When it came time to pick a brand-new e-mail system, I really did not desire “good enough.” I needed something much better– something constructed for development, smarter monetization, and a smoother experience on the whole. After nearly a years assisting others with e-mail marketing (and two years running my own newsletter), I had not been trying to find just a tool– I was searching for a proper partner Beehiiv Investment.
Which’s exactly how Beehiiv entered the picture.
Now, I know what you’re believing: “Isn’t Beehiiv just one more Substack alternative?” I believed that also at first. However after three months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I have actually got a whole lot to say– both the victories and the weird quirks. If you’re trying to choose whether Beehiiv is the appropriate platform for you, settle in. You’re about to get the whole story.
Why I Left My Old Email Tool Behind
Let’s be truthful– most email company (ESPs) are built like they’re still embeded 2013. I required a tool that can actually aid grow my list and make some money while I went to it. My old ESP simply had not been sufficing anymore.
So I began comparing alternatives. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the common suspects. Each had its perks, but I was taking a look at this via the lens of somebody who takes e-mail seriously– and who desired full control over my target market and web content.
The Substack Problem: Looks Great Till You Look Closer
Substack was my first stop. It’s brightened. It’s basic. And yeah, it’s popular.
However dig a little much deeper, and fractures begin revealing. The most significant one? You do not really own your followers.
That “adhere to” switch you see on Substack? It’s mostly smoke and mirrors. Those followers live behind a wall surface– inside the Substack application or on their site. You can not email them directly. Can’t export them. You’re primarily renting out a target market you can never completely get to.
It’s like carrying out on a stage where the lights only turn on if the location decides to let the crowd see you. Doesn’t really feel terrific.
And then there’s the money side. Substack takes 10% off your paid subscriptions. Stripe takes one more 3%. That’s 13% of your earnings– gone. You ‘d believe they were running a bar, not an email platform.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, But Was It Too Great to Be Real?
So what made Beehiiv stick out?
In the beginning, it was the assurance of creator-first features– like better money making, smarter listing growth devices, and absolutely no platform costs (other than the usual Stripe cut). But promises are simple. Implementation? That’s where it gets real.
Still, the testimonials were motivating. The Reddit threads didn’t seem 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 platform generally seems like pulling teeth. But Beehiiv? Surprisingly painless.
Importing my listing? Smooth. Establishing forms? No disasters. Attaching my custom-made domain name? A few small missteps, yet absolutely nothing that needed swearing at the display.
One thing I really appreciated was the “domain warming” feature. Beehiiv gradually presents your domain to inbox companies, piggybacking off their very own sending out domain name. Translation? Fewer spam folder nightmares.
Additionally, their assistance material– video clips, aid docs, and walkthroughs– actually felt human. Like someone took a seat and said, “Let’s not annoy the heck out of our users today.” Revitalizing.
Automation on Beehiiv: Beehiiv Investment
Currently here’s where points got a little … interesting.
Beehiiv’s automation system is suitable, however do not anticipate it to compete with heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For example, each kind can just be linked to a single automation. That makes it difficult to customize welcome sequences based on how someone joined.
I wound up going full detective mode– playing with sectors, using different landing pages, reading rare Reddit threads– simply to construct a couple of tailored workflows.
Is it doable? Absolutely. But if you’re used to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional reasoning, this might feel like stepping back a bit.
Email Builder: Mostly Excellent, Yet Not Perfect
I’ve got a little a love-hate relationship with Beehiiv’s email builder.
Visually? It’s glossy. Drag, go down, layout, preview– it seems like it was developed by someone who’s actually composed a newsletter or two.
But default templates took a couple of tweaks to solve. And here’s a curveball: Beehiiv emails can obtain big. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb huge.
That means your wonderfully crafted message could get sliced in half if you’re not cautious. I discovered this the hard way– after that decreased a rabbit hole of testing devices to maximize HTML dimension and stay clear of that dreaded clipping.
My go-to technique?
- Downloading examination emails from Gmail and examining dimension
- Running the HTML via Parcel.io’s email customer
- Ascertaining with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and structure
Little bit of a hand-operated procedure, yet it works. I even connected to Beehiiv concerning including better dimension warnings. Fingers went across.
Right Stuff That In Fact Moves the Needle
Alright, let’s enter into the meat of it– what’s made a substantial difference since changing to Beehiiv?
Target market Growth
In just three months, I included over 160 brand-new subscribers to a pretty particular niche newsletter. That has to do with 60% more than what I was seeing before– and I wasn’t even running paid advertisements.
Most of that growth came from Beehiiv’s integrated tools: the referral program, Boosts (think e-newsletter cross-promotions), and organic reach. You can really track what’s working and where clients are originating from. Makes tweaking your approach a lot less complicated.
Monetization That Doesn’t Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s speak money due to the fact that for most developers, it matters.
Beehiiv does not take a cut from your paid memberships. Simply Stripe’s fee. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% much better than Substack (literally).
Yet there’s even more: their advertisement network is user-friendly and passive. Within three months, I was already fielding rate of interest from marketers. Beehiiv’s partner network attaches creators with brand names in a manner that doesn’t really feel sickening or forced. It’s built-in earnings potential, plain and basic Beehiiv Investment.
And when I’m ready to introduce a costs registration? I understand exactly what reduced I’ll obtain: all of it (minus Stripe).
Integrated Development Tools
What actually establishes Beehiiv apart is that development isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You’ve obtained adjustable referral programs. Boosts for newsletter cross-promotion. Multiple landing pages for tracking lead resources. You can turn your viewers into supporters without hanging uncomfortable swag or single tricks.
I’ll state this: Beehiiv feels like a system that wants you to do well. Not one that just wants an item of your pie.
Things I ‘d Still Like to See Improve
No system is ideal, and Beehiiv’s got its peculiarities.
Support can be slow-moving when you hit a weird insect or need deep aid.
Some automations still feel also standard.
Email dimension monitoring needs much better in-app alerts (please and thank you).
No integrated countdown timers (sad face if you enjoy FOMO emails).
Ecommerce integrations? Primarily nonexistent.
So if you’re selling physical items or want abandoned cart circulations, Beehiiv probably isn’t your best choice.
Final Thought
If you’re a maker who’s serious about e-newsletters– whether you’re generating income from, expanding a list, or just tired of obsolete systems– Beehiiv’s a solid selection.
You’ll like it if:
You desire complete ownership of your audience
You’re aiming to grow quickly without paying platform tax obligation
You desire something that feels developed by developers, for developers
Will it fix every problem? No. However in 3 months, it’s helped me expand faster, earn much more, and tension much less about the little things.
So, should you try Beehiiv?
If you prepare to stop resolving and really scale your e-newsletter with genuine tools that appreciate your job and audience– yeah, I assume it’s time.
Take place. Give it a spin. You simply may fall in love like I did.