I have actually made use of a great deal of different email list systems over the years. In the last couple of years, I have actually been a massive advocate of digital sovereignty and having your own system. For that reason (and the outstanding features), I have been utilizing Beehiiv Geekout Newsletter.
So, it is undoubtedly a weird move for me to determine to make use of BeeHiiv. After all, it is a held application and I am paying month-to-month for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I wish to review why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I want to attend to the concern of digital sovereignty while using the system and I would certainly likewise like to attend to why I picked to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For Newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Leisure activity + A Big Shift In Method, I discussed exactly how and why I decided to transform my motor home blog site into mostly an e-newsletter. I decided that was the business design I wanted to pursue keeping that residential property.
However, to deliberately seek it as a newsletter, I wanted a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the email list for Happily recreational vehicle, however FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is constructed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, honestly, utilizing it for newsletters is a little a waste. Much more on that in a little bit.
As I claimed because concern of the e-newsletter …
Put simply, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools constructed right into it details to my objective. Points such as:
- Ability to release (to the blog site) and send out the email simultaneously without having it be 2 separate actions.
- Built in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM doesn’t have that and I would require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Integrated capability to do cross-promotions with other newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are generally one-click subscription web links. Great for promo in various other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Links, however, so there are means to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Built-in advertisement network, if I choose to generate income from with ads in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated capability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and essentially run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features aimed at development. The platform was actually built by the people that developed the innovation for Morning Mixture. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the point here. BeeHiiv is developed from scratch for the function of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a different purpose.
And I finished off with this:.
I might certainly be relocating The Side over to BeeHiiv as well. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I just went all out. And actually, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s own residential or commercial property so that I can grow it a lot more intentionally too.
The objective is that each newsletter has the capacity to be branded as it’s very own media entity and expanded individually. Gladly motor home was young, so very easy to shift. However, The Early morning WP (formerly The Edge) was hidden in a sea of stuff below at the Blog Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s own. It will clearly always be very closely tied with the Blog Marketing Academy, but doesn’t have to belong of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was built for this function. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Normal Email Listing
There’s a distinction in between a newsletter system and simply an email listing.
You can host your e-mail list everywhere you desire and there are a variety of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted choices like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The main distinction is that, with an e-newsletter system, the act of posting means that it is mosting likely to your website and to your email subscribers all at once.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a website. You are publishing to that site. Yet, you are likewise dispatching to all subscribers at the same time. The internet site and it’s customers are all in one. This makes management of the system much easier.
With a lot of e-mail systems, any kind of newsletter you set up is done as an email campaign. It is built completely independently from your website. So, for example, you might publish a write-up to WordPress yet after that you would certainly need to separately develop and send out an e-mail to your listing to send it to clients. These are after that 2 separate sets of archives and 2 different actions since article and your emails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress right into a real e-newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name due to the fact that it pretty much “adhesives” your newsletter to your WordPress messages and enables them to be the same thing. Certainly, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid option if I intended to continue to self-host every little thing. However, you ‘d shed the growth tools that come with a system like BeeHiiv.
Posting an e-newsletter inherently includes a various collection of needs than a normal e-mail checklist.
You don’t normally require much marketing automation. You don’t typically require autoresponder sequences, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO requirement, however, is one seamless publishing experience and development devices to help you develop your customer base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my customers that I was mosting likely to change the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many people ask me why I was choosing it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the truth that I picked to opt for BeeHiiv, that doesn’t imply I think Substack sucks. Actually, since Substack has been around much longer, it is elder and has even more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a couple points that initially got my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to newsletter publishers. As a matter of fact, it is literally built by the very same people that constructed the modern technology behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real life, does not matter. Yet, the apparent positioning of BeeHiiv toward e-newsletter development called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “designer”. Growth is what I have an interest in right here.
- That branding and differentiation also suggests that BeeHiiv has some relatively large brand names and huge magazines using it. Whereas SubStack is intended even more at solo designers. Again, it just tells me the client character difference in between both companies.
