I have utilized a great deal of various email list systems over the years. In the last couple of years, I have actually been a significant advocate of digital sovereignty and possessing your own system. Because of that (and the incredible features), I have actually been making use of Beehiiv Table of Contents.
So, it is without a doubt an odd move for me to choose to utilize BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is a hosted application and I am paying monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I intend to go over why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to address the concern of digital sovereignty while using the system and I would certainly also like to attend to why I selected to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Developed For Newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my newsletter called My Pastime + A Large Change In Approach, I discussed how and why I determined to transform my RV blog site right into mainly an e-newsletter. I decided that was business model I wanted to seek with that said home.
Yet, to deliberately seek it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Gladly motor home, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is constructed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, truthfully, using it for newsletters is a little bit of a waste. More on that in a little bit.
As I said in that issue of the e-newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a system with devices developed right into it certain to my objective. Points such as:
- Ability to publish (to the blog) and send out the email all at once without having it be 2 different activities.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly have needed a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in ability to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are primarily one-click registration 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 promote your newsletter.
- Built-in ad network, if I pick to generate income from with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated capability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and basically run a costs e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features focused on growth. The system was essentially developed by the individuals that accumulated 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 objective of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a various objective.
And I finished off with this:.
I may undoubtedly be moving The Side over to BeeHiiv also. A minimum of, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. In fact, I just went for it. And in fact, The side was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s own residential or commercial property to make sure that I can grow it extra deliberately as well.
The goal is that each newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded separately. Gladly RV was young, so simple to shift. But, The Morning WP (previously The Side) was buried in a sea of stuff 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 closely linked with the Blog site Marketing Academy, yet doesn’t have to belong of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv because it was developed for this function. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Normal Email List
There’s a distinction between an e-newsletter system and just an email checklist.
You can organize your e-mail checklist anyplace you want and there are a number of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The primary difference is that, with an e-newsletter system, the act of publishing means that it is mosting likely to your website and to your e-mail clients at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a web site. You are publishing to that site. Yet, you are additionally sending to all customers at the same time. The web site and it’s clients are done in one. This makes administration of the platform much simpler.
With the majority of email platforms, any type of e-newsletter you set up is done as an email campaign. It is built totally independently from your internet site. So, for instance, you might publish a write-up to WordPress but after that you would certainly require to individually develop and send an email to your checklist to send it to customers. These are after that two different collections of archives and two different activities because post and your e-mails are not naturally linked.
The closest thing that turns WordPress into a real newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it virtually “glues” your e-newsletter to your WordPress messages and allows them to be the very same point. Definitely, something like E-newsletter Glue would be a solid alternative if I intended to continue to self-host everything. Nevertheless, you ‘d shed the development devices that include a platform like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter naturally comes with a various set of needs than a normal email list.
You do not normally need much marketing automation. You do not usually need autoresponder sequences, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO demand, however, is one smooth posting experience and development devices to aid you build your client base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my customers that I was going to change the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many people ask me why I was picking it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the reality that I selected to choose BeeHiiv, that doesn’t imply I think Substack sucks. Actually, because Substack has actually been about longer, it is more mature and has more features.
Despite the fact that BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a couple things that initially got my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to e-newsletter publishers. As a matter of fact, it is literally built by the same folks that built the modern technology behind Morning Brew. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real world, doesn’t matter. But, the noticeable positioning of BeeHiiv toward e-newsletter development called me out over the even more common positioning of being a “creator”. Development is what I’m interested in right here.
- That branding and distinction additionally implies that BeeHiiv has some relatively huge brand names and big publications utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed even more at solo creators. Once more, it simply informs me the client character difference in between the two firms.
Sending our my e-newsletter using FluentCRM really did not precisely draw. The only reason I would certainly contemplate shaking things up is if I believed I could expand the list quicker. And BeeHiiv talked specifically to that goal.
Due to the targeting, I really don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a various kind of consumer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more direct rivals.
