Is Beehiiv Better Than Ghost – All-in-One Creator Platform!

So, you’ve been toying with the concept of turning your email list right into an earnings stream, however you’re overwhelmed by all the choices out there. Audio acquainted? You’re not the only one. If you have actually been utilizing a basic e-mail service and scratching your head concerning sponsorships, ads, and paid memberships, it may be time to have a look at beehiiv. In this overview, I’ll walk you via whatever you require to find out about using beehiiv to transform your newsletter into money– all from my own experience. Ready? Let’s dive in Is Beehiiv Better Than Ghost

Why You May be Stuck with Your Existing Email System

You have actually possibly attempted the common suspects: Mailchimp, ConvertKit (currently Kit), Substack, or something similar. And if you’re like a lot of small-scale web content creators, here’s what likely happened:

Minimal Money Making Choices

You have a handful of loyal customers– perhaps 500 to 1,000 people– yet zero simple way to earn money. Sponsorships seem like a foreign language, and you’re not keen on cold-emailing brands monthly.

Do It Yourself Automation Headaches

You wish to drip campaign brand-new subscribers, send out a welcome collection, and sector individuals for targeted e-mails … however setting up those automations seems like you require a computer science level.

System Charges Draw

Every single time you consider paid registrations, the platform takes a substantial piece, and the settlement arrangement is a lot more challenging than it deserves.

Development Delays

Growth hacks appear to help everybody else– yet except you. You want there was a simple means to find new subscribers without by hand chasing them down.

I was in your footwear at the start of 2024. I ‘d been utilizing Kit (previously ConvertKit), yet it seemed like a stumbling block for money making. Do not get me wrong– Kit is fantastic for developing funnels and establishing fundamental automations. But when it pertained to making even a few hundred bucks a month from a small checklist, there had not been an evident “on” switch.

Go into beehiiv.

My Switch to beehiiv: A Fact Check

In January 2024, I lastly pulled the trigger and relocated my e-newsletter from Kit to beehiiv. Below’s the honest truth: I didn’t have time to hunt down sponsors, discuss rates, or develop complicated paid funnels. I run a search engine optimization writing organization full time, so my newsletter was always going to be a side project. I required something that practically ran itself.

The “Market Me” Minute

What marketed me on beehiiv was easy:

Built-In Money making: Right from the start, beehiiv shouts, “Hey, you can earn money here!” It had not been an afterthought or a third-party add-on.
Low-Effort Sponsorships: As opposed to me searching LinkedIn for enrollers, beehiiv brings offers right to my dashboard. All I need to do is click “approve,” drop in the advertisement copy, and struck send.
Easy Earnings Boosts: By advertising other newsletters in my weekly email, I make $1–$ 3 per referred customer. No heavy lifting, no challenging analytics– simply stable, step-by-step revenue.

Looter alert: It settled. In my initial complete year on beehiiv (2024 ), I pulled in $940 from advertisement sponsorships and boosts alone– on a checklist that never topped 1,000 customers. I really did not develop a paid training course. I really did not launch an item and I just 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 discussing beehiiv on my blog site and sharing my experience with pals, I filched $5,108 in referral payments with completion of 2024. Yep, you review that right: over 5 grand, just by speaking about the system.

So if you’re asking yourself whether beehiiv is worth it for little creators or newbies, take my word: It’s a game-changer. But, naturally, it isn’t remarkable. Let’s break down the great, the bad, and the cool things you require to understand.

The Benefit of Using beehiiv

1. Monetization Made Extremely Straightforward

What I like best regarding beehiiv is exactly how easy it is to make money on autopilot. You do not need a huge target market. Right here’s just how it works:

Advertisement Network Sponsorships: Once you hit simply 1,000 energetic subscribers, brand names start aligning. You get 3– 6 advertisement requests per month generally. You choose the ones you like, put the duplicate, and you’re done. They ppc or view– no complex invoicing. And since beehiiv matches you with relevant brands, your customers are most likely to click.
Boosts Referral Income: Do not have sponsors yet? No worry. Promote various other maker newsletters for $1–$ 3 per subscriber. It resembles Amazon’s affiliate program, however, for email checklists. I earned several hundred dollars by doing this without breaking a sweat.
Paid Subscriptions (When You prepare): Down the line, if you determine to charge for premium material, beehiiv takes a very little fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction using Stripe). You can establish multiple pricing tiers, run free trials, or even let customers “call their cost.”.
Partner Program Compensations: Not in it for the brief haul? Register for the affiliate program. Make 60% payment on beehiiv’s month-to-month or yearly plans when someone signs up with your code. It’s actually additional money for sharing something you currently like.

