I have actually made use of a lot of different e-mail list systems over the years. In the last number of years, I’ve been a significant supporter of digital sovereignty and having your own platform. Because of that (and the remarkable features), I have actually been using Superhuman Beehiiv.
So, it is indeed an unusual move for me to determine to make use of BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is an organized application and I am paying monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I intend to discuss why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I wish to attend to the problem of digital sovereignty while making use of the system and I ‘d also like to resolve why I selected to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For E-newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my newsletter called My Hobby + A Big Shift In Strategy, I spoke about how and why I decided to turn my RV blog site right into largely an e-newsletter. I chose that was the business version I wanted to pursue with that said residential or commercial property.
Yet, to deliberately pursue it as a newsletter, I desired a system that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the email checklist for Gladly RV, but FluentCRM is not a newsletter platform. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, truthfully, using it for e-newsletters is a little bit of a waste. Much more on that in a bit.
As I claimed because issue of the e-newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a platform with devices constructed into it details to my purpose. Points such as:
- Capacity to publish (to the blog site) and send the e-mail concurrently without having it be two different activities.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly require a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Integrated capability to do cross-promotions with various other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are basically one-click registration links. Great for promo in various other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are methods to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to promote your e-newsletter.
- Built-in ad network, if I pick to monetize with ads in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and essentially run a premium newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Primarily, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter authors with features aimed at development. The system was literally developed by the individuals who accumulated the innovation for Early morning Brew. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the factor below. BeeHiiv is developed from scratch for the objective of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a various function.
And I finished off with this:.
I may indeed be moving The Side over to BeeHiiv as well. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. As a matter of fact, I just went for it. And as a matter of fact, The side was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, set off as it’s very own home to make sure that I can expand it more deliberately also.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s own media entity and grown separately. Happily RV was young, so very easy to change. Yet, The Early morning WP (previously The Edge) was hidden in a sea of things below at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s very own. It will clearly always be carefully connected with the Blog site Marketing Academy, however doesn’t need to be a part of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv because it was constructed for this function. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Just A Normal Email Checklist
There’s a difference in between an e-newsletter system and just an email list.
You can hold your e-mail checklist just about anywhere you desire and there are a variety of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The key distinction is that, with a newsletter platform, the act of publishing means that it is going to your web site and to your email clients all at once.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are publishing to that site. Yet, you are likewise sending off to all clients at the same time. The website and it’s customers are all in one. This makes administration of the platform much simpler.
With the majority of email systems, any type of e-newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is developed totally independently from your site. So, for example, you might publish an article to WordPress however after that you would certainly need to individually construct and send out an email to your list to send it to subscribers. These are after that two different collections of archives and 2 separate actions since blog posts and your e-mails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that turns WordPress into a true e-newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name due to the fact that it virtually “adhesives” your newsletter to your WordPress posts and enables them to be the exact same thing. Certainly, something like Newsletter Glue would be a solid choice if I wished to remain to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you ‘d shed the growth devices that feature a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter inherently includes a various set of requirements than a regular email listing.
You do not generally need much marketing automation. You don’t usually need autoresponder sequences, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO need, though, is one smooth publishing experience and growth devices to help you develop your customer base that specify to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I introduced to my clients that I was mosting likely to change the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was choosing it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the reality that I chose to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not suggest I assume Substack draws. As a matter of fact, due to the fact that Substack has actually been about longer, it is elder and has even more features.
Although BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair points that at first obtained my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is especially customized to e-newsletter authors. As a matter of fact, it is actually constructed by the same people that developed the technology behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real life, does not matter. However, the obvious positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter growth called me out over the more generic positioning of being a “designer”. Growth is what I have an interest in right here.
- That branding and differentiation also indicates that BeeHiiv has some relatively big brands and large magazines using it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo designers. Once more, it just tells me the consumer avatar distinction between both business.
Sending our my e-newsletter via FluentCRM really did not specifically suck. The only factor I would certainly consider trembling things up is if I assumed I might expand the list much faster. And BeeHiiv talked exactly to that goal.
