When it came time to pick a brand-new email system, I really did not want “adequate.” I needed something better– something built for growth, smarter monetization, and a smoother experience in general. After nearly a years helping others with email marketing (and 2 years running my own e-newsletter), I wasn’t trying to find just a tool– I was searching for an appropriate partner Make Money with Beehiiv.
Which’s how Beehiiv went into the picture.
Now, I understand what you’re thinking: “Isn’t Beehiiv simply another Substack choice?” I assumed that too initially. However after 3 months of kicking the tires and diving deep, I’ve obtained a whole lot to claim– both the success and the strange peculiarities. If you’re attempting 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 Device Behind
Let’s be straightforward– most email company (ESPs) are built like they’re still stuck in 2013. I required a device that can in fact assist grow my list and make some cash while I was at it. My old ESP just had not been sufficing any longer.
So I started comparing options. Beehiiv, Substack, Kit … the typical suspects. Each had its benefits, but I was considering this through the lens of someone who takes email seriously– and who desired full control over my audience and content.
The Substack Problem: Looks Good Up Until You Look Closer
Substack was my initial quit. It’s polished. It’s straightforward. And yeah, it’s popular.
However dig a little much deeper, and cracks start revealing. The largest one? You don’t in fact own your fans.
That “adhere to” switch you see on Substack? It’s mostly smoke and mirrors. Those followers live behind a wall– inside the Substack app or on their website. You can’t email them directly. Can’t export them. You’re basically renting an audience you can never fully reach.
It’s like executing on a stage where the lights just switch on if the location makes a decision to allow the group see you. Doesn’t feel great.
And afterwards there’s the money side. Substack takes 10% off your paid subscriptions. Stripe takes an additional 3%. That’s 13% of your earnings– gone. You ‘d believe they were running a bar, not an e-mail platform.
So yeah, Substack? A no for me.
Beehiiv Looked Promising, Yet Was It Also Great to Be Real?
So what made Beehiiv stand apart?
At first, it was the promise of creator-first features– like better money making, smarter checklist growth devices, and zero platform fees (in addition to the common Stripe cut). However assurances are very easy. Implementation? That’s where it obtains real.
Still, the evaluations were encouraging. The Reddit strings really did not seem 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 tell you– migrating to a new system usually seems like pulling teeth. However Beehiiv? Remarkably painless.
Importing my list? Smooth. Setting up types? No crises. Attaching my custom domain name? A couple of minor hiccups, yet nothing that called for swearing at the display.
Something I actually appreciated was the “domain warming” feature. Beehiiv progressively presents your domain name to inbox service providers, piggybacking off their own sending out domain name. Translation? Fewer spam folder problems.
Also, their assistance material– video clips, assistance docs, and walkthroughs– in fact really felt human. Like someone took a seat and stated, “Let’s not discourage the hell out of our individuals today.” Revitalizing.
Automation on Beehiiv: Make Money with Beehiiv
Now right here’s where things got a little … intriguing.
Beehiiv’s automation system is suitable, however do not anticipate it to compete with heavyweight platforms like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. For instance, each form can just be linked to a single automation. That makes it complicated to customize welcome sequences based on just how someone registered.
I wound up going complete investigative setting– dabbling with sections, using separate landing pages, reading rare Reddit threads– just to construct a couple of customized workflows.
Is it manageable? Definitely. But if you’re utilized to drag-and-drop flowcharts with conditional logic, this may seem like stepping back a bit.
Email Builder: Mostly Wonderful, But Not Perfect
I’ve got a little a love-hate connection with Beehiiv’s e-mail builder.
Visually? It’s glossy. Drag, drop, style, preview– it feels like it was developed by someone who’s actually created an e-newsletter or 2.
However default templates took a couple of tweaks to get right. And below’s a curveball: Beehiiv emails can get big. Like, Gmail-clipping-at-102kb big.
That means your beautifully crafted message might obtain chopped in half if you’re not cautious. I learned this by hand– then went down a rabbit hole of testing tools to optimize HTML dimension and avoid that feared clipping.
My go-to technique?
- Downloading and install test emails from Gmail and examining dimension
- Running the HTML through Parcel.io’s email visitor
- Double-checking with Aboutmy.email for deliverability and structure
Little a hand-operated procedure, yet it functions. I also connected to Beehiiv regarding adding far better dimension warnings. Fingers crossed.
Right Stuff That Really Relocations the Needle
Alright, let’s get into the meat of it– what’s made a concrete difference given that switching to Beehiiv?
Target market Growth
In simply three months, I included over 160 brand-new clients to a pretty specific niche newsletter. That has to do with 60% greater than what I was seeing before– and I wasn’t also running paid advertisements.
The majority of that growth came from Beehiiv’s integrated tools: the referral program, Boosts (believe e-newsletter cross-promotions), and organic reach. You can really track what’s functioning and where customers are coming from. Makes tweaking your strategy a great deal easier.
Monetization That Does Not Nickel-and-Dime You
Let’s speak cash due to the fact that for a lot of designers, it matters.
Beehiiv does not take a cut from your paid memberships. Simply Stripe’s charge. That’s it. That alone makes it 10% much better than Substack (essentially).
But there’s more: their ad network is instinctive and passive. Within three months, I was already fielding interest from marketers. Beehiiv’s partner network attaches designers with brands in such a way that doesn’t really feel sickening or forced. It’s integrated income capacity, ordinary and straightforward Make Money with Beehiiv.
And when I’m ready to release a costs registration? I understand precisely what reduced I’ll obtain: all of it (minus Stripe).
Built-in Growth Tools
What truly sets Beehiiv apart is that development isn’t an afterthought– it’s baked in.
You have actually obtained personalized referral programs. Boosts for e-newsletter cross-promotion. Several landing pages for tracking lead sources. You can turn your visitors into advocates without hanging uncomfortable boodle or single gimmicks.
I’ll claim this: Beehiiv seems like a system that wants you to be successful. Not one that just wants an item of your pie.
Things I ‘d Still Like to See Improve
No platform is best, and Beehiiv’s got its traits.
Assistance can be sluggish when you struck a strange bug or require deep aid.
Some automations still feel also standard.
Email size monitoring needs better in-app informs (please and thank you).
No integrated countdown timers (long face if you love FOMO e-mails).
Ecommerce integrations? Primarily nonexistent.
So if you’re selling physical products or desire abandoned cart circulations, Beehiiv probably isn’t your best bet.
Verdict
If you’re a developer who’s serious about e-newsletters– whether you’re monetizing, growing a checklist, or simply tired of obsolete platforms– Beehiiv’s a solid selection.
You’ll like it if:
You desire complete ownership of your target market
You’re looking to grow fast without paying platform tax
You want something that feels built by developers, for creators
Will it resolve every problem? No. But in three months, it’s assisted me expand faster, make more, and tension much less about the little things.
So, should you try Beehiiv?
If you’re ready to stop working out and in fact scale your newsletter with genuine tools that appreciate your job and audience– yeah, I assume it’s time.
Go on. Offer it a spin. You simply could fall in love like I did.