I have actually used a lot of different e-mail list systems over the years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a massive advocate of digital sovereignty and owning your very own platform. Therefore (and the awesome features), I have been using Beehiiv Gold Tier.
So, it is indeed a strange move for me to decide to utilize BeeHiiv. Besides, it is an organized application and I am paying month-to-month 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 intend to address the concern of digital sovereignty while making use of the platform and I would certainly also such as to address why I selected to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For Newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my newsletter called My Hobby + A Large Change In Technique, I talked about how and why I made a decision to turn my recreational vehicle blog right into mainly a newsletter. I determined that was the business design I wanted to go after with that said property.
However, to intentionally seek it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Gladly recreational vehicle, however FluentCRM is not a newsletter system. It is constructed to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, truthfully, using it for newsletters is a little bit of a waste. Extra on that in a bit.
As I stated because problem of the e-newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a platform with devices built right into it certain to my objective. Things such as:
- Capability to release (to the blog site) and send out the email simultaneously without having it be two separate actions.
- Integrated in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly have needed a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Integrated capacity to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are basically one-click membership web links. Great for promotion in various other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Links, though, so there are means to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to promote your e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I select to monetize with advertisements in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and essentially run a costs newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features focused on growth. The platform was literally built by the people who built up the modern technology for Morning Brew. They know what they’re doing.
That is the point right here. BeeHiiv is constructed from scratch for the purpose of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a various function.
And I ended off with this:.
I may indeed be moving The Side over to BeeHiiv too. At least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. As a matter of fact, I simply went for it. And as a matter of fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, set off as it’s very own building to make sure that I can grow it much more intentionally also.
The objective is that each newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown individually. Gladly recreational vehicle was young, so simple to transition. Yet, The Early morning WP (formerly The Edge) was hidden in a sea of stuff right here at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s own. It will clearly always be very closely tied with the Blog Marketing Academy, but doesn’t need to belong of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv because it was constructed for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Regular Email Checklist
There’s a difference in between an e-newsletter system and simply an e-mail listing.
You can organize your e-mail listing everywhere you want and there are a number of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The primary distinction is that, with an e-newsletter system, the act of posting means that it is mosting likely to your internet site and to your email customers at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have an internet site. You are publishing to that site. However, you are additionally sending to all subscribers at the same time. The site and it’s customers are all in one. This makes administration of the platform much easier.
With the majority of email platforms, any kind of e-newsletter you set up is done as an e-mail campaign. It is built completely separately from your web site. So, for example, you could release a write-up to WordPress yet then you would certainly need to individually build and send out an e-mail to your checklist to send it to clients. These are then two different collections of archives and 2 different activities because blog posts and your emails are not naturally linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress right into a true e-newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it pretty much “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress messages and enables them to be the very same thing. Absolutely, something like E-newsletter Glue would certainly be a strong alternative if I wanted to continue to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you ‘d lose the growth devices that feature a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter naturally features a different set of needs than a normal e-mail list.
You do not generally need much marketing automation. You do not normally need autoresponder sequences, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO need, however, is one smooth posting experience and development tools to aid you construct your client base that are specific to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my subscribers that I was going to switch over the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had lots of people ask me why I was picking it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the truth that I chose to choose BeeHiiv, that does not suggest I believe Substack draws. As a matter of fact, since Substack has been about longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Despite the fact that BeeHiiv is younger, there are a couple things that initially got my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is especially tailored to newsletter authors. In fact, it is literally built by the same individuals who constructed the technology behind Morning Brew. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, does not matter. Yet, the noticeable positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter development called me out over the more common positioning of being a “developer”. Development is what I want below.
- That branding and differentiation also indicates that BeeHiiv has some rather huge brands and huge magazines utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed more at solo developers. Again, it simply tells me the client avatar distinction in between the two companies.
Sending our my newsletter by means of FluentCRM didn’t specifically draw. The only reason I would certainly consider shaking points up is if I assumed I might GROW the list faster. And BeeHiiv spoke precisely to that objective.
