I have used a great deal of different email list systems throughout the years. In the last number of years, I have actually been a significant advocate of digital sovereignty and having your very own platform. Therefore (and the awesome features), I have been making use of Beehiiv Icon.
So, it is without a doubt an odd move for me to make a decision to make use of BeeHiiv. After all, it is a held application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I want to go over why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to attend to the problem of digital sovereignty while using the platform and I ‘d also like to address why I selected to use it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For E-newsletters
In Issue # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Hobby + A Large Shift In Strategy, I spoke about just how and why I determined to transform my motor home blog site into mostly a newsletter. I determined that was the business version I wanted to pursue keeping that property.
Yet, to intentionally pursue it as a newsletter, I wanted a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was using FluentCRM for the e-mail listing for Happily RV, however FluentCRM is not a newsletter system. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, frankly, utilizing it for newsletters is a bit of a waste. Extra on that in a bit.
As I stated because issue of the newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a system with tools developed right into it certain to my purpose. Things such as:
- Capability to release (to the blog site) and send the e-mail simultaneously without having it be two separate actions.
- Integrated in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would have needed a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in capability to do cross-promotions with other newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are basically one-click subscription links. Great for promo in various other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, however, so there are ways to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I select to monetize with advertisements in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and essentially run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Essentially, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features targeted at development. The system was literally constructed by the people that built up the innovation for Morning Mixture. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the point right here. BeeHiiv is constructed from the ground up for the objective of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a various 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 really did not consider it for long. Actually, I simply went all out. And actually, The side was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s very own residential property so that I can expand it much more purposefully too.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and expanded independently. Gladly motor home was young, so very easy to change. However, The Early morning WP (formerly The Side) was buried in a sea of stuff here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s very own. It will certainly constantly be closely tied with the Blog Marketing Academy, however does not have to be a part of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was developed for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Regular Email Listing
There’s a difference in between a newsletter system and just an email checklist.
You can host your e-mail list anyplace you desire and there are a number of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The primary distinction is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing implies that it is going to your website and to your email clients at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have an internet site. You are publishing to that site. However, you are also sending to all subscribers at the same time. The internet site and it’s clients are done in one. This makes administration of the system much less complex.
With most email systems, any e-newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is constructed entirely separately from your internet site. So, for instance, you might release a write-up to WordPress but then you would require to independently develop and send an e-mail to your list to send it to clients. These are after that two different sets of archives and 2 separate activities due to the fact that article and your emails are not naturally connected.
The closest thing that turns WordPress into a real e-newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it pretty much “adhesives” your e-newsletter to your WordPress articles and allows them to be the same point. Definitely, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid choice if I intended to continue to self-host everything. Nevertheless, you would certainly shed the development tools that feature a platform like BeeHiiv.
Publishing a newsletter inherently includes a various set of needs than a normal email checklist.
You don’t generally need much marketing automation. You do not generally require autoresponder sequences, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO need, though, is one seamless posting experience and growth devices to help you develop your client base that specify to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my customers that I was mosting likely to switch over the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had lots of people ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the truth that I selected to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not indicate I think 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 pair things that originally got my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is specifically customized to newsletter authors. In fact, it is actually built by the very same individuals that built the modern technology behind Early morning Brew. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, does not matter. Yet, the noticeable positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter development called me out over the more generic positioning of being a “maker”. Growth is what I want below.
- That branding and distinction likewise indicates that BeeHiiv has some relatively large brand names and large publications using it. Whereas SubStack is aimed even more at solo makers. Again, it simply tells me the client avatar difference between both firms.
Sending our my e-newsletter by means of FluentCRM really did not precisely suck. The only reason I would ponder shaking things up is if I believed I could GROW the listing much faster. And BeeHiiv spoke precisely to that goal.
As a result of the targeting, I actually don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a different type of customer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more direct rivals.
However, allow’s dive much deeper than simply the positioning below.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
In general, BeeHiiv feels like it was constructed by individuals who comprehending email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears more geared towards developers.
As an example, BeeHiiv supplies personalized fields on clients. Currently, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. But, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. Actually, it is an aesthetic automation builder that functions a great deal like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still rather limited in triggers and the only action is the ability to send out an e-mail. Nonetheless, enhancements are coming. Quickly sufficient, automations will have new triggers along with new actions, such as changing personalized areas, sending webhooks, and so on. I’ve already seen enhancements to their automations just because I began using the system. For example:
- Capability to trigger automations based on which details embed type they can be found in on.
- Capacity to immediately do re-engagement (and handle individuals based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capacity to do standard conditional reasoning branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack simply can not do this due to the fact that the target market of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an email marketer.
When it pertains to creating your newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is simply a lot more tailored towards e-newsletters. Actually, it really has similarities to the WordPress block builder in how it functions. I find it to be more instinctive, directly.
Substack’s composing interface is nice and clean, yet it would certainly be extra comparable to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This distinction is more than just form. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Section” and after that put anything you want in it. After that, you can place Exposure alternatives on that area to reveal it just to paid clients, hide it from e-mail, hide from customers, show just to customers, and so on. Substack provides absolutely nothing such as this.
And when/if the time comes that I begin a premium membership model, BeeHiiv does not take any kind of profits. In fact, you literally link as much as your own Stripe account and it bills directly to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your earnings. Depending on the amount of customers you get, that 10% can be a fair bit even more money than the monthly expense of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This might appear unpopular, yet what it indicates is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv collaborate with the outdoors making use of tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … absolutely nothing. No integrations at all.
