I have actually made use of a lot of different e-mail list systems throughout the years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a substantial advocate of digital sovereignty and owning your very own platform. Because of that (and the incredible features), I have been using Beehiiv Newsletter XP.
So, it is indeed an unusual move for me to determine to use BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is an organized application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I want to review why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to resolve the problem of digital sovereignty while using the platform and I ‘d likewise such as to deal with why I chose to utilize it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For Newsletters
In Issue # 435 of my newsletter called My Pastime + A Big Change In Technique, I talked about how and why I chose to transform my motor home blog into mostly a newsletter. I chose that was the business design I intended to pursue with that said residential or commercial property.
However, to deliberately pursue it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the e-mail listing for Happily recreational vehicle, yet FluentCRM is not a newsletter platform. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, frankly, utilizing it for e-newsletters is a little bit of a waste. Extra on that particular in a bit.
As I stated in that issue of the newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a platform with devices built into it particular to my objective. Points such as:
- Capability to publish (to the blog site) and send out the e-mail simultaneously without having it be two different activities.
- Constructed in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM doesn’t have that and I would require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in ability to do cross-promotions with various other newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are generally one-click registration web links. Great for promo in other 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 newsletter.
- Integrated ad network, if I choose to generate income from with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated ability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and primarily run a costs newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Primarily, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features aimed at growth. The platform was literally developed by the people that accumulated the technology for Early morning Mixture. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the factor here. BeeHiiv is developed from the ground up for the objective of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a various purpose.
And I ended off with this:.
I may certainly be relocating The Side over to BeeHiiv too. A minimum of, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I just went all out. And in fact, The side was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s own building to make sure that I can grow it much more purposefully also.
The objective is that each e-newsletter has the capacity to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded independently. Happily motor home was young, so easy to shift. But, The Early morning WP (formerly The Edge) was buried in a sea of stuff here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s very own. It will undoubtedly always be closely tied with the Blog Marketing Academy, but 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 Regular Email List
There’s a distinction in between a newsletter platform and simply an email list.
You can hold your e-mail checklist anywhere you want 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 main difference is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing means that it is going to your internet site and to your email clients simultaneously.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are releasing to that site. But, you are likewise sending off to all subscribers at the same time. The website and it’s clients are all in one. This makes management of the system much less complex.
With many e-mail platforms, any type of newsletter you established is done as an email campaign. It is built completely separately from your web site. So, for example, you may release an article to WordPress however then you would certainly require to individually build and send an email to your list to send it to subscribers. These are then two different sets of archives and 2 different activities due to the fact that blog posts and your emails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress right into a true newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it practically “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress blog posts and allows them to be the exact same point. Definitely, something like Newsletter Glue would be a solid choice if I wanted to remain to self-host every little thing. However, you ‘d shed the development devices that feature a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter inherently includes a different set of needs than a regular email checklist.
You don’t usually need much marketing automation. You do not generally need autoresponder series, event tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO requirement, however, is one smooth posting experience and growth devices to help you construct your customer base that specify to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my customers that I was going to switch over the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the truth that I selected to go with BeeHiiv, that doesn’t indicate I assume Substack draws. In fact, because Substack has actually been about much longer, it is elder and has more features.
Although BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair points that at first obtained my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is especially customized to newsletter publishers. As a matter of fact, it is actually constructed by the very same folks that constructed the modern technology behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real world, does not matter. However, the apparent positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter growth called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “designer”. Development is what I have an interest in right here.
- That branding and differentiation likewise means that BeeHiiv has some rather large brands and huge magazines using it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo developers. Again, it simply tells me the customer avatar distinction between both business.
Sending our my e-newsletter through FluentCRM really did not specifically suck. The only reason I would ponder shaking points up is if I assumed I could GROW the list faster. And BeeHiiv talked specifically to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I in fact do not watch BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a different sort of consumer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra direct rivals.
