So, you’ve been toying with the concept of transforming your email listing into a revenue stream, but you’re overwhelmed by all the choices around. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. If you’ve been utilizing a standard e-mail solution and scraping your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid subscriptions, it may be time to have a look at beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll walk you with everything you need to know about utilizing beehiiv to transform your newsletter right into cash– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in How Does Beehiiv Make Money
Why You Could be Stuck with Your Present Email System
You have actually probably attempted the typical suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (now Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you resemble many small content makers, below’s what likely took place:
- Limited Money Making Choices
You have a handful of loyal customers– perhaps 500 to 1,000 individuals– yet no simple means to earn money. Sponsorships feel like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands on a monthly basis.
- DIY Automation Headaches
You want to leak campaign brand-new subscribers, send out a welcome series, and segment people for targeted emails … but establishing those automations seems like you need a computer technology degree.
- System Costs Draw
Every time you consider paid subscriptions, the system takes a huge portion, and the repayment setup is a lot more challenging than it’s worth.
- Growth Stalls
Development hacks appear to help everyone else– but not for you. You desire there was a very easy means to locate new subscribers without by hand chasing them down.
I remained in your footwear at the beginning of 2024. I would certainly been making use of Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but it seemed like a stumbling block for monetization. Don’t get me wrong– Kit is terrific for building funnels and establishing fundamental automations. However when it concerned making a few hundred dollars a month from a tiny listing, there wasn’t an obvious “on” button.
Get in beehiiv.
My Change to beehiiv: A Fact Check
In January 2024, I lastly pulled the trigger and moved my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hound sponsors, discuss rates, or construct complex paid funnels. I run a SEO writing service full time, so my e-newsletter was always mosting likely to be a side project. I required something that practically ran itself.
The “Offer Me” Moment
What offered me on beehiiv was simple:
- Built-In Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can generate income below!” It wasn’t an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
- Low-Effort Sponsorships: Instead of me scouring LinkedIn for sponsors, beehiiv brings deals straight to my control panel. All I need to do is click “approve,” decrease in the advertisement copy, and struck send.
- Easy Revenue Boosts: By advertising other newsletters in my regular email, I gain $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No heavy lifting, no complicated analytics– simply steady, step-by-step earnings.
Spoiler alert: It paid off. In my first complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I drew in $940 from ad sponsorships and boosts alone– on a listing that never ever topped 1,000 customers. I didn’t create a paid course. I didn’t launch an item and I simply let beehiiv do its thing.
My Partner Program Windfall
As if that wasn’t sufficient, I additionally joined the beehiiv Partner Program– basically an affiliate program. By writing about beehiiv on my blog and sharing my experience with friends, I stole $5,108 in referral compensations through completion of 2024. Yep, you check out that right: over five grand, simply by talking about the system.
So if you’re questioning whether beehiiv deserves it for little makers or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. Yet, obviously, it isn’t perfect. Let’s break down the great, the negative, and the great things you require to recognize.
The Advantage of Using beehiiv
1. Monetization Made Ridiculously Simple
What I enjoy ideal regarding beehiiv is just how very easy it is to make money on autopilot. You do not need a massive target market. Right here’s just how it works:
- Advertisement Network Sponsorships: Once you strike simply 1,000 energetic customers, brands start lining up. You get 3– 6 ad requests monthly typically. You pick the ones you like, put 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 likely to click.
- Boosts Referral Earnings: Do not have enrollers yet? Not a problem. Promote various other designer newsletters for $1–$ 3 per client. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, but for email lists. I earned a number of hundred bucks this way without breaking a sweat.
- Paid Subscriptions (When You’re Ready): Down the line, if you choose to bill for exceptional content, beehiiv takes a marginal fee (2.9% + $0.30 per purchase via Stripe). You can set up multiple pricing tiers, run cost-free tests, and even let subscribers “call their cost.”.
- Partner Program Commissions: Not in it for the brief haul? Register for the affiliate program. Gain 60% compensation on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when someone join your code. It’s literally extra money for sharing something you already like.