Because of the targeting, I really don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a different kind of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more direct rivals.
Yet, allow’s dive deeper than just the positioning here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv seems like it was developed by people who recognizing email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears more tailored towards designers.
As an example, BeeHiiv uses customized areas on clients. Currently, it isn’t as developed as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. In fact, it is a visual automation builder that works a great deal like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still rather limited in triggers and the only activity is the capacity to send out an e-mail. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Soon sufficient, automations will certainly have new triggers in addition to brand-new activities, such as changing customized areas, sending out webhooks, etc. I have actually already seen improvements to their automations just because I began making use of the system. For example:
- Capacity to trigger automations based on which details embed kind they was available in on.
- Capacity to automatically do re-engagement (and manage people based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capability to do fundamental conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations such as this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can’t do this because the target market of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an e-mail marketer.
When it pertains to composing your newsletters, the writing user interface of BeeHiiv is simply much more geared towards e-newsletters. As a matter of fact, it actually has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in just how it functions. I find it to be a lot more user-friendly, directly.
Substack’s writing user interface is nice and clean, however it would be a lot more equal to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than simply type. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can insert a “Area” and afterwards put anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Exposure options on that area to reveal it just to paid customers, hide it from e-mail, conceal from clients, reveal only to subscribers, etc. Substack uses absolutely nothing similar to this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a costs registration version, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any type of earnings. As a matter of fact, you literally link as much as your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your revenue. Depending upon the amount of subscribers you obtain, that 10% can be quite a bit even more cash than the monthly cost of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This may seem unpopular, however what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv work with the outdoors utilizing devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack literally has … nothing. No integrations in any way.
Overall, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was more developed toward genuine e-mail marketing. It was built by individuals that “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page makes appear better constructed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I would love to see BeeHiiv add, I like the instructions it is going greater than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have said, Substack placements itself towards “designers” more than e-mail marketing professionals and e-newsletter proprietors. Because of that, you see some things geared much more towards people who simply believe in regards to material production.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Additionally, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous magazines, they are dealt with rather individually. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to numerous magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I require, but … trendy for individuals that might need it.
Substack likewise has even more social functionality built-in. For instance, it has a chat function to host talks with customers. It also has a “Notes” feature which functions type of like a social media newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Fascinating. On the whole, Substack is established to be extra like a social media which supports long-form material.
Generally, Substack is likewise much more … minimalist. You either care for that or don’t. Directly, I don’t. Nevertheless, if the goal is simpleness of interface and, truthfully, features … Substack works pretty well.
Yet, I’ll be clear right here …
When it comes to actual marketing, I do not think there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is much better matched. I tried to find more factors that make Substack far better than BeeHiiv, yet honestly … I have a difficult time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are often through to be the closest rivals, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are going after the same target audience and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at developers (like Substack), but it is much more highly accommodating individuals that do it for service. ConvertKit has good visual automation structure, it’s very own commerce system, and extra. ConvertKit is a really wonderful platform.
I’m not going to birthed you with a complete feature-by-feature failure right here. ConvertKit is popular already. Yet, below’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has a lot more versatility when it comes to it’s automations. I will likewise claim that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit a lot more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports labeling. This is simply a standard feature of e-mail listings that makes it possible for segmentation in an even more versatile means than BeeHiiv presently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to support marking at some point quickly, honestly. It feels like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Gold Tier.
