I have actually used a great deal of different e-mail list systems for many years. In the last couple of years, I have actually been a substantial supporter of digital sovereignty and having your own platform. For that reason (and the incredible features), I have actually been using Beehiiv Publisher Agreement.
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 month-to-month for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I intend to look at why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to deal with 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 Leisure activity + A Large Shift In Approach, I talked about just how and why I chose to transform my RV blog into mainly a newsletter. I decided that was the business version I wanted to seek with that building.
But, to deliberately seek it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email list for Gladly motor home, yet FluentCRM is not a newsletter system. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, truthfully, using it for e-newsletters is a little bit of a waste. Extra on that particular in a little bit.
As I said because concern of the e-newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools developed right into it particular to my function. Things such as:
- Capacity to release (to the blog) and send the e-mail simultaneously without having it be two separate activities.
- Built in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM doesn’t have that and I would have needed a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Integrated ability to do cross-promotions with other newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are basically one-click registration links. Great for promo in other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Links, though, 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 select to monetize with ads in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in capacity to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and basically run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter authors with features targeted at development. The system was actually developed by the people that built up the modern technology for Morning Brew. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the point here. BeeHiiv is constructed from the ground up for the function of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a various objective.
And I ended off with this:.
I may undoubtedly be moving The Edge over to BeeHiiv also. At the very least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I just went for it. And actually, The side was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s very own building to ensure that I can expand it extra intentionally too.
The objective is that each newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown independently. Gladly motor home was young, so very easy to change. Yet, The Early morning WP (formerly The Edge) was buried in a sea of things right here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s own. It will obviously always be closely tied with the Blog site Marketing Academy, yet doesn’t have to belong of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was developed for this purpose. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Just A Regular Email List
There’s a distinction in between an e-newsletter platform and just an email checklist.
You can hold your email list anyplace you want and there are a number of them around, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The primary difference is that, with an e-newsletter platform, the act of posting suggests that it is mosting likely to your site and to your e-mail customers all at once.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have an internet site. You are releasing to that site. Yet, you are additionally sending to all customers at the same time. The internet site and it’s subscribers are all in one. This makes management of the system much less complex.
With many e-mail systems, any newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is developed totally independently from your website. So, for example, you may release a short article to WordPress however then you would certainly need to separately build and send out an e-mail to your listing to send it to subscribers. These are after that 2 separate sets of archives and two different actions due to the fact that article and your emails are not inherently connected.
The closest thing that transforms WordPress into a real e-newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it practically “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress messages and allows them to be the exact same point. Absolutely, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid alternative if I intended to continue to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you would certainly lose the growth tools that feature a system like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter naturally features a various set of demands than a typical email list.
You do not typically require much marketing automation. You don’t typically require autoresponder sequences, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO requirement, however, is one seamless posting experience and growth tools to help you develop your subscriber base that specify to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my customers that I was going to change the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many people ask me why I was choosing it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the truth that I picked to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not imply I assume Substack sucks. Actually, because Substack has actually been around longer, it is more mature and has more features.
Although BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair points that initially got my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is especially customized to e-newsletter publishers. Actually, it is actually built by the exact same people that developed the modern technology behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, doesn’t matter. However, the obvious positioning of BeeHiiv toward e-newsletter development called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “creator”. Development is what I’m interested in here.
- That branding and differentiation likewise indicates that BeeHiiv has some fairly huge brands and huge magazines utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is intended even more at solo developers. Once more, it simply tells me the customer avatar distinction between the two companies.
Sending our my newsletter through FluentCRM really did not specifically draw. The only reason I would certainly consider drinking points up is if I believed I could expand the checklist faster. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that goal.
Because of the targeting, I actually don’t check out BeeHiiv and Substack as direct competitors. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a various sort of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra direct rivals.
But, allow’s dive deeper than just the placing below.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv seems like it was constructed by people who understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems a lot more tailored toward designers.
For instance, BeeHiiv uses custom areas on clients. Currently, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv provides Automations. In fact, it is a visual automation builder that works a great deal like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still rather restricted in triggers and the only activity is the ability to send out an e-mail. However, enhancements are coming. Soon enough, automations will certainly have brand-new triggers in addition to new actions, such as modifying personalized areas, sending out webhooks, etc. I have actually already seen improvements to their automations just because I started making use of the system. As an example:
- Capacity to trigger automations based upon which details embed type they came in on.
- Capacity to instantly do re-engagement (and deal with people based on opens up and non-opens).
- Ability to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations similar to this. Likely, it never will. Substack simply can’t do this because the target market of Substack simply wouldn’t think to approach this like an e-mail marketing expert.
When it pertains to composing your newsletters, the writing interface of BeeHiiv is simply extra geared toward e-newsletters. In fact, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in just how it works. I discover it to be much more user-friendly, directly.
Substack’s composing user interface behaves and tidy, however it would certainly be a lot 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 insert a “Section” and afterwards put anything you want in it. After that, you can put Presence choices on that particular section to show it just to paid subscribers, hide it from email, conceal from subscribers, show only to subscribers, and so on. Substack provides nothing like this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a premium membership version, BeeHiiv does not take any type of earnings. In fact, you actually link up to your own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your earnings. Relying on the amount of subscribers you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the month-to-month price of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This could seem unpopular, but what it indicates is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv collaborate with the outdoors using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations at all.
On the whole, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was extra constructed toward genuine email marketing. It was developed by people who “get it”. Even the opt-in kinds and the landing page develops seem much better developed for conversions. Development is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Even though there are still features I wish to see BeeHiiv include, I like the direction it is going greater than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually said, Substack settings itself toward “designers” more than email marketing experts and e-newsletter owners. Because of that, you see some points geared a lot more towards individuals that simply believe in terms of content development.