Yet, let’s dive much deeper than simply the positioning here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv seems like it was developed by people who understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears extra tailored toward designers.
As an example, BeeHiiv offers personalized areas on subscribers. Now, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv uses Automations. As a matter of fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that functions a great deal like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation functionality is still early-phase. It is still fairly restricted in triggers and the only activity is the capability to send an e-mail. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Soon sufficient, automations will have brand-new triggers as well as brand-new actions, such as modifying custom-made fields, sending out webhooks, etc. I’ve already seen enhancements to their automations just because I started using the system. For example:
- Capacity to trigger automations based upon which specific embed form they can be found in on.
- Capacity to instantly do re-engagement (and handle people based upon opens up and non-opens).
- Capacity to do standard conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never will. Substack simply can not do this because the target audience of Substack simply would not think to approach this like an email online marketer.
When it concerns writing your newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is simply much more tailored toward newsletters. As a matter of fact, it in fact has similarities to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it functions. I locate it to be more user-friendly, personally.
Substack’s creating interface behaves and clean, yet it would be a lot more comparable to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than simply kind. For example, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Area” and afterwards placed anything you want in it. Then, you can put Visibility alternatives on that particular area to reveal it only to paid subscribers, conceal it from email, hide from clients, show only to customers, etc. Substack uses nothing similar to this.
And when/if the time comes that I begin a costs subscription model, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any kind of earnings. As a matter of fact, you essentially connect up to your very own Stripe account and it bills straight to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your revenue. Depending on the amount of customers you obtain, that 10% can be quite a bit even more money than the monthly price of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This might seem nerdy, but what it means is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can actually make BeeHiiv deal with the outside utilizing devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … nothing. No integrations in any way.
Overall, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was much more developed toward actual email marketing. It was built by individuals that “get it”. Also the opt-in types and the landing page creates appear far better built for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I would like to see BeeHiiv include, I like the direction it is going greater than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually said, Substack positions itself toward “developers” more than email marketers and newsletter owners. Therefore, you see some points tailored more towards individuals that just think in regards to material development.
As an example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Additionally, while BeeHiiv does support several publications, they are treated quite separately. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to several publications at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, however … great for people that may require it.
Substack likewise has even more social performance built-in. As an example, it has a conversation function to host chats with customers. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which functions type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share things from various other “Stacks” you’re reading. Fascinating. Generally, Substack is established to be a lot more like a social media network which supports long-form material.
On the whole, Substack is additionally extra … minimalist. You either take care of that or don’t. Personally, I do not. Nevertheless, if the goal is simplicity of interface and, honestly, features … Substack works pretty well.
Yet, I’ll be clear below …
When it pertains to actual marketing, I don’t believe there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is much better fit. I looked for even more factors that make Substack far better than BeeHiiv, but truthfully … I have a hard time finding 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 competitors. Both are pursuing the exact same target audience and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is likewise positioned at developers (like Substack), but it is a lot more highly accommodating individuals that do it for business. ConvertKit has great aesthetic automation building, it’s own commerce system, and much more. ConvertKit is a truly good system.
I’m not going to birthed you with a complete feature-by-feature malfunction right here. ConvertKit is popular currently. However, here’s exactly how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Points ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Already, ConvertKit has much more flexibility when it pertains to it’s automations. I will certainly additionally state that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit much more intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports identifying. This is simply a fundamental function of email listings that makes it possible for segmentation in a much more flexible method than BeeHiiv presently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support marking eventually quickly, honestly. It feels like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Newsletter XP.