ConvertKit does now give the capacity to market points using their very own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is essential to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would constantly choose a more direct alternative anyhow. For me, I choose to utilize my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around a lot longer and therefore has way more integration options. Tons of online tools and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is fairly powerful. For example, their plugin now even supports member-gated material as well as auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your site. In essence, this much more closely puts ConvertKit right into direct competition by having you have the ability to release to your website and your e-mail checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is badly lacking in these type of third-party integrations presently. It’ll get there. Yet, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even active taking on the growth tools of BeeHiiv. For instance, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not only incentivize individuals to share your newsletter with rewards, yet you can also pay per lead within the interior ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your list. These are really outstanding features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you know ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of one of the most well known viral promo platforms for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall of what this suggests for the system moving forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Gold Tier
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests much less features and much less integrations, which is all-natural for this phase of the cycle. Nonetheless, it additionally indicates that they are rapidly creating.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually observed practically regular release of brand-new features into the platform. And these aren’t undersized little features … but big features that are rather essential. Their rate of growth now has gone over.
I likewise quite value how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, one of their item statements regarding some design improvements to the web design features in fact contained a little issue with the web content size. I simply replied to that email to tell them. I rapidly got a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That very same day, the issue was taken care of.
Couple of days later, I gave them another suggestion …
Indeed, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to set off automations based on the embed form utilized was included in the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct participation of the group is something I actually value.
Another major point of differentiation right here is the cost. Both systems provide complimentary plans, however the BeeHiiv free plan supplies more capability and even more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
When you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is additionally much more desirable. ConvertKit seems cheaper in the beginning glimpse since their pricing page shows reduced numbers, however the subscriber restrictions are much lower and your price swiftly increases as your list grows.
With BeeHiiv, your very first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid every year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That exact same dimension listing is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I personally use), you can grow your listing as much as 100,000. A listing of that dimension would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, as well, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay every year, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can obtain all that for just $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv is in a totally different league when it concerns pricing (in a good way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually enhance rates? They could as time takes place. But, I’m thinking people like myself who are already in will be locked-in. We’ll see how points proceed.
Points I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among the important things you absolutely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do appear to advance rather quickly and make new item announcements rather usually, yet there are some basic features I truly want they had that I require to just await.
One is that they require to have a setting on membership kinds where I might select an automation to run right at the type level. That would certainly be amazing for so many factors. Currently, subscription kinds look OK, however there’s extremely little settings for them to help in division.
It would be nice to have labeling at the customer degree. This would be effective.
I think webhooks ought to be part of automations to make built-in automations simpler and decrease dependence on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some minor management user interface adjustments that would certainly come in handy. For instance:
- Capability to bulk edit/remove subscribers.
- Capacity to bulk edit blog posts (for instance, to label a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a few standard fields as common on clients (like the name).
- Some even more customization alternatives for the site (such as more versatile color choices, heading control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Things I wish they finish with it in the future. BeeHiiv is respectable, but it isn’t ideal and absolutely not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM product.
It most likely never ever will certainly be, either. As I claimed, the purpose is various so it would not a lot a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to come to be a complete marketing automation platform. I think you never ever recognize, though.
Final Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv quite a whole lot. Sufficient where I determined to switch my very own newsletters over to the platform despite my personal choice for digital sovereignty and possessing my own system.
Basically, for the e-newsletter posting model specifically, I saw adequate value in their system to call for the change.
Keep in mind, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my unique e-mail checklist. I make use of BeeHiiv for what it is efficient, yet I purposefully have things establish to ensure that I also maintain my list “in home” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the exact same. It is simply a great insurance coverage, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your listing will 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 make use of BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are making use of Substack now, I ‘d definitely take into consideration changing to BeeHiiv. It will just be a lot more business-friendly. It is targeting various capabilities and different demands. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the button must be rather simple.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d possibly sit tight unless you have a huge email checklist and are as a result being fleeced with their high regular monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, however they are iterating promptly. There’s likewise a pretty good chance you’re not also utilizing a few of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you do not even require them. For that reason, BeeHiiv could easily be a much better and a lot more budget friendly fit.
Last but not least, if you plan to be very intentional about expanding an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE system to consider and maintain and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is developed to be, it is among the most effective video games around today. This is the platform to watch.
BeeHiiv offers a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves having a look at for yourself. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll locate the cost-free account to be fairly feature rich.