I have actually utilized a lot of different email list systems over the years. In the last number of years, I’ve been a substantial proponent of digital sovereignty and owning your very own system. Because of that (and the outstanding features), I have been making use of Beehiiv Tutorials.
So, it is certainly an odd move for me to make a decision to make use of BeeHiiv. After all, it is a hosted application and I am paying month-to-month for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv testimonial, I want to go over why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to address the problem of digital sovereignty while making use of the platform and I would certainly additionally such as to resolve why I picked to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For Newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my newsletter called My Leisure activity + A Big Shift In Method, I talked about how and why I made a decision to transform my recreational vehicle blog right into mostly an e-newsletter. I chose that was business model I intended to pursue with that said property.
But, to purposefully seek it as an e-newsletter, I desired a system that was purpose-built for that. I was using FluentCRM for the email checklist for Gladly motor home, but FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter platform. It is built 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 particular in a bit.
As I said in that concern of the newsletter …
Put simply, BeeHiiv is a system with tools built into it specific to my function. Points such as:
- Ability to release (to the blog site) and send the e-mail simultaneously without having it be two separate actions.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly require a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Built-in capacity to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are essentially one-click registration links. Great for promo in other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Links, however, so there are ways to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your newsletter.
- Integrated ad network, if I choose to monetize with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in capability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and essentially run a premium newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Primarily, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features targeted at development. The platform was actually constructed by the people that developed the modern technology for Early morning Mixture. They recognize what they’re doing.
That is the point below. BeeHiiv is built from the ground up for the purpose of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a different purpose.
And I finished off with this:.
I might indeed be relocating The Edge over to BeeHiiv also. At the very least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. In fact, I simply went all out. And as a matter of fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s own building to make sure that I can grow it much more purposefully too.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded independently. Gladly RV was young, so very easy to change. But, The Early morning WP (previously The Side) was buried in a sea of things here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s very own. It will obviously constantly be closely linked with the Blog site Marketing Academy, but does not need to belong of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv because it was developed for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Just A Regular Email Listing
There’s a difference in between an e-newsletter system and just an email checklist.
You can organize your email checklist anyplace you desire and there are a number of them around, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The main difference is that, with a newsletter platform, the act of publishing means that it is going to your site and to your email customers concurrently.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have an internet site. You are releasing to that web site. However, you are also sending off to all clients at the same time. The website and it’s subscribers are done in one. This makes monitoring of the system much easier.
With a lot of email platforms, any kind of newsletter you set up is done as an e-mail campaign. It is developed entirely separately from your website. So, as an example, you may publish a post to WordPress yet after that you would require to independently develop and send out an e-mail to your checklist to send it to clients. These are then two different sets of archives and 2 separate actions due to the fact that post and your emails are not naturally linked.
The closest point that turns WordPress right into a true e-newsletter platform is Newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it practically “adhesives” your newsletter to your WordPress posts and permits them to be the same thing. Absolutely, something like E-newsletter Glue would certainly be a strong choice if I wanted to remain to self-host every little thing. However, you ‘d lose the growth devices that include a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter naturally features a various set of demands than a regular email list.
You don’t typically need much marketing automation. You don’t usually need autoresponder series, event monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO demand, though, is one smooth posting experience and development tools to help you construct your subscriber base that specify to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I introduced to my clients 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, also besides the truth that I chose to select BeeHiiv, that doesn’t suggest I believe Substack draws. Actually, since Substack has been around longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Although BeeHiiv is younger, there are a couple points that at first obtained my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is especially customized to newsletter authors. As a matter of fact, it is actually built by the very same folks that constructed the innovation behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real world, doesn’t matter. However, the noticeable positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter growth called me out over the more generic positioning of being a “developer”. Development is what I have an interest in here.
- That branding and distinction additionally indicates that BeeHiiv has some fairly big brand names and big publications using it. Whereas SubStack is intended even more at solo designers. Once more, it simply informs me the client avatar difference between the two business.
