When it came time to pick a brand-new email platform, I didn’t want “good enough.” I needed something much better– something constructed for development, smarter monetization, and a smoother experience in general. After virtually a decade helping others with email marketing (and 2 years running my very own newsletter), I had not been trying to find simply a tool– I was searching for a correct companion Beehiiv For Food Writers.
Which’s how Beehiiv went into the picture.
Now, I recognize what you’re thinking: “Isn’t Beehiiv just an additional Substack choice?” I thought that too in the beginning. Yet after 3 months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I’ve obtained a lot to state– both the victories and the strange quirks. If you’re trying to decide whether Beehiiv is the right platform for you, clear up in. You will get the whole story.
Why I Left My Old Email Device Behind
Let’s be straightforward– most email company (ESPs) are built like they’re still embeded 2013. I needed a device that could in fact assist grow my listing and make some money while I was at it. My old ESP just wasn’t sufficing anymore.
So I began comparing options. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the typical suspects. Each had its rewards, yet I was taking a look at this via the lens of a person who takes e-mail seriously– and who desired complete control over my audience and web content.
The Substack Trouble: Looks Excellent Up Until You Look Closer
Substack was my first stop. It’s polished. It’s easy. And yeah, it’s prominent.
Yet dig a little much deeper, and cracks start showing. The biggest one? You do not actually own your fans.
That “comply with” button you see on Substack? It’s mostly smoke and mirrors. Those fans live behind a wall surface– inside the Substack app or on their site. You can not email them straight. Can not export them. You’re essentially renting out an audience you can never totally reach.
It resembles executing on a phase where the lights just activate if the venue makes a decision to allow the crowd see you. Does not feel great.
And afterwards there’s the cash side. Substack takes 10% off your paid subscriptions. Stripe takes one more 3%. That’s 13% of your income– gone. You ‘d believe they were running a club, not an e-mail platform.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, But Was It As well Excellent to Be Real?
So what made Beehiiv stand apart?
Initially, it was the guarantee of creator-first features– like better money making, smarter list growth tools, and zero platform fees (apart from the typical Stripe cut). But pledges are simple. Implementation? That’s where it obtains real.
Still, the evaluations were encouraging. The Reddit threads didn’t seem like bots or brand name plants. And the onboarding? Surprisingly smooth.
I figured, “Why not?” and took the leap.
Readying Up on Beehiiv
Let me inform you– migrating to a new system usually seems like drawing teeth. Yet Beehiiv? Remarkably painless.
Importing my listing? Smooth. Establishing kinds? No crises. Connecting my customized domain name? A few small hiccups, but absolutely nothing that needed swearing at the screen.
Something I truly appreciated was the “domain name warming” feature. Beehiiv slowly introduces your domain name to inbox providers, piggybacking off their own sending domain. Translation? Less spam folder nightmares.
Additionally, their support web content– video clips, aid docs, and walkthroughs– actually really felt human. Like someone sat down and said, “Let’s not irritate the heck out of our customers today.” Revitalizing.
Automation on Beehiiv: Beehiiv For Food Writers
Currently here’s where things got a little … fascinating.
Beehiiv’s automation system is suitable, but don’t anticipate it to compete with heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For instance, each kind can only be attached to a solitary automation. That makes it tricky to customize welcome series based on just how a person signed up.
I ended up going full investigator setting– dabbling with segments, utilizing separate landing pages, reading odd Reddit threads– just to develop a few tailored workflows.
Is it achievable? Absolutely. But if you’re used to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional logic, this might seem like going back a little bit.
Email Builder: Primarily Fantastic, However Not Perfect
I have actually obtained a little a love-hate partnership with Beehiiv’s e-mail builder.
Visually? It’s glossy. Drag, drop, layout, preview– it feels like it was designed by somebody who’s in fact written a newsletter or more.
But default templates took a few tweaks to solve. And here’s a curveball: Beehiiv e-mails can obtain big. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb large.
That means your beautifully crafted message might get chopped in half if you’re not cautious. I learned this the hard way– after that decreased a rabbit hole of testing devices to optimize HTML size and stay clear of that dreaded clipping.
My best approach?
- Downloading examination emails from Gmail and checking size
- Running the HTML through Parcel.io’s e-mail viewer
- Confirming with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and framework
Little bit of a hand-operated procedure, but it works. I also reached out to Beehiiv about adding better size warnings. Fingers went across.
Right Stuff That Actually Steps the Needle
Alright, let’s get into the meat of it– what’s made a concrete difference given that switching over to Beehiiv?
Target market Development
In just three months, I added over 160 brand-new customers to a quite particular niche newsletter. That has to do with 60% more than what I was seeing previously– and I wasn’t also running paid ads.
The majority of that growth came from Beehiiv’s built-in devices: the referral program, Boosts (assume newsletter cross-promotions), and natural reach. You can actually track what’s functioning and where subscribers are coming from. Makes tweaking your strategy a great deal much easier.
Money Making That Doesn’t Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s speak money because for a lot of creators, it matters.
Beehiiv doesn’t take a cut from your paid subscriptions. Just Stripe’s charge. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% much better than Substack (essentially).
However there’s even more: their advertisement network is intuitive and passive. Within three months, I was already fielding interest from marketers. Beehiiv’s companion network links creators with brands in such a way that doesn’t really feel nasty or forced. It’s built-in income possibility, plain and basic Beehiiv For Food Writers.
And when I’m ready to release a costs subscription? I understand precisely what reduced I’ll obtain: all of it (minus Stripe).
Integrated Growth Tools
What actually sets Beehiiv apart is that growth isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You’ve got adjustable referral programs. Boosts for e-newsletter cross-promotion. Numerous landing pages for tracking lead sources. You can transform your visitors into advocates without dangling uncomfortable boodle or one-time gimmicks.
I’ll state this: Beehiiv seems like a system that wants you to do well. Not one that simply desires an item of your pie.
Things I ‘d Still Like to See Improve
No platform is perfect, and Beehiiv’s obtained its traits.
Support can be slow when you struck an unusual bug or need deep help.
Some automations still really feel too fundamental.
Email dimension surveillance requires far better in-app informs (please and thanks).
No integrated countdown timers (long face if you like FOMO emails).
Ecommerce integrations? Primarily missing.
So if you’re offering physical products or desire abandoned cart circulations, Beehiiv probably isn’t your best choice.
Final Thought
If you’re a creator who’s serious about e-newsletters– whether you’re generating income from, growing a list, or just tired of out-of-date systems– Beehiiv’s a solid option.
You’ll like it if:
You desire full ownership of your audience
You’re wanting to expand fast without paying platform tax obligation
You want something that feels developed by makers, for makers
Will it solve every issue? No. However in 3 months, it’s assisted me expand much faster, gain extra, and anxiety less concerning the little things.
So, should you try Beehiiv?
If you prepare to quit resolving and in fact scale your newsletter with real tools that value your work and target market– yeah, I assume it’s time.
Take place. Provide it a spin. You just could fall in love like I did.