I have used a lot of various e-mail list systems throughout the years. In the last number of years, I’ve been a massive supporter of digital sovereignty and having your very own platform. For that reason (and the outstanding features), I have actually been making use of Beehiiv Embed Video.
So, it is without a doubt a strange move for me to make a decision to make use of BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is an organized application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I want to go over why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I want to resolve the concern of digital sovereignty while making use of the system and I ‘d additionally such as to address why I selected to utilize it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For Newsletters
In Issue # 435 of my newsletter called My Leisure activity + A Huge Shift In Approach, I discussed how and why I determined to turn my motor home blog site right into mostly a newsletter. I chose that was business model I intended to seek with that home.
Yet, to purposefully seek it as a newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was using FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Gladly recreational vehicle, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter platform. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, truthfully, utilizing it for newsletters is a little bit of a waste. More on that particular in a little bit.
As I stated in that concern of the newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools constructed into it details to my function. Things such as:
- Ability to publish (to the blog) and send out the e-mail simultaneously without having it be 2 different actions.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in capacity to do cross-promotions with other newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are primarily one-click registration links. Great for promo in various other e-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 e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I pick to monetize with advertisements in the newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated capability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and primarily run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Essentially, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features targeted at development. The platform was essentially developed by the individuals who accumulated the modern technology for Early morning Mixture. They know what they’re doing.
That is the point right here. BeeHiiv is built from scratch for the purpose of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a different objective.
And I ended off with this:.
I might without a doubt be moving The Edge over to BeeHiiv as well. A minimum of, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. Actually, I just went for it. And in fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s own residential or commercial property to make sure that I can expand it much more intentionally also.
The objective is that each e-newsletter has the capacity to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown separately. Gladly RV was young, so easy to transition. However, The Early 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 tied with the Blog site Marketing Academy, however does not need to be a part of it.
I switched over to BeeHiiv since it was constructed for this purpose. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Normal Email Listing
There’s a distinction in between a newsletter system and simply an email listing.
You can organize your email listing everywhere you desire and there are a number of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The main difference is that, with an e-newsletter platform, the act of publishing suggests that it is going to your site and to your e-mail customers concurrently.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are publishing to that site. But, you are likewise sending to all subscribers at the same time. The internet site and it’s customers are done in one. This makes administration of the platform much less complex.
With many email systems, any type of newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is built entirely individually from your site. So, for example, you may release a short article to WordPress but after that you would certainly need to individually build and send an email to your list to send it to customers. These are then 2 separate sets of archives and two separate activities due to the fact that blog posts and your e-mails are not inherently connected.
The closest thing that transforms WordPress right into a true e-newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it virtually “adhesives” your e-newsletter to your WordPress blog posts and permits them to be the exact same point. Absolutely, something like Newsletter Glue would be a solid option if I wanted to remain to self-host everything. However, you ‘d lose the growth tools that come with a system like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter inherently comes with a various set of requirements than a typical email checklist.
You don’t typically require much marketing automation. You do not normally require autoresponder sequences, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO need, though, is one seamless publishing experience and development tools to assist you construct your customer base that specify to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I introduced to my subscribers that I was mosting likely to switch the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had lots of people ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the fact that I selected to opt for BeeHiiv, that doesn’t suggest I believe Substack sucks. Actually, because Substack has been about much longer, it is more mature and has more features.
Although BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair things that initially obtained my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to e-newsletter authors. In fact, it is actually developed by the very same folks that built the modern technology behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, doesn’t matter. But, the obvious positioning of BeeHiiv toward newsletter growth called me out over the more common positioning of being a “developer”. Development is what I have an interest in right here.
- That branding and differentiation likewise suggests that BeeHiiv has some fairly large brands and large publications using it. Whereas SubStack is aimed even more at solo creators. Once again, it simply tells me the customer avatar distinction in between both firms.
