I have actually used a lot of various e-mail list systems for many years. In the last couple of years, I have actually been a substantial proponent of digital sovereignty and possessing your very own system. Therefore (and the amazing features), I have actually been utilizing Beehiiv Open Banker.
So, it is without a doubt an odd move for me to make a decision to utilize BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is a hosted application and I am paying monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv testimonial, I wish to discuss why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I want to attend to the issue of digital sovereignty while using the system and I ‘d likewise such as to address why I selected to utilize it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For E-newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Hobby + A Big Shift In Method, I discussed how and why I determined to transform my RV blog site into largely a newsletter. I determined that was business model I wanted to pursue with that said building.
However, to intentionally seek it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Gladly RV, but FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, honestly, utilizing it for e-newsletters is a little bit of a waste. Much more on that particular in a little bit.
As I claimed because issue of the newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools built into it particular to my purpose. Points such as:
- Capability to release (to the blog) and send out the email concurrently without having it be 2 different actions.
- Integrated in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not 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 system.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are primarily one-click membership links. Great for promotion in various other e-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.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I select to monetize with ads in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in capability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and primarily run a premium newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features aimed at development. The platform was actually constructed by the individuals that accumulated the modern technology for Early morning Mixture. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the point below. BeeHiiv is constructed from scratch for the function of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a various objective.
And I ended off with this:.
I might certainly be relocating The Side over to BeeHiiv also. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I just went for it. And actually, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, triggered as it’s very own residential or commercial property to ensure that I can expand it a lot more 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 motor home was young, so easy to transition. Yet, The Morning WP (previously The Side) was buried in a sea of things right here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s own. It will clearly always be carefully connected with the Blog site Marketing Academy, but does not have to be a part of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was constructed for this function. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Just A Typical Email Listing
There’s a distinction between an e-newsletter system and simply an email list.
You can hold your email listing everywhere you want and there are a variety of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The key difference is that, with an e-newsletter system, the act of publishing means that it is going to your internet site and to your e-mail customers at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a web site. You are releasing to that website. Yet, you are likewise sending off to all subscribers at the same time. The website and it’s customers are all in one. This makes administration of the platform much simpler.
With the majority of e-mail platforms, any e-newsletter you established is done as an email campaign. It is built totally individually from your web site. So, for instance, you could publish a post to WordPress yet then you would certainly need to independently build and send out an email to your list to send it to subscribers. These are after that 2 different sets of archives and two separate activities due to the fact that blog posts and your emails are not naturally connected.
The closest thing that transforms WordPress right into a real e-newsletter platform is Newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it practically “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress messages and enables them to be the exact same thing. Certainly, something like E-newsletter Glue would be a solid choice if I wished to remain to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you would certainly lose the growth devices that come with a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter inherently features a various collection of requirements than a regular e-mail checklist.
You do not normally require much marketing automation. You don’t generally require autoresponder sequences, event tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO requirement, though, is one smooth publishing experience and development devices to aid you build your customer base that are specific to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my clients that I was mosting likely 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 fact that I chose to opt for BeeHiiv, that doesn’t mean I believe Substack sucks. As a matter of fact, because Substack has actually been about much longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is younger, there are a couple points that at first got my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly customized to e-newsletter authors. In fact, it is actually built by the very same folks who developed the innovation behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real world, does not matter. However, the apparent positioning of BeeHiiv toward newsletter growth called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “designer”. Development is what I have an interest in here.
- That branding and differentiation likewise implies that BeeHiiv has some rather huge brands and huge magazines utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed even more at solo designers. Once more, it just informs me the client avatar difference between both firms.
Sending our my e-newsletter via FluentCRM didn’t specifically suck. The only reason I would certainly consider drinking points up is if I assumed I could expand the list faster. And BeeHiiv talked exactly to that goal.
As a result of the targeting, I in fact do not check out BeeHiiv and Substack as direct rivals. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a various type of consumer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being more direct competitors.
But, allow’s dive much deeper than simply the positioning right here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv feels like it was constructed by people who understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears extra tailored towards creators.
As an example, BeeHiiv supplies custom areas on customers. Now, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv supplies Automations. As a matter of fact, it is a visual automation builder that functions a whole lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation functionality is still early-phase. It is still fairly minimal in triggers and the only activity is the capacity to send an email. However, improvements are coming. Soon enough, automations will certainly have brand-new triggers in addition to new activities, such as modifying custom-made areas, sending out webhooks, and so on. I have actually already seen improvements to their automations just since I started making use of the system. As an example:
- Capability to activate automations based upon which certain embed kind they can be found in on.
- Capacity to instantly do re-engagement (and take care of people based upon opens up 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’t do this due to the fact that the target audience of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an e-mail marketer.
When it comes to writing your e-newsletters, the writing 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 locate it to be a lot more intuitive, directly.
Substack’s creating interface behaves and tidy, yet it would certainly be extra equal to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This distinction is greater than just form. For example, with BeeHiiv you can insert a “Section” and then placed anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Visibility options on that area to reveal it just to paid clients, conceal it from email, conceal from clients, reveal only to customers, etc. Substack uses absolutely nothing similar to this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a costs subscription design, BeeHiiv does not take any income. Actually, you essentially connect up to your very own Stripe account and it charges directly to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your earnings. Depending on the amount of clients you obtain, that 10% can be a fair bit more money than the month-to-month expense of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This could appear unpopular, yet what it means is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv deal with the outside using devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … absolutely nothing. No integrations whatsoever.
Generally, I just felt like BeeHiiv was extra built towards real email marketing. It was developed by individuals that “get it”. Also the opt-in forms and the landing page makes seem better built for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv add, I like the direction it is going more than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually said, Substack settings itself towards “makers” more than e-mail marketers and e-newsletter proprietors. For that reason, you see some things geared much more towards individuals that just think in terms of web content creation.
