I have actually made use of a lot of different email list systems over the years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a significant proponent of digital sovereignty and possessing your very own system. For that reason (and the amazing features), I have actually been making use of Search Beehiiv Newsletters.
So, it is indeed a weird move for me to decide to utilize BeeHiiv. After all, it is an organized application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I intend to look at why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I want to deal with the problem of digital sovereignty while utilizing the system and I ‘d likewise like to address why I chose to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For Newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my newsletter called My Leisure activity + A Huge Shift In Technique, I spoke about exactly how and why I decided to turn my RV blog site right into largely an e-newsletter. I made a decision that was the business version I wished to go after with that said residential or commercial property.
Yet, to deliberately seek it as a newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was using FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Gladly recreational vehicle, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, frankly, using it for e-newsletters is a little bit of a waste. More on that particular in a little bit.
As I said in that issue of the newsletter …
Put simply, BeeHiiv is a system with tools built into it certain to my purpose. Points such as:
- Capability to publish (to the blog) and send the e-mail simultaneously without having it be 2 separate actions.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Integrated ability to do cross-promotions with various other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are basically one-click registration links. Great for promotion in various other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, however, so there are means to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your newsletter.
- Integrated ad network, if I choose to monetize with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and essentially run a costs newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Essentially, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features aimed at growth. The system was essentially developed by the individuals that developed the modern technology for Early morning Mixture. They know what they’re doing.
That is the factor here. BeeHiiv is built from scratch for the purpose of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a various objective.
And I finished off with this:.
I might certainly be relocating The Side over to BeeHiiv too. At the very least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. In fact, I just went all out. And as a matter of fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s very own property so that I can grow it much more deliberately as well.
The goal is that each newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded separately. Happily motor home was young, so very easy to shift. Yet, The Early morning WP (previously The Side) was hidden in a sea of stuff right here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s own. It will clearly always be closely connected with the Blog Marketing Academy, but does not need to be a part of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv because it was developed for this purpose. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Just A Typical Email Checklist
There’s a difference in between an e-newsletter platform and just an e-mail listing.
You can hold your email listing just about anywhere you want and there are a number of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The main distinction is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing indicates that it is mosting likely to your site and to your email clients at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are releasing to that website. But, you are likewise sending to all subscribers at the same time. The web site and it’s subscribers are done in one. This makes management of the platform much simpler.
With the majority of email systems, any kind of e-newsletter you established is done as an email campaign. It is developed entirely separately from your web site. So, as an example, you may release a post to WordPress yet after that you would certainly require to individually build and send an email to your listing to send it to clients. These are then two separate sets of archives and two separate activities because blog posts and your emails are not naturally connected.
The closest thing that turns WordPress into a real e-newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it practically “adhesives” your newsletter to your WordPress articles and allows them to be the very same point. Absolutely, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a strong option if I wished to continue to self-host whatever. Nevertheless, you would certainly shed the development tools that feature a system like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter naturally includes a various set of requirements than a common e-mail list.
You do not normally require much marketing automation. You do not generally need autoresponder series, event tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO requirement, though, is one seamless publishing experience and development devices to help you construct your subscriber base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my subscribers that I was going to change the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had lots of people ask me why I was picking it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the truth that I picked to go with BeeHiiv, that does not suggest I believe Substack sucks. Actually, due to the fact that Substack has actually been around much longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair things that originally obtained my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to newsletter publishers. In fact, it is actually built by the very same folks who constructed the modern technology behind Morning Brew. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, doesn’t matter. Yet, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter development called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “developer”. Development is what I’m interested in right here.
- That branding and distinction also indicates that BeeHiiv has some rather huge brand names and big publications using it. Whereas SubStack is aimed more at solo makers. Once more, it simply informs me the customer character difference in between both business.
Sending our my e-newsletter using FluentCRM really did not specifically draw. The only factor I would certainly contemplate trembling things up is if I thought I could GROW the listing quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke exactly to that goal.
