I have actually used a great deal of different email list systems for many years. In the last couple of years, I have actually been a huge advocate of digital sovereignty and possessing your very own platform. Because of that (and the outstanding features), I have actually been making use of Beehiiv Abuse.
So, it is indeed a weird move for me to decide to make use of BeeHiiv. Besides, it is an organized application and I am paying monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I want to review why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to attend to the issue of digital sovereignty while using the platform and I would certainly also like to attend to why I chose to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Developed For Newsletters
In Issue # 435 of my newsletter called My Leisure activity + A Large Shift In Method, I talked about just how and why I decided to turn my motor home blog site right into largely an e-newsletter. I decided that was business model I wanted to go after with that residential property.
Yet, to intentionally seek it as an e-newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email checklist for Happily motor home, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, frankly, utilizing it for e-newsletters is a bit of a waste. A lot more on that in a bit.
As I said in that problem of the e-newsletter …
Put simply, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools constructed right into it specific to my objective. Things such as:
- Ability to release (to the blog site) and send out the e-mail at the same time without having it be 2 different actions.
- Integrated in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in ability to do cross-promotions with various other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Links”, which are basically one-click registration web links. Great for promo in other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Links, however, so there are ways to do that.
- Ability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to promote your e-newsletter.
- Built-in advertisement network, if I pick to monetize with advertisements in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in capacity to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and essentially run a costs newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Primarily, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features targeted at development. The platform was essentially constructed by the individuals that accumulated the modern technology for Early morning Mixture. They know what they’re doing.
That is the point right here. BeeHiiv is developed from the ground up for the purpose of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a various function.
And I ended off with this:.
I may indeed be moving The Edge over to BeeHiiv also. At least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. As a matter of fact, I just went for it. And in fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s own building to make sure that I can expand it more deliberately too.
The goal is that each newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded individually. Gladly motor home was young, so very easy to shift. Yet, The Early morning WP (previously The Side) was hidden in a sea of things here at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s own. It will undoubtedly always be very closely connected with the Blog site Marketing Academy, yet does not have to be a part of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was developed for this purpose. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Typical Email Listing
There’s a distinction between an e-newsletter system and simply an e-mail listing.
You can host your email list anyplace you desire and there are a variety of them around, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted choices like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The main difference is that, with a newsletter system, the act of posting suggests that it is mosting likely to your site and to your email clients simultaneously.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are releasing to that website. Yet, you are also sending to all customers at the same time. The site and it’s customers are done in one. This makes management of the system much easier.
With the majority of e-mail systems, any kind of e-newsletter you set up is done as an email campaign. It is constructed entirely independently from your website. So, for instance, you may release an article to WordPress yet after that you would require to individually construct and send out an email to your list to send it to clients. These are then two different sets of archives and two separate activities due to the fact that blog posts and your emails are not naturally connected.
The closest point that transforms WordPress into a real e-newsletter platform is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name because it practically “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress blog posts and permits them to be the very same thing. Certainly, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid choice if I wished to remain to self-host everything. Nevertheless, you would certainly shed the development devices that feature a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing a newsletter inherently includes a different set of demands than a normal email list.
You don’t usually require much marketing automation. You do not generally require autoresponder sequences, event monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO requirement, though, is one seamless publishing experience and growth devices to assist you build your subscriber base that specify to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my subscribers that I was going to switch the 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 selected to choose BeeHiiv, that does not mean I assume Substack draws. In fact, since Substack has actually been about longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Despite the fact that BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair things that initially obtained my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to e-newsletter authors. In fact, it is literally developed by the same individuals who developed the innovation behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real world, doesn’t matter. But, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter growth called me out over the more common positioning of being a “creator”. Growth is what I want below.
- That branding and differentiation likewise indicates that BeeHiiv has some fairly huge brand names and huge magazines utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed even more at solo developers. Once more, it just informs me the customer avatar difference between the two companies.