Due to the targeting, I in fact do not check out BeeHiiv and Substack as direct rivals. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a different sort of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra direct competitors.
However, let’s dive deeper than just the positioning right here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
In general, BeeHiiv appears like it was developed by people who comprehending e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears extra geared toward developers.
For example, BeeHiiv supplies custom-made fields on subscribers. Now, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. But, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. Actually, it is a visual automation builder that works a lot like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still fairly restricted in triggers and the only activity is the ability to send an email. Nevertheless, improvements are coming. Soon enough, automations will certainly have new triggers in addition to brand-new actions, such as modifying custom areas, sending webhooks, etc. I’ve currently seen improvements to their automations just considering that I started utilizing the platform. For example:
- Ability to set off automations based on which specific embed kind they was available in on.
- Ability to instantly do re-engagement (and deal with individuals based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capacity to do fundamental conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations similar to this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can’t do this since the target audience of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an e-mail marketing expert.
When it concerns creating your e-newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is just a lot more tailored towards newsletters. As a matter of fact, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in how it works. I locate it to be a lot more intuitive, personally.
Substack’s writing interface is nice and tidy, but it would certainly be more equivalent to the traditional editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than simply type. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Section” and afterwards put anything you want in it. Then, you can place Exposure options on that section to reveal it only to paid clients, conceal it from e-mail, conceal from subscribers, reveal just to subscribers, etc. Substack offers nothing such as this.
And when/if the time comes that I begin a costs membership model, BeeHiiv does not take any type of income. Actually, you literally connect as much as your own Stripe account and it bills straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your revenue. Relying on the number of clients you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the month-to-month price of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This might seem nerdy, but what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv work with the outside using devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … absolutely nothing. No integrations at all.
On the whole, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was more built towards actual e-mail marketing. It was built by people that “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page makes seem much better developed for conversions. Development is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Even though there are still features I would like to see BeeHiiv include, I like the instructions it is going greater than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually claimed, Substack settings itself toward “creators” more than e-mail online marketers and e-newsletter proprietors. Because of that, you see some points tailored extra toward individuals who just think in terms of material production.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does support numerous magazines, they are treated rather individually. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to numerous magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I require, but … amazing for individuals that could require it.
Substack likewise has more social functionality built-in. For instance, it has a conversation function to host chats with clients. It additionally has a “Notes” function which functions sort of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share points from various other “Stacks” you read. Intriguing. Generally, Substack is established to be extra like a social media network which supports long-form content.
Generally, Substack is likewise more … minimalist. You either look after that or do not. Directly, I do not. Nevertheless, if the objective is simpleness of user interface and, frankly, features … Substack works rather well.
Yet, I’ll be clear below …
When it involves real marketing, I do not assume there’s much question that BeeHiiv is better suited. I tried to find more factors that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, yet frankly … I have a tough time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are usually with to be the closest rivals, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are pursuing the exact same target market and have comparable abilities.
ConvertKit is additionally positioned at designers (like Substack), but it is a lot more strongly catering to individuals who do it for business. ConvertKit has great visual automation structure, it’s own business system, and much more. ConvertKit is a really nice system.
I’m not going to bore you with a complete feature-by-feature failure here. ConvertKit is well known currently. However, below’s exactly how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
As of now, ConvertKit has much more adaptability when it comes to it’s automations. I will certainly also claim that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains identifying. This is just a standard function of email checklists that enables segmentation in a much more versatile means than BeeHiiv currently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to sustain labeling eventually soon, honestly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Superhuman Beehiiv.