For example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous publications, they are dealt with quite separately. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, yet … trendy for people who may need it.
Substack likewise has even more social capability built-in. For instance, it has a chat function to host talks with clients. It also has a “Notes” feature which functions type of like a social media newsfeed where you can share things from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Intriguing. On the whole, Substack is set up to be more like a social media network which supports long-form web content.
In general, Substack is additionally more … minimalist. You either care for that or do not. Directly, I do not. Nonetheless, if the goal is simplicity of user interface and, honestly, features … Substack works rather well.
Yet, I’ll be clear here …
When it concerns real marketing, I do not assume there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is better suited. I tried to find even 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 typically through to be the closest competitors, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer rivals. Both are pursuing the exact same target audience and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is also placed at developers (like Substack), yet it is far more strongly accommodating individuals that do it for company. ConvertKit has great aesthetic automation structure, it’s very own business platform, and more. ConvertKit is a really nice platform.
I’m not going to birthed you with a full feature-by-feature break down here. ConvertKit is popular already. Yet, here’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Points ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has more adaptability when it involves it’s automations. I will certainly also say that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit extra instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains marking. This is just a standard function of e-mail checklists that enables division in a far more versatile method than BeeHiiv presently does. I expect BeeHiiv to sustain tagging eventually soon, truthfully. It feels like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Publisher Agreement.
ConvertKit does now offer the capability to sell points through their very own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is essential to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would constantly select a more straight alternative anyhow. For me, I prefer to use my own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been about much longer and for that reason has way a lot more integration options. Lots of online tools and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. As an example, their plugin currently even supports member-gated content along with auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your website. Basically, this extra closely puts ConvertKit into direct competitors by having you be able to publish to your website and your email list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is seriously doing not have in these type of third-party integrations currently. It’ll get there. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also busy taking on the development devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not just incentivize individuals to share your newsletter with benefits, yet you can likewise pay per lead within the internal ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are truly remarkable features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is one of one of the most popular viral promo systems for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall wherefore this means for the system going forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Publisher Agreement
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means much less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. However, it also suggests that they are swiftly establishing.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually experienced nearly once a week release of new features into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … however large features that are quite vital. Their rate of advancement at this moment has gone over.
I likewise very much appreciate just how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, one of their item announcements concerning some layout improvements to the website design features in fact included a tiny problem with the web content size. I merely responded to that e-mail to tell them. I swiftly obtained a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That exact same day, the issue was repaired.
Couple of days later, I gave them an additional idea …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the ability to activate automations based upon the embed type used was contributed to the system.
That type of responsiveness and straight participation of the team is something I truly appreciate.
One more significant factor of differentiation right here is the cost. Both platforms offer free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers extra ability and more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
When you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also much more positive. ConvertKit seems more affordable initially glimpse since their pricing page reveals lower numbers, nonetheless the subscriber limitations are much lower and your rate quickly increases as your listing grows.
With BeeHiiv, your very first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid each year), however you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That very same dimension listing is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their finest plan and the one I personally make use of), you can grow your list up to 100,000. A listing of that dimension would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, too, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay yearly, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay yearly.
BeeHiiv remains in an entirely various league when it involves pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately raise costs? They might as time takes place. However, I’m presuming individuals like myself that are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see how points proceed.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among things you definitely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is relatively young. They do appear to develop rather rapidly and make brand-new product news somewhat often, however there are some standard features I really desire they had that I need to simply await.
One is that they need to have a setting on subscription kinds where I could pick an automation to run right at the form degree. That would be outstanding for a lot of reasons. Already, subscription types look OK, yet there’s really little setups for them to aid in segmentation.
It would behave to have tagging at the subscriber level. This would certainly be effective.
I believe webhooks need to be part of automations to make integrated automations simpler and lower dependence on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some small management interface modifications that would certainly be handy. As an example:
- Capability to bulk edit/remove subscribers.
- Capability to bulk edit articles (as an example, to tag a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a few fundamental fields as basic on subscribers (like the name).
- Some even more modification alternatives for the internet site (such as even more versatile shade options, headline control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Things I wish they make with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t ideal and certainly not almost as established as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It most likely never ever will be, either. As I said, the function is different so it would not much a great deal of feeling for BeeHiiv to come to be a full marketing automation system. I guess you never ever know, however.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv fairly a whole lot. Enough where I determined to switch my own newsletters over to the platform despite my personal choice for digital sovereignty and possessing my own system.
Simply put, for the newsletter publishing version specifically, I saw enough value in their platform to require the change.
Remember, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my unique e-mail listing. I use BeeHiiv for what it is efficient, yet I intentionally have points establish so that I additionally keep my checklist “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the same. It is simply a great insurance policy, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your checklist will be of high use (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never will certainly be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are making use of Substack today, I ‘d certainly take into consideration changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be much more business-friendly. It is targeting different capacities and different requirements. Plus, BeeHiiv even has import tools for Substack, so the switch must be rather straightforward.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably stay unless you have a big email listing and are consequently being wooled with their high regular monthly expense. You will not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, however they are repeating quickly. There’s likewise a respectable chance you’re not also utilizing a few of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t even need them. Because of that, BeeHiiv could easily be a far better and extra cost effective fit.
Last but not least, if you plan to be extremely willful about expanding a newsletter, I think BeeHiiv is THE platform to consider and maintain and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is made to be, it is one of the very best video games in the area today. This is the system to view.
BeeHiiv supplies a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves taking a look at on your own. And if you wind up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll discover the cost-free account to be quite feature abundant.