As a result of the targeting, I in fact don’t check out BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a different type of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being much more direct rivals.
However, let’s dive deeper than simply the positioning below.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv seems like it was developed by people that understanding e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems much more geared toward developers.
As an example, BeeHiiv provides custom areas on clients. Now, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. Actually, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a lot like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still quite limited in triggers and the only activity is the ability to send out an e-mail. However, enhancements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will have brand-new triggers along with brand-new activities, such as customizing customized areas, sending webhooks, and so on. I have actually already seen improvements to their automations simply given that I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Capability to trigger automations based on which certain embed form they was available in on.
- Capability to instantly do re-engagement (and manage people based on opens and non-opens).
- Ability to do basic conditional reasoning branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack just can’t do this because the target market of Substack simply would not think to approach this like an e-mail online marketer.
When it concerns writing your e-newsletters, the writing user interface of BeeHiiv is simply extra tailored towards newsletters. As a matter of fact, it in fact has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in how it works. I locate it to be much more instinctive, personally.
Substack’s composing user interface is nice and tidy, but it would be a lot more comparable to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than simply type. For example, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Section” and then put anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Visibility alternatives on that area to show it just to paid subscribers, hide it from email, hide from customers, reveal only to subscribers, etc. Substack uses nothing like this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a premium membership design, BeeHiiv does not take any kind of income. In fact, you literally attach approximately your own Stripe account and it charges directly to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your earnings. Relying on the number of clients you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the regular monthly price of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This may seem nerdy, but what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv work with the outside utilizing tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack literally has … absolutely nothing. No integrations whatsoever.
Generally, I simply felt like BeeHiiv was more developed towards genuine e-mail marketing. It was constructed by individuals that “get it”. Also the opt-in types and the landing page makes seem far better built for conversions. Development is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv add, I such as the direction it is going more than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have claimed, Substack placements itself toward “creators” greater than email online marketers and newsletter proprietors. Therefore, you see some things tailored extra toward individuals who simply think in regards to content production.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does sustain several publications, they are dealt with rather individually. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to numerous publications at the same time. This isn’t something I require, but … cool for individuals that may need it.
Substack also has even more social functionality built-in. For instance, it has a chat feature to host chats with subscribers. It also has a “Notes” feature which works type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share things from other “Stacks” you read. Interesting. In general, Substack is established to be extra like a social network which sustains long-form web content.
Overall, Substack is likewise a lot more … minimalist. You either care for that or do not. Directly, I don’t. Nonetheless, if the objective is simplicity of interface and, honestly, features … Substack functions quite well.
But, I’ll be clear below …
When it involves actual marketing, I don’t assume there’s much uncertainty that BeeHiiv is better fit. I looked for more factors that make Substack far better than BeeHiiv, yet honestly … I have a difficult time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are typically with to be the closest competitors, I really see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer competitors. Both are pursuing the exact same target audience and have similar abilities.
ConvertKit is additionally placed at makers (like Substack), however it is a lot more highly accommodating people that do it for organization. ConvertKit has wonderful visual automation building, it’s own commerce platform, and a lot more. ConvertKit is a truly great platform.
I’m not going to bore you with a full feature-by-feature breakdown here. ConvertKit is popular currently. However, below’s how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Points ConvertKit Is Better At …
As of now, ConvertKit has extra versatility when it concerns it’s automations. I will additionally claim that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports marking. This is simply a basic feature of email listings that allows segmentation in a much more flexible method than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support tagging at some point quickly, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Search Beehiiv Newsletters.