Put simply, beehiiv transforms monetization right into a built-in feature, instead of a task you dread.

2. Analytics That Do Not Make Your Head Explode

If you’ve ever before stared at a control panel reasoning, “What does any one of this really suggest?”, you’ll appreciate beehiiv’s method:.

Clear Customer Development Graphs: See precisely the number of brand-new people joined, the amount of left, and why your listing diminished (a lot more on that in a sec).
Open and Click Rates: Beehiiv breaks down performance over the last one month, so you can identify trends right now. For example, I kept an eye on my open rate (hovering around 64%– tolerable) and my click-through (around 3.5%). If either statistics dips, I modify my subject lines or calls-to-action.
Monetization Dashboards: Sponsorship earnings, boosts earnings, partner referral profits– you get the picture. Income streams are nicely divided so absolutely nothing gets shed in the shuffle.

It’s like having a sidekick who informs you, “Hey, your January email eliminated it– below’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 bill you for every single added subscriber after a threshold. Not so with beehiiv– for as much as 2,500 subscribers, it’s totally free. You get:.

Endless email sends.
Accessibility to the boosts network (grow your audience by advertising your newsletter on various other beehiiv e-newsletters).
Standard analytics and forms.

If you’re a newbie or have a little target market, this is massive. You can explore subject lines, send out frequency, and various lead magnets without worrying about striking a paywall.

4. Built-In Website & Customized Pages

Visualize ditching WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace entirely due to the fact that your e-newsletter platform doubles as a website builder. That’s beehiiv in short:.

Newsletter Archive Pages: All your past emails reside on a blog-like page that’s instantly SEO-optimized.
Custom Landing Pages: Need a lead magnet web page? A thank-you page? A page to offer a product? You can construct it right in beehiiv’s website builder.
Mobile-Friendly Templates: Whatever looks great on phones– vital since a lots of folks check out e-mails on mobile.

Sure, you won’t get every expensive drag-and-drop that a committed website builder offers, but for a lot of creators, it’s ample.

5. Referral Program to Turbo Charge Growth

Beehiiv’s referral program is incredible if you intend to use a community of similar developers. When your customer clicks on “Recommend This E-newsletter” and joins, both you and the referring creator obtain credit report. It’s a wise means to expand your listing without spamming.

The Downsides: What to Watch Out For

No product is excellent– and beehiiv has its missteps. Before you dive in, below’s what could journey you up:.

Feature Overload initially

When you log in, there are numerous alternatives– Kinds, Boosts, Advertisements, Partner Program, Analytics, Website Builder– that it can feel frustrating. If you’ve just utilized a simple service that sends one-off emails, you could require a number of days to get comfortable.

Unnecessary Ad Requests

In some cases the sponsors beehiiv matches you with have nothing to do with your niche. A gaming newsletter could obtain used a code-review tool for designers. See to it to decline anything that does not jive with your target market, or you’ll storage tank your click-throughs.

No Time Area– Based Sends

If your list is global, you can not instantly schedule e-mails based upon each client’s time zone. All sends head out simultaneously, so you could awaken to reduced open rates if half your list is asleep.

Custom-made Web Page Builder Isn’t Very Intuitive

Creating a landing page is possible, however the UI could be smoother. I spent a couple of hours (and a helpful chat with support) getting a giveaway opt-in web page ideal. If you’re impatient or design-averse, you may discover it cumbersome.

Restricted Integrations

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

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

Who Should Consider beehiiv?

Not everybody needs a fully featured newsletter platform. Yet if any of the following explains you, beehiiv may be a suit made in heaven:.