Sending our my newsletter through FluentCRM really did not exactly suck. The only factor I would certainly contemplate drinking points up is if I believed I might GROW the listing quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
Because of the targeting, I actually do not check out BeeHiiv and Substack as direct rivals. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a various type of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra straight rivals.
However, let’s dive deeper than simply the placing right here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Overall, BeeHiiv feels like it was developed by individuals who recognizing e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems extra tailored towards developers.
As an example, BeeHiiv offers customized areas on customers. Now, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv uses Automations. In fact, it is a visual automation builder that works a great deal 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 capability to send out an e-mail. Nevertheless, enhancements are coming. Quickly sufficient, automations will have brand-new triggers as well as brand-new actions, such as modifying custom fields, sending webhooks, etc. I’ve already seen improvements to their automations just because I started making use of the platform. For instance:
- Ability to activate automations based upon which specific embed type they can be found in on.
- Ability to immediately do re-engagement (and manage individuals based upon opens up and non-opens).
- Ability to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations similar to this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can not do this since the target market of Substack simply would not believe to approach this like an email marketing expert.
When it comes to creating your e-newsletters, the composing interface of BeeHiiv is simply extra geared toward e-newsletters. Actually, it actually has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in just how it functions. I locate it to be more instinctive, directly.
Substack’s composing interface is nice and tidy, yet it would be extra comparable to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is greater than just form. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Section” and afterwards placed anything you desire in it. After that, you can place Presence choices on that section to show it only to paid clients, hide it from e-mail, conceal from clients, show only to subscribers, etc. Substack provides absolutely nothing similar to this.
And when/if the moment comes that I start a premium subscription model, BeeHiiv does not take any type of revenue. In fact, you literally connect as much as your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your income. Relying on the number of subscribers you obtain, 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 may appear nerdy, yet what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv deal with the outside using devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations at all.
Generally, I simply felt like BeeHiiv was more developed toward actual email marketing. It was built by people who “get it”. Even the opt-in types and the landing page designs seem much better developed for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Even though there are still features I would love to see BeeHiiv include, I like the direction it is going greater than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually claimed, Substack settings itself toward “makers” more than e-mail marketing professionals and newsletter owners. For that reason, you see some things geared much more toward individuals that just believe in regards to material development.
As an example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain multiple publications, they are treated rather separately. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to numerous magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, however … trendy for individuals who might require it.
Substack additionally has even more social functionality built-in. For example, it has a conversation feature to host chats with subscribers. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which functions kind of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share things from various other “Stacks” you’re reading. Fascinating. In general, Substack is established to be a lot more like a social network which sustains long-form material.
Generally, Substack is additionally a lot more … minimalist. You either take care of that or don’t. Personally, I do not. However, if the objective is simpleness of user interface and, truthfully, features … Substack works quite well.
Yet, I’ll be clear here …
When it comes to actual marketing, I do not believe there’s much question that BeeHiiv is much better matched. I tried to find even more factors that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, but frankly … I have a difficult time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are typically via to be the closest competitors, I really see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are pursuing the exact same target market and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at creators (like Substack), but it is much more strongly accommodating individuals who do it for company. ConvertKit has wonderful aesthetic automation structure, it’s very own commerce system, and extra. ConvertKit is a truly good system.
I’m not mosting likely to birthed you with a complete feature-by-feature breakdown below. ConvertKit is well known already. However, here’s exactly how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Points ConvertKit Is Better At …
As of now, ConvertKit has more flexibility when it comes to it’s automations. I will certainly additionally state that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit much more intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports labeling. This is just a fundamental function of email listings that makes it possible for division in an even more flexible means than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to sustain marking eventually soon, honestly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Abuse.
ConvertKit does now offer the capacity to offer points via their very own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is necessary to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would always choose a much more direct choice anyhow. For me, I like to use my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around a lot longer and because of that has way a lot more integration choices. Tons of online tools and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is rather powerful. For instance, their plugin now also supports member-gated material in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. Basically, this much more very closely puts ConvertKit right into straight competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your site and your e-mail listing at the same time.
