So, you’ve been dabbling the idea of transforming your e-mail listing right into an income stream, but you’re bewildered by all the alternatives out there. Sound familiar? You’re not the only one. If you’ve been making use of a standard email solution and scratching your head regarding sponsorships, ads, and paid registrations, it may be time to take a look at beehiiv. In this guide, I’ll stroll you with every little thing you require to find out about utilizing beehiiv to transform your newsletter into money– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Half Baked Beehiiv
Why You Might Be Stuck with Your Current Email System
You have actually most likely tried the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble most small-scale web content developers, here’s what likely happened:
- Minimal Monetization Alternatives
You have a handful of devoted customers– perhaps 500 to 1,000 individuals– however absolutely no very easy means to generate income. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brand names each month.
- Do It Yourself Automation Headaches
You intend to leak campaign new customers, send a welcome collection, and sector people for targeted emails … but setting up those automations feels like you require a computer technology degree.
- Platform Charges Draw
Each time you think about paid memberships, the system takes a huge chunk, and the payment arrangement is extra difficult than it’s worth.
- Development Delays
Growth hacks appear to benefit everyone else– however except you. You want there was an easy means to find new customers without by hand chasing them down.
I remained in your footwear at the start of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (previously ConvertKit), yet it felt like a stumbling block for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is fantastic for constructing funnels and setting up basic automations. Yet when it came to making a few hundred bucks a month from a tiny listing, there had not been an obvious “on” switch.
Enter beehiiv.
My Switch to beehiiv: A Fact Examine
In January 2024, I finally pulled the trigger and relocated my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Right here’s the honest truth: I really did not have time to hunt down sponsors, work out rates, or build complicated paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization creating service permanent, so my e-newsletter was always mosting likely to be a side project. I required something that almost ran itself.
The “Offer Me” Minute
What marketed me on beehiiv was basic:
- Built-In Monetization: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can generate income here!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
- Low-Effort Sponsorships: As opposed to me scouring LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings deals right to my control panel. All I need to do is click “accept,” decrease in the ad copy, and hit send.
- Passive Income Boosts: By advertising other newsletters in my regular e-mail, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred client. No heavy training, no complex analytics– just constant, step-by-step income.
Looter alert: It repaid. In my first full year on beehiiv (2024 ), I drew in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never ever topped 1,000 subscribers. I didn’t produce a paid course. I didn’t launch a product and I simply let beehiiv do its point.
My Partner Program Windfall
As if that had not been enough, I additionally signed up with the beehiiv Partner Program– generally an affiliate program. By blogging about beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with buddies, I filched $5,108 in referral payments via completion of 2024. Yep, you read that right: over 5 grand, just by talking about the system.
So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv is worth it for small designers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, obviously, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the excellent, the bad, and the trendy stuff you require to understand.
The Benefit of Using beehiiv
1. Money Making Made Extremely Basic
What I love ideal regarding beehiiv is just how very easy it is to generate income on auto-pilot. You don’t require a big target market. Here’s how it works:
- Ad Network Sponsorships: When you hit just 1,000 energetic customers, brands begin lining up. You get 3– 6 ad demands monthly typically. You pick the ones you like, insert the copy, and you’re done. They pay per click or view– no challenging invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with pertinent brand names, your customers are more probable to click.
- Boosts Referral Income: Do not have enrollers yet? No problem. Promote various other maker e-newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It’s like Amazon’s affiliate program, but also for e-mail listings. I earned a number of hundred bucks in this manner without breaking a sweat.
- Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you decide to charge for superior web content, beehiiv takes a very little cost (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase by means of Stripe). You can establish numerous pricing tiers, run cost-free tests, or even let subscribers “name their price.”.
- Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the short haul? Register for the affiliate program. Earn 60% payment on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when somebody signs up with your code. It’s actually added cash money for sharing something you already enjoy.
Put simply, beehiiv turns money making into an integrated feature, rather than a task you fear.
2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode
If you’ve ever before looked at a dashboard thinking, “What does any one of this really indicate?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s method:.
- Clear Customer Development Charts: See precisely the number of brand-new individuals signed up with, how many dropped off, and why your listing reduced (extra on that in a sec).
- Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last one month, so you can find trends as soon as possible. For example, I watched on my open price (floating around 64%– tolerable) 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 earnings, boosts earnings, partner referral incomes– you understand. Revenue 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– right here’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s repair this.”.
3. Growing Your List Without Offering Your Heart
The majority of newsletter systems will certainly bill you for every extra subscriber after a limit. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 subscribers, it’s cost-free. You get:.
- Limitless email sends.
- Accessibility to the boosts network (expand your target market by promoting your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
- Fundamental analytics and forms.
