When it came time to pick a brand-new e-mail platform, I really did not desire “adequate.” I required something much better– something constructed for growth, smarter money making, and a smoother experience generally. After almost a decade aiding others with e-mail marketing (and two years running my very own newsletter), I wasn’t looking for simply a tool– I was hunting for an appropriate companion Beehiiv Outage.
Which’s how Beehiiv entered the picture.
Now, I understand what you’re assuming: “Isn’t Beehiiv simply an additional Substack choice?” I assumed that also in the beginning. But after three months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I have actually got a lot to claim– both the success and the unusual traits. If you’re attempting to determine whether Beehiiv is the appropriate platform for you, clear up in. You will get the whole story.
Why I Left My Old Email Tool Behind
Let’s be truthful– most email company (ESPs) are developed like they’re still embeded 2013. I needed a tool that could actually assist expand my checklist and make some cash while I went to it. My old ESP just had not been cutting it any longer.
So I started comparing choices. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the common suspects. Each had its perks, but I was taking a look at this with the lens of a person who takes e-mail seriously– and who desired full control over my audience and material.
The Substack Trouble: Looks Good Until You Look Closer
Substack was my initial quit. It’s polished. It’s straightforward. And yeah, it’s prominent.
But dig a little deeper, and fractures begin revealing. The biggest one? You don’t actually have your followers.
That “adhere to” switch you see on Substack? It’s primarily smoke and mirrors. Those fans live behind a wall surface– inside the Substack application or on their website. You can not email them directly. Can not export them. You’re primarily renting a target market you can never totally get to.
It resembles doing on a phase where the lights only switch on if the venue makes a decision to let the crowd see you. Doesn’t really feel fantastic.
And then there’s the cash side. Substack takes 10% off your paid registrations. Stripe takes another 3%. That’s 13% of your revenue– gone. You would certainly think they were running a club, not an email platform.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, But Was It As well Excellent to Be Real?
So what made Beehiiv attract attention?
At first, it was the promise of creator-first features– like better money making, smarter listing growth devices, and no system fees (aside from the common Stripe cut). However pledges are very easy. Implementation? That’s where it obtains real.
Still, the testimonials were encouraging. The Reddit strings didn’t sound like crawlers 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 platform generally feels like drawing teeth. However Beehiiv? Remarkably painless.
Importing my checklist? Smooth. Setting up forms? No disasters. Linking my personalized domain? A couple of minor missteps, yet nothing that needed swearing at the screen.
One thing I truly appreciated was the “domain warming” feature. Beehiiv slowly presents your domain name to inbox companies, piggybacking off their own sending domain name. Translation? Fewer spam folder headaches.
Also, their support content– video clips, help docs, and walkthroughs– in fact felt human. Like someone sat down and said, “Let’s not annoy the hell out of our customers today.” Refreshing.
Automation on Beehiiv: Beehiiv Outage
Currently here’s where points got a little … interesting.
Beehiiv’s automation system is respectable, but do not anticipate it to compete with heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For instance, each kind can only be linked to a single automation. That makes it complicated to individualize welcome series based on just how a person subscribed.
I wound up going full investigator setting– dabbling with sections, utilizing different landing pages, checking out unknown Reddit strings– simply to develop a few tailored workflows.
Is it practical? Absolutely. However if you’re utilized to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional reasoning, this might feel like going back a bit.
Email Builder: Primarily Fantastic, Yet Not Perfect
I’ve got a little a love-hate connection 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 written an e-newsletter or more.
However default templates took a few tweaks to solve. And here’s a curveball: Beehiiv e-mails can get huge. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb big.
That indicates your beautifully crafted message could get chopped in half if you’re not careful. I discovered this the hard way– after that went down a rabbit hole of screening tools to optimize HTML size and avoid that feared clipping.
My go-to approach?
- Downloading test emails from Gmail and checking size
- Running the HTML with Parcel.io’s email visitor
- Confirming with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and framework
Little a hand-operated process, however it functions. I even reached out to Beehiiv concerning adding far better size warnings. Fingers went across.
Right Stuff That Really Relocations the Needle
Alright, let’s enter into the meat of it– what’s made a concrete difference since switching over to Beehiiv?
Audience Growth
In just 3 months, I added over 160 new customers to a rather niche e-newsletter. That’s about 60% more than what I was seeing in the past– and I had not been even running paid ads.
A lot of that growth came from Beehiiv’s built-in devices: the referral program, Boosts (assume e-newsletter cross-promotions), and natural reach. You can in fact track what’s functioning and where clients are coming from. Makes tweaking your strategy a great deal less complicated.
Money Making That Doesn’t Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s chat money since for most developers, it matters.
Beehiiv does not take a cut from your paid subscriptions. Just Stripe’s fee. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% far better than Substack (actually).
Yet there’s even more: their advertisement network is user-friendly and passive. Within 3 months, I was currently fielding rate of interest from marketers. Beehiiv’s companion network attaches creators with brand names in a manner that doesn’t really feel sickening or forced. It’s built-in income possibility, plain and basic Beehiiv Outage.
And when I prepare to introduce a premium membership? I recognize precisely what reduced I’ll get: all of it (minus Stripe).
Integrated Development Tools
What actually establishes Beehiiv apart is that growth isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You have actually obtained personalized referral programs. Boosts for e-newsletter cross-promotion. Numerous landing pages for tracking lead resources. You can transform your viewers right into advocates without dangling unpleasant boodle or one-time gimmicks.
I’ll say this: Beehiiv feels like a system that wants you to succeed. Not one that simply desires a piece of your pie.
Points I ‘d Still Like to See Improve
No system is excellent, and Beehiiv’s obtained its peculiarities.
Assistance can be sluggish when you hit an unusual insect or need deep help.
Some automations still really feel also fundamental.
Email dimension monitoring needs far better in-app notifies (please and thank you).
No built-in countdown timers (long face if you enjoy FOMO emails).
Ecommerce integrations? Basically nonexistent.
So if you’re selling physical products or want abandoned cart circulations, Beehiiv probably isn’t your best option.
Final Thought
If you’re a developer who’s serious about e-newsletters– whether you’re generating income from, growing a checklist, or just tired of obsolete platforms– Beehiiv’s a solid selection.
You’ll like it if:
You desire full ownership of your target market
You’re looking to grow quickly without paying platform tax obligation
You desire something that feels built by makers, for creators
Will it resolve every issue? No. But in 3 months, it’s aided me grow much faster, earn a lot more, and stress much less concerning the little things.
So, should you attempt Beehiiv?
If you prepare to stop working out and in fact range your newsletter with genuine devices that respect your work and audience– yeah, I believe it’s time.
Go on. Give it a spin. You simply might fall in love like I did.