I have utilized a lot of different e-mail list systems for many years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a big supporter of digital sovereignty and possessing your own system. Therefore (and the awesome features), I have actually been using Beehiiv Boost Network.
So, it is indeed a weird move for me to decide to make use of BeeHiiv. Besides, it is a held 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 switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I wish to attend to the problem of digital sovereignty while making use of the system and I ‘d also like to attend to why I chose to use it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For Newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Hobby + A Large Shift In Strategy, I talked about exactly how and why I made a decision to transform my RV blog site right into primarily an e-newsletter. I chose that was the business model I wished to seek with that said residential or commercial property.
But, to intentionally pursue it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was using FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Gladly RV, yet FluentCRM is not a newsletter platform. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, frankly, using it for e-newsletters is a little bit of a waste. Much more on that in a bit.
As I claimed because issue of the newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools developed into it particular to my function. Points such as:
- Capability to publish (to the blog site) and send the email all at once without having it be two different activities.
- Integrated in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would require a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Integrated ability to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Links”, which are generally one-click registration web links. Great for promo in other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, however, so there are means to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I pick to monetize with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and primarily run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Essentially, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter authors with features aimed at development. The platform was essentially built by the people who built up the innovation for Morning Brew. They recognize what they’re doing.
That is the factor 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 might certainly be moving The Edge over to BeeHiiv too. A minimum of, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. In fact, I just went for it. And as a matter of fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s own property to ensure that I can expand it much more purposefully too.
The goal is that each newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown individually. Gladly RV was young, so simple to transition. Yet, The Morning WP (previously The Side) was hidden in a sea of stuff right here at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s own. It will undoubtedly always be very closely tied with the Blog Marketing Academy, yet does not have to belong of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv since it was built for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Just A Typical Email Listing
There’s a difference in between a newsletter platform and just an e-mail list.
You can host your e-mail list anywhere you want and there are a variety of them available, 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 platform, the act of posting means that it is going to your website and to your email customers at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a web site. You are publishing to that website. But, you are also sending off to all subscribers at the same time. The internet site and it’s subscribers are all in one. This makes management of the platform much simpler.
With many e-mail systems, any kind of newsletter you established is done as an email campaign. It is constructed entirely independently from your site. So, for instance, you might publish a post to WordPress but then you would certainly need to independently build and send out an email to your list to send it to customers. These are after that 2 different collections of archives and two different activities because article and your e-mails are not naturally connected.
The closest point that turns WordPress into a real newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name since it practically “glues” your e-newsletter to your WordPress articles and enables them to be the very same point. Certainly, something like E-newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid option if I wished to remain to self-host every little thing. However, you ‘d shed the growth devices that feature a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter naturally features a various set of demands than a common e-mail checklist.
You do not generally need much marketing automation. You do not normally require autoresponder sequences, event tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO requirement, however, is one seamless posting experience and development tools to assist you develop your client base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my customers that I was mosting likely to switch the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many people ask me why I was picking it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the fact that I picked to choose BeeHiiv, that does not mean I think Substack sucks. Actually, due to the fact that Substack has actually been about much longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair points that at first obtained my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is specifically tailored to newsletter publishers. Actually, it is actually developed by the very same individuals that constructed the technology behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real life, does not matter. But, the noticeable positioning of BeeHiiv toward e-newsletter development called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “developer”. Growth is what I’m interested in below.
- That branding and distinction additionally implies that BeeHiiv has some relatively big brand names and large magazines utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo creators. Once more, it simply informs me the customer avatar difference between both firms.
Sending our my newsletter by means of FluentCRM really did not precisely suck. The only reason I would certainly consider trembling things up is if I believed I can expand the list quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke precisely to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I actually do not watch BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a various sort of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more straight competitors.
Yet, allow’s dive much deeper than just the positioning here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv appears like it was constructed by individuals that comprehending email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears much more tailored toward designers.
For example, BeeHiiv supplies personalized fields on customers. Now, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. As a matter of fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that functions a lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still quite restricted in triggers and the only action is the capability to send out an e-mail. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will have brand-new triggers along with new actions, such as modifying customized areas, sending out webhooks, etc. I’ve currently seen improvements to their automations simply because I began using the system. As an example:
- Capacity to trigger automations based upon which certain embed kind they was available in on.
- Capacity to instantly do re-engagement (and take care of people based on opens and non-opens).
- Capability to do standard conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations similar to this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can not do this because the target audience of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an email online marketer.
When it comes to writing your e-newsletters, the composing interface of BeeHiiv is just much more geared toward newsletters. As a matter of fact, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in just how it functions. I discover it to be extra instinctive, directly.
Substack’s creating user interface behaves and tidy, but it would be a lot more comparable to the traditional editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is more than simply kind. For instance, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Area” and then placed anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Exposure options on that particular section to show it just to paid subscribers, hide it from e-mail, conceal from customers, reveal just to clients, etc. Substack supplies absolutely nothing such as this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a costs membership design, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any income. Actually, you actually link approximately your very own Stripe account and it charges directly to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your profits. Depending on how many subscribers you obtain, that 10% can be quite a bit more money than the monthly cost of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This may seem nerdy, yet what it implies is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv work with the outdoors making use of devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack literally has … absolutely nothing. No integrations whatsoever.
On the whole, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was much more developed toward real email marketing. It was constructed by individuals that “get it”. Even the opt-in kinds and the landing page develops seem much better developed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Even though 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 claimed, Substack placements itself toward “makers” more than e-mail marketing experts and e-newsletter owners. Therefore, you see some points tailored more toward people that just think in terms of content development.
For example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does support multiple publications, they are treated rather independently. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to multiple magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, however … great for people who may need it.