Simply put, beehiiv transforms monetization right into a built-in feature, as opposed to a task you fear.
2. Analytics That Don’t Make Your Head Explode
If you’ve ever looked at a control panel thinking, “What does any one of this really mean?”, you’ll value beehiiv’s approach:.
- Clear Customer Development Charts: See exactly how many brand-new individuals signed up with, how many left, and why your listing reduced (extra on that particular in a sec).
- Open Up and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down efficiency over the last 1 month, so you can spot patterns immediately. For instance, I watched on my open rate (floating around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I tweak my subject lines or calls-to-action.
- Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship profits, boosts revenue, companion referral profits– you understand. Income streams are nicely divided so absolutely nothing obtains shed in the shuffle.
It’s like having a partner who informs you, “Hey, your January e-mail eliminated it– here’s why,” or “Uh oh, your February open prices are tanking– let’s repair this.”.
3. Expanding Your Checklist Without Marketing Your Heart
The majority of e-newsletter platforms will certainly charge you for every extra client after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for up to 2,500 clients, it’s cost-free. You obtain:.
- Endless email sends.
- Accessibility to the boosts network (expand your audience by promoting your e-newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
- Fundamental analytics and types.
If you’re a novice or have a tiny target market, this is huge. You can experiment with subject lines, send regularity, and different lead magnets without fretting about striking a paywall.
4. Integrated Internet Site & Custom Pages
Envision abandoning WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace entirely since your newsletter system doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in short:.
- E-newsletter Archive Pages: All your past e-mails reside on a blog-like web page that’s immediately SEO-optimized.
- Custom-made Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet page? A thank-you web page? A page to offer a product? You can develop it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
- Mobile-Friendly Templates: Every little thing looks fantastic on phones– essential because a ton of folks read emails on mobile.
Sure, you won’t obtain every expensive drag-and-drop that a devoted website builder uses, but also for many creators, it’s sufficient.
5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Development
Beehiiv’s referral program is remarkable if you wish to take advantage of a community of similar designers. When your client clicks on “Recommend This Newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring maker obtain debt. It’s a smart way to expand your list without spamming.
The Downsides: What to Look out for
No item is perfect– and beehiiv has its missteps. Prior to you dive in, right here’s what may trip you up:.
Feature Overload in the beginning
When you visit, there are many options– Types, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can really feel frustrating. If you have actually only made use of a simple solution that sends one-off emails, you might require a number of days to obtain comfy.
Irrelevant Ad Requests
Sometimes the enrollers beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your specific niche. A pc gaming e-newsletter may get offered a code-review tool for designers. See to it to decrease anything that does not jive with your audience, or you’ll container your click-throughs.
No Time Area– Based Sends Out
If your list is international, you can’t automatically schedule e-mails based upon each customer’s time zone. All sends out go out at once, so you might wake up to low open rates if half your checklist is asleep.
Custom-made Web Page Builder Isn’t Incredibly User-friendly
Producing a landing page is feasible, however the UI could be smoother. I invested a few hours (and a practical chat with assistance) getting a freebie opt-in page perfect. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may locate it confusing.
Restricted Integrations
If you use Gumroad to offer products, you’re out of luck– no direct integration yet. You’ll need to make use of embed codes or a Zapier workaround.
All that stated, beehiiv’s team is frequently presenting updates– and those cons are gradually yet surely being attended to.
Who Should Take into consideration beehiiv?
Not everyone requires a completely featured e-newsletter system. But if any one of the complying with explains you, beehiiv could be a match made in heaven:.
- Outright Beginners: You’ve never sent an email blast, you do not intend to spend cash ahead of time, and you require a free, easy way to experiment. Beehiiv lets you begin totally free, send out unrestricted e-mails to as much as 2,500 subscribers, and expand organically with the boosts network.
- Small-List Creators: If you already have a couple of hundred or a pair thousand customers but no clue exactly how to turn that into income, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are custom-made for you. In my very first ten months, I was making concerning $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Not bad for coffee cash, right?