Outright Beginners: You’ve never ever sent out an e-mail blast, you do not want to invest cash ahead of time, and you require a cost-free, simple way to experiment. Beehiiv allows you begin free of cost, send unlimited emails to up to 2,500 clients, and grow naturally with the boosts network.
Small-List Creators: If you currently have a few hundred or a pair thousand subscribers yet no idea just how to transform that right into income, beehiiv’s advertisement and boost programs are custom-made for you. In my initial ten months, I was making regarding $92/month with a ~ 1k list. Tolerable for coffee money, right?
Creators Who Despise “Salesy” Things: You don’t want to pitch items nonstop or sling digital training courses. You prefer to share value, construct 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.
Switchers Who Do Not Want to Rebuild Whatever: Perhaps you get on Substack, Ghost, or Mailchimp, and your e-mail automations are a tangled mess. Beehiiv promises a smooth movement from those systems. Plus, if you have a big list (claim 10k+), you can get aid from beehiiv’s assistance team to move everything over without shedding your automations.

Beginning: A Detailed Walkthrough

Sign Up and Discover the Control panel

Once you produce an account, beehiiv drops you into a dashboard where you see your subscriber count, open rates, click-through rates, and any kind of pending ad deals. Consider it as your mission control– every little thing you require is simply a click away.

Develop Your Very First Subscribe Kind

Browse to Audience �’ Subscribe Kinds �’ Develop New Kind. You’ll require:

A heading that hooks site visitors
A short blurb describing what your e-newsletter has to do with
A call-to-action switch (e.g., “Join My E-newsletter”)
Your logo design or a pertinent photo
A post-subscribe message or redirect (e.g., “Thanks for signing up with! Examine your inbox in a sec.”)

You can pick from various type styles: full-width, fixed-width, slim embed (just the email area), or advanced (with monitoring codes). The personalization options are fundamental– shades for buttons and background photos– but it’s surprisingly efficient for capturing emails.

Establish Your Website and Customized Pages

If you desire greater than simply a type, hop into Style �’ Website Builder �’ Custom Pages �’ Internal Page. Use this to:

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

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

Construct a thank-you page that goes online after a person subscribes.

I spent a couple of hours tweaking my initial landing page, once I mastered it, I realized just how effective it is to have every little thing under one roofing system. As opposed to handling Leadpages, WordPress, and Mailchimp, beehiiv does it all.

Draft Your First E-newsletter

Click the big “Begin Creating” switch in the top-right edge. You’ll see a tidy, distraction-free editor where you can:

Write your e-mail duplicate Is Beehiiv Better Than Ghost
Put photos, headers, and custom HTML obstructs
Preview just how it’ll look in inboxes and on your internet site
Set up or send out right away

One catch: Customization is limited. Every subscriber sees “Hey there” instead of “Hey there [Given name]” If you require hyper-personalization, you may miss that. However, for most individuals, a pleasant, conversational introductory suffices.

Switch on Monetization

When you strike 1,000 energetic customers, beehiiv will certainly welcome you to:.

Sign Up With the Advertisement Network: Instantly get sponsorship demands that match your niche. Pick which ones to accept, insert the advertisement duplicate into your e-newsletter, and get paid per click/view.
Set Up Boosts: Relate to promote various other e-newsletters. If a person signs up with through your link, you earn $1–$ 3 per subscriber.

For paid e-newsletters, browse to Monetization �’ Paid Registrations. You’ll attach your Stripe account (beehiiv does not charge added charges past Stripe’s processing), establish your pricing plans (monthly, yearly, or “Call Your Cost”), and choose what content goes behind the paywall.

Screen and Maximize

Examine your analytics weekly. If open rates go down listed below 40%, rethink your subject lines. If a sponsorship gets zero clicks, it could be unimportant to your target market– decline similar future ads. When a boost transforms well, send more boost demands or fine-tune your offer.

It might feel like a whole lot at first, but I guarantee you’ll get the hang of it within a few days. And the benefits– both economic and in terms of your target market’s development– deserve the preliminary curve.

Deep Dive: beehiiv’s Money making Options

If you’re serious about transforming your e-newsletter right 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. Below’s the lowdown:.

How It Works: You sign up for the Partner Program, grab your distinct referral link, and share it on your blog site, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere. When someone clicks, signs up for a paid plan (Scale or Max), you make a commission.
Commission Fees: As Much As 60% of their first-year repayment. If they pay $100, you could see $60. Cha-ching.
Payment: Beehiiv pays regular monthly through PayPal. No minimum threshold, no hoops to leap with.

