I have actually used a great deal of various email list systems for many years. In the last number of years, I’ve been a massive supporter of digital sovereignty and owning your own system. Because of that (and the outstanding features), I have actually been utilizing Naptown Scoop Beehiiv.
So, it is certainly a weird move for me to choose to use BeeHiiv. Besides, it is an organized application and I am paying month-to-month for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I want to review why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I intend to attend to the issue of digital sovereignty while using the system and I would certainly additionally such as to attend to why I picked to use it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For E-newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my newsletter called My Pastime + A Large Change In Strategy, I spoke about how and why I decided to turn my RV blog into primarily an e-newsletter. I made a decision that was business version I wished to go after keeping that residential property.
Yet, to intentionally pursue it as an e-newsletter, I desired a system that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email listing for Happily motor home, however FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is constructed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, frankly, using it for newsletters is a bit of a waste. More on that in a little bit.
As I stated because issue of the newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a system with tools constructed right into it certain to my objective. Things such as:
- Capacity to publish (to the blog) and send out the e-mail concurrently without having it be two separate activities.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would require a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Integrated ability to do cross-promotions with various other newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are essentially one-click subscription links. Great for promotion in other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are means to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to promote your e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I choose to monetize with advertisements in the newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated ability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and generally run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter authors with features targeted at growth. The system was literally developed by the people that developed the innovation for Early morning Mixture. They recognize what they’re doing.
That is the factor right here. BeeHiiv is developed from scratch for the purpose of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a different objective.
And I finished off with this:.
I may undoubtedly be moving The Side over to BeeHiiv also. At the very least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. Actually, I just went all out. And in fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s own residential property to ensure that I can expand it more purposefully also.
The goal is that each newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded independently. Happily recreational vehicle was young, so easy to change. However, The Early morning WP (previously The Side) was buried in a sea of stuff below 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 certainly constantly be very closely tied with the Blog site Marketing Academy, but does not have to belong of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was built for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Just A Regular Email List
There’s a distinction between an e-newsletter system and simply an e-mail checklist.
You can organize 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 key distinction is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing implies that it is mosting likely to your site and to your e-mail clients simultaneously.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a website. You are releasing to that internet site. However, you are likewise dispatching to all clients at the same time. The web site and it’s customers are all in one. This makes administration of the platform much easier.
With the majority of e-mail systems, any newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is built completely separately from your internet site. So, for example, you may release a short article to WordPress yet then you would certainly need to independently construct and send an e-mail to your list to send it to clients. These are then two separate sets of archives and 2 different activities because article and your emails are not naturally linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress right into a real newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it basically “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress articles and allows them to be the exact same point. Definitely, something like Newsletter Glue would be a strong choice if I wished to continue to self-host everything. Nevertheless, you ‘d shed the growth devices that include a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing a newsletter inherently features a various collection of demands than a common email list.
You do not typically require much marketing automation. You don’t typically require autoresponder series, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO requirement, though, is one smooth publishing experience and development tools to help you develop your client base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I introduced to my customers that I was going to switch the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was choosing it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the reality that I selected to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not imply I assume Substack sucks. Actually, since Substack has been around much longer, it is elder and has more features.
Although BeeHiiv is younger, there are a couple things that initially got my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is specifically customized to newsletter authors. As a matter of fact, it is actually built by the exact same individuals that built the modern technology behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, doesn’t matter. But, the apparent positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter development called me out over the more common positioning of being a “developer”. Growth is what I’m interested in right here.
- That branding and distinction likewise indicates that BeeHiiv has some fairly large brand names and big magazines using it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo developers. Once more, it simply informs me the client character distinction in between both firms.
Sending our my e-newsletter using FluentCRM didn’t precisely draw. The only factor I would certainly consider trembling things up is if I assumed I could GROW the checklist quicker. And BeeHiiv talked specifically to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I actually do not check out BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a various sort of customer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra direct rivals.
Yet, let’s dive much deeper than simply the positioning below.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv looks like it was built by individuals that recognizing e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems much more tailored toward makers.
For instance, BeeHiiv offers customized areas on customers. Currently, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv supplies Automations. Actually, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a whole lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still fairly minimal in triggers and the only activity is the capability to send an email. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Soon enough, automations will certainly have brand-new triggers in addition to brand-new activities, such as customizing customized fields, sending out webhooks, etc. I’ve already seen enhancements to their automations just because I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Ability to activate automations based upon which details embed form they can be found in on.
- Capacity to automatically do re-engagement (and take care of people based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capacity to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never will. Substack simply can not do this since the target audience of Substack just wouldn’t think to approach this like an e-mail marketer.
When it concerns creating your e-newsletters, the composing interface of BeeHiiv is simply extra tailored towards newsletters. Actually, it really has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in how it functions. I find it to be extra intuitive, directly.
Substack’s creating interface behaves and clean, but it would certainly be extra comparable to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This distinction is greater than just kind. For example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Section” and after that put anything you want in it. Then, you can put Exposure alternatives on that area to reveal it just to paid subscribers, conceal it from email, hide from clients, show only to clients, and so on. Substack provides absolutely nothing such as this.
And when/if the moment comes that I start a costs registration version, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any kind of earnings. In fact, you actually connect approximately your own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your earnings. Depending upon the amount of clients you obtain, that 10% can be quite a bit even more cash than the month-to-month price of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This could appear nerdy, yet what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can actually make BeeHiiv deal with the outside making use of tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations whatsoever.
On the whole, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was more built toward actual e-mail marketing. It was built by people who “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page makes seem much better built for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv include, I like the direction it is going more than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have claimed, Substack positions itself towards “developers” more than email online marketers and newsletter owners. Therefore, you see some things tailored more toward people that simply assume in terms of content production.
