When it came time to pick a new e-mail platform, I didn’t desire “sufficient.” I required something much better– something developed for development, smarter monetization, and a smoother experience on the whole. After nearly a years helping others with e-mail marketing (and 2 years running my very own e-newsletter), I had not been seeking just a tool– I was searching for an appropriate partner What Is The Difference Between Beehiiv and Ghost.
Which’s just how Beehiiv entered the picture.
Currently, I know what you’re assuming: “Isn’t Beehiiv just another Substack alternative?” I thought that also in the beginning. But after 3 months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I’ve got a whole lot to claim– both the victories and the weird peculiarities. If you’re trying to decide whether Beehiiv is the right platform for you, resolve in. You will get the whole story.
Why I Left My Old Email Tool Behind
Let’s be truthful– most email company (ESPs) are constructed like they’re still embeded 2013. I required a tool that might in fact help expand my checklist and make some cash while I went to it. My old ESP just had not been sufficing any longer.
So I started contrasting options. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the usual suspects. Each had its benefits, but I was taking a look at this with the lens of someone who takes email seriously– and who desired full control over my audience and material.
The Substack Problem: Looks Good Until You Look Closer
Substack was my very first quit. It’s brightened. It’s basic. And yeah, it’s prominent.
But dig a little much deeper, and splits start revealing. The largest one? You don’t actually possess your followers.
That “adhere to” switch you see on Substack? It’s primarily smoke and mirrors. Those followers live behind a wall surface– inside the Substack application or on their site. You can’t email them directly. Can not export them. You’re generally renting a target market you can never totally reach.
It’s like carrying out on a phase where the lights only activate if the venue makes a decision to let the crowd see you. Does not feel terrific.
And then there’s the money side. Substack takes 10% off your paid subscriptions. Stripe takes an additional 3%. That’s 13% of your income– gone. You would certainly think they were running a club, not an e-mail platform.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, However Was It As well Great to Be True?
So what made Beehiiv stand apart?
Initially, it was the assurance of creator-first features– like better money making, smarter listing development devices, and zero platform charges (aside from the normal Stripe cut). But pledges are easy. Execution? That’s where it gets real.
Still, the testimonials were motivating. The Reddit strings didn’t sound like robots or brand name plants. And the onboarding? Surprisingly smooth.
I figured, “Why not?” and took the jump.
Readying Up on Beehiiv
Let me tell you– moving to a brand-new system usually seems like pulling teeth. However Beehiiv? Remarkably painless.
Importing my list? Smooth. Setting up kinds? No meltdowns. Attaching my personalized domain name? A few minor hiccups, yet absolutely nothing that required swearing at the display.
Something I actually valued was the “domain name warming” feature. Beehiiv slowly presents your domain to inbox providers, piggybacking off their own sending out domain name. Translation? Fewer spam folder headaches.
Also, their support material– videos, assistance docs, and walkthroughs– actually really felt human. Like someone sat down and claimed, “Let’s not frustrate the hell out of our users today.” Refreshing.
Automation on Beehiiv: What Is The Difference Between Beehiiv and Ghost
Now here’s where points got a little … interesting.
Beehiiv’s automation system is suitable, however do not expect it to take on heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For example, each form can just be attached to a solitary automation. That makes it tricky to individualize welcome series based upon how someone joined.
I wound up going full detective setting– tinkering with sections, making use of separate landing pages, checking out obscure Reddit strings– simply to construct a few customized workflows.
Is it workable? Definitely. But if you’re utilized to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional logic, this could seem like going back a bit.
Email Builder: Primarily Terrific, However Not Perfect
I’ve got a bit of a love-hate relationship with Beehiiv’s e-mail builder.
Visually? It’s slick. Drag, go down, format, sneak peek– it feels like it was designed by somebody who’s actually created an e-newsletter or more.
But default templates took a couple of tweaks to get right. And here’s a curveball: Beehiiv e-mails can obtain big. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb large.
That means your beautifully crafted message may obtain chopped in half if you’re not careful. I learned this by hand– after that decreased a bunny opening of screening devices to maximize HTML dimension and prevent that dreadful clipping.
My best strategy?
- Downloading test e-mails from Gmail and examining size
- Running the HTML with Parcel.io’s e-mail customer
- Double-checking with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and framework
Bit of a manual procedure, but it works. I even connected to Beehiiv about including better size cautions. Fingers went across.
Right Stuff That Really Relocations the Needle
Alright, let’s get into the meat of it– what’s made a tangible distinction given that switching to Beehiiv?
Audience Development
In just 3 months, I included over 160 new subscribers to a pretty specific niche e-newsletter. That’s about 60% greater than what I was seeing previously– and I had not been also running paid ads.
Most of that development originated from Beehiiv’s built-in tools: the referral program, Boosts (think newsletter cross-promotions), and organic reach. You can really track what’s functioning and where clients are coming from. Makes tweaking your strategy a great deal simpler.
Money Making That Does Not Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s speak cash due to the fact that for a lot of designers, it matters.
Beehiiv doesn’t take a cut from your paid registrations. Just Stripe’s cost. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% far better than Substack (essentially).
Yet there’s more: their ad network is intuitive and passive. Within three months, I was currently fielding interest from marketers. Beehiiv’s partner network links makers with brands in a way that does not really feel sickening or compelled. It’s integrated revenue potential, ordinary and easy What Is The Difference Between Beehiiv and Ghost.
And when I’m ready to release a costs membership? I understand specifically what cut I’ll get: all of it (minus Stripe).
Built-in Development Devices
What actually establishes Beehiiv apart is that development isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You have actually got personalized referral programs. Boosts for newsletter cross-promotion. Multiple landing pages for tracking lead sources. You can turn your readers right into advocates without dangling uncomfortable boodle or one-time tricks.
I’ll say this: Beehiiv feels like a platform that desires you to do well. Not one that simply desires an item of your pie.
Things I would certainly Still Like to See Improve
No system is ideal, and Beehiiv’s got its quirks.
Support can be slow when you hit an odd pest or need deep aid.
Some automations still really feel too basic.
Email dimension monitoring needs far better in-app notifies (please and thank you).
No built-in countdown timers (long face if you love FOMO emails).
Ecommerce integrations? Essentially missing.
So if you’re selling physical products or want deserted cart flows, Beehiiv most likely isn’t your best option.
Verdict
If you’re a creator who’s serious about e-newsletters– whether you’re generating income from, growing a listing, or simply tired of obsolete platforms– Beehiiv’s a solid selection.
You’ll like it if:
You want full ownership of your target market
You’re aiming to grow quick without paying platform tax
You want something that really feels developed by makers, for designers
Will it fix every problem? No. However in three months, it’s aided me grow quicker, earn extra, and tension much less concerning the little things.
So, should you try Beehiiv?
If you’re ready to stop working out and actually scale your newsletter with real devices that respect your job and audience– yeah, I believe it’s time.
Take place. Give it a spin. You just might fall in love like I did.