ConvertKit does now provide the ability to offer points via their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it may be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would certainly always select a more direct alternative anyway. For me, I like to utilize my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around much longer and for that reason has way a lot more integration alternatives. Lots of online tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. For example, their plugin currently also supports member-gated web content as well as auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. In essence, this much more carefully places ConvertKit into straight competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your site and your e-mail list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is severely lacking in these kinds of third-party integrations right now. It’ll get there. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even busy dealing with the growth tools of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Referral Engine where you can not just incentivize people to share your newsletter with advantages, yet you can also pay per lead within the interior ad network of BeeHiiv to grow your checklist. These are really awesome features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you understand ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of one of the most popular viral promotion systems for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall surface wherefore this suggests for the system going forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Superhuman Beehiiv
BeeHiiv is much previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means much less features and less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. Nonetheless, it likewise indicates that they are swiftly developing.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have seen nearly once a week release of new features right into the platform. And these aren’t undersized little features … yet huge features that are fairly essential. Their speed of development at this moment has gone over.
I likewise significantly appreciate just how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, among their item statements regarding some design enhancements to the website design features in fact consisted of a tiny issue with the content width. I simply responded to that email to tell them. I promptly got a reply directly from the chief executive officer:.
That same day, the issue was fixed.
Few days later on, I provided another pointer …
Indeed, in a little bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to set off automations based upon the embed form made use of was included in the system.
That type of responsiveness and direct participation of the team is something I really value.
An additional major point of distinction here is the price. Both systems provide cost-free plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers much more capacity and more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
As soon as you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise even more favorable. ConvertKit seems less costly at first glimpse due to the fact that their pricing page reveals lower numbers, nonetheless the subscriber limits are FAR reduced and your price promptly boosts as your listing grows.
With BeeHiiv, your first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid annually), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. That same dimension listing is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I personally utilize), you can expand your checklist approximately 100,000. A listing of that size would certainly 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 each year, also. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv remains in an entirely different league when it comes to pricing (in a good way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually enhance rates? They might as time takes place. But, I’m thinking individuals like myself that are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see just how things continue.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among the things you certainly need to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is reasonably young. They do seem to evolve rather quickly and make new item announcements rather typically, however there are some standard features I actually wish they had that I require to just await.
One is that they need to have a setting on registration kinds where I can select an automation to run right at the form degree. That would be incredible for a lot of factors. Currently, subscription kinds look OK, yet there’s really little setups for them to aid in segmentation.
It would be nice to have tagging at the client level. This would be powerful.
I believe webhooks need to become part of automations to make built-in automations much easier and minimize reliance on outside tools like Zapier.
There are also some small management user interface adjustments that would certainly come in handy. For instance:
- Capacity to mass edit/remove customers.
- Capability to bulk edit articles (for example, to mark a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of standard areas as typical on clients (like the name).
- Some more personalization options for the site (such as more adaptable color choices, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Points I wish they make with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is respectable, yet it isn’t best and definitely not almost as established as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM item.
It possibly never ever will be, either. As I said, the function is various so it wouldn’t a lot a great deal of sense for BeeHiiv to end up being a full marketing automation platform. I guess you never ever understand, though.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Testimonial
I like BeeHiiv quite a lot. Enough where I determined to switch my own newsletters over to the platform regardless of my personal preference for digital sovereignty and possessing my very own system.
Basically, for the newsletter posting version particularly, I saw enough worth in their system to require the modification.
Bear in mind, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my exclusive e-mail list. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is proficient at, but I intentionally have things establish to make sure that I also keep my checklist “in home” inside of FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the exact same. It is just a great insurance coverage, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your list will be of high usage (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are utilizing Substack now, I ‘d definitely take into consideration switching to BeeHiiv. It will just be much more business-friendly. It is targeting various capacities and different needs. And also, BeeHiiv even has import devices for Substack, so the switch ought to be pretty simple.
If you are on ConvertKit currently, I ‘d probably stay unless you have a large e-mail list and are therefore being fleeced with their high month-to-month expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, however they are iterating promptly. There’s additionally a pretty good possibility you’re not also utilizing several of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you do not also need them. Because of that, BeeHiiv might quickly be a much better and more budget-friendly fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be extremely deliberate about expanding an e-newsletter, I think BeeHiiv is THE platform to take into consideration and keep and eye on for you.
If you utilize BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is developed to be, it is one of the very best video games around today. This is the system to view.
BeeHiiv uses a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth checking out on your own. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll locate the cost-free account to be quite feature abundant.