I have actually utilized a lot of different email list systems for many years. In the last number of years, I have actually been a huge supporter of digital sovereignty and possessing your very own platform. For that reason (and the remarkable features), I have been making use of Beehiiv Newsletter Design.
So, it is undoubtedly a strange move for me to choose to make use of BeeHiiv. Besides, it is a held application and I am paying monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I wish to go over why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I want to address the concern of digital sovereignty while making use of the system and I would certainly also like to address why I chose to use it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Developed For E-newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Pastime + A Huge Change In Method, I talked about exactly how and why I determined to transform my RV blog into largely an e-newsletter. I determined that was the business design I intended to seek with that residential property.
But, to deliberately pursue it as a newsletter, I desired a system that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the e-mail list for Happily recreational vehicle, but FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter platform. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, honestly, using it for newsletters is a bit of a waste. Much more on that in a bit.
As I said because issue of the e-newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a platform with devices developed right into it specific to my purpose. Points such as:
- Ability to release (to the blog) and send out the email simultaneously without having it be 2 different actions.
- Integrated in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would have needed a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Integrated capacity to do cross-promotions with various other newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are generally one-click subscription links. Great for promotion in other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, however, so there are means to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Built-in ad network, if I choose to monetize with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and primarily run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features targeted at growth. The system was essentially developed by the individuals who built up the technology for Early morning Brew. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the factor right here. BeeHiiv is constructed from the ground up for the objective of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a different purpose.
And I ended off with this:.
I may undoubtedly be moving The Side over to BeeHiiv too. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I simply went for it. And actually, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s own home to make sure that I can expand it more intentionally too.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s own media entity and grown independently. Happily motor home was young, so very easy to shift. Yet, The Morning WP (previously The Side) 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 grow it on it’s very own. It will undoubtedly always be closely linked with the Blog site Marketing Academy, but does not need to belong of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv since it was constructed for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Just A Regular Email List
There’s a distinction in between an e-newsletter platform and just an email checklist.
You can organize your email checklist anywhere you want and there are a number of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The primary difference is that, with a newsletter platform, the act of publishing means that it is mosting likely to your web site and to your e-mail customers simultaneously.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a website. You are publishing to that web site. However, you are likewise sending off to all customers at the same time. The website and it’s customers are all in one. This makes administration of the system much simpler.
With a lot of email platforms, any type of e-newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is built completely separately from your web site. So, as an example, you may release a post to WordPress however then you would certainly require to independently construct and send out an e-mail to your listing to send it to subscribers. These are then 2 separate collections of archives and 2 separate actions due to the fact that blog posts and your emails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress right into a real newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it practically “adhesives” your e-newsletter to your WordPress posts and permits them to be the very same point. Certainly, something like E-newsletter Glue would certainly be a strong alternative if I wanted to continue to self-host whatever. Nonetheless, you ‘d shed the growth devices that come with a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting an e-newsletter naturally comes with a various collection of requirements than a normal email listing.
You don’t usually require much marketing automation. You do not normally need autoresponder sequences, event monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO need, however, is one smooth posting experience and development tools to help you construct your subscriber base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my subscribers that I was going to switch the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many people ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the truth that I chose to select BeeHiiv, that doesn’t indicate I assume Substack draws. In fact, due to the fact that Substack has actually been around much longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Although BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair points that originally obtained my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is specifically customized to newsletter publishers. Actually, it is actually constructed by the same people who constructed the technology behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real life, doesn’t matter. But, the apparent positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter growth called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “maker”. Growth is what I have an interest in right here.
- That branding and differentiation also suggests that BeeHiiv has some rather huge brand names and large publications utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo makers. Again, it just tells me the client avatar difference between the two firms.
Sending our my newsletter by means of FluentCRM really did not specifically suck. The only reason I would ponder trembling points up is if I believed I can expand the listing much faster. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I really don’t see BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a different type of customer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more direct competitors.
But, let’s dive much deeper than simply the positioning right here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv looks like it was developed by people who understanding e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears a lot more tailored toward makers.
As an example, BeeHiiv offers custom-made fields on customers. Currently, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv supplies Automations. Actually, it is an aesthetic automation builder that functions a great deal like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still fairly minimal in triggers and the only activity is the capacity to send out an email. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will have new triggers along with brand-new actions, such as changing custom fields, sending webhooks, and so on. I’ve already seen enhancements to their automations simply given that I began using the platform. For instance:
- Capacity to trigger automations based upon which certain embed type they was available in on.
- Capacity to instantly do re-engagement (and handle individuals based on opens and non-opens).
- Capability to do fundamental conditional reasoning branches.
Substack does not have automations similar to this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack simply can not do this due to the fact that the target audience of Substack just would not believe to approach this like an e-mail marketing professional.
When it comes to writing your newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is just extra tailored toward e-newsletters. Actually, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it functions. I discover it to be a lot more intuitive, directly.
Substack’s creating user interface is nice and tidy, but it would certainly be more equivalent to the traditional editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is greater than simply form. For example, with BeeHiiv you can insert a “Section” and afterwards put anything you desire in it. After that, you can place Exposure alternatives on that particular section to reveal it just to paid customers, conceal it from e-mail, conceal from customers, reveal only to customers, etc. Substack provides absolutely nothing such as this.
And when/if the moment comes that I begin a costs subscription version, BeeHiiv does not take any income. In fact, you essentially attach approximately your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your revenue. Depending on how many customers you obtain, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the regular monthly cost of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This might appear nerdy, yet what it means is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv collaborate with the outside using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack actually has … nothing. No integrations in all.
In general, I just felt like BeeHiiv was much more constructed toward genuine e-mail marketing. It was constructed by individuals who “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page designs appear much better developed for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I would love to see BeeHiiv include, I such as the direction it is going more than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have claimed, Substack placements itself towards “creators” more than email marketing experts and newsletter proprietors. For that reason, you see some things geared more toward people that just believe in regards to web content creation.
