I have actually made use of a great deal of various 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 own system. For that reason (and the outstanding features), I have actually been utilizing Can You Have More Than One Newsletter on Beehiiv.
So, it is undoubtedly a strange move for me to decide to make use of BeeHiiv. Besides, it is a hosted application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I wish to go over why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I want to attend to the concern of digital sovereignty while making use of the platform and I would certainly additionally such as to attend to why I selected to use it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For Newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my newsletter called My Hobby + A Big Shift In Technique, I spoke about just how and why I chose to turn my motor home blog site right into mostly a newsletter. I chose that was business version I intended to seek with that said property.
However, to intentionally seek it as an e-newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email listing for Happily recreational vehicle, however FluentCRM is not a newsletter platform. It is constructed to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, truthfully, using it for e-newsletters is a bit of a waste. Extra on that in a bit.
As I stated because issue of the e-newsletter …
Put simply, BeeHiiv is a system with devices constructed into it particular to my purpose. Points such as:
- Ability to publish (to the blog site) and send the e-mail simultaneously without having it be two different actions.
- Built in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly have needed a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in capacity to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are essentially one-click registration web links. Great for promo in other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are means to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I choose to monetize with ads in the e-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 e-newsletter publishers with features focused on development. The system was actually developed by the people that developed the innovation for Early morning Mixture. They know what they’re doing.
That is the factor right here. BeeHiiv is constructed from scratch for the purpose of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a various objective.
And I finished off with this:.
I might undoubtedly be moving The Edge over to BeeHiiv too. A minimum of, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I just went for it. And as a matter of fact, The side was re-branded over to The Morning WP, triggered as it’s own residential or commercial property to make sure that I can grow it a lot more intentionally too.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and expanded separately. Happily recreational vehicle was young, so simple to transition. But, The Morning WP (formerly The Side) was hidden in a sea of stuff below at the Blog Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s own. It will certainly constantly be carefully linked with the Blog site Marketing Academy, however does not need to belong of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv since it was developed for this purpose. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Just A Normal Email List
There’s a distinction in between an e-newsletter platform and just an e-mail listing.
You can organize your email checklist just about anywhere you desire 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 distinction?
The main distinction is that, with an e-newsletter system, the act of publishing means that it is going to your site and to your e-mail subscribers at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are releasing to that internet site. Yet, you are also dispatching to all customers at the same time. The site and it’s subscribers are done in one. This makes administration of the system much easier.
With the majority of email platforms, any type of newsletter you set up is done as an e-mail campaign. It is developed completely separately from your site. So, for instance, you could publish a short article to WordPress however after that you would need to independently build and send out an email to your listing to send it to clients. These are then two separate sets of archives and 2 separate actions since post and your emails are not inherently connected.
The closest point that transforms WordPress into a true e-newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it pretty much “glues” your e-newsletter to your WordPress posts and allows them to be the very same point. Absolutely, something like Newsletter Glue would be a solid alternative if I intended to continue to self-host every little thing. However, you would certainly lose the growth tools that include a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing a newsletter inherently includes a different set of requirements than a typical e-mail checklist.
You do not normally require much marketing automation. You don’t generally require autoresponder series, event monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO need, though, is one smooth posting experience and development tools to aid you construct your subscriber base that are specific to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I introduced to my customers that I was mosting likely to switch 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 reality that I selected to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not imply I think Substack sucks. In fact, since Substack has actually been around longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Although BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair things that originally obtained my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is especially tailored to e-newsletter authors. Actually, it is actually developed by the very same people that constructed the technology behind Early morning Brew. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, doesn’t matter. However, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter development called me out over the more generic positioning of being a “developer”. Development is what I’m interested in below.
- That branding and distinction additionally means that BeeHiiv has some relatively large brand names and huge magazines using it. Whereas SubStack is aimed more at solo developers. Once again, it simply tells me the customer avatar distinction in between both firms.
