Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv – Smarter Newsletter Tools!

So, you’ve been dabbling the idea of turning your e-mail checklist right into a profits stream, yet you’re bewildered by all the options around. Noise familiar? You’re not alone. If you have actually been utilizing a standard email solution and damaging your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid registrations, it may be time to check out beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll stroll you with everything you require to learn about making use of beehiiv to transform your e-newsletter right into cash money– all from my very own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv

Why You Could be Stuck with Your Present Email Platform

You have actually possibly tried the usual suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something comparable. And if you resemble the majority of small-scale web content makers, here’s what likely happened:

• Limited Money Making Alternatives

You have a handful of loyal clients– possibly 500 to 1,000 individuals– yet absolutely no easy method to earn money. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands monthly.

• DIY Automation Headaches

You intend to drip campaign brand-new customers, send a welcome collection, and sector people for targeted emails … yet establishing those automations feels like you need a computer technology degree.

• System Fees Suck

Every time you consider paid registrations, the platform takes a massive portion, and the repayment arrangement is extra challenging than it deserves.

• Growth Stalls

Development hacks seem to help everybody else– but except you. You desire there was an easy way to find brand-new customers without by hand chasing them down.

I remained in your shoes at the start of 2024. I ‘d been utilizing Kit (formerly ConvertKit), yet it seemed like a dead end for money making. Do not get me wrong– Kit is wonderful for constructing funnels and establishing basic automations. Yet when it came to making even a couple of hundred bucks a month from a small list, there wasn’t an obvious “on” switch.

Get in beehiiv.

My Switch to beehiiv: A Truth Check

In January 2024, I finally shot and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Right here’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to pursue sponsors, negotiate rates, or construct complicated paid funnels. I run a SEO creating company permanent, so my newsletter was always going to be a side project. I needed something that practically ran itself.

The “Market Me” Minute

What marketed me on beehiiv was simple:

• Integrated Monetization: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can generate income here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
• Low-Effort Sponsorships: Rather than me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals straight to my dashboard. All I need to do is click “approve,” decrease in the ad copy, and struck send.
• Easy Income Boosts: By promoting other newsletters in my once a week email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred subscriber. No hefty training, no difficult analytics– simply stable, step-by-step income.

Spoiler alert: It paid off. In my first complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a list that never covered 1,000 subscribers. I didn’t develop a paid course. I didn’t launch a product and I just let beehiiv do its point.

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 discussing beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with buddies, I swiped $5,108 in referral payments via completion of 2024. Yep, you check out that right: over five grand, just by talking about the system.

So if you’re wondering whether beehiiv deserves it for tiny makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, obviously, it isn’t flawless. Let’s break down the excellent, the bad, and the trendy stuff you require to recognize.

The Upside of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Extremely Basic

What I like best concerning beehiiv is exactly how very easy it is to earn money on auto-pilot. You do not require a big target market. Below’s how it works:

• Ad Network Sponsorships: Once you strike just 1,000 energetic subscribers, brands start aligning. You get 3– 6 ad demands monthly on average. You pick the ones you like, insert the duplicate, and you’re done. They pay per click or check out– no difficult invoicing. And due to the fact that beehiiv matches you with pertinent brands, your subscribers are more probable to click.
• Boosts Referral Revenue: Don’t have sponsors yet? Not a problem. Promote various other creator newsletters for $1–$ 3 per customer. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for e-mail checklists. I gained numerous hundred dollars this way without breaking a sweat.
• Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you make a decision to charge for superior material, beehiiv takes a marginal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per deal by means of Stripe). You can establish several pricing tiers, run totally free trials, or perhaps let customers “name their rate.”.
• Partner Program Payments: Not in it for the short haul? Enroll in the affiliate program. Make 60% payment on beehiiv’s regular monthly or yearly plans when someone join your code. It’s actually added cash for sharing something you already enjoy.

In other words, beehiiv turns monetization right into a built-in feature, as opposed to a task you fear.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever stared at a control panel thinking, “What does any one of this actually indicate?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s approach:.

• Clear Client Growth Graphs: See exactly the amount of new people joined, how many left, and why your listing diminished (more on that in a sec).
• Open and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last 30 days, so you can detect fads right away. For example, I kept an eye on my open price (hovering around 64%– not bad) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either metric dips, I fine-tune my subject lines or calls-to-action.
• Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship earnings, boosts income, companion referral revenues– you get the picture. Profits streams are neatly divided so absolutely nothing gets shed in the shuffle.