ConvertKit does currently supply the capacity to offer points through their very own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is essential to you, it may be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would constantly pick a more direct alternative anyhow. For me, I prefer to utilize my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been about much longer and therefore has way much more integration choices. Tons of online tools and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is fairly effective. For example, their plugin now also sustains member-gated content in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. Essentially, this more very closely puts ConvertKit into direct competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your site and your email checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is significantly lacking in these kinds of third-party integrations currently. It’ll arrive. Yet, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also hectic taking on the growth devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Referral Engine where you can not just incentivize people to share your newsletter with perks, yet you can additionally pay per lead within the inner ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are truly outstanding features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you recognize ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is among the most well known viral promotion platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall surface wherefore this means for the system going forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Newsletter XP
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. Nevertheless, it additionally suggests that they are swiftly developing.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually seen almost weekly launch of brand-new features right into the system. And these aren’t undersized little features … but big features that are fairly essential. Their speed of advancement at this moment has gone over.
I additionally quite appreciate exactly how receptive they are. Actually, among their item news regarding some style enhancements to the website design features actually consisted of a tiny trouble with the material width. I just responded to that e-mail to tell them. I promptly obtained a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That same day, the problem was fixed.
Few days later on, I provided one more recommendation …
Sure enough, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to activate automations based upon the embed type made use of was included in the system.
That type of responsiveness and straight involvement of the team is something I really appreciate.
An additional major point of distinction here is the cost. Both platforms provide cost-free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers much more capability and even more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also FAR more beneficial. ConvertKit appears cheaper initially glance since their pricing page reveals reduced numbers, nonetheless the subscriber limitations are much lower and your cost quickly increases as your list grows.
With BeeHiiv, your very first degree paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid annually), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. That exact same dimension list is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their finest plan and the one I personally use), you can expand your listing 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 every year, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay every year.
BeeHiiv remains in a totally different league when it pertains to pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually raise rates? They may as time takes place. But, I’m thinking individuals like myself who are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see how things continue.
Points I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of the important things you most definitely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do appear to develop instead promptly and make new product news somewhat typically, however there are some standard features I really desire they had that I require to just wait on.
One is that they need to have a setting on subscription forms where I might select an automation to run right at the form degree. That would be remarkable for numerous factors. Currently, subscription types look OK, but there’s really little settings for them to aid in segmentation.
It would behave to have identifying at the subscriber degree. This would be powerful.
I think webhooks ought to belong to automations to make integrated automations easier and lower dependence on outside tools like Zapier.
There are also some minor management user interface changes that would certainly be handy. For example:
- Capacity to mass edit/remove subscribers.
- Capability to bulk edit blog posts (for example, to mark a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a few standard areas as common on subscribers (like the name).
- Some more modification options for the web site (such as more adaptable shade options, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Things I hope they finish with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, however it isn’t best and certainly not nearly as developed as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It possibly never will be, either. As I said, the purpose is various so it wouldn’t much a great deal of feeling for BeeHiiv to end up being a complete marketing automation platform. I think you never understand, though.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv quite a whole lot. Enough where I decided to change my very own newsletters over to the system regardless of my personal choice for digital sovereignty and owning my own system.
Put simply, for the newsletter posting model particularly, I saw enough value in their system to require the change.
Bear in mind, I do not use BeeHiiv as my unique email checklist. I utilize BeeHiiv of what it is good at, however I purposefully have things set up to ensure that I likewise keep my checklist “in home” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the very same. It is simply a great insurance coverage, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your checklist 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 utilize BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are making use of Substack today, I ‘d certainly think about switching over to BeeHiiv. It will merely be a lot more business-friendly. It is targeting different abilities and various demands. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the button should be rather straightforward.
If you are on ConvertKit currently, I ‘d probably stay unless you have a large email listing and are for that reason being fleeced with their high monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are iterating promptly. There’s also a respectable opportunity you’re not even using several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you don’t also require them. Because of that, BeeHiiv can quickly be a far better and much more inexpensive fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be really willful regarding growing an e-newsletter, I think BeeHiiv is THE system to consider and keep and eye on for you.
If you utilize BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is designed to be, it is just one of the very best video games in the area right now. This is the system to watch.
BeeHiiv offers a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth taking a look at for yourself. And if you end up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll locate the free account to be quite feature abundant.