Sending our my e-newsletter by means of FluentCRM really did not specifically suck. The only reason I would certainly consider trembling points up is if I assumed I might GROW the checklist quicker. And BeeHiiv talked specifically to that objective.
Because of the targeting, I in fact do not check out BeeHiiv and Substack as direct competitors. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a various type of customer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being much more straight rivals.
Yet, let’s dive much deeper than simply the placing below.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
In general, BeeHiiv seems like it was developed by individuals who understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems much more geared towards developers.
For example, BeeHiiv supplies personalized areas on customers. Now, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. As a matter of fact, it is a visual automation builder that works a lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still fairly restricted in triggers and the only action is the capability to send an email. Nevertheless, enhancements are coming. Soon enough, automations will certainly have brand-new triggers as well as brand-new actions, such as changing custom fields, sending webhooks, and so on. I’ve already seen improvements to their automations simply considering that I started utilizing the platform. For instance:
- Ability to set off automations based on which particular embed form they was available in on.
- Ability to automatically do re-engagement (and manage individuals based on opens and non-opens).
- Capacity to do fundamental conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack simply can’t do this since the target market of Substack simply would not believe to approach this like an e-mail marketing professional.
When it concerns composing your newsletters, the creating interface of BeeHiiv is just more tailored toward newsletters. Actually, it really has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it functions. I find it to be a lot more instinctive, directly.
Substack’s writing interface is nice and clean, however it would certainly be more equivalent to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is greater than just type. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Section” and after that placed anything you desire in it. Then, you can put Presence alternatives on that particular area to reveal it only to paid clients, conceal it from e-mail, hide from clients, show just to customers, etc. Substack supplies nothing similar to this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a costs subscription design, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any kind of earnings. Actually, you essentially connect approximately your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your profits. Relying on the amount of clients you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the monthly price of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This may appear unpopular, yet what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can actually make BeeHiiv deal with the outdoors using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … nothing. No integrations whatsoever.
In general, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was a lot more constructed toward actual email marketing. It was developed by people that “get it”. Also the opt-in types and the landing page makes seem better developed for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv include, I such as the direction it is going greater than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually said, Substack settings itself towards “designers” more than e-mail marketers and newsletter owners. Therefore, you see some points geared a lot more towards individuals that just believe in terms of material development.
As an example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain multiple publications, they are dealt with rather individually. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to multiple publications at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, yet … trendy for individuals who may require it.
Substack additionally has more social capability built-in. For instance, it has a conversation function to host talks with clients. It additionally has a “Notes” function which works type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Fascinating. Generally, Substack is set up to be extra like a social media network which sustains long-form web content.
Overall, Substack is additionally a lot more … minimal. You either care for that or do not. Personally, I do not. Nonetheless, if the objective is simplicity of interface and, frankly, features … Substack works pretty well.
But, I’ll be clear right here …
When it concerns actual marketing, I don’t think there’s much question that BeeHiiv is much better suited. I tried to find even more factors that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, yet truthfully … I have a difficult time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are frequently with to be the closest competitors, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer rivals. Both are pursuing the same target market and have similar abilities.
ConvertKit is likewise positioned at makers (like Substack), but it is far more strongly catering to people who do it for service. ConvertKit has wonderful visual automation building, it’s own commerce system, and a lot more. ConvertKit is an actually great system.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a full feature-by-feature breakdown here. ConvertKit is well known currently. Yet, below’s exactly how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has much more adaptability when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly likewise say that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit extra instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports labeling. This is simply a fundamental function of e-mail checklists that makes it possible for segmentation in a far more versatile way than BeeHiiv currently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to sustain tagging at some time quickly, truthfully. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Geekout Newsletter.