In my situation, I released a Medium article strolling individuals via my beehiiv experience (looter: this guide right here is part of that effort). With a combination of blog site website traffic and word-of-mouth, I made over $5,000 in affiliate commissions by December 2024. All I did was share my real experience.

2. Boosts: Make by Aiding Others Expand

Boosts are primarily funded promotions– 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 expand, use in the Boosts dashboard. You’ll clarify why your target market is a great fit and set a price you ‘d spend for a new client.
Apply to Boost Others: If you desire fast clients, you can pay to boost your newsletter on various other makers’ checklists. Yet what a lot of small designers like is the reverse: you put on be a boost partner for other e-newsletters. When a person register with your boost, you get $1–$ 3
Limits:
- You can send up to 25 boost provides each month, yet beehiiv just surfaces 3 deals at once to possible companions.
- If a boost is carrying out well, other creators will choose it up swiftly.

Here’s a quick instance: In October 2024, I promoted a fellow SEO developer’s e-newsletter for $1.75 per client. Over two weeks, I produced 200 brand-new subscribers for them– and gained regarding $350 while doing so. Win-win.

3. beehiiv Ad Network (Sponsored Advertisements)

This is where the big bucks can can be found in, even if your list is “tiny.” Here’s just how it goes:

Qualification: You need at least 1,000 active subscribers and a constant send out timetable (at least one email each month, though weekly is ideal).
Automation: As soon as accepted, you’ll begin receiving 3– 5 sponsorship demands each month. Beehiiv matches you with brand names based on your audience’s passions– so a marketing SaaS company may come close to an SEO-focused newsletter, as an example.
Settlement Model:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): You make money every time a person clicks the advertisement in your e-mail.
- Price Per Mille (CPM): You make based on a thousand impressions.
Relieve of Use: You can accept or decline each deal right from your control panel. Beehiiv handles all the invoicing. All you do is copy-paste the advertisement into your newsletter.

In 2024, I ran 37 sponsored ads, including a few top-level brands like HubSpot. I made $632 from ads alone, with my leading campaign generating $112 from 35 clicks (4.5% click-through). Remember: relevance is king. Pointless ads tank click-through prices, so be discerning.

4. Paid Subscriptions (” Costs Web Content”)

If you produce absolutely unique material– deep dive reports, exclusive tutorials, or insider analyses– you could take into consideration a paid rate. Here’s the 101:

Configuration: Go to Money Making �’ Paid Subscriptions, attach Stripe, and select your pricing:
- Regular monthly
- Annual (normally marked down)
- One-time repayment (for a solitary guide or program)
- Call Your Cost (your clients select what they can manage)
Profits Split: Beehiiv doesn’t charge you a platform cost; they only pass Stripe’s handling fee (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? Certainly, reaching 100 paid subscribers means you need a devoted, involved base.

Now, be reasonable: Paid memberships are a grind. You need regular, high-value content that makes people comfortable pulling out their pocketbooks. If you’re simply beginning, the ad network and boosts may be quicker success.

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

I recognize pricing is a large enigma when you’re thinking of switching platforms. Below’s the malfunction since mid-2025:.

Free Plan (as much as 2,500 clients): Great for pet projects or if you’re checking the waters. You still get boosts for list development, standard analytics, and unrestricted sends– just no advertisement network or paid memberships yet.
Scale ($ 39.20/ month): Ideal if you’re serious about monetizing. You obtain advertisement network access, boosts, paid memberships, and the AI Composing Assistant to accelerate your newsletter creation.
Max ($ 87.29/ month): If AI tools (picture generation, grammar taking care of, translation) matter to you, and you desire priority support, this is the pleasant place. Plus, you can introduce a mobile app for your customers.
Enterprise (100k+ clients): For brand names and mega-creators who require custom-made migrations, service-level arrangements, and progressed safety. Not many tiny designers need this.

My referral? Start on the Free plan. Obtain a feel for the control panel, expand your listing to 1,000, after that update to Scale once you know you want ad income and boosts.

Unique Features Is Beehiiv Better Than Ghost

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

1. Sound E-newsletters

Ever before thought of turning your e-mail right into a podcast-like experience? Beehiiv’s integrated sound newsletter feature instantly transforms your emails right into spoken-word sound. No added editing and enhancing software program, no outsourcing to Fiverr– simply toggle it on, and your subscribers can listen on the move. For busy audiences who drive or exercise, this is a handy means to remain connected.