Sending our my newsletter using FluentCRM really did not specifically suck. The only reason I would contemplate trembling points up is if I assumed I might GROW the checklist quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
Due to the targeting, I actually don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as direct competitors. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a various type of customer. As a matter of fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra direct rivals.
But, let’s dive deeper than simply the positioning here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv feels like it was constructed by individuals that comprehending e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems extra geared toward designers.
For instance, BeeHiiv supplies custom fields on clients. Now, it isn’t as developed as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv uses Automations. As a matter of fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a great deal like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation functionality is still early-phase. It is still fairly restricted in triggers and the only action is the capacity to send an email. Nonetheless, enhancements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will certainly have brand-new triggers along with new actions, such as changing custom areas, sending out webhooks, and so on. I have actually currently seen improvements to their automations simply because I started utilizing the platform. For example:
- Capacity to cause automations based on which certain embed kind they was available in on.
- Ability to instantly do re-engagement (and take care of individuals based on opens and non-opens).
- Capability to do fundamental conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations such as this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can not do this because the target audience of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an e-mail marketing expert.
When it comes to writing your e-newsletters, the creating interface of BeeHiiv is just extra tailored toward newsletters. In fact, it in fact has similarities to the WordPress block builder in how it functions. I discover it to be much more instinctive, directly.
Substack’s composing interface behaves and tidy, but it would certainly be more equal to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is greater than simply form. For instance, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Section” and after that put anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Presence alternatives on that section to show it only to paid subscribers, hide it from e-mail, hide from customers, show just to subscribers, etc. Substack offers nothing like this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a premium registration version, BeeHiiv does not take any type of revenue. Actually, you literally link up to your own Stripe account and it charges directly to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your profits. Relying on the number of subscribers you obtain, that 10% can be quite a bit even more cash than the month-to-month expense of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This could seem unpopular, yet what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv work with the outdoors making use of devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … nothing. No integrations in all.
Overall, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was a lot more developed towards actual email marketing. It was developed by people that “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page creates seem better constructed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I would love 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 stated, Substack placements itself toward “creators” greater than e-mail marketers and newsletter proprietors. Therefore, you see some things tailored much more towards people who just assume in regards to material development.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does support numerous publications, they are treated rather separately. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I require, yet … cool for people who may require it.
Substack also has even more social capability built-in. As an example, it has a chat feature to host chats with clients. It additionally has a “Notes” function which functions sort of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Intriguing. In general, Substack is set up to be extra like a social media network which sustains long-form content.
Generally, Substack is additionally extra … minimalist. You either take care of that or don’t. Directly, I do not. Nonetheless, if the objective is simpleness of interface and, frankly, features … Substack functions quite well.
However, I’ll be clear here …
When it comes to actual marketing, I don’t believe there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is better fit. I searched for even more points that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, however honestly … I have a tough time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are usually with to be the closest rivals, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer rivals. Both are pursuing the exact same target market and have comparable capacities.
ConvertKit is likewise positioned at creators (like Substack), however it is far more strongly dealing with people that do it for service. ConvertKit has good visual automation structure, it’s very own business system, and much more. ConvertKit is an actually great system.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a complete feature-by-feature malfunction here. ConvertKit is popular currently. However, below’s how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Points ConvertKit Is Better At …
Already, ConvertKit has a lot more versatility when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly additionally say that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit a lot more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports marking. This is just a standard feature of e-mail checklists that allows segmentation in an even more flexible means than BeeHiiv presently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to support marking eventually quickly, honestly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Embed Video.
ConvertKit does currently give the capability to market things through their own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is necessary to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would always choose an extra straight option anyway. For me, I like to use my very own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been around a lot longer and therefore has way more integration options. Tons of online tools and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. For example, their plugin currently even sustains member-gated content along with auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your website. Essentially, this extra closely puts ConvertKit right into direct competition by having you be able to release to your website and your email listing at the same time.