Substack likewise has more social performance built-in. As an example, it has a conversation function to host talks with clients. It also has a “Notes” feature which works type of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share things from various other “Stacks” you’re reading. Intriguing. In general, Substack is set up to be a lot more like a social media which supports long-form web content.
Overall, Substack is also extra … minimal. You either look after that or do not. Personally, I do not. Nonetheless, if the objective is simpleness of user interface and, frankly, features … Substack functions rather well.
But, I’ll be clear right here …
When it pertains to actual marketing, I don’t assume there’s much question that BeeHiiv is better matched. I looked for more points that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, but truthfully … I have a difficult time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are often with to be the closest rivals, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are going after the very same target market and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is likewise positioned at makers (like Substack), but it is far more strongly satisfying people that do it for service. ConvertKit has good visual automation building, it’s own commerce platform, and a lot more. ConvertKit is an actually wonderful platform.
I’m not mosting likely to birthed you with a full feature-by-feature failure below. ConvertKit is popular currently. But, right here’s just how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has more adaptability when it pertains to it’s automations. I will certainly also say that I locate ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit more instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports marking. This is simply a standard function of e-mail checklists that enables division in an even more flexible way than BeeHiiv presently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support marking at some point quickly, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Boost Network.
ConvertKit does currently provide the capacity to market points using their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would always select an extra direct alternative anyway. For me, I prefer to utilize my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around much longer and therefore has way a lot more integration choices. Tons of online tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. For example, their plugin currently even supports member-gated content in addition to auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your site. Basically, this more closely puts 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 drastically doing not have in these kinds of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll arrive. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even hectic taking on the growth tools of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Referral Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your newsletter with advantages, but you can likewise pay per lead within the internal ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your listing. These are actually amazing features of BeeHiiv. But …
Did you understand ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of one of the most well known viral promotion platforms for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface of what this suggests for the system moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Boost Network
BeeHiiv is much earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that indicates much less features and less integrations, which is natural for this phase of the cycle. Nonetheless, it likewise suggests that they are swiftly creating.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually witnessed nearly once a week launch of new features into the platform. And these aren’t puny little features … yet large features that are quite vital. Their rate of development now has gone over.
I also very much appreciate exactly how responsive they are. Actually, one of their item news about some style improvements to the web design features really had a small problem with the material size. I just replied to that e-mail to tell them. I rapidly got a reply straight from the CEO:.
That exact same day, the concern was fixed.
Few days later, I provided one more suggestion …
Indeed, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to set off automations based upon the embed type utilized was contributed to the system.
That sort of responsiveness and direct involvement of the team is something I truly appreciate.
Another major factor of differentiation below is the price. Both systems offer complimentary plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan provides much more capacity and even more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
As soon as you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise much more desirable. ConvertKit appears more affordable in the beginning glimpse due to the fact that their pricing page shows lower numbers, however the customer limits are FAR lower and your price promptly increases as your checklist grows.
With BeeHiiv, your very first level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid annually), however you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That very same dimension checklist is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I directly use), you can expand your list approximately 100,000. A checklist of that size would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want 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 get all that for simply $84/month if you pay yearly.
BeeHiiv remains in a completely different organization when it concerns pricing (in a good way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately enhance costs? They may as time goes on. However, I’m presuming individuals like myself who are currently in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see exactly how points continue.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among the things you absolutely need to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is reasonably young. They do appear to develop rather quickly and make brand-new item statements rather usually, however there are some fundamental features I actually wish they had that I need to simply wait for.
One is that they require to have a setting on subscription kinds where I could pick an automation to run right at the form level. That would certainly be incredible for many reasons. Currently, membership types look OK, however there’s very little setups for them to help in division.
It would be nice to have tagging at the customer degree. This would be effective.
I assume webhooks ought to belong to automations to make integrated automations less complicated and minimize dependence on outside tools like Zapier.
There are additionally some minor administrative user interface adjustments that would certainly come in handy. As an example:
- Capability to mass edit/remove clients.
- Ability to bulk edit blog posts (for instance, to tag a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of basic areas as standard on clients (like the name).
- Some even more modification options for the web site (such as more flexible color choices, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Points I wish they do with it in the future. BeeHiiv is respectable, yet it isn’t ideal and definitely not nearly as developed as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It possibly never ever will be, either. As I claimed, the function is various so it wouldn’t much a great deal of feeling for BeeHiiv to come to be a full marketing automation platform. I guess you never understand, though.
Last Ideas On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I like BeeHiiv quite a great deal. Sufficient where I chose to change my own e-newsletters over to the system in spite of my personal choice for digital sovereignty and possessing my own system.
Basically, for the newsletter posting design specifically, I saw sufficient value in their system to warrant the adjustment.
Remember, I do not use BeeHiiv as my exclusive email listing. I make use of BeeHiiv wherefore it is good at, however I deliberately have things establish so that I also maintain my list “in house” inside of FluentCRM.
If you utilize BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is simply an excellent insurance policy, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your listing will certainly be of high use (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never will certainly be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU make use of BeeHiiv?
In my viewpoint, if you are making use of Substack right now, I ‘d most definitely consider switching to BeeHiiv. It will just be more business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and various needs. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch must be pretty straightforward.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d most likely sit tight unless you have a large email checklist and are therefore being wooled with their high regular monthly expense. You will not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating rapidly. There’s also a pretty good opportunity you’re not also making use of a few of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you do not also need them. For that reason, BeeHiiv could quickly be a better and a lot more budget-friendly fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be very deliberate concerning growing a newsletter, I believe BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is made to be, it is one of the very best games in town now. This is the system to watch.
BeeHiiv uses a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves taking a look at on your own. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll find the totally free account to be fairly feature rich.