If you’re a novice or have a little audience, this is substantial. You can try out subject lines, send out frequency, and various lead magnets without fretting about striking a paywall.
4. Built-In Web Site & Custom-made Pages
Think of ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace altogether since your e-newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in short:.
- Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails reside on a blog-like web page that’s automatically SEO-optimized.
- Custom Landing Pages: Required a lead magnet web page? A thank-you web page? A web page to market an item? You can build it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
- Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks wonderful on phones– critical since a lots of people check out e-mails on mobile.
Sure, you won’t get every expensive drag-and-drop that a committed website builder offers, however, for the majority of makers, it’s more than enough.
5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth
Beehiiv’s referral program is remarkable if you intend to take advantage of a community of similar creators. When your client clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and signs up with, both you and the referring creator get credit. It’s a wise method to expand your checklist without spamming.
The Downsides: What to Look out for
No item is ideal– and beehiiv has its missteps. Before you dive in, below’s what might journey you up:.
Feature Overload in the beginning
When you visit, there are so many alternatives– Kinds, Boosts, Ads, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel frustrating. If you have actually only used a straightforward service that sends one-off e-mails, you could need a number of days to get comfy.
Unnecessary Ad Requests
Sometimes the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your particular niche. A pc gaming newsletter could get provided a code-review device for developers. Make sure to decline 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 list is worldwide, you can not automatically set up emails based upon each client’s time zone. All sends go out simultaneously, so you might wake up to reduced open rates if half your listing is asleep.
Personalized Page Builder Isn’t Extremely Intuitive
Producing a landing page is possible, however the UI could be smoother. I spent a few hours (and a useful conversation with assistance) obtaining a giveaway opt-in page just right. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you could locate it confusing.
Minimal Integrations
If you utilize Gumroad to market products, you run out good luck– no direct integration yet. You’ll need to utilize embed codes or a Zapier workaround.
All that stated, beehiiv’s team is regularly rolling out updates– and those disadvantages are gradually yet definitely being resolved.
Who Should Think about beehiiv?
Not everybody needs a completely featured e-newsletter platform. However if any one of the following describes you, beehiiv may be a match made in paradise:.
- Absolute Beginners: You have actually never sent an e-mail blast, you do not wish to spend cash in advance, and you require a cost-free, very easy way to experiment. Beehiiv allows you begin absolutely free, send endless emails to approximately 2,500 clients, and grow naturally with the boosts network.
- Small-List Creators: If you currently have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand customers yet no clue exactly how to turn that right into revenue, beehiiv’s ad and boost programs are tailor-made for you. In my very first ten months, I was making concerning $92/month with a ~ 1k checklist. Tolerable for coffee money, right?
- Designers Who Despise “Salesy” Stuff: You do not wish to pitch items continuously or sling digital training courses. You prefer to share worth, construct trust fund, and let the money 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 Intend To Reconstruct Every Little Thing: Possibly you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth migration from those platforms. And also, if you have a large list (say 10k+), you can get help from beehiiv’s support group to relocate every little thing over without losing your automations.
Beginning: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Sign Up and Explore the Control panel
Once you create an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your customer matter, open prices, click-through rates, and any pending advertisement offers. Consider it as your mission control– everything you need is simply a click away.
Construct Your First Subscribe Type
Browse to Target Market ’ Subscribe Types ’ Create New Kind. You’ll require:
- A heading that hooks site visitors
- A brief blurb explaining what your newsletter has to do with
- A call-to-action button (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
- Your logo design or an appropriate photo
- A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for joining! Examine your inbox in a sec.”)
You can choose from different kind styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the email area), or advanced (with tracking codes). The customization choices are standard– colors for switches and history photos– but it’s remarkably reliable for recording e-mails.
Establish Your Internet Site and Customized Pages
If you want greater than just a form, jump into Design ’ Website Builder ’ Customized Pages ’ Internal Page. Utilize this to:
Host your newsletter archive (all previous issues, searchable and SEO-friendly).
Create a landing page for a freebie (e.g., “Download my SEO cheat sheet”).
Construct a thank-you web page that goes live after a person subscribes.
I invested a few hours tweaking my first landing page, but once I got the hang of it, I understood how powerful it is to have whatever under one roofing system. Rather than juggling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.
Draft Your First Newsletter
Click the big “Beginning Writing” switch in the top-right corner. You’ll see a clean, distraction-free editor where you can:
- Create your e-mail duplicate Half Baked Beehiiv
- Put pictures, headers, and customized HTML obstructs
- Preview exactly how it’ll look in inboxes and on your website
- Arrange or send out instantly
One catch: Personalization is restricted. Every customer sees “Hello there” rather than “Hi [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you might miss out on that. But also for the majority of folks, a friendly, conversational introductory suffices.