Overall, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was a lot more developed toward real email marketing. It was constructed by individuals that “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page creates seem far better developed 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 direction it is going greater than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have claimed, Substack placements itself towards “creators” greater than email online marketers and newsletter owners. For that reason, you see some things geared more toward individuals that simply assume in terms of web content development.
As an example, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous magazines, they are dealt with fairly individually. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I need, but … amazing for individuals that might require it.
Substack likewise has even more social functionality built-in. For instance, it has a chat feature to host chats with customers. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which works kind of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Interesting. In general, Substack is established to be a lot more like a social media network which sustains long-form content.
On the whole, Substack is likewise more … minimal. You either look after that or do not. Directly, I do not. However, if the goal is simpleness of user interface and, frankly, features … Substack functions quite well.
Yet, I’ll be clear below …
When it comes to real marketing, I don’t assume there’s much question that BeeHiiv is better suited. I tried to find more points that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, yet truthfully … I have a tough time discovering 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 rivals. Both are going after the same target market and have similar capacities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at makers (like Substack), however it is far more strongly satisfying people that do it for organization. ConvertKit has nice visual automation building, it’s own commerce system, and much more. ConvertKit is an actually nice platform.
I’m not going to birthed you with a full feature-by-feature failure here. ConvertKit is well known currently. Yet, below’s how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Better At …
Already, ConvertKit has much more flexibility when it involves it’s automations. I will certainly likewise say that I locate ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit extra instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports tagging. This is simply a fundamental function of e-mail lists that allows segmentation in a far more versatile means than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support marking eventually quickly, frankly. It feels like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Icon.
ConvertKit does now offer the capacity to offer things using their very own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that’s important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would constantly select an extra direct choice anyhow. For me, I prefer to utilize my own system 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 also has their own WordPress plugin that is rather powerful. For example, their plugin currently even supports member-gated web content along with auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. Fundamentally, this much more very closely places ConvertKit into straight competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your website and your email list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is severely lacking in these sort of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll get there. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also active dealing with 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, however you can also pay per lead within the inner ad network of BeeHiiv to grow your checklist. These are actually awesome features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is among the most well known viral promotion platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall surface for what this means for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Icon
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. Nonetheless, it likewise implies that they are rapidly establishing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually seen practically weekly release of new features right into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … but huge features that are rather vital. Their rate of growth now has been impressive.
I likewise significantly value just how receptive they are. Actually, one of their item statements concerning some style enhancements to the web design features really had a little problem with the content size. I merely replied to that e-mail to tell them. I quickly obtained a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That very same day, the concern was repaired.
Few days later, I gave them one more recommendation …
Sure enough, in a little bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to cause 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 actually value.
Another significant point of distinction right here is the price. Both systems use totally free plans, however the BeeHiiv free plan uses more capability and even more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
As soon as you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also even more positive. ConvertKit appears more affordable in the beginning look due to the fact that their pricing web page shows reduced numbers, however the subscriber restrictions are much reduced and your price quickly raises as your list expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid every year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That very same dimension checklist is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I directly use), you can grow your list up to 100,000. A listing of that dimension would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, too, 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 every year.
BeeHiiv is in a completely different league when it concerns pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately increase rates? They may as time goes on. However, I’m guessing individuals like myself that are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see just how points continue.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Add
One of things you definitely require to remember is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do appear to advance instead rapidly and make new item statements rather typically, yet there are some fundamental features I actually want they had that I need to just await.
One is that they need to have a setup on membership types where I can pick an automation to run right at the kind level. That would certainly be remarkable for numerous reasons. As of now, membership types look OK, however there’s really little settings for them to help in division.
It would behave to have tagging at the customer degree. This would be effective.
I believe webhooks should be part of automations to make built-in automations easier and reduce reliance on outside tools like Zapier.
There are likewise some small administrative interface modifications that would come in handy. For instance:
- Capacity to bulk edit/remove customers.
- Capability to mass edit messages (for instance, to identify a number of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of standard fields as standard on customers (like the name).
- Some even more customization alternatives for the web site (such as more adaptable color options, headline control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I hope they do with it in the future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t perfect and certainly not almost as established as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM product.
It probably never ever will certainly be, either. As I stated, the function is different so it would not much a lot of sense for BeeHiiv to become a complete marketing automation system. I guess you never understand, however.
Final Ideas On This BeeHiiv Review
I like BeeHiiv rather a great deal. Enough where I chose to switch my own newsletters over to the system in spite of my personal choice for digital sovereignty and owning my very own platform.
Simply put, for the newsletter posting model particularly, I saw enough value in their system to require the modification.
Bear in mind, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my exclusive email list. I use BeeHiiv for what it is good at, however I deliberately have points set up to make sure that I additionally maintain my list “in residence” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is simply an excellent insurance plan, 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 system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the concern is … should YOU make use of BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are utilizing Substack today, I ‘d absolutely think about changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be more business-friendly. It is targeting different abilities and various requirements. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch must be pretty uncomplicated.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d most likely stay put unless you have a big email checklist and are therefore being wooled with their high monthly costs. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are iterating quickly. There’s additionally a respectable possibility you’re not even utilizing some of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t even need them. For that reason, BeeHiiv can quickly be a better and more cost effective fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be extremely deliberate concerning expanding an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE platform to consider and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is created to be, it is just one of the best games around today. This is the system to view.
BeeHiiv uses a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves taking a look at on your own. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll find the cost-free account to be fairly feature rich.