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

3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Marketing Your Heart

A lot of newsletter systems will bill you for every added client after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 clients, it’s free. You get:.

• Unrestricted e-mail sends out.
• Accessibility to the boosts network (expand your target market by advertising your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv newsletters).
• Standard analytics and forms.

If you’re a beginner or have a small target market, this is significant. You can trying out subject lines, send out frequency, and different lead magnets without worrying about striking a paywall.

4. Integrated Site & Custom Pages

Envision dumping WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether due to the fact that your newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in short:.

• Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails live on a blog-like web page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
• Custom-made Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet web page? A thank-you page? A web page to offer a product? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
• Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks wonderful on phones– critical considering that a ton of individuals check out emails on mobile.

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

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth

Beehiiv’s referral program is outstanding if you wish to use a community of like-minded developers. When your client clicks “Recommend This E-newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring developer get credit rating. It’s a wise method to expand your list without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Look out for

No item is best– and beehiiv has its missteps. Prior to you dive in, right here’s what might journey you up:.

Feature Overload at First

When you visit, there are numerous options– Kinds, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel overwhelming. If you’ve just used a straightforward service that sends out one-off e-mails, you could need a number of days to obtain comfy.

Pointless Advertisement Requests

In some cases the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your specific niche. A pc gaming e-newsletter could get provided a code-review device for developers. Ensure to decrease anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll storage tank your click-throughs.

No Time Zone– Based Sends Out

If your checklist is worldwide, you can not automatically schedule e-mails based upon each client’s time zone. All sends head out at the same time, so you could get up to low open rates if half your listing is asleep.

Personalized Page Builder Isn’t Super User-friendly

Developing a landing page is possible, but the UI could be smoother. I invested a few hours (and a practical chat with support) obtaining a giveaway opt-in page ideal. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you could locate it confusing.

Limited Integrations

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

All that stated, beehiiv’s team is frequently presenting updates– and those disadvantages are slowly but certainly being addressed.

Who Should Consider beehiiv?

Not everyone needs a fully featured e-newsletter system. However if any one of the complying with explains you, beehiiv may be a match made in heaven:.

1. Absolute Beginners: You’ve never sent out an e-mail blast, you do not want to invest cash upfront, and you need a cost-free, simple means to experiment. Beehiiv lets you start absolutely free, send limitless e-mails to approximately 2,500 customers, and grow organically with the boosts network.
2. Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a couple thousand subscribers but no clue just how to transform that right into income, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my initial ten months, I was making about $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Tolerable for coffee money, right?
3. Designers Who Hate “Salesy” Things: You do not want to pitch items continuously or sling digital courses. You ‘d rather share value, develop trust fund, and let the cash can be found in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s advertisement network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
4. Switchers Who Don’t Want to Restore Every Little Thing: Possibly you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth migration from those systems. And also, if you have a big checklist (claim 10k+), you can obtain aid from beehiiv’s support team to relocate every little thing over without losing your automations.

Beginning: A Detailed Walkthrough

Sign Up and Discover the Control panel

As soon as you create an account, beehiiv drops you right into a control panel where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through rates, and any kind of pending ad deals. Consider it as your mission control– everything you require is just a click away.

Develop Your Initial Subscribe Kind

Browse to Audience �’ Subscribe Types �’ Develop Brand-new Form. You’ll require:

• A heading that hooks visitors
• A brief blurb describing what your e-newsletter is about
• A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
• Your logo or a relevant picture
• A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for joining! Check your inbox in a sec.”)

You can choose from different kind designs: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the email field), or progressed (with monitoring codes). The customization alternatives are fundamental– colors for switches and history images– yet it’s surprisingly efficient for recording emails.

Establish Your Internet Site and Custom Pages

If you desire more than simply a form, hop into Layout �’ Website Builder �’ Personalized Pages �’ Internal Page. Use this to:

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

Produce a landing page for a giveaway (e.g., “Download my SEO cheat sheet”).