However, allow’s dive deeper than just the placing right here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Overall, BeeHiiv appears like it was developed by individuals that understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears much more tailored towards makers.
As an example, BeeHiiv supplies custom-made areas on customers. Now, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv supplies Automations. As a matter of fact, it is a visual automation builder that functions a great deal like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still quite restricted in triggers and the only action is the capacity to send out an email. Nonetheless, enhancements are coming. Quickly sufficient, automations will have brand-new triggers as well as new activities, such as modifying customized fields, sending webhooks, and so on. I have actually currently seen improvements to their automations just since I began utilizing the system. As an example:
- Capability to set off automations based upon which specific embed kind they can be found in on.
- Capability to automatically do re-engagement (and take care of people based on opens up and non-opens).
- Capacity to do fundamental conditional reasoning branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack just can not do this due to the fact that the target audience of Substack just wouldn’t believe to approach this like an e-mail online marketer.
When it pertains to writing your e-newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is simply a lot more geared towards newsletters. In fact, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it works. I discover it to be more intuitive, directly.
Substack’s writing user interface is nice and clean, but it would be a lot more comparable to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than simply kind. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can insert a “Area” and then put anything you want in it. After that, you can put Presence choices on that particular section to reveal it only to paid customers, conceal it from e-mail, hide from clients, show just to customers, and so on. Substack provides nothing similar to this.
And when/if the moment comes that I start a costs registration model, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any type of income. Actually, you essentially attach up to your own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your income. Depending upon the amount of clients you obtain, that 10% can be a fair bit even more cash than the regular monthly price of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This may appear unpopular, but what it implies is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can actually make BeeHiiv deal with the outside using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … absolutely nothing. No integrations at all.
Overall, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was extra developed toward actual email marketing. It was developed by people who “get it”. Even the opt-in types and the landing page makes seem much better built for conversions. Development is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv add, I such as the instructions it is going more than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually said, Substack positions itself toward “developers” more than e-mail marketing experts and newsletter proprietors. Therefore, you see some points tailored much more towards individuals that just believe in regards to content development.
For instance, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous publications, they are dealt with rather independently. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to several publications at the same time. This isn’t something I require, but … trendy for individuals who may require it.
Substack likewise has even more social performance built-in. For example, it has a chat feature to host talks with subscribers. It also has a “Notes” function which works kind of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share things from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Interesting. On the whole, Substack is established to be extra like a social network which supports long-form content.
Generally, Substack is likewise much more … minimal. You either look after that or don’t. Directly, I don’t. Nonetheless, if the goal is simplicity of interface and, honestly, features … Substack works rather well.
However, I’ll be clear here …
When it comes to real marketing, I don’t assume there’s much uncertainty that BeeHiiv is much better fit. I looked for more points that make Substack far better than BeeHiiv, however honestly … I have a difficult time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are commonly via to be the closest rivals, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are pursuing the very same target market and have similar capabilities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at creators (like Substack), however it is far more highly satisfying individuals who do it for company. ConvertKit has wonderful visual automation building, it’s own commerce system, and much more. ConvertKit is a really great system.
I’m not going to bore you with a full feature-by-feature malfunction below. ConvertKit is popular currently. However, below’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Things ConvertKit Is Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has extra versatility when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly also claim that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit extra intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports tagging. This is just a basic feature of email listings that allows division in a much more adaptable way than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to sustain tagging eventually quickly, frankly. It feels like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Table of Contents.
ConvertKit does now give the capability to sell points using their very own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it may be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would certainly constantly choose a more direct alternative anyhow. For me, I prefer to use my own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around a lot longer and because of that has way more integration alternatives. Lots of web-based devices and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their own WordPress plugin that is rather effective. For example, their plugin now also supports member-gated material along with auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your site. Fundamentally, this much more carefully puts ConvertKit right into straight competitors by having you have the ability to release to your site and your email checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is seriously lacking in these type of third-party integrations presently. It’ll get there. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even active dealing with the growth devices of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your e-newsletter with rewards, however you can additionally pay per lead within the interior ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your list. These are truly remarkable features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you recognize ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most popular viral promo systems for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall wherefore this indicates for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Table of Contents
BeeHiiv is much previously in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that indicates much less features and less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. However, it likewise suggests that they are quickly developing.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have experienced virtually regular release of brand-new features right into the system. And these aren’t undersized little features … yet huge features that are rather vital. Their rate of growth at this point has gone over.