Sending our my newsletter through FluentCRM didn’t precisely suck. The only reason I would certainly contemplate shaking points up is if I assumed I could expand the list quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
Due to the targeting, I actually do not watch BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a various kind of consumer. As a matter of fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more direct rivals.
However, allow’s dive much deeper than just the placing here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
In general, BeeHiiv appears like it was developed by individuals who recognizing e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems much more tailored towards developers.
For instance, BeeHiiv supplies custom-made fields on customers. Now, it isn’t as developed as something like FluentCRM. But, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv supplies 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 capability is still early-phase. It is still rather limited in triggers and the only activity is the capacity to send out an e-mail. Nevertheless, improvements are coming. Quickly sufficient, automations will have brand-new triggers along with brand-new actions, such as customizing customized fields, sending out webhooks, etc. I have actually already seen enhancements to their automations just because I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Capability to activate automations based on which certain embed form they came in on.
- Ability to immediately do re-engagement (and handle people based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capacity to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations similar to this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack simply can’t do this since the target market of Substack simply wouldn’t believe to approach this like an email online marketer.
When it comes to creating your e-newsletters, the writing user interface of BeeHiiv is just extra tailored towards newsletters. As a matter of fact, it in fact has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it functions. I discover it to be much more instinctive, directly.
Substack’s composing user interface behaves and tidy, yet it would certainly be much more equal to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than just form. For instance, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Area” and afterwards placed anything you want in it. After that, you can put Exposure choices on that particular section to reveal it only to paid clients, hide it from e-mail, hide from clients, reveal only to clients, etc. Substack provides absolutely nothing similar to this.
And when/if the moment comes that I begin a costs membership version, BeeHiiv does not take any kind of revenue. In fact, you actually connect as much as your own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your profits. Depending upon how many clients you get, that 10% can be quite a bit even more cash than the month-to-month cost of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This might appear unpopular, yet what it indicates 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 essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations in all.
In general, I just felt like BeeHiiv was extra developed towards genuine email marketing. It was constructed by individuals who “get it”. Also the opt-in forms and the landing page creates seem better developed for conversions. Development is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv include, I such as the direction it is going greater than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have said, Substack positions itself towards “creators” greater than email marketing professionals and newsletter owners. Therefore, you see some things tailored more toward people who just assume in regards to content creation.
As an example, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain multiple publications, they are dealt with quite individually. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, however … amazing for people that may need it.
Substack likewise has more social capability built-in. As an example, it has a chat feature to host talks with subscribers. It additionally has a “Notes” function which works sort of like a social media newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Intriguing. In general, Substack is established to be much more like a social media network which sustains long-form content.
In general, Substack is additionally a lot more … minimal. You either care for that or do not. Directly, I do not. Nevertheless, if the goal is simplicity of interface and, honestly, features … Substack works rather well.
But, I’ll be clear right here …
When it concerns actual marketing, I don’t think there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is much better suited. I tried to find even more factors that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, yet honestly … I have a hard 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 opponents. Both are going after the exact same target market and have similar abilities.
ConvertKit is additionally placed at creators (like Substack), yet it is far more highly accommodating people that do it for service. ConvertKit has nice aesthetic automation building, it’s very own business system, and extra. ConvertKit is a really great system.
I’m not going to birthed you with a complete feature-by-feature breakdown here. ConvertKit is popular currently. Yet, here’s how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Things ConvertKit Is Better At …
Already, ConvertKit has a lot more adaptability when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly likewise say that I locate ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit much more instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports identifying. This is simply a fundamental function of email checklists that enables division in a far more versatile means than BeeHiiv presently does. I expect BeeHiiv to sustain identifying eventually soon, honestly. It feels like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Tutorials.