BeeHiiv is significantly doing not have in these sort of third-party integrations presently. It’ll get there. Yet, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even active taking on the development devices of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Suggestion Engine where you can not just incentivize people to share your newsletter with rewards, yet you can also pay per lead within the inner ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your listing. These are truly awesome features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you know ConvertKit got Sparkloop? Sparkloop is among the most well known viral promotion systems for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall of what this suggests for the platform going forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Embed Video
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests much less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. Nevertheless, it also implies that they are rapidly establishing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually observed practically once a week launch of new features right into the system. And these aren’t weak little features … however huge features that are fairly vital. Their speed of advancement now has gone over.
I additionally very much appreciate just how responsive they are. In fact, among their item news regarding some design enhancements to the website design features actually had a small trouble with the material size. I just responded to that e-mail to tell them. I rapidly obtained a reply straight from the CEO:.
That very same day, the concern was dealt with.
Few days later, I gave them one more suggestion …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to set off automations based upon the embed form utilized was added to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the group is something I actually value.
Another significant factor of distinction right here is the price. Both platforms offer totally free plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan uses extra capacity and more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also even more favorable. ConvertKit seems less expensive at first glimpse since their pricing page reveals reduced numbers, nevertheless the subscriber limitations are FAR lower and your price quickly raises as your checklist grows.
With BeeHiiv, your first level paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid yearly), however you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That exact same dimension checklist is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I directly make use of), you can grow your list up to 100,000. A list of that size would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, too, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay every year, also. With BeeHiiv, you can obtain all that for simply $84/month if you pay each year.
BeeHiiv remains in a completely different league when it involves pricing (in a good way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately enhance rates? They may as time takes place. However, I’m presuming individuals like myself who are currently in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see exactly how things continue.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
One of the important things you definitely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do seem to progress instead quickly and make new product news somewhat typically, yet there are some standard features I truly want they had that I require to simply await.
One is that they require to have a setup on registration types where I could choose an automation to run right at the kind degree. That would certainly be AWESOME for many reasons. Currently, registration kinds look OK, yet there’s extremely little setups for them to help in division.
It would behave to have identifying at the customer level. This would certainly be effective.
I think webhooks ought to become part of automations to make built-in automations much easier and reduce reliance on outdoors devices like Zapier.
There are likewise some small administrative user interface changes that would certainly be handy. For example:
- Capability to bulk edit/remove customers.
- Capacity to bulk edit messages (as an example, to mark a number of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of fundamental areas as typical on clients (like the name).
- Some more modification choices for the internet site (such as more versatile color selections, headline control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I wish they do with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is respectable, yet it isn’t best and absolutely not virtually as created as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM product.
It probably never will certainly be, either. As I stated, the purpose is various so it wouldn’t a lot a great deal of sense for BeeHiiv to become a complete marketing automation platform. I think you never understand, however.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Testimonial
I such as BeeHiiv rather a lot. Sufficient where I chose to switch my own e-newsletters over to the platform despite my individual preference for digital sovereignty and possessing my very own platform.
Simply put, for the e-newsletter publishing design particularly, I saw sufficient worth in their platform to call for the change.
Remember, I do not use BeeHiiv as my unique e-mail listing. I utilize BeeHiiv for what it is efficient, yet I deliberately have things set up to make sure that I additionally keep my list “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the same. It is simply a good insurance plan, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your listing will be of high use (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never will certainly be).
So, the question is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are utilizing Substack today, I ‘d definitely think about switching to BeeHiiv. It will simply be extra business-friendly. It is targeting various capacities and various requirements. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the button needs to be rather simple.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d most likely sit tight unless you have a huge e-mail checklist and are therefore being fleeced with their high monthly bill. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, however they are iterating promptly. There’s likewise a pretty good opportunity you’re not also utilizing some of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you don’t also require them. For that reason, BeeHiiv can quickly be a much better and much more budget-friendly fit.
Finally, if you plan to be extremely willful regarding growing a newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE platform to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open concerning what it is designed to be, it is among the very best video games around right now. This is the system to view.
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 complimentary account to be rather feature abundant.