what may trip you up:.

Feature Overload initially

When you visit, there are numerous options– Forms, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel overwhelming. If you’ve only used a straightforward solution that sends out one-off e-mails, you could require a number of days to obtain comfortable.

Pointless Ad Requests

Occasionally the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A gaming newsletter could get offered a code-review device for programmers. Make certain to decrease anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll storage tank your click-throughs.

No Time Area– Based Sends Out

If your listing is global, you can’t immediately arrange emails based on each client’s time zone. All sends go out at once, so you could wake up to low open prices if half your listing is asleep.

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

Creating a landing page is possible, but the UI could be smoother. I spent a couple of hours (and a practical chat with assistance) getting a freebie opt-in web page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you could discover it confusing.

Limited Integrations

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

All that claimed, beehiiv’s group is frequently rolling out updates– and those cons are gradually yet definitely being resolved.

Who Should Think about beehiiv?

Not everyone needs a totally included e-newsletter system. Yet if any one of the following explains you, beehiiv might be a suit made in heaven:.

1. Absolute Beginners: You’ve never ever sent an email blast, you don’t want to spend cash upfront, and you require a free, easy means to experiment. Beehiiv lets you begin completely free, send out unrestricted e-mails to approximately 2,500 customers, and expand naturally with the boosts network.
2. Small-List Creators: If you currently have a few hundred or a pair thousand clients yet no clue just how to turn that into revenue, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my very first 10 months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k listing. Not bad for coffee cash, right?
3. Designers Who Despise “Salesy” Things: You do not intend to pitch products continuously or sling digital programs. You prefer to share worth, develop depend on, and let the money can be found in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you gain without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
4. Switchers Who Do Not Intend To Restore Every Little Thing: Possibly you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth migration from those systems. Plus, if you have a huge checklist (say 10k+), you can get assist from beehiiv’s support team to move everything over without losing your automations.

Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Subscribe and Explore the Control panel

As soon as you develop an account, beehiiv drops you right into a dashboard where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through rates, and any kind of pending advertisement deals. Think about it as your mission control– whatever you need is just a click away.

Construct Your Initial Subscribe Type

Browse to Audience �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Create New Type. You’ll need:

• A headline that hooks visitors
• A brief blurb describing what your newsletter is about
• A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
• Your logo design or an appropriate picture
• A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Many thanks for signing up with! Inspect your inbox in a sec.”)

You can pick from various kind styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the email field), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The modification choices are fundamental– colors for switches and background photos– however it’s remarkably effective for catching emails.

Set Up Your Web Site and Custom-made Pages

If you want greater than simply a kind, hop into Style �’ Website Builder �’ Customized Pages �’ Internal Web Page. Use this to:

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

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

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

I invested a few hours tweaking my very first landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I realized just how powerful it is to have whatever under one roofing system. Rather than juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First E-newsletter

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

• Write your e-mail duplicate Can You Use Beehiiv For Free
• Place images, headers, and personalized HTML blocks
• Preview exactly how it’ll look in inboxes and on your internet site
• Arrange or send promptly

One catch: Customization is restricted. Every subscriber sees “Hi there” as opposed to “Hello [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you might miss out on that. But for most folks, a friendly, conversational intro suffices.

Activate Money making

As soon as you hit 1,000 active subscribers, beehiiv will certainly welcome you to:.

• Sign Up With the Advertisement Network: Immediately obtain sponsorship demands that match your niche. Select which ones to approve, put the ad copy right into your e-newsletter, and get paid per click/view.
• Set Up Boosts: Put on promote other e-newsletters. If someone signs up with by means of your web link, you earn $1–$ 3 per client.

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

Monitor and Enhance

Examine your analytics weekly. If open rates drop below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains no clicks, it might be unnecessary to your target market– decline similar future ads. When a boost converts well, submit more boost requests or modify your offer.

It could seem like a lot in the beginning, yet I promise you’ll get the hang of it within a couple of days. And the benefits– both monetary and in regards to your target market’s development– deserve the preliminary curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Monetization Options

If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter right into an economic equipment, let’s break down each profits stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Revenues)

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

• How It Works: You enroll in the Partner Program, grab your unique referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When a person clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Range or Max), you earn a payment.
• Compensation Rates: As Much As 60% of their first-year settlement. If they pay $100, you might see $60. Cha-ching.
• Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly through PayPal. No minimum limit, no hoops to leap through.

In my case, I published a Medium post walking people through my beehiiv experience (looter: this guide right here is part of that initiative). Through a combination of blog traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in affiliate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my genuine experience.

2. Boosts: Earn by Assisting Others Grow

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

• End Up Being a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your e-newsletter can aid others grow, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll explain why your audience is an excellent fit and established a rate you ‘d pay for a new subscriber.
• Put on Boost Others: If you desire fast subscribers, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on other developers’ listings. But what most little designers like is the reverse: you apply to be a boost partner for various other e-newsletters. When a person subscribe with your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
• Limits:
  • You can send up to 25 boost provides per month, yet beehiiv just surface areas 3 offers each time to prospective companions.
  • If a boost is carrying out well, other makers will pick it up quickly.