ConvertKit does currently offer the ability to offer things by means of their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would certainly always select a more straight alternative anyhow. For me, I like to use my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been around much longer and for that reason has way a lot more integration alternatives. Lots of online tools and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their very own WordPress plugin that is fairly powerful. For example, their plugin currently also supports member-gated web content along with auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your website. Basically, this extra carefully places ConvertKit right into direct competitors by having you be able to release to your website and your email checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is significantly doing not have in these sort of third-party integrations presently. It’ll get there. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even busy tackling the growth devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your newsletter with perks, but you can additionally pay per lead within the internal advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your listing. These are really awesome features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is among one of the most popular viral promo systems for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall surface for what this indicates for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Geekout Newsletter
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that indicates less features and less integrations, which is all-natural for this phase of the cycle. Nonetheless, it likewise suggests that they are quickly creating.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have experienced nearly regular release of new features into the platform. And these aren’t puny little features … however big features that are fairly vital. Their speed of growth now has actually gone over.
I likewise significantly appreciate how receptive they are. As a matter of fact, one of their item news about some layout enhancements to the web design features in fact consisted of a little problem with the web content width. I simply responded to that e-mail to tell them. I promptly got a reply directly from the CEO:.
That exact same day, the concern was dealt with.
Few days later, I provided another tip …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to trigger automations based upon the embed kind made use of was added to the system.
That sort of responsiveness and direct participation of the group is something I actually appreciate.
One more significant factor of distinction below is the price. Both platforms supply totally free plans, however the BeeHiiv free plan provides extra capability and even more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
When you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is additionally even more desirable. ConvertKit appears more affordable in the beginning glance because their pricing page reveals lower numbers, nevertheless the client limits are much lower and your price rapidly increases as your listing expands.
With BeeHiiv, your initial level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid each year), nevertheless 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 upgrade to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I directly utilize), you can expand your checklist up to 100,000. A listing of that dimension would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, also, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay each year, too. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv remains in a completely various organization when it pertains to pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually boost rates? They could as time takes place. However, I’m presuming individuals like myself who are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see how points continue.
Points I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of the important things you definitely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do seem to advance instead swiftly and make new product news somewhat usually, yet there are some basic features I actually wish they had that I require to simply wait on.
One is that they need to have a setting on subscription kinds where I can choose an automation to run right at the kind degree. That would certainly be AWESOME for so many factors. Currently, registration forms look OK, but there’s really little settings for them to assist in division.
It would behave to have identifying at the customer level. This would be effective.
I assume webhooks should become part of automations to make built-in automations less complicated and minimize dependence on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some small management interface adjustments that would certainly be handy. For example:
- Ability to bulk edit/remove customers.
- Ability to mass edit messages (for example, to identify a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a few standard areas as conventional on clients (like the name).
- Some more personalization options for the site (such as more flexible color choices, headline control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Points I hope they finish with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, however it isn’t best and certainly not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It most likely never ever will be, either. As I said, the function is different so it would not much a lot of sense for BeeHiiv to become a complete marketing automation system. I presume you never ever recognize, however.
Final Ideas On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv quite a whole lot. Enough where I chose to switch my own newsletters over to the platform regardless of my personal choice for digital sovereignty and owning my very own system.
Basically, for the e-newsletter posting version specifically, I saw sufficient worth in their platform to necessitate the modification.
Remember, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my special email list. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is proficient at, yet I purposefully have things set up so that I also maintain my listing “in residence” within FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is simply a great insurance policy, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your checklist will be of high usage (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never will certainly be).
So, the question is … should YOU utilize BeeHiiv?
In my viewpoint, if you are using Substack right now, I ‘d absolutely take into consideration switching to BeeHiiv. It will merely be a lot more business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and different requirements. And also, BeeHiiv even has import tools for Substack, so the button must be pretty simple.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a large email listing and are consequently being wooled with their high month-to-month costs. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating swiftly. There’s likewise a pretty good chance you’re not even using several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you don’t even need them. Because of that, BeeHiiv can conveniently be a far better and much more cost effective fit.
Finally, if you plan to be really willful regarding expanding a newsletter, I think BeeHiiv is THE system to consider and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is developed to be, it is among the most effective video games in town right now. This is the platform to enjoy.
BeeHiiv provides a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves having a look at on your own. And if you end up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll find the free account to be quite feature rich.