When it came time to select a new email system, I didn’t want “adequate.” I needed something much better– something constructed for development, smarter money making, and a smoother experience on the whole. After almost a years assisting others with e-mail marketing (and 2 years running my own e-newsletter), I wasn’t looking for simply a device– I was searching for a correct companion How Many Publications Can I Have on Beehiiv.
Which’s exactly how Beehiiv got in the picture.
Now, I know what you’re assuming: “Isn’t Beehiiv simply another Substack choice?” I thought that too in the beginning. Yet after three months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I have actually got a lot to say– both the success and the unusual peculiarities. If you’re trying to decide whether Beehiiv is the appropriate system for you, clear up in. You’re about to get the whole story.
Why I Left My Old Email Tool Behind
Let’s be truthful– most email service providers (ESPs) are constructed like they’re still stuck in 2013. I required a device that can actually assist grow my list and make some cash while I went to it. My old ESP just had not been sufficing any longer.
So I began contrasting alternatives. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the normal suspects. Each had its perks, yet I was considering this with the lens of someone who takes e-mail seriously– and who desired full control over my target market and material.
The Substack Problem: Looks Great Until You Look Closer
Substack was my initial stop. It’s brightened. It’s simple. And yeah, it’s prominent.
Yet dig a little much deeper, and fractures start revealing. The greatest one? You don’t in fact own your followers.
That “follow” button you see on Substack? It’s mostly smoke and mirrors. Those followers live behind a wall– inside the Substack application or on their site. You can not email them directly. Can’t export them. You’re primarily leasing a target market you can never ever totally get to.
It resembles executing on a phase where the lights only switch on if the place determines to let the crowd see you. Doesn’t feel terrific.
And after that there’s the cash side. Substack takes 10% off your paid subscriptions. Stripe takes one more 3%. That’s 13% of your revenue– gone. You ‘d believe they were running a bar, not an e-mail system.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, Yet Was It Too Great to Be Real?
So what made Beehiiv stand apart?
At first, it was the pledge of creator-first features– like better money making, smarter list growth tools, and zero platform charges (aside from the common Stripe cut). Yet assurances are easy. Execution? That’s where it gets real.
Still, the reviews were encouraging. The Reddit threads really did not sound like bots or brand plants. And the onboarding? Remarkably smooth.
I figured, “Why not?” and took the leap.
Getting Set Up on Beehiiv
Let me tell you– moving to a brand-new system typically feels like pulling teeth. However Beehiiv? Remarkably painless.
Importing my checklist? Smooth. Establishing forms? No disasters. Linking my custom domain name? A couple of small missteps, but absolutely nothing that called for swearing at the display.
One thing I really appreciated was the “domain name warming” feature. Beehiiv progressively presents your domain to inbox service providers, piggybacking off their own sending out domain. Translation? Fewer spam folder problems.
Additionally, their assistance material– video clips, assistance docs, and walkthroughs– really really felt human. Like somebody sat down and stated, “Let’s not discourage the heck out of our users today.” Refreshing.
Automation on Beehiiv: How Many Publications Can I Have on Beehiiv
Currently here’s where points got a little … interesting.
Beehiiv’s automation system is decent, however do not anticipate it to take on heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For instance, each kind can just be connected to a solitary automation. That makes it tricky to individualize welcome series based on exactly how someone registered.
I wound up going full detective mode– tinkering with sectors, making use of separate landing pages, checking out obscure Reddit strings– just to construct a couple of tailored workflows.
Is it manageable? Absolutely. Yet if you’re used to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional logic, this may feel like going back a bit.
Email Builder: Mainly Great, Yet Not Perfect
I’ve obtained a little a love-hate relationship with Beehiiv’s email builder.
Aesthetically? It’s glossy. Drag, drop, style, preview– it feels like it was created by a person who’s really written an e-newsletter or two.
However default templates took a couple of tweaks to get right. And below’s a curveball: Beehiiv e-mails can obtain big. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb big.
That suggests your perfectly crafted message may obtain sliced in half if you’re not mindful. I learned this by hand– then went down a rabbit hole of testing tools to maximize HTML dimension and avoid that dreaded clipping.
My go-to method?
- Downloading examination e-mails from Gmail and checking dimension
- Running the HTML with Parcel.io’s e-mail viewer
- Confirming with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and structure
Little a hands-on procedure, however it works. I even reached out to Beehiiv concerning adding much better dimension cautions. Fingers went across.
Right Stuff That Actually Moves the Needle
Alright, let’s enter the meat of it– what’s made a tangible difference because switching to Beehiiv?
Audience Growth
In simply 3 months, I included over 160 brand-new customers to a pretty specific 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 integrated tools: the referral program, Boosts (assume newsletter cross-promotions), and organic reach. You can really track what’s working and where clients are originating from. Makes tweaking your strategy a great deal easier.
Monetization That Does Not Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s chat money because for the majority of developers, it matters.
Beehiiv doesn’t take a cut from your paid subscriptions. Just Stripe’s cost. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% far better than Substack (actually).
However there’s more: their advertisement network is intuitive and passive. Within three months, I was currently fielding rate of interest from advertisers. Beehiiv’s partner network attaches developers with brand names in such a way that doesn’t feel sickening or required. It’s built-in income capacity, ordinary and straightforward How Many Publications Can I Have on Beehiiv.
And when I’m ready to introduce a costs registration? I know precisely what reduced I’ll obtain: all of it (minus Stripe).
Built-in Growth Tools
What truly sets Beehiiv apart is that growth isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You have actually obtained customizable referral programs. Boosts for newsletter cross-promotion. Several landing pages for tracking lead sources. You can transform your visitors right into supporters without dangling uncomfortable swag or single tricks.
I’ll say this: Beehiiv feels like a system that wants you to succeed. Not one that just desires an item of your pie.
Points I would certainly Still Like to See Improve
No system is ideal, and Beehiiv’s got its quirks.
Assistance can be sluggish when you struck a strange insect or require deep aid.
Some automations still really feel also standard.
Email size surveillance needs much better in-app alerts (please and thank you).
No built-in countdown timers (sad face if you like FOMO e-mails).
Ecommerce integrations? Primarily missing.
So if you’re selling physical products or desire abandoned cart circulations, Beehiiv possibly isn’t your best bet.
Conclusion
If you’re a developer who’s serious about newsletters– whether you’re generating income from, growing a checklist, or just tired of obsolete platforms– Beehiiv’s a strong option.
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 really feels built by designers, for makers
Will it fix every issue? No. However in 3 months, it’s assisted me expand quicker, earn a lot more, and stress much less concerning the little things.
So, should you try Beehiiv?
If you prepare to stop settling and actually scale your newsletter with actual tools that appreciate your work and target market– yeah, I believe it’s time.
Go on. Give it a spin. You simply may fall in love like I did.