- Developers Who Hate “Salesy” Stuff: You do not want to pitch products nonstop or sling digital programs. You ‘d rather share value, build trust, and let the money can be found in on auto-pilot. Beehiiv’s ad network and boosts let you make without crafting a four-part sales funnel.
- Switchers Who Do Not Intend To Reconstruct Whatever: Perhaps you’re on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your email automations are a twisted mess. Beehiiv guarantees a smooth movement from those systems. Plus, if you have a large checklist (claim 10k+), you can obtain assist from beehiiv’s assistance group to move everything over without shedding your automations.
Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Subscribe and Discover the Dashboard
Once you develop an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your client matter, open rates, click-through rates, and any pending advertisement deals. Think of it as your mission control– everything you require is simply a click away.
Build Your Initial Subscribe Kind
Navigate to Audience ’ Subscribe Kinds ’ Produce New Type. You’ll require:
- A heading that hooks site visitors
- A brief blurb describing what your e-newsletter has to do with
- A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My Newsletter”)
- Your logo or an appropriate photo
- A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Check your inbox in a sec.”)
You can select from different type styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (simply the e-mail field), or advanced (with monitoring codes). The personalization choices are basic– shades for switches and background images– however it’s surprisingly efficient for catching emails.
Set Up Your Website and Custom Pages
If you desire more than simply a type, jump right into Design ’ Website Builder ’ Customized Pages ’ Internal Page. Use this to:
Host your e-newsletter archive (all previous issues, searchable and SEO-friendly).
Create a landing page for a freebie (e.g., “Download my search engine optimization cheat sheet”).
Construct a thank-you page that goes live after someone subscribes.
I spent a few hours tweaking my very first landing page, once I got the hang of it, I realized just how effective it is to have whatever under one roofing. Instead of managing Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.
Draft Your Very First Newsletter
Click the big “Start Writing” switch in the top-right corner. You’ll see a clean, distraction-free editor where you can:
- Compose your email duplicate How Does Beehiiv Make Money
- Place photos, headers, and custom-made HTML obstructs
- Preview just how it’ll search in inboxes and on your website
- Schedule or send instantly
One catch: Customization is limited. Every client sees “Hey there” instead of “Hi there [Given name]” If you need hyper-personalization, you could miss that. However, for most folks, a pleasant, conversational introductory suffices.
Switch on Monetization
When you strike 1,000 active customers, beehiiv will certainly invite you to:.
- Sign Up With the Ad Network: Automatically get sponsorship requests that match your niche. Choose which ones to accept, place the ad copy right into your e-newsletter, and earn money per click/view.
- Set Up Boosts: Relate to advertise various other e-newsletters. If somebody signs up with by means of your web link, you earn $1–$ 3 per client.
For paid e-newsletters, browse to Money making ’ Paid Memberships. You’ll connect your Stripe account (beehiiv doesn’t charge extra costs beyond Stripe’s handling), set your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Call Your Price”), and choose what content goes behind the paywall.
Screen and Enhance
Examine your analytics weekly. If open rates go down below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship obtains zero clicks, it could be irrelevant to your audience– decrease comparable future advertisements. When a boost converts well, send even more boost demands or tweak your offer.
It could seem like a great deal initially, but I promise you’ll master it within a couple of days. And the incentives– both financial and in regards to your target market’s development– deserve the initial contour.
Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options
If you’re serious about transforming your e-newsletter into a money-making equipment, let’s break down each income stream carefully.
1. beehiiv Partner Program (Affiliate Revenues)
Think of this as beehiiv’s affiliate program. Right here’s the lowdown:.
- How It Works: You register for the Partner Program, get your one-of-a-kind referral link, and share it on your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When somebody clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Range or Max), you make a commission.
- Compensation Fees: As Much As 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
- Payout: Beehiiv pays monthly through PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to leap via.
In my case, I published a Medium article walking individuals via my beehiiv experience (spoiler: this guide right here is part of that effort). With a mix of blog site web traffic and word-of-mouth, I transformed $5,000 in affiliate compensations by December 2024. All I did was share my genuine experience.
2. Boosts: Gain by Helping Others Expand
Boosts are primarily funded promos– beehiiv’s spin on a “send for pay” version. Right here’s the scoop:.