Switch on Money making
As soon as you strike 1,000 active clients, beehiiv will certainly welcome you to:.
- Join the Ad Network: Automatically receive sponsorship requests that match your particular niche. Choose which ones to approve, insert the ad copy right into your newsletter, and make money per click/view.
- Set Up Boosts: Put on advertise various other e-newsletters. If a person signs up with via your link, you make $1–$ 3 per subscriber.
For paid newsletters, navigate to Monetization ’ Paid Subscriptions. You’ll link your Stripe account (beehiiv does not bill extra fees past Stripe’s processing), set your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Name Your Cost”), and choose what web content goes behind the paywall.
Display and Enhance
Inspect your analytics weekly. If open prices drop below 40%, reassess your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets zero clicks, it may be unnecessary to your target market– decrease comparable future advertisements. When a boost converts well, submit more boost requests or tweak your offer.
It may seem like a great deal initially, yet I promise you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the benefits– both economic and in terms of your target market’s growth– are worth the initial contour.
Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options
If you’re serious about transforming your newsletter right into a lucrative machine, let’s break down each income stream thoroughly.
1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Earnings)
Think about this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Below’s the lowdown:.
- How It Works: You register for the Partner Program, order your special referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever. When someone clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Range or Max), you earn a payment.
- Commission Fees: Approximately 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 threshold, no hoops to leap with.
In my instance, I released a Medium blog post strolling people through my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here becomes part of that effort). Via a combination of blog site traffic and word-of-mouth, I made over $5,000 in associate compensations by December 2024. All I did was share my genuine experience.
2. Boosts: Gain by Assisting Others Expand
Boosts are basically funded promos– 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 expand, use in the Boosts control panel. You’ll describe why your audience is a great fit and established a rate you would certainly spend for a new customer.
- Relate to Boost Others: If you want quick customers, you can pay to boost your newsletter on other makers’ checklists. But what many little developers love is the opposite: you put on be a boost companion for other e-newsletters. When someone join with your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
- Limitations:
- You can send up to 25 boost provides per month, yet beehiiv only surfaces three deals each time to potential companions.
- If a boost is doing well, various other designers will certainly pick it up swiftly.
Below’s a quick instance: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO maker’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over 2 weeks, I generated 200 brand-new clients for them– and gained regarding $350 while doing so. Win-win.
3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Advertisements)
This is where the large dollars can come in, even if your checklist is “small.” Here’s how it goes:
- Qualification: You need at least 1,000 energetic clients and a constant send routine (a minimum of one e-mail monthly, though once a week is ideal).
- Automation: Once approved, you’ll begin receiving 3– 5 sponsorship requests each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based upon your audience’s passions– so a marketing SaaS company may approach an SEO-focused e-newsletter, as an example.
- Settlement Model:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You make money every single time somebody clicks the advertisement in your email.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You gain based on a thousand impacts.
- Ease of Use: You can accept or decline each offer right from your control panel. Beehiiv manages all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement into your e-newsletter.
In 2024, I ran 37 funded advertisements, consisting of 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). Bear in mind: significance is king. Unimportant advertisements tank click-through prices, so be careful.
4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Content”)
If you create truly unique content– deep dive records, unique tutorials, or expert analyses– you could take into consideration a paid tier. Right here’s the 101:
- Configuration: Most Likely To Monetization ’ Paid Memberships, connect Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Month-to-month
- Annual (usually marked down)
- One-time repayment (for a single overview or training course)
- Name Your Rate (your clients choose what they can afford)
- Earnings Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a system charge; they just pass Stripe’s processing cost (2.9% + $0.30) on you.
- Instances: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe costs). Okay, best? Certainly, getting to 100 paid subscribers implies you need a dedicated, involved base.
Currently, be realistic: Paid registrations are a work. You need regular, high-value material that makes people comfy pulling out their pocketbooks. If you’re simply starting, the ad network and boosts may be quicker success.
Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Get)
I recognize pricing is a huge enigma when you’re thinking about switching platforms. Right here’s the failure since mid-2025:.
- Free Plan (approximately 2,500 clients): Great for pet projects or if you’re evaluating the waters. You still obtain boosts for listing growth, fundamental analytics, and limitless sends out– just no ad network or paid registrations yet.
- Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about monetizing. You obtain ad network accessibility, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Composing Assistant to speed up your e-newsletter production.
- Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (photo generation, grammar dealing with, translation) matter to you, and you desire priority support, this is the pleasant area. And also, you can launch a mobile application for your customers.