As an example, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Additionally, while BeeHiiv does support multiple magazines, they are treated rather independently. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to multiple magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I need, but … great for people that might require it.
Substack also has more social functionality built-in. As an example, it has a conversation function to host chats with subscribers. It also has a “Notes” feature which functions type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share things from various other “Stacks” you’re reading. Fascinating. Generally, Substack is set up to be extra like a social media network which sustains long-form content.
In general, Substack is additionally much more … minimal. You either take care of that or do not. Directly, I do not. Nonetheless, if the goal is simpleness of interface and, truthfully, features … Substack functions pretty well.
Yet, I’ll be clear right here …
When it concerns real marketing, I don’t believe there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is better matched. I tried to find even more factors that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, however frankly … I have a hard time discovering them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are usually through to be the closest rivals, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are going after the same target audience and have similar capabilities.
ConvertKit is also placed at developers (like Substack), yet it is a lot more highly satisfying people who do it for organization. ConvertKit has wonderful visual automation structure, it’s very own commerce platform, and extra. ConvertKit is a really wonderful system.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a full feature-by-feature malfunction below. ConvertKit is popular currently. Yet, right here’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Points ConvertKit Is Better At …
Already, ConvertKit has more versatility when it involves it’s automations. I will likewise say that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit much more intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports labeling. This is just a basic function of e-mail checklists that makes it possible for segmentation in a much more adaptable way than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support labeling eventually soon, truthfully. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Newsletter Design.
ConvertKit does now provide the capacity to offer points using their own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is necessary to you, it may be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would always select a much more straight option anyhow. For me, I prefer to utilize my very own system powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been about much longer and for that reason has way extra integration alternatives. Tons of web-based devices and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is rather powerful. For example, their plugin currently even sustains member-gated material in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. In essence, this much more very closely places ConvertKit into direct competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your site and your email checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is severely doing not have in these type of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll arrive. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even hectic tackling the growth tools 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 likewise pay per lead within the internal advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your list. These are actually incredible features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you understand ConvertKit got Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most well known viral promo platforms for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall wherefore this means for the platform going forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Newsletter Design
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests much less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this phase of the cycle. Nonetheless, it also means that they are quickly creating.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have witnessed virtually once a week launch of new features into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … yet big features that are fairly essential. Their speed of development at this point has gone over.
I also quite value how responsive they are. Actually, one of their product news regarding some style improvements to the website design features actually consisted of a little problem with the material width. I simply replied to that e-mail to tell them. I quickly got a reply directly from the CEO:.
That very same day, the concern was dealt with.
Few days later on, I gave them another idea …
Sure enough, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to cause automations based upon the embed type made use of was added to the system.
That type of responsiveness and straight participation of the group is something I truly appreciate.
Another major factor of differentiation below is the rate. Both platforms use free plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers extra ability and more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is additionally FAR more favorable. ConvertKit appears cheaper at first glimpse due to the fact that their pricing web page shows reduced numbers, nevertheless the customer restrictions are FAR reduced and your rate swiftly enhances as your list expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first degree paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid every year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That very same dimension list is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I directly use), you can expand your listing as much as 100,000. A listing of that dimension would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, also, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay each year, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can obtain all that for simply $84/month if you pay each year.
BeeHiiv remains in a totally different league when it pertains to pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately enhance rates? They could as time goes on. Yet, I’m guessing people like myself who are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see how things continue.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
One of things you absolutely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is reasonably young. They do appear to develop rather rapidly and make new item announcements somewhat frequently, yet there are some standard features I actually desire they had that I require to just wait on.
One is that they require to have a setup on membership types where I can select an automation to run right at the kind degree. That would certainly be incredible for numerous reasons. Already, membership kinds look OK, but there’s really little setups for them to aid in division.
It would behave to have labeling at the client degree. This would be powerful.
I believe webhooks need to belong to automations to make built-in automations simpler and reduce reliance on outside devices like Zapier.
There are also some small management interface modifications that would be handy. For instance:
- Capacity to mass edit/remove customers.
- Capability to bulk edit posts (as an example, to mark a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of standard fields as basic on customers (like the name).
- Some more modification alternatives for the web site (such as more flexible shade options, headline control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I hope they do with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is respectable, but it isn’t best and absolutely not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM item.
It probably never will be, either. As I said, the objective is different so it wouldn’t much a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to end up being a complete marketing automation platform. I guess you never ever understand, however.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Review
I like BeeHiiv fairly a great deal. Enough where I decided to switch my very own newsletters over to the platform regardless of my individual choice for digital sovereignty and possessing my own platform.
Simply put, for the e-newsletter posting version especially, I saw sufficient worth in their system to warrant the adjustment.
Bear in mind, I do not use BeeHiiv as my exclusive email list. I make use of BeeHiiv of what it is good at, however I purposefully have points establish to make sure that I likewise maintain my list “in home” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the very same. It is just a good insurance plan, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your list will be of high use (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the question is … should YOU make use of BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are utilizing Substack right now, I ‘d certainly consider switching over to BeeHiiv. It will just be extra business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and different demands. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch ought to be pretty simple.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a huge e-mail listing and are therefore being wooled with their high monthly costs. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating swiftly. There’s also a respectable opportunity you’re not also using some of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you do not even require them. Therefore, BeeHiiv might conveniently be a better and much more cost effective fit.
Finally, if you plan to be very intentional regarding growing a newsletter, I think BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and keep and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is designed to be, it is among the very best video games around today. This is the platform to see.
BeeHiiv offers a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves looking into for yourself. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll discover the free account to be rather feature rich.