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

I spent a couple of hours tweaking my first landing page, once I got the hang of it, I understood how powerful it is to have every little thing under one roof. Instead of juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your Very First E-newsletter

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

• Create your email copy Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv
• Put photos, headers, and custom-made HTML obstructs
• Preview exactly how it’ll search in inboxes and on your site
• Arrange or send instantly

One catch: Customization is limited. Every customer sees “Hi there” instead of “Hi [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you could miss out on that. However, for most individuals, a friendly, conversational intro suffices.

Turn On Monetization

Once you strike 1,000 active clients, beehiiv will certainly welcome you to:.

• Join the Ad Network: Instantly get sponsorship requests that match your specific niche. Choose which ones to accept, put the ad duplicate into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
• Establish Boosts: Apply to advertise other e-newsletters. If someone joins via your link, you make $1–$ 3 per customer.

For paid e-newsletters, browse to Money making �’ Paid Registrations. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t charge extra charges past Stripe’s processing), set your pricing plans (monthly, annual, or “Call Your Cost”), and determine what content goes behind the paywall.

Monitor and Optimize

Inspect your analytics weekly. If open prices go down below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets absolutely no clicks, it could be unnecessary to your audience– decline comparable future ads. When a boost transforms well, submit even more boost requests or modify your deal.

It might feel like a lot at first, however I guarantee you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the incentives– both economic and in terms of your audience’s growth– are worth the first curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options

If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter right into a lucrative maker, let’s break down each profits stream thoroughly.

1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Incomes)

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

• How It Functions: You enroll in the Partner Program, order your one-of-a-kind referral web link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When a person clicks, enroll in a paid plan (Range or Max), you gain a payment.
• Payment Fees: Up to 60% of their first-year settlement. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
• Payout: Beehiiv pays month-to-month through PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to jump via.

In my instance, I published a Medium message walking individuals through my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this overview right here belongs to that initiative). Via a mix of blog traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in associate payments by December 2024. All I did was share my real experience.

2. Boosts: Make by Assisting Others Expand

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

• Become a Boost Sponsor: If you assume your e-newsletter can assist others grow, use in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll explain why your target market is an excellent fit and established a price you would certainly pay for a brand-new client.
• Put on Boost Others: If you want fast clients, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on various other creators’ checklists. But what many little designers enjoy is the opposite: you put on be a boost partner for other e-newsletters. When a person register through your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
• Limits:
  • You can send up to 25 boost uses each month, yet beehiiv just surfaces 3 offers at a time to possible partners.
  • If a boost is performing well, various other makers will certainly select it up promptly.

Below’s a quick example: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow SEO maker’s newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over 2 weeks, I created 200 new clients for them– and earned about $350 while doing so. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Ads)

This is where the big dollars can can be found in, even if your checklist is “little.” Below’s exactly how it goes:

• Qualification: You need at least 1,000 energetic subscribers and a constant send out timetable (at the very least one e-mail monthly, though regular is ideal).
• Automation: When accepted, you’ll start receiving 3– 5 sponsorship demands each month. Beehiiv matches you with brands based on your target market’s passions– so a marketing SaaS firm might come close to an SEO-focused e-newsletter, for example.
• Payment Design:
  • Price Per Click (CPC): You generate income each time a person clicks the ad in your e-mail.
  • Cost Per Mille (CPM): You make based upon a thousand impacts.
• Reduce of Use: You can accept or decrease each deal right from your dashboard. Beehiiv handles all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 funded ads, including a couple of 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). Remember: importance is king. Irrelevant ads storage tank click-through prices, so be selective.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Web Content”)

If you develop genuinely one-of-a-kind content– deep dive records, exclusive tutorials, or insider evaluations– you could consider a paid tier. Here’s the 101:

• Setup: Go to Money Making �’ Paid Memberships, connect Stripe, and select your pricing:
  • Monthly
  • Yearly (normally discounted)
  • One-time settlement (for a solitary guide or training course)
  • Name Your Price (your clients select what they can pay for)
• Profits Split: Beehiiv does not charge you a platform charge; they just pass Stripe’s handling fee (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
• Instances: If you have 100 clients paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe charges). Tolerable, appropriate? Of course, reaching 100 paid customers indicates you need a devoted, involved base.

Currently, be sensible: Paid registrations are a grind. You require constant, high-value web content that makes people comfy taking out their wallets. If you’re just beginning, the advertisement network and boosts may be quicker wins.

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

I understand pricing is a huge question mark when you’re thinking of switching over platforms. Here’s the failure as of mid-2025:.