- Become a Boost Sponsor: If you believe your e-newsletter can aid others expand, apply in the Boosts control panel. You’ll describe why your audience is a great fit and established a price you would certainly spend for a brand-new customer.
- Relate to Boost Others: If you want quick clients, you can pay to boost your e-newsletter on other developers’ lists. Yet what most tiny makers like is the reverse: you apply to be a boost partner for other e-newsletters. When a person register via your boost, you obtain $1–$ 3
- Restrictions:
- You can send up to 25 boost uses each month, however beehiiv only surface areas three deals at once to prospective partners.
- If a boost is doing well, other designers will pick it up quickly.
Right here’s a fast instance: In October 2024, I advertised a fellow search engine optimization designer’s newsletter for $1.75 per subscriber. Over two weeks, I created 200 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 list is “tiny.” Here’s exactly how it goes:
- Eligibility: You require at the very least 1,000 active subscribers and a consistent send timetable (at the very least one email per month, though weekly is excellent).
- Automation: When authorized, you’ll begin getting 3– 5 sponsorship demands monthly. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your target market’s passions– so a marketing SaaS firm might approach an SEO-focused newsletter, for instance.
- Settlement Design:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You earn money every single time a person clicks the ad in your email.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You gain based upon a thousand perceptions.
- Ease of Use: You can approve or decrease each offer right from your control panel. Beehiiv manages all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement right into your e-newsletter.
In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored ads, including a few top-level brand names like HubSpot. I made $632 from advertisements alone, with my top campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Remember: importance is king. Unnecessary ads tank click-through rates, so be careful.
4. Paid Subscriptions (” Premium Web Content”)
If you produce truly special web content– deep dive reports, unique tutorials, or insider evaluations– you could think about a paid rate. Below’s the 101:
- Configuration: Most Likely To Money Making ’ Paid Memberships, attach Stripe, and choose your pricing:
- Month-to-month
- Yearly (usually discounted)
- Single payment (for a solitary guide or program)
- Call Your Rate (your clients select what they can manage)
- Revenue Split: Beehiiv doesn’t bill you a platform cost; they just pass Stripe’s processing cost (2.9% + $0.30) on to you.
- Examples: If you have 100 subscribers paying $7/month, that’s $700/month = $8,400/ year (minus Stripe fees). Okay, ideal? Obviously, getting to 100 paid subscribers means you require a faithful, engaged base.
Currently, be sensible: Paid memberships are a grind. You need regular, high-value content that makes people comfortable pulling out their budgets. If you’re just starting, the ad network and boosts may be quicker success.
Pricing Plans: What You’ll Pay (and Get)
I recognize pricing is a big enigma when you’re thinking about switching over systems. Below’s the break down since mid-2025:.
- Free Plan (as much as 2,500 subscribers): Great for pet projects or if you’re checking the waters. You still obtain boosts for checklist growth, fundamental analytics, and endless sends out– simply no ad network or paid memberships yet.
- Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about monetizing. You get ad network gain access to, boosts, paid subscriptions, and the AI Creating Aide to accelerate your newsletter development.
- Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (photo generation, grammar fixing, translation) matter to you, and you desire priority assistance, this is the pleasant area. Plus, you can introduce a mobile app for your clients.
- Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who require custom-made migrations, service-level arrangements, and advanced security. Not many small designers require this.
My suggestion? Start on the Free plan. Get a feel for the control panel, grow your list to 1,000, then update to Scale once you recognize you classified ad income and boosts.
One-of-a-kind Features How Does Beehiiv Make Money
You could be thinking, “Okay, ads and boosts are amazing. However what else can beehiiv do that others can’t?” Let me highlight a few standout features:.
1. Sound E-newsletters
Ever before considered transforming your e-mail right into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated audio e-newsletter feature instantly transforms your e-mails into spoken-word audio. No extra modifying software program, no outsourcing to Fiverr– just toggle it on, and your clients can pay attention on the move. For busy audiences who drive or work out, this is a useful method to remain connected.
