When it came time to choose a brand-new e-mail system, I didn’t want “adequate.” I needed something much better– something built for development, smarter money making, and a smoother experience overall. After virtually a years helping others with e-mail marketing (and 2 years running my own newsletter), I wasn’t looking for simply a device– I was hunting for a proper companion Beehiiv Vs Newspack.
And that’s exactly how Beehiiv entered the picture.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t Beehiiv simply an additional Substack option?” I assumed that too in the beginning. But after three months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I have actually obtained a lot to state– both the victories and the strange quirks. If you’re trying to determine whether Beehiiv is the ideal platform for you, resolve in. You’re about to get the whole story.
Why I Left My Old Email Tool Behind
Let’s be sincere– most email company (ESPs) are built like they’re still stuck in 2013. I needed a device that can actually aid grow my checklist and make some money while I was at it. My old ESP just had not been sufficing anymore.
So I started contrasting choices. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the typical suspects. Each had its benefits, yet I was taking a look at this through the lens of someone who takes e-mail seriously– and who desired full control over my audience and web content.
The Substack Problem: Looks Good Till You Look Closer
Substack was my first stop. It’s polished. It’s straightforward. And yeah, it’s preferred.
But dig a little much deeper, and fractures begin showing. The largest one? You do not really own your fans.
That “comply with” switch you see on Substack? It’s mostly smoke and mirrors. Those followers live behind a wall– inside the Substack app or on their site. You can’t email them directly. Can’t export them. You’re basically renting out a target market you can never ever fully reach.
It resembles carrying out on a stage where the lights only activate if the venue chooses to let the crowd see you. Doesn’t really feel great.
And then there’s the cash side. Substack takes 10% off your paid registrations. Stripe takes one more 3%. That’s 13% of your earnings– gone. You would certainly believe they were running a club, not an email platform.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, However Was It As well Good to Be Real?
So what made Beehiiv stand out?
In the beginning, it was the pledge of creator-first features– like better monetization, smarter listing development tools, and absolutely no system costs (besides the typical Stripe cut). But promises are simple. Implementation? That’s where it obtains real.
Still, the evaluations were encouraging. The Reddit strings didn’t seem like robots or brand plants. And the onboarding? Surprisingly smooth.
I figured, “Why not?” and took the leap.
Getting Set Up on Beehiiv
Let me inform you– moving to a brand-new platform generally seems like pulling teeth. Yet Beehiiv? Surprisingly pain-free.
Importing my checklist? Smooth. Establishing kinds? No crises. Linking my custom domain? A few small hiccups, yet absolutely nothing that called for swearing at the screen.
One thing I really appreciated was the “domain warming” feature. Beehiiv slowly presents your domain to inbox companies, piggybacking off their very own sending out domain name. Translation? Fewer spam folder problems.
Likewise, their support web content– videos, help docs, and walkthroughs– in fact felt human. Like someone sat down and claimed, “Let’s not discourage the hell out of our customers today.” Revitalizing.
Automation on Beehiiv: Beehiiv Vs Newspack
Currently below’s where things obtained a little … interesting.
Beehiiv’s automation system is suitable, however don’t anticipate it to compete with heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For example, each type can only be linked to a single automation. That makes it difficult to personalize welcome sequences based on exactly how someone signed up.
I ended up going full investigator mode– playing with segments, using separate landing pages, reading odd Reddit strings– just to construct a couple of customized workflows.
Is it workable? Definitely. Yet if you’re utilized to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional logic, this could seem like stepping back a bit.
Email Builder: Mainly Wonderful, However Not Perfect
I have actually obtained a little a love-hate relationship with Beehiiv’s e-mail builder.
Aesthetically? It’s slick. Drag, go down, format, preview– it feels like it was developed by someone who’s really written an e-newsletter or more.
But default templates took a couple of tweaks to get right. And below’s a curveball: Beehiiv e-mails can get huge. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb huge.
That implies your perfectly crafted message might get chopped in half if you’re not careful. I discovered this by hand– then decreased a rabbit hole of testing tools to optimize HTML dimension and prevent that feared clipping.
My best strategy?
- Downloading examination emails from Gmail and inspecting dimension
- Running the HTML through Parcel.io’s e-mail visitor
- Double-checking with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and structure
Little bit of a hand-operated process, however it functions. I even connected to Beehiiv regarding adding better dimension warnings. Fingers went across.
Right Stuff That Actually Relocations the Needle
Alright, let’s enter into the meat of it– what’s made a tangible distinction since switching to Beehiiv?
Audience Development
In simply three months, I included over 160 brand-new customers to a quite niche e-newsletter. That has to do with 60% more than what I was seeing before– and I had not been even running paid ads.
A lot of that development came from Beehiiv’s built-in devices: the referral program, Boosts (assume newsletter cross-promotions), and organic reach. You can in fact track what’s functioning and where subscribers are originating from. Makes tweaking your method a lot less complicated.
Monetization That Doesn’t Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s talk money since for most designers, it matters.
Beehiiv does not take a cut from your paid subscriptions. Simply Stripe’s cost. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% better than Substack (essentially).
However there’s more: their advertisement network is user-friendly and passive. Within three months, I was currently fielding interest from marketers. Beehiiv’s companion network connects developers with brands in such a way that does not feel sickening or compelled. It’s integrated earnings potential, simple and basic Beehiiv Vs Newspack.
And when I’m ready to release a premium membership? I recognize precisely what reduced I’ll get: all of it (minus Stripe).
Built-in Growth Tools
What truly establishes Beehiiv apart is that growth isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You’ve obtained personalized referral programs. Boosts for newsletter cross-promotion. Several landing pages for tracking lead sources. You can turn your visitors into supporters without hanging awkward boodle or single gimmicks.
I’ll say this: Beehiiv feels like a platform that desires you to succeed. Not one that just desires a piece of your pie.
Things I ‘d Still Like to See Improve
No platform is perfect, and Beehiiv’s obtained its peculiarities.
Support can be sluggish when you struck an odd insect or need deep aid.
Some automations still really feel too basic.
Email size surveillance requires far better in-app alerts (please and thanks).
No built-in countdown timers (long face if you love FOMO e-mails).
Ecommerce integrations? Essentially missing.
So if you’re selling physical items or want abandoned cart flows, Beehiiv most likely isn’t your best bet.
Final Thought
If you’re a designer who’s serious about newsletters– whether you’re generating income from, growing a checklist, or just tired of obsolete systems– Beehiiv’s a strong option.
You’ll like it if:
You desire complete possession of your audience
You’re looking to expand fast without paying system tax obligation
You want something that really feels built by designers, for designers
Will it fix every problem? No. However in 3 months, it’s assisted me expand quicker, make extra, and stress less about the little points.
So, should you attempt Beehiiv?
If you’re ready to quit clearing up and in fact scale your newsletter with genuine devices that respect your job and target market– yeah, I assume it’s time.
Go on. Offer it a spin. You just could fall in love like I did.