For instance, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain multiple magazines, they are treated rather independently. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, yet … awesome for individuals who might need it.
Substack likewise has even more social performance built-in. For instance, it has a conversation function to host chats with subscribers. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which works type of like a social media newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you read. Intriguing. Generally, Substack is set up to be much more like a social media which supports long-form content.
Overall, Substack is additionally more … minimal. You either care for that or don’t. Personally, I don’t. Nonetheless, if the objective is simplicity of interface and, honestly, features … Substack functions pretty well.
But, I’ll be clear right here …
When it concerns actual marketing, I don’t believe there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is better suited. I looked for more factors that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, yet frankly … I have a difficult time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are frequently with to be the closest rivals, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer rivals. Both are going after the exact same target audience and have comparable capacities.
ConvertKit is likewise positioned at designers (like Substack), but it is a lot more strongly dealing with individuals who do it for business. ConvertKit has wonderful aesthetic automation structure, it’s very own business platform, and extra. ConvertKit is a truly great system.
I’m not going to bore you with a full feature-by-feature malfunction below. ConvertKit is popular already. But, here’s exactly how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has much more flexibility when it concerns it’s automations. I will additionally claim that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit extra instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains labeling. This is just a basic feature of e-mail checklists that allows division in a much more adaptable means than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to sustain marking eventually quickly, honestly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Naptown Scoop Beehiiv.
ConvertKit does now supply the capacity to sell things through their own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would certainly always pick a more straight alternative anyway. For me, I favor to use my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been around much longer and therefore has way extra integration alternatives. Lots of web-based devices and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is rather powerful. As an example, their plugin now also sustains member-gated content in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. Basically, this extra closely puts ConvertKit right into direct competitors by having you be able to publish to your website and your e-mail checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is significantly doing not have in these sort of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll arrive. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even hectic dealing with the development devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not just incentivize people to share your newsletter with perks, however you can also pay per lead within the internal advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your listing. These are actually incredible features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you know ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most well known viral promotion platforms for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall for what this suggests for the system moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Naptown Scoop Beehiiv
BeeHiiv is much earlier in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that implies less features and less integrations, which is natural for this phase of the cycle. Nevertheless, it also suggests that they are swiftly developing.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually observed nearly regular launch of new features into the system. And these aren’t undersized little features … but huge features that are quite essential. Their rate of growth now has gone over.
I also significantly appreciate just how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, one of their product statements concerning some style enhancements to the web design features in fact had a little issue with the web content width. I simply responded to that e-mail to tell them. I swiftly got a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That same day, the issue was repaired.
Few days later, I gave them one more idea …
Sure enough, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the ability to activate automations based on the embed kind utilized was contributed to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the team is something I truly value.
Another major point of distinction right here is the cost. Both systems use totally free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers extra capacity and more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
As soon as you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise even more desirable. ConvertKit seems more affordable initially glance due to the fact that their pricing page reveals lower numbers, nevertheless the subscriber limitations are FAR reduced and your price quickly raises as your listing expands.
With BeeHiiv, your initial degree paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid every year), however you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That exact same size list is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I directly utilize), you can grow your listing as much as 100,000. A list of that dimension would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, as well, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay yearly, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay every year.
BeeHiiv remains in an entirely various organization when it pertains to pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually raise rates? They could as time takes place. But, I’m thinking people like myself who are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see exactly how things continue.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among things you absolutely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do seem to progress rather quickly and make new item announcements rather typically, yet there are some basic features I truly desire they had that I need to just wait on.
One is that they need to have a setup on subscription kinds where I could choose an automation to run right at the type level. That would certainly be outstanding for a lot of reasons. As of now, subscription forms look OK, but there’s very little settings for them to help in division.
It would certainly be nice to have tagging at the customer level. This would certainly be effective.
I assume webhooks must become part of automations to make built-in automations simpler and minimize dependence on outside tools like Zapier.
There are likewise some minor management user interface modifications that would certainly be handy. For instance:
- Capability to bulk edit/remove clients.
- Capacity to mass edit articles (as an example, to identify a number of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of basic areas as standard on customers (like the name).
- Some more customization alternatives for the site (such as more adaptable color options, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Points I wish they do with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is respectable, but it isn’t perfect and certainly not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM product.
It probably never ever will certainly be, either. As I said, the purpose is different so it would not much a great deal of sense for BeeHiiv to come to be a full marketing automation system. I think you never understand, though.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Review
I such as BeeHiiv quite a whole lot. Sufficient where I chose to change my own e-newsletters over to the platform despite my individual preference for digital sovereignty and having my own system.
Basically, for the e-newsletter publishing version specifically, I saw adequate value in their system to necessitate the adjustment.
Remember, I do not use BeeHiiv as my exclusive email listing. I make use of BeeHiiv for what it is proficient at, yet I purposefully have points establish so that I also keep my list “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is just a great insurance coverage, for one. Yet, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your listing will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never will certainly be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU utilize BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are utilizing Substack now, I ‘d absolutely take into consideration changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be more business-friendly. It is targeting different capacities and different needs. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the button needs to be pretty uncomplicated.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d most likely stay put unless you have a huge e-mail checklist and are therefore being wooled with their high regular monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, however they are repeating rapidly. There’s also a respectable possibility you’re not also utilizing some of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t even need them. Therefore, BeeHiiv could easily be a far better and much more cost effective fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be really deliberate concerning expanding an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you utilize BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is made to be, it is among the most effective video games around now. This is the platform to enjoy.
BeeHiiv supplies a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth having a look at on your own. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll locate the totally free account to be fairly feature rich.