• Free Plan (approximately 2,500 customers): Great for pet projects or if you’re testing the waters. You still get boosts for checklist development, basic analytics, and unlimited sends– just no advertisement network or paid memberships yet.
• Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Suitable if you’re serious about generating income from. You get advertisement network access, boosts, paid registrations, and the AI Writing Assistant to speed up your e-newsletter development.
• Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (picture generation, grammar taking care of, translation) matter to you, and you want top priority support, this is the sweet area. Plus, you can release a mobile application for your customers.
• Enterprise (100k+ subscribers): For brands and mega-creators who require personalized movements, service-level contracts, and advanced protection. Few tiny makers need this.

My suggestion? Start on the Free plan. Get a feel for the dashboard, expand your checklist to 1,000, after that update to Scale when you recognize you classifieds profits and boosts.

One-of-a-kind Features Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv

You might be thinking, “Okay, ads and boosts are great. However what else can beehiiv do that can not?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.

1. Sound E-newsletters

Ever thought about transforming your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated audio e-newsletter feature instantly converts your emails into spoken-word audio. No extra editing and enhancing software application, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your customers can pay attention on the go. For active audiences who drive or exercise, this is a useful method to remain linked.

2. Custom-made Mobile Application for Readers

The majority of systems give you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one step even more: you can release a customized mobile application for your clients. Once they include it to their home display, your newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Visualize waking up and seeing application notices when you drop a new issue. Discuss interaction.

3. “Name Your Price” Subscriptions

As opposed to forcing everyone right into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most devoted fans determine what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can lead to higher life time value. I haven’t tested this feature directly yet, but also for makers who feel a bit anxious regarding price factors, it’s a wonderful alternative to trying out.

4. beehiiv AI Collection

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

• AI Writing Assistant: Generate newsletter drafts based on bullet points or topics. For days when you’re looking at a blank page, this jumpstarts your creative thinking.
• AI Text Tool: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no need for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, sleek draft that really feels human Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv.
• AI Picture Tool: Create customized header pictures or images without purchasing supply photos. Just type a timely, and voila.
• AI Translator: Intend to send your newsletter in numerous languages? Translate your web content into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese quickly.

These features can cut hours off web content production and assist you trying out brand-new layouts.

Pro Tips For Prospering on beehiiv

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

Tidy Your Listing for Better Performance

In August 2024, I cut my customer count in half (from about 2,400 to 1,200) by eliminating non-active e-mails– individuals who hadn’t opened up anything in 6 months. My open rates leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested marketers paid more per click. It harmed to lose subscribers, however a lean, involved list deserves more than a puffed up, easy one.

Try Out Topic Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or break open prices. Do A/B tests on little sections prior to sending out to your entire list. Brief, punchy, question-based topics (” Ready to increase your web traffic?”) typically outperform generic ones (” April Newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an ad doesn’t reverberate with your particular niche, say no. Unimportant advertisements irritate readers and storage tank click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your audience– decrease sufficient off-topic offers, and they’ll quit sending them.

Usage Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences

Got a brand-new group you wish to discover? Attempt improving your newsletter in a related niche. The cost per customer standards $1.63– yet if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as boosted a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained an unusual uptick in retention.

Leverage AI for Faster Manufacturing

On nights when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to prepare a rough outline: introduction, three main points, conclusion. After that I flesh it out with my own narratives and style tweaks. It’s not ideal, however it’s a strong foundation that conserves me 30– 45 minutes per email.

Benefit from the Mobile Application

Encourage subscribers to mount your e-newsletter’s mobile application. In your following email, compose a quick “How to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. More app sets up suggest even more exposure, and press alerts defeat inbox noise.

Deal Occasional Paid-Only Material

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

Finishing up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck with me this far, you possibly fall into among these camps:

• You’ve never ever sent a newsletter, yet you’re itching to begin– beehiiv’s free plan and user-friendly tools are best 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 maker (1k+ customers) wanting to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program aid you expand much faster and make more.
• You hate intricate email platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance between effective features and user-friendly style.

Certain, the feature set can really feel discouraging in the beginning, and you could obtain a few irrelevant ad requests. But consider this: in under a year, I made virtually $1,000 on a tiny checklist and over $5,000 in affiliate compensations just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen sufficient to understand that if you spend a little bit of time learning the system, the returns can be substantial.

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