I likewise significantly value how receptive they are. Actually, among their product news about some design enhancements to the website design features actually consisted of a tiny trouble with the web content width. I simply responded to that e-mail to tell them. I rapidly got a reply straight from the CEO:.
That very same day, the problem was repaired.
Couple of days later, I provided an additional idea …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the ability to trigger automations based upon the embed kind used was included in the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the group is something I truly appreciate.
One more major point of distinction right here is the rate. Both platforms provide cost-free plans, however the BeeHiiv free plan uses a lot more capacity and even more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
As soon as you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is additionally much more desirable. ConvertKit appears less costly at first look because their pricing web page reveals reduced numbers, nevertheless the subscriber restrictions are much lower and your cost quickly enhances as your checklist expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid each year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 customers. That very same dimension listing is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their finest plan and the one I directly make use of), you can expand your list 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, also. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay yearly.
BeeHiiv is in an entirely various organization when it comes to pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv at some point raise prices? They could as time goes on. Yet, I’m presuming individuals like myself who are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see just how points proceed.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among things you absolutely require to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is relatively young. They do appear to evolve rather swiftly and make brand-new product news rather usually, yet there are some standard features I actually want they had that I require to just await.
One is that they require to have a setting on registration forms where I could pick an automation to run right at the type degree. That would be remarkable for so many reasons. Already, registration types look OK, however there’s really little setups for them to aid in segmentation.
It would behave to have identifying at the client degree. This would be effective.
I think webhooks should become part of automations to make built-in automations much easier and decrease dependence on outdoors tools like Zapier.
There are additionally some small management interface changes that would certainly be handy. For instance:
- Capacity to bulk edit/remove clients.
- Capability to bulk edit blog posts (for instance, to mark a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a few fundamental areas as conventional on subscribers (like the name).
- Some even more customization choices for the website (such as even more adaptable color choices, headline control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Things I wish they perform with it in the future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, yet it isn’t perfect and certainly not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM item.
It most likely never will certainly be, either. As I said, the function is different so it would not a lot a lot of sense for BeeHiiv to come to be a full marketing automation system. I guess you never recognize, however.
Final Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Review
I like BeeHiiv rather a whole lot. Sufficient where I determined to switch my own e-newsletters over to the platform in spite of my personal preference for digital sovereignty and having my very own platform.
Put simply, for the e-newsletter posting design specifically, I saw enough worth in their system to require the adjustment.
Bear in mind, I do not utilize BeeHiiv as my special e-mail checklist. I utilize BeeHiiv for what it is proficient at, but I deliberately have points establish to ensure that I additionally keep my list “in residence” inside of FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the very same. It is just an excellent insurance coverage, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your checklist will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the concern is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my viewpoint, if you are using Substack right now, I ‘d certainly take into consideration switching to BeeHiiv. It will merely be much more business-friendly. It is targeting different abilities and different demands. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch needs to be quite simple.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d possibly stay put unless you have a big email listing and are therefore being fleeced with their high monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are iterating swiftly. There’s additionally a respectable possibility you’re not also using several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you don’t even require them. Therefore, BeeHiiv could conveniently be a far better and much more budget friendly fit.
Last but not least, if you plan to be extremely intentional concerning growing a newsletter, I believe BeeHiiv is THE system to take into consideration and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is developed to be, it is one of the most effective video games in town now. This is the system to view.
BeeHiiv provides a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves looking into on your own. And if you end up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll locate the complimentary account to be quite feature rich.