2. Custom Mobile Application for Viewers
The majority of platforms give you a “mobile-optimized site.” Beehiiv goes one action additionally: you can launch a customized mobile application for your clients. Once they include it to their home display, your e-newsletter becomes a one-tap experience– no inbox mess. Think of waking up and seeing app notifications when you go down a new issue. Speak about engagement.
3. “Call Your Cost” Memberships
Instead of compeling every person right into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most faithful followers decide what to pay. It’s a trust-building action and can cause greater life time worth. I haven’t examined this feature personally yet, however, for designers who really feel a little bit anxious concerning price points, it’s a sweet alternative to try out.
4. beehiiv AI Collection
For those on Scale and Max plans, beehiiv’s AI devices are a blessing:
- AI Composing Aide: Create newsletter drafts based upon bullet factors or topics. For days when you’re staring at an empty web page, this starts your creative thinking.
- AI Text Device: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no demand for Grammarly. You get a clean, polished draft that really feels human How Does Beehiiv Make Money.
- AI Picture Tool: Develop custom-made header photos or illustrations without acquiring stock photos. Simply type a prompt, and voila.
- AI Translator: Intend to send your newsletter in several languages? Translate your material right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese instantaneously.
These features can cut hours off material creation and help you try out brand-new styles.
Pro Tips For Doing well on beehiiv
Now that you understand what beehiiv can do, right here are some expert hacks to take advantage of it:
Clean Your Listing for Better Efficiency
In August 2024, I cut my client matter in half (from concerning 2,400 down to 1,200) by eliminating non-active e-mails– individuals who hadn’t opened up anything in six months. My open prices leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which suggested marketers paid even more per click. It harmed to shed clients, but a lean, involved listing is worth more than a puffed up, passive one.
Explore Subject Lines Like a Pro
Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B tests on tiny segments before sending to your whole checklist. Short, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to increase your web traffic?”) typically outperform common ones (” April Newsletter”).
Be Pickier with Ad Offers
If an advertisement does not resonate with your particular niche, say no. Pointless ads irritate viewers and container click metrics. Over time, beehiiv’s formula will certainly learn what fits your audience– decrease enough off-topic offers, and they’ll quit sending them.
Usage Boosts to Evaluate New Audiences
Got a new category you want to discover? Try increasing your newsletter in a related particular niche. The expense per client standards $1.63– however if those subscribers linger, it’s worth it. I as soon as improved a search engine optimization newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained an unexpected uptick in retention.
Take Advantage Of AI for Faster Manufacturing
On nights when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Creating Aide to prepare a rough outline: introductory, 3 main points, final thought. Then I flesh it out with my own anecdotes and design tweaks. It’s not best, however it’s a solid foundation that saves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.
Make use of the Mobile Application
Encourage clients to install your newsletter’s mobile app. In your next email, compose a fast “How to Add Our Newsletter to Your Home Screen” tutorial. More app mounts indicate even more presence, and press notices defeat inbox sound.
Offer Occasional Paid-Only Web Content
As opposed to making every issue totally free, tease a “bonus offer record” once a quarter behind a paywall ($ 5–$ 7). Advertise it greatly to your listing. Even if you only sell 20 duplicates, that’s $100–$ 140 that offsets your regular monthly beehiiv expense.
Concluding: Is beehiiv Right for You?
If you have actually stuck with me this much, you possibly come under among these camps:
- You have actually never ever sent out 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 small checklist (< 2,500) and intend to monetize without frustrations-- beehiiv's advertisement network and boosts pay you for doing virtually nothing extra.
- You’re a mid-sized designer (1k+ clients) wanting to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program aid you expand quicker and earn extra.
- You hate complicated email platforms– beehiiv strikes a balance between powerful features and easy to use layout.
Certain, the feature set can really feel intimidating in the beginning, and you could get a few unnecessary ad demands. But consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a little checklist and over $5,000 in affiliate compensations simply 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 substantial.
So, what are you awaiting? Sign up for beehiiv, explore the dashboard, and let the money making engines transform. Your future self will certainly thank you when the checks roll in.