For example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does support numerous magazines, they are dealt with fairly individually. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to multiple publications at the same time. This isn’t something I require, yet … amazing for people that might require it.
Substack likewise has even more social performance built-in. For instance, it has a conversation function to host chats with clients. It additionally has a “Notes” function which functions type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share things from various other “Stacks” you read. Fascinating. On the whole, Substack is established to be more like a social network which sustains long-form content.
Overall, Substack is also extra … minimalist. You either care for that or don’t. Personally, I don’t. Nevertheless, if the objective is simpleness of user interface and, honestly, features … Substack functions pretty well.
However, I’ll be clear below …
When it pertains to real marketing, I don’t assume there’s much uncertainty that BeeHiiv is better matched. I tried to find more factors that make Substack far better than BeeHiiv, yet honestly … I have a tough time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are often via to be the closest rivals, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer competitors. Both are going after the very same target market and have comparable abilities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at makers (like Substack), yet it is a lot more highly satisfying people who do it for company. ConvertKit has good aesthetic automation building, it’s very own commerce system, and extra. ConvertKit is a truly nice platform.
I’m not going to bore you with a complete feature-by-feature breakdown here. ConvertKit is popular currently. But, here’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has more flexibility when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly additionally state that I locate ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit a lot more intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports tagging. This is just a basic function of e-mail listings that makes it possible for division in a much more adaptable method than BeeHiiv presently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to support identifying at some time quickly, truthfully. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Open Banker.
ConvertKit does now offer the ability to sell things through their own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it may be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would certainly constantly select an extra straight option anyhow. For me, I choose to utilize my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around a lot longer and for that reason has way much more integration alternatives. Tons of web-based tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their very own WordPress plugin that is fairly powerful. For example, their plugin now even sustains member-gated web content along with auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. Essentially, this extra closely places ConvertKit into straight competitors 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 arrive. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also hectic taking on the development devices of BeeHiiv. For instance, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Suggestion Engine where you can not only incentivize individuals to share your e-newsletter with benefits, yet you can also pay per lead within the inner ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are truly awesome features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit got Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of one of the most popular viral promotion systems for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface for what this suggests for the system going forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Open Banker
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that indicates less features and less integrations, which is natural for this phase of the cycle. However, it also implies that they are quickly developing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have seen almost once a week release of brand-new features right into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … yet big features that are quite important. Their rate of development at this moment has been impressive.
I additionally significantly value exactly how responsive they are. In fact, among their product news about some layout enhancements to the website design features in fact contained a tiny trouble with the content width. I merely responded to that email to tell them. I promptly got a reply directly from the CEO:.
That exact same day, the problem was dealt with.
Couple of days later on, I gave them one more pointer …
Indeed, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to trigger automations based upon the embed kind used was contributed to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the group is something I actually value.
Another significant point of differentiation below is the cost. Both systems supply cost-free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan provides extra 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 desirable. ConvertKit seems more affordable in the beginning glimpse due to the fact that their pricing web page reveals lower numbers, nonetheless the customer limitations are FAR lower and your cost promptly enhances as your listing expands.
With BeeHiiv, your first level paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid yearly), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. That exact same dimension checklist 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 directly utilize), you can grow your listing approximately 100,000. A list of that size would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, also, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay each year, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv is in an entirely different league when it concerns pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually increase rates? They may as time goes on. However, I’m guessing people like myself who are already in will be locked-in. We’ll see how points proceed.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of things you most definitely need to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is relatively young. They do seem to develop rather swiftly and make new product statements somewhat commonly, yet there are some fundamental features I truly want they had that I need to simply wait on.
One is that they need to have a setting on subscription forms where I can pick an automation to run right at the kind level. That would certainly be amazing for numerous reasons. As of now, membership forms look OK, but there’s extremely little setups for them to aid in division.
It would behave to have labeling at the subscriber degree. This would be powerful.
I believe webhooks ought to become part of automations to make built-in automations much easier and minimize reliance on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some minor management user interface adjustments that would be handy. For example:
- Capability to mass edit/remove clients.
- Capacity to bulk edit blog posts (for instance, to mark a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of fundamental areas as basic on clients (like the name).
- Some even more modification alternatives for the internet site (such as more versatile color options, heading control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Things I hope they do with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t perfect and certainly not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM product.
It most likely never will certainly be, either. As I said, the function is various so it wouldn’t a lot a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to end up being a complete marketing automation system. I presume you never ever understand, though.
Final Ideas On This BeeHiiv Review
I like BeeHiiv rather a whole lot. Sufficient where I made a decision to switch my own newsletters over to the system in spite of my individual choice for digital sovereignty and possessing my very own system.
Simply put, for the e-newsletter posting design specifically, I saw adequate worth in their platform to call for the change.
Remember, I do not use BeeHiiv as my exclusive email list. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is good at, yet I deliberately have points set up so that I likewise keep my checklist “in home” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the exact same. It is simply a great insurance plan, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your checklist will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU utilize BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are using Substack today, I ‘d absolutely consider changing to BeeHiiv. It will merely be a lot more business-friendly. It is targeting various capacities and different demands. And also, BeeHiiv even has import devices for Substack, so the button must be pretty simple.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d possibly sit tight unless you have a large e-mail list and are therefore being wooled with their high month-to-month costs. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, yet they are iterating quickly. There’s additionally a pretty good opportunity you’re not also utilizing several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you don’t even need them. Because of that, BeeHiiv might easily be a better and a lot more budget friendly fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be really willful regarding growing a newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE system to consider and keep and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is made to be, it is one of the most effective games in town now. This is the system to view.
BeeHiiv supplies a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves having a look at on your own. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll find the complimentary account to be rather feature abundant.