I have actually used a great deal of various e-mail list systems throughout the years. In the last number of years, I have actually been a significant proponent of digital sovereignty and owning your own system. Because of that (and the incredible features), I have actually been making use of Beehiiv Tags.
So, it is indeed a weird move for me to determine to utilize BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is an organized application and I am paying month-to-month for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv testimonial, I intend to go over why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I want to address the concern of digital sovereignty while making use of the platform and I ‘d additionally such as to address why I chose to utilize it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For Newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Hobby + A Big Shift In Technique, I talked about how and why I determined to turn my recreational vehicle blog into mostly a newsletter. I decided that was the business version I wanted to pursue keeping that building.
But, to intentionally pursue it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email listing for Gladly motor home, however FluentCRM is not a newsletter system. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, frankly, using it for newsletters is a bit of a waste. A lot more on that particular in a little bit.
As I said in that problem of the e-newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a system with devices built right into it particular to my purpose. Things such as:
- Ability to release (to the blog site) and send out the e-mail all at once without having it be two separate activities.
- Constructed in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Integrated ability to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are essentially one-click registration links. Great for promo in other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are methods to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to promote your e-newsletter.
- Integrated ad network, if I pick to monetize with advertisements in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in capacity to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and generally run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Generally, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features targeted at growth. The platform was literally constructed by the people that accumulated the technology for Early morning Brew. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the factor below. BeeHiiv is constructed from the ground up for the function of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a different function.
And I ended off with this:.
I might certainly be relocating The Edge over to BeeHiiv also. At least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. In fact, I just went all out. And in fact, The side was re-branded over to The Morning WP, set off as it’s very own property to ensure that I can grow it more intentionally too.
The objective is that each e-newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown independently. Happily motor home was young, so very easy to transition. However, The Morning WP (previously The Side) was hidden in a sea of stuff 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 constantly be closely connected with the Blog site Marketing Academy, however doesn’t have to belong of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv because it was constructed for this function. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Just A Regular Email List
There’s a distinction in between an e-newsletter system and just an email checklist.
You can organize your email checklist just about anywhere you want and there are a variety of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The key difference is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing indicates that it is going to your site and to your e-mail customers simultaneously.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a website. You are publishing to that site. But, you are likewise sending off to all subscribers at the same time. The site and it’s subscribers are done in one. This makes management of the system much less complex.
With a lot of e-mail platforms, any kind of newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is constructed completely separately from your website. So, for instance, you may release a short article to WordPress however then you would require to independently develop and send out an e-mail to your listing to send it to customers. These are then 2 different sets of archives and two separate activities because article and your emails are not naturally linked.
The closest thing that turns WordPress into a real newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name due to the fact that it practically “glues” your e-newsletter to your WordPress messages and permits them to be the exact same thing. Definitely, something like E-newsletter Glue would be a strong option if I intended to continue to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you would certainly shed the growth tools that come with a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter naturally comes with a different set of demands than a typical e-mail listing.
You do not usually require much marketing automation. You don’t generally need autoresponder sequences, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO requirement, however, is one smooth publishing experience and growth tools to assist you construct your customer base that are specific to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my clients that I was mosting likely to change the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the fact that I picked to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not suggest I think Substack draws. Actually, because Substack has actually been about longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Although BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair points that initially obtained my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly customized to e-newsletter publishers. In fact, it is essentially built by the same individuals that built the innovation behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, doesn’t matter. Yet, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv toward e-newsletter development called me out over the more common positioning of being a “designer”. Development is what I’m interested in right here.
- That branding and distinction also suggests that BeeHiiv has some fairly big brand names and big publications utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed more at solo designers. Again, it just informs me the customer avatar difference between the two firms.
Sending our my newsletter by means of FluentCRM didn’t specifically draw. The only reason I would certainly ponder drinking points up is if I assumed I might expand the checklist much faster. And BeeHiiv talked exactly to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I really do not see BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a various sort of customer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being a lot more straight competitors.
But, allow’s dive much deeper than just the placing below.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv appears like it was developed by people that comprehending e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems extra geared toward developers.
As an example, BeeHiiv provides custom-made fields on subscribers. Now, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. In fact, it is a visual automation builder that functions a great deal like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation functionality is still early-phase. It is still quite restricted in triggers and the only action is the ability to send out an email. However, improvements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will have new triggers as well as new activities, such as changing customized fields, sending webhooks, etc. I have actually already seen enhancements to their automations simply because I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Capability to set off automations based upon which particular embed kind they can be found in on.
- Capability to automatically do re-engagement (and handle people based on opens and non-opens).
- Ability to do standard conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations such as this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack just can’t do this due to the fact that the target audience of Substack simply wouldn’t think to approach this like an email marketer.
When it comes to creating your newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is just extra tailored toward newsletters. Actually, it really has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it works. I find it to be extra instinctive, personally.
Substack’s creating user interface is nice and clean, but it would certainly be much more equal to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is greater than simply form. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Area” and then placed anything you want in it. After that, you can put Presence choices on that particular area to reveal it just to paid clients, hide it from e-mail, hide from clients, reveal just to clients, etc. Substack uses nothing like this.
And when/if the moment comes that I begin a premium registration model, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any earnings. In fact, you essentially attach as much as your own Stripe account and it charges directly to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your profits. Depending upon the amount of customers you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the regular monthly expense of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This may seem nerdy, but what it implies is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv work with the outside making use of devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations in all.
On the whole, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was extra constructed towards genuine email marketing. It was built by people who “get it”. Also the opt-in types and the landing page develops appear better developed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I want 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 actually claimed, Substack placements itself toward “designers” more than email marketers and newsletter proprietors. Because of that, you see some things tailored a lot more towards individuals that simply believe in terms of material production.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous magazines, they are treated quite separately. Whereas Substack does have the capacity to cross-post to numerous publications at the same time. This isn’t something I need, yet … cool for people who may need it.
Substack additionally