ConvertKit does now offer the capacity to market things using their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that’s important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would certainly always pick an extra straight option anyhow. For me, I like to utilize my own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been around a lot longer and therefore has way extra integration choices. Lots of online devices and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. As an example, their plugin now also supports member-gated web content along with auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. Basically, this a lot more very closely puts ConvertKit right into direct competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your website and your e-mail list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is drastically doing not have in these type of third-party integrations presently. It’ll arrive. Yet, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even hectic dealing with the development tools of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your e-newsletter with perks, however you can also pay per lead within the internal ad network of BeeHiiv to grow your list. These are actually remarkable features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you know ConvertKit acquired Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most well known viral promotion platforms for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface for what this suggests for the system going forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Tutorials
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests much less features and much less integrations, which is all-natural for this phase of the cycle. Nevertheless, it also suggests that they are swiftly developing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have seen practically regular release of new features into the platform. And these aren’t puny little features … yet large features that are rather important. Their rate of advancement at this moment has actually gone over.
I also very much appreciate exactly how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, one of their product news regarding some design improvements to the web design features really included a little issue with the web content width. I simply responded to that e-mail to tell them. I quickly got a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That very same day, the problem was fixed.
Few days later on, I gave them an additional suggestion …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to set off automations based upon the embed type utilized was included in the system.
That type of responsiveness and direct participation of the group is something I actually appreciate.
One more major point of distinction here is the price. Both systems supply complimentary plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan provides much more ability and even more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
When you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise FAR more beneficial. ConvertKit seems cheaper initially look because their pricing web page shows reduced numbers, however the customer limitations are much lower and your cost promptly boosts as your checklist expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid every year), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. 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 ideal plan and the one I directly make use of), you can expand your checklist as much as 100,000. A checklist of that size would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, as well, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay annually, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay each year.
BeeHiiv remains in an entirely different organization when it comes to pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually raise rates? They could as time takes place. Yet, I’m presuming individuals like myself who are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see exactly how things continue.
Points I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
One of the important things you absolutely require to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is reasonably young. They do appear to develop rather swiftly and make new item statements somewhat typically, yet there are some basic features I actually wish they had that I need to just wait on.
One is that they require to have a setup on membership types where I could pick an automation to run right at the type level. That would certainly be remarkable for many reasons. Already, subscription types look OK, however there’s extremely little settings for them to help in division.
It would behave to have identifying at the customer degree. This would certainly be effective.
I think webhooks should become part of automations to make built-in automations much easier and minimize reliance on outside devices like Zapier.
There are also some small management user interface adjustments that would be handy. For instance:
- Ability to mass edit/remove subscribers.
- Capacity to bulk edit blog posts (as an example, to identify a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of fundamental fields as typical on clients (like the name).
- Some more modification choices for the site (such as more flexible color selections, headline control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I hope they perform with it in the future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, yet it isn’t perfect and certainly not nearly as established as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It possibly never will be, either. As I said, the function is different so it wouldn’t much a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to come to be a full marketing automation system. I think you never ever know, however.
Final Ideas On This BeeHiiv Testimonial
I like BeeHiiv quite a lot. Sufficient where I determined to switch my own e-newsletters over to the platform in spite of my personal preference for digital sovereignty and possessing my very own platform.
Basically, for the e-newsletter posting version especially, I saw enough worth in their platform to warrant the adjustment.
Keep in mind, I do not use BeeHiiv as my unique e-mail list. I make use of BeeHiiv wherefore it is efficient, yet I deliberately have points establish to ensure that I also maintain my listing “in residence” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is simply an excellent insurance policy, for one. Yet, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your list will be of high usage (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU make use of BeeHiiv?
In my viewpoint, if you are using Substack now, I ‘d absolutely consider switching to BeeHiiv. It will just be more business-friendly. It is targeting various capacities and various requirements. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import devices for Substack, so the switch should be quite simple.
If you are on ConvertKit currently, I ‘d most likely stay unless you have a big e-mail listing and are for that reason being wooled with their high regular monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, yet they are iterating quickly. There’s additionally a pretty good chance you’re not even utilizing a few of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you do not even need them. For that reason, BeeHiiv could quickly be a better and a lot more economical fit.
Finally, if you plan to be extremely intentional regarding expanding an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and keep and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is made to be, it is one of the most effective games in the area now. This is the system to view.
BeeHiiv offers a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves having a look at on your own. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll locate the complimentary account to be quite feature rich.