BeeHiiv is drastically doing not have in these type of third-party integrations currently. It’ll arrive. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also active tackling the development devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not only incentivize individuals to share your newsletter with perks, but you can also pay per lead within the internal ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your listing. These are actually incredible features of BeeHiiv. But …
Did you know ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most popular viral promotion platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall surface wherefore this implies for the platform going forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Abuse
BeeHiiv is much earlier in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means less features and much less integrations, which is all-natural for this stage of the cycle. However, it also suggests that they are swiftly establishing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually seen almost weekly release of new features right into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … but large features that are fairly important. Their rate of advancement now has gone over.
I likewise quite appreciate exactly how responsive they are. Actually, among their item announcements about some design improvements to the web design features actually included a tiny problem with the material width. I just replied to that email to tell them. I promptly got a reply directly from the CEO:.
That very same day, the issue was fixed.
Few days later on, I provided one more pointer …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to trigger automations based upon the embed kind used was included in the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct participation of the team is something I really appreciate.
An additional major point of differentiation right here is the price. Both platforms provide cost-free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan provides a lot more capacity and even more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also FAR more positive. ConvertKit seems cheaper in the beginning glimpse due to the fact that their pricing page shows reduced numbers, however the customer limitations are much reduced and your price quickly increases as your checklist expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid yearly), however you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That exact same size listing is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their finest plan and the one I directly make use of), you can expand your listing up to 100,000. A checklist of that dimension would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, as well, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay every year, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay every year.
BeeHiiv is in an entirely different organization when it comes to pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually boost costs? They may as time takes place. However, I’m guessing people like myself that are currently in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see how points proceed.
Points I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
Among things you most definitely require to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do appear to advance rather swiftly and make new item news rather often, but there are some standard features I really desire they had that I require to just wait for.
One is that they need to have a setup on subscription kinds where I can select an automation to run right at the type degree. That would certainly be outstanding for so many reasons. Currently, registration types look OK, yet there’s extremely little settings for them to help in division.
It would certainly behave to have marking at the customer level. This would certainly be effective.
I assume webhooks ought to become part of automations to make built-in automations easier and reduce reliance on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some minor management interface changes that would come in handy. As an example:
- Capacity to bulk edit/remove subscribers.
- Ability to bulk edit blog posts (for example, to label a number of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of fundamental areas as common on subscribers (like the name).
- Some even more customization choices for the web site (such as even more versatile color options, headline control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Things I hope they perform with it in the future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t perfect and absolutely not virtually as created as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM item.
It probably never will be, either. As I stated, the purpose is various so it wouldn’t much a lot of sense for BeeHiiv to become a complete marketing automation system. I guess you never know, however.
Final Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Testimonial
I like BeeHiiv rather a whole lot. Enough where I made a decision to switch my own newsletters over to the platform despite my personal preference for digital sovereignty and owning my own system.
Simply put, for the newsletter posting design specifically, I saw sufficient worth in their system to call for the adjustment.
Remember, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my special email list. I make use of BeeHiiv for what it is proficient at, however I purposefully have points set up so that I also keep my listing “in home” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is just a good insurance plan, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your listing will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the question is … should YOU utilize BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are using Substack now, I ‘d most definitely think about changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be more business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and various demands. Plus, BeeHiiv even has import tools for Substack, so the switch must be pretty uncomplicated.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a large email list and are consequently being fleeced with their high monthly bill. You will not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are iterating swiftly. There’s additionally a pretty good chance you’re not also making use of several of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you do not also need them. For that reason, BeeHiiv can conveniently be a much better and extra economical fit.
Finally, if you plan to be really deliberate regarding expanding an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open concerning what it is created to be, it is one of the very best video games in town today. This is the system to see.
BeeHiiv provides a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth taking a look at for yourself. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll find the cost-free account to be rather feature rich.