Below’s a quick example: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO developer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per customer. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 brand-new subscribers for them– and made about $350 while doing so. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the huge dollars can be available in, even if your checklist is “small.” Below’s how it goes:

• Eligibility: You require at the very least 1,000 active subscribers and a regular send out routine (at the very least one e-mail per month, though weekly is perfect).
• Automation: Once approved, you’ll start receiving 3– 5 sponsorship requests monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brands based upon your target market’s interests– so a marketing SaaS firm may come close to an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for instance.
• Settlement Version:
  • Price Per Click (CPC): You generate income whenever a person clicks the advertisement in your email.
  • Expense Per Mille (CPM): You earn based on a thousand impressions.
• Relieve of Use: You can approve or decline each deal right from your dashboard. Beehiiv deals with all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the ad right into your e-newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded ads, consisting of a few high-profile brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my top campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Bear in mind: relevance is king. Unimportant ads storage tank click-through prices, so be selective.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Web Content”)

If you create really distinct material– deep dive records, special tutorials, or insider analyses– you may take into consideration a paid tier. Below’s the 101:

• Arrangement: Go to Money Making �’ Paid Subscriptions, connect Stripe, and pick your pricing:
  • Month-to-month
  • Annual (normally marked down)
  • Single repayment (for a solitary overview or program)
  • Call Your Rate (your subscribers choose what they can pay for)
• Revenue Split: Beehiiv does not bill you a system charge; they only pass Stripe’s processing charge (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
• Examples: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Okay, best? Of course, getting to 100 paid clients implies you require a dedicated, engaged base.

Currently, be realistic: Paid memberships are a work. You require constant, high-value web content that makes individuals comfy pulling out their budgets. If you’re simply starting, the ad network and boosts could be quicker success.

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

I know pricing is a huge enigma when you’re thinking of changing platforms. Below’s the breakdown as of mid-2025:.

• Free Plan (as much as 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still obtain boosts for listing growth, standard analytics, and unrestricted sends out– simply no ad network or paid memberships yet.
• Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about generating income from. You obtain ad network accessibility, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Composing Aide to speed up your e-newsletter development.
• Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (image generation, grammar repairing, translation) matter to you, and you desire concern assistance, this is the pleasant spot. Plus, you can release a mobile application for your subscribers.
• Enterprise (100k+ customers): For brand names and mega-creators who require personalized movements, service-level contracts, and progressed safety. Very few tiny creators require this.

My referral? Begin on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the control panel, expand your list to 1,000, then upgrade to Scale as soon as you understand you classified ad revenue and boosts.

Special Features Can You Use Beehiiv For Free

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

1. Audio E-newsletters

Ever thought of turning your e-mail into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated sound e-newsletter feature automatically transforms your emails right into spoken-word audio. No added modifying software application, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your clients can listen on the go. For active target markets who drive or exercise, this is a convenient way to remain connected.

2. Custom Mobile Apps for Readers

The majority of systems offer you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one action further: you can introduce a custom mobile app for your customers. Once they add it to their home display, your e-newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Think of getting up and seeing app alerts when you drop a new concern. Talk about involvement.

3. “Call Your Cost” Memberships

Instead of compeling every person right into $5 or $7 rates, let your most loyal fans determine what to pay. It’s a trust-building move and can lead to higher life time value. I haven’t checked this feature personally yet, however, for designers who feel a bit anxious regarding rate points, it’s a pleasant option to try out.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

• AI Composing Assistant: Produce e-newsletter drafts based upon bullet points or subjects. For days when you’re staring at an empty web page, this boosts your imagination.
• AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You get a clean, sleek draft that feels human Can You Use Beehiiv For Free.
• AI Photo Device: Create customized header photos or pictures without acquiring stock photos. Simply type a prompt, and voila.
• AI Translator: Wish to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Convert your content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantly.

These features can shave hours off content creation and aid you experiment with brand-new styles.

Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv

Since you recognize what beehiiv can do, here are some insider hacks to make the most of it:

Tidy Your List for Better Efficiency

In August 2024, I cut my subscriber count in half (from regarding 2,400 to 1,200) by getting rid of inactive emails– individuals who hadn’t opened anything in six months. My open rates leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which implied marketers paid more per click. It hurt to shed subscribers, however a lean, involved list is worth greater than a bloated, easy one.

Try Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B tests on small segments prior to sending out to your whole listing. Short, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to double your web traffic?”) commonly outperform common ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your niche, say no. Pointless ads irritate readers and container click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s algorithm will discover what fits your audience– decrease sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll stop sending them.

Usage Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences

Obtained a new classification you intend to discover? Try improving your e-newsletter in a related specific niche. The price per client standards $1.63– but if those clients remain, it deserves it. I once boosted a SEO newsletter in a digital marketing audience and got a surprising uptick in retention.

Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Production

On evenings when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to draft a rough outline: introduction, three bottom lines, conclusion. Then I flesh it out with my very own anecdotes and design tweaks. It’s not best, however it’s a strong foundation that saves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.

Make use of the Mobile App

Motivate subscribers to install your e-newsletter’s mobile application. In your following email, compose a fast “Exactly how to Add Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application mounts indicate even more visibility, and press notifications beat inbox noise.

Deal Periodic Paid-Only Web Content

Instead of making every concern complimentary, tease a “bonus record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your list. Even if you just sell 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your monthly beehiiv costs.

Concluding: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you have actually stuck to me this much, you possibly fall into one of these camps:

• You have actually never sent a newsletter, yet you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive tools are best for learning the ropes.
• You have a tiny checklist (< 2,500) and intend to generate income from without frustrations-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing practically nothing extra.
• You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ subscribers) seeking to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI devices, and referral program aid you expand faster and make more.
• You despise intricate e-mail platforms– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium in between effective features and easy to use style.

Certain, the feature collection can really feel intimidating in the beginning, and you could get a few unimportant advertisement demands. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a tiny checklist and over $5,000 in affiliate compensations simply by sharing my experience. I’ve seen adequate to understand that if you invest a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be significant.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for beehiiv, explore the control panel, and let the money making engines transform. Your future self will certainly thank you when the checks roll in.