ConvertKit does now supply the capability to market things by means of their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is necessary to you, it may be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would always choose an extra straight alternative anyhow. For me, I prefer to utilize my own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around much longer and because of that has way much more integration options. Tons of online devices and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is fairly powerful. For example, their plugin now also sustains member-gated web content along with auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. Essentially, this more carefully puts ConvertKit into direct competition by having you be able to publish to your site and your e-mail list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is badly lacking in these sort of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll get there. Yet, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even active dealing with the development tools of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Suggestion Engine where you can not just incentivize people to share your newsletter with rewards, yet you can additionally pay per lead within the interior ad network of BeeHiiv to grow your list. These are really remarkable features of BeeHiiv. But …
Did you understand ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is among the most popular viral promotion platforms for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall surface of what this means for the system going forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Search Beehiiv Newsletters
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests less features and less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. However, it also suggests that they are rapidly establishing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually experienced practically regular release of brand-new features right into the platform. And these aren’t puny little features … but big features that are fairly vital. Their rate of development at this point has actually been impressive.
I likewise quite appreciate how receptive they are. Actually, one of their product statements about some style enhancements to the web design features in fact included a little issue with the content size. I merely responded to that email to tell them. I swiftly obtained a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That same day, the problem was fixed.
Few days later on, I gave them another suggestion …
Certainly, in a little bit over a week of that exchange, the ability to set off automations based on the embed type utilized was contributed to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and straight involvement of the group is something I really value.
One more major factor of differentiation below is the price. Both systems provide free plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan uses extra ability and more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise FAR more beneficial. ConvertKit seems cheaper in the beginning glimpse due to the fact that their pricing web page reveals reduced numbers, however the subscriber limitations are FAR reduced and your price swiftly increases as your checklist grows.
With BeeHiiv, your initial level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid annually), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 customers. That very same dimension list is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I directly utilize), you can expand your listing up to 100,000. A list of that size would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, too, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay annually, too. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv is in a totally different organization when it pertains to pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv at some point raise rates? They may as time goes on. However, I’m presuming people like myself who are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see just how things continue.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of things you most definitely require to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is reasonably young. They do seem to advance instead rapidly and make new product announcements rather frequently, yet there are some basic features I really desire they had that I need to simply wait on.
One is that they require to have a setting on subscription types where I can pick an automation to run right at the type level. That would be amazing for many reasons. Currently, membership types look OK, however there’s extremely little settings for them to aid in division.
It would be nice to have tagging at the client degree. This would be effective.
I think webhooks should be part of automations to make built-in automations less complicated and decrease dependence on outdoors tools like Zapier.
There are likewise some minor management user interface changes that would certainly come in handy. As an example:
- Capability to bulk edit/remove customers.
- Capacity to mass edit messages (for example, to mark a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a few fundamental areas as common on clients (like the name).
- Some even more customization alternatives for the website (such as more versatile color choices, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Points I wish they make with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t perfect and certainly not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM item.
It possibly never will certainly be, either. As I stated, the objective is various so it would not much a lot of sense for BeeHiiv to come to be a complete marketing automation platform. I presume you never recognize, though.
Final Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Testimonial
I like BeeHiiv quite a great deal. Enough where I chose to switch my own e-newsletters over to the system in spite of my personal choice for digital sovereignty and owning my own system.
Simply put, for the newsletter posting design specifically, I saw sufficient worth in their platform to require the change.
Bear in mind, I do not use BeeHiiv as my unique email checklist. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is proficient at, but I purposefully have points set up to make sure that I also keep my listing “in residence” inside of FluentCRM.
If you utilize BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the very same. It is just an excellent insurance plan, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your listing will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never will be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU utilize BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are utilizing Substack right now, I ‘d certainly consider switching over to BeeHiiv. It will simply be extra business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and different demands. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch needs to be pretty straightforward.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a large email checklist and are as a result being wooled with their high monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating promptly. There’s additionally a respectable possibility you’re not also utilizing several of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t also require them. Therefore, BeeHiiv can easily be a better and more budget-friendly fit.
Last but not least, if you plan to be extremely willful about growing an e-newsletter, I believe BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and keep and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is developed to be, it is one of the best video games around right now. This is the system to enjoy.
BeeHiiv supplies a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth looking into for yourself. And if you wind up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll locate the totally free account to be rather feature abundant.