Sending our my e-newsletter through FluentCRM didn’t exactly draw. The only reason I would ponder trembling things up is if I thought I might expand the checklist faster. And BeeHiiv spoke exactly to that objective.
Due to the targeting, I really don’t see BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a different kind of consumer. As a matter of fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being more straight rivals.
However, allow’s dive much deeper than just the placing below.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv looks like it was built by people who understanding e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears much more geared towards makers.
For example, BeeHiiv uses custom-made fields on subscribers. Currently, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv supplies Automations. In fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a great deal like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation functionality is still early-phase. It is still rather limited in triggers and the only action is the ability to send out an email. However, enhancements are coming. Soon sufficient, automations will certainly have brand-new triggers along with new activities, such as modifying personalized areas, sending out webhooks, etc. I’ve currently seen improvements to their automations simply given that I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Capacity to trigger automations based on which specific embed type they can be found in on.
- Capability to automatically do re-engagement (and deal with people based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capacity to do basic conditional reasoning branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can not do this because the target audience of Substack just would not think to approach this like an e-mail marketing professional.
When it involves composing your newsletters, the creating interface of BeeHiiv is just a lot more tailored toward e-newsletters. In fact, it really has similarities to the WordPress block builder in just how it works. I locate it to be more intuitive, personally.
Substack’s composing interface is nice and clean, but it would be more comparable to the traditional editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is more than simply kind. For instance, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Area” and afterwards placed anything you desire in it. After that, you can place Exposure alternatives on that particular section to reveal it only to paid customers, hide it from email, conceal from subscribers, show only to clients, etc. Substack supplies absolutely nothing similar to this.
And when/if the moment comes that I start a costs registration version, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any type of earnings. Actually, you essentially link approximately your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your profits. Relying on the number of customers you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more money than the monthly expense of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This may appear unpopular, however what it implies is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv deal with the outdoors using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack literally has … nothing. No integrations in any way.
On the whole, I simply felt like BeeHiiv was a lot more constructed towards actual e-mail marketing. It was constructed by individuals that “get it”. Also the opt-in types and the landing page designs appear much better constructed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Although 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 towards “developers” greater than e-mail marketing professionals and newsletter proprietors. Therefore, you see some points geared extra toward people that just believe in terms of content production.
For example, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Additionally, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous magazines, they are treated quite separately. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to numerous publications at the same time. This isn’t something I need, yet … awesome for people who may require it.
Substack also has even more social capability built-in. As an example, it has a chat function to host chats with customers. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which functions type of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share points from various other “Stacks” you read. Interesting. Generally, Substack is established to be more like a social network which sustains long-form material.
On the whole, Substack is also a lot more … minimal. You either care for that or don’t. Personally, I don’t. Nonetheless, if the objective is simplicity of user interface and, frankly, features … Substack works quite well.
But, I’ll be clear here …
When it pertains to actual marketing, I don’t think there’s much uncertainty that BeeHiiv is better matched. I searched for more points that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, but frankly … I have a tough time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are typically with to be the closest competitors, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are pursuing the same target audience and have comparable abilities.
ConvertKit is also placed at developers (like Substack), yet it is much more strongly accommodating individuals that do it for company. ConvertKit has good aesthetic automation building, it’s very own business platform, and much more. ConvertKit is an actually good platform.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a complete feature-by-feature malfunction right here. ConvertKit is well known already. Yet, here’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has much more flexibility when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly likewise state that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports marking. This is just a standard function of email checklists that enables division in an even more adaptable means than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support tagging at some point quickly, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Can You Have More Than One Newsletter on Beehiiv.