2. Custom-made Mobile Apps for Visitors

A lot of platforms give you a “mobile-optimized website.” Beehiiv goes one action additionally: you can introduce a custom mobile app for your subscribers. Once they include it to their home screen, your e-newsletter ends up being a one-tap experience– no inbox clutter. Visualize getting up and seeing application notices when you drop a brand-new issue. Speak about involvement.

3. “Call Your Price” Registrations

Rather than forcing every person right into $5 or $7 tiers, let your most loyal fans determine what to pay. It’s a trust-building step and can lead to higher life time value. I haven’t evaluated this feature personally yet, but also for designers who feel a little bit anxious concerning cost factors, it’s a wonderful alternative to try out.

4. beehiiv AI Suite

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

AI Writing Assistant: Create newsletter drafts based on bullet points or subjects. For days when you’re staring at an empty page, this jumpstarts your creativity.
AI Text Tool: Grammar, spelling, tone checks– no demand for Grammarly. You get a clean, refined draft that really feels human Is Beehiiv Better Than Ghost.
AI Photo Tool: Create custom header pictures or illustrations without acquiring stock photos. Just type a punctual, and voila.
AI Translator: Want to send your e-newsletter in numerous languages? Translate your material right into Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Portuguese immediately.

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

Pro Tips For Being successful on beehiiv

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

Tidy Your Checklist for Better Performance

In August 2024, I reduced my subscriber count in half (from concerning 2,400 to 1,200) by getting rid of non-active e-mails– individuals who hadn’t opened anything in six months. My open prices leapt from ~ 45% to over 60%, which meant advertisers paid even more per click. It hurt to shed customers, yet a lean, involved listing deserves greater than a puffed up, easy one.

Try Out Subject Lines Like a Pro

Subject lines make or burst rates. Do A/B tests on little sectors prior to sending out to your whole list. Brief, punchy, question-based subjects (” Ready to double your website traffic?”) commonly outperform generic ones (” April E-newsletter”).

Be Pickier with Ad Offers

If an advertisement doesn’t resonate with your niche, say no. Pointless advertisements irritate readers and storage tank click metrics. With time, beehiiv’s algorithm will certainly discover what fits your audience– decrease enough off-topic offers, and they’ll quit sending them.

Use Boosts to Examine New Audiences

Obtained a new category you want to check out? Try increasing your newsletter in a relevant specific niche. The price per subscriber averages $1.63– yet if those clients stay, it’s worth it. I as soon as enhanced a search engine optimization newsletter in a digital marketing target market and obtained a surprising uptick in retention.

Leverage AI for Faster Production

On nights when I’m worn out, I ask the AI Writing Assistant to compose a rough outline: introduction, three bottom lines, conclusion. After that I flesh it out with my own anecdotes and style tweaks. It’s not perfect, yet it’s a strong structure that conserves me 30– 45 mins per e-mail.

Benefit from the Mobile Application

Urge subscribers to install your e-newsletter’s mobile app. In your following email, write a quick “Just how to Include Our Newsletter to Your Home Display” tutorial. Even more application installs mean more exposure, and press notifications defeat inbox sound.

Deal Periodic Paid-Only Content

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

Finishing up: Is beehiiv Right for You?

If you’ve stuck to me this much, you probably fall into among these camps:

You’ve never ever sent out an e-newsletter, however you’re itching to start– beehiiv’s free plan and instinctive devices are best for learning the ropes.
You have a tiny list (< 2,500) and want to monetize without frustrations-- beehiiv's ad network and boosts pay you for doing nearly nothing extra.
You’re a mid-sized developer (1k+ customers) seeking to scale– beehiiv’s analytics, AI tools, and referral program help you expand quicker and make a lot more.
You despise intricate e-mail systems– beehiiv strikes a balance between powerful features and easy to use style.

Certain, the feature collection can feel discouraging in the beginning, and you could obtain a couple of unnecessary advertisement demands. Yet consider this: in under a year, I made almost $1,000 on a small listing and over $5,000 in associate commissions just by sharing my experience. I have actually seen sufficient to know that if you invest a bit of time learning the platform, the returns can be substantial.

So, what are you awaiting? Register for beehiiv, explore the dashboard, and let the monetization engines turn. Your future self will certainly thank you when the checks roll in.