- Enterprise (100k+ customers): For brand names and mega-creators who need customized movements, service-level contracts, and advanced protection. Very few little creators need this.
My recommendation? Start on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the control panel, expand your list to 1,000, after that update to Scale when you understand you want ad earnings and boosts.
Distinct Features Half Baked Beehiiv
You might be thinking, “Okay, ads and boosts are amazing. Yet what else can beehiiv do that others can’t?” Let me highlight a couple of standout features:.
1. Sound Newsletters
Ever thought of transforming your email into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s built-in audio e-newsletter feature automatically converts your emails into spoken-word audio. No additional editing and enhancing software program, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your subscribers can pay attention on the move. For hectic target markets who drive or exercise, this is a helpful means to stay linked.
2. Personalized Mobile Apps for Viewers
The majority of platforms give you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one action additionally: you can release a customized mobile application for your subscribers. Once they include it to their home screen, your newsletter comes to be a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Imagine getting up and seeing app notices when you go down a new problem. Talk about engagement.
3. “Name Your Cost” Subscriptions
As opposed to forcing everybody into $5 or $7 rates, let your most dedicated fans decide what to pay. It’s a trust-building action and can bring about higher lifetime worth. I have not tested this feature directly yet, however, for developers who really feel a little bit worried regarding price points, it’s a sweet option to explore.
4. beehiiv AI Suite
For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI devices are a blessing:
- AI Creating Aide: Generate e-newsletter drafts based on bullet factors or topics. For days when you’re looking at a blank web page, this jumpstarts your creativity.
- AI Text Tool: Grammar, punctuation, tone checks– no requirement for Grammarly. You obtain a clean, refined draft that really feels human Half Baked Beehiiv.
- AI Picture Device: Create custom header pictures or illustrations without purchasing supply photos. Just type a timely, and voila.
- AI Translator: Wish to send your e-newsletter in numerous languages? Translate your content right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantaneously.
These features can shave hours off material production and help you trying out brand-new styles.
Pro Tips For Succeeding on beehiiv
Since you recognize what beehiiv can do, right here are some expert hacks to take advantage of it:
Clean Your List for Better Efficiency
In August 2024, I cut my subscriber count in half (from concerning 2,400 down to 1,200) by eliminating inactive emails– individuals who hadn’t opened up anything in 6 months. My open rates leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which implied marketers paid more per click. It hurt to lose clients, however a lean, involved listing deserves more than a bloated, easy one.
Try Out Subject Lines Like a Pro
Subject lines make or break open prices. Do A/B tests on tiny segments before sending to your entire checklist. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to increase your traffic?”) frequently outperform common ones (” April Newsletter”).
Be Pickier with Ad Offers
If an advertisement doesn’t reverberate with your particular niche, say no. Unnecessary ads frustrate visitors and tank click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s formula will learn what fits your target market– decline sufficient off-topic deals, and they’ll quit sending them.
Use Boosts to Test New Audiences
Obtained a new group you wish to discover? Try enhancing your newsletter in a relevant niche. The price per client averages $1.63– yet if those subscribers linger, it deserves it. I when enhanced a SEO e-newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained an unusual uptick in retention.
Leverage AI for Faster Production
On nights when I’m stressed out, I ask the AI Creating Aide to draft a rough outline: introductory, 3 main points, conclusion. After that I flesh it out with my own stories and style tweaks. It’s not ideal, but it’s a solid structure that conserves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.
Make use of the Mobile Application
Motivate clients to install your newsletter’s mobile application. In your next email, compose a quick “Exactly how to Add Our E-newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more app sets up mean even more visibility, and push alerts defeat inbox sound.
Deal Periodic Paid-Only Material
Instead of making every concern cost-free, tease a “bonus offer report” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it heavily to your checklist. Even if you just sell 20 copies, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your monthly beehiiv costs.
Finishing up: Is beehiiv Right for You?
If you have actually stuck to me this far, you most likely come under among these camps:
- You have actually never ever 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 listing (< 2,500) and wish to monetize without headaches-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing nearly absolutely nothing additional.
- You’re a mid-sized creator (1k+ customers) looking to range– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program help you expand much faster and gain much more.
- You hate complicated e-mail systems– beehiiv strikes an equilibrium in between effective features and straightforward design.
Certain, the feature set can really feel intimidating in the beginning, and you might obtain a couple of unimportant ad demands. But consider this: in under a year, I made practically $1,000 on a little list and over $5,000 in associate compensations just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen adequate to recognize that if you spend a bit of time learning the platform, the returns can be considerable.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for beehiiv, discover the control panel, and let the monetization engines turn. Your future self will thanks when the checks roll in.