ConvertKit does currently offer the capacity to sell things by means of their own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is essential to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would always select a much more direct option anyway. For me, I prefer to utilize my very own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been about a lot longer and for that reason has way extra integration options. Tons of online devices and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is quite powerful. For instance, their plugin now also sustains member-gated material in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. In essence, this much more closely places ConvertKit right into straight competition by having you have the ability to release to your website and your e-mail checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is significantly lacking in these kinds of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll get there. Yet, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even active tackling the growth devices of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Referral Engine where you can not just incentivize individuals to share your e-newsletter with rewards, but you can also pay per lead within the interior ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your list. These are actually incredible features of BeeHiiv. But …
Did you understand ConvertKit got Sparkloop? Sparkloop is one of the most well known viral promotion platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall surface of what this means for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Can You Have More Than One Newsletter on Beehiiv
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that implies less features and 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 actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have seen nearly weekly launch of brand-new features right into the platform. And these aren’t weak little features … but big features that are quite crucial. Their rate of development at this moment has actually gone over.
I additionally very much appreciate how receptive they are. In fact, among their product news about some layout enhancements to the web design features really included a tiny issue with the content width. I merely replied to that email to tell them. I swiftly got a reply directly from the chief executive officer:.
That exact same day, the issue was repaired.
Few days later on, I gave them one more pointer …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to cause automations based upon the embed kind made use of was included in the system.
That sort of responsiveness and direct participation of the team is something I really value.
An additional major point of distinction here is the rate. Both systems provide free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan provides a lot more capability and more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also FAR more favorable. ConvertKit seems more affordable at first glance because their pricing web page shows lower numbers, nevertheless the client restrictions are much lower and your rate promptly boosts as your list grows.
With BeeHiiv, your first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid every year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That same dimension listing is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I directly make use of), you can grow your listing up to 100,000. A listing of that dimension would 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 every year, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv is in a totally various organization when it pertains to pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually enhance costs? They might as time takes place. However, I’m thinking individuals like myself that are currently in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see just how points proceed.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of the important things you absolutely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do appear to develop rather rapidly and make brand-new product news somewhat frequently, but there are some fundamental features I actually wish they had that I require to simply wait for.
One is that they require to have a setting on membership forms where I could select an automation to run right at the type level. That would be outstanding for many reasons. As of now, membership forms look OK, yet there’s really little settings for them to assist in division.
It would certainly be nice to have identifying at the customer level. This would be powerful.
I believe webhooks need to belong to automations to make integrated automations much easier and reduce reliance on outside tools like Zapier.
There are also some minor management user interface modifications that would certainly be handy. As an example:
- Capability to mass edit/remove subscribers.
- Ability to bulk edit articles (for instance, to identify a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of basic areas as typical on customers (like the name).
- Some even more customization choices for the website (such as even more flexible shade selections, heading control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Points I wish they do with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, however it isn’t best and certainly not virtually as established as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It probably never ever will be, either. As I said, the objective is different so it would not a lot a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to become a complete marketing automation platform. I guess you never ever recognize, though.
Final Ideas On This BeeHiiv Testimonial
I such as BeeHiiv rather a great deal. Enough where I decided 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 newsletter posting design specifically, I saw enough worth in their platform to require the change.
Keep in mind, I do not utilize BeeHiiv as my unique e-mail checklist. I utilize BeeHiiv of what it is good at, yet I intentionally have points set up so that I additionally maintain my list “in residence” within FluentCRM.
If you utilize BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the exact same. It is just a good insurance policy, for one. Yet, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your list will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the concern is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are making use of Substack right now, I ‘d certainly consider switching to BeeHiiv. It will simply be extra business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and various needs. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the button must be quite straightforward.
If you get on ConvertKit currently, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a huge e-mail checklist and are for that reason being fleeced with their high regular monthly bill. You will certainly 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 using a few of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you do not even require them. For that reason, BeeHiiv might conveniently be a much better and extra inexpensive fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be really deliberate regarding expanding an e-newsletter, I believe BeeHiiv is THE platform to take into consideration and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open concerning what it is created to be, it is just one of the most effective video games in the area now. This is the platform to enjoy.
BeeHiiv provides a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves looking into for yourself. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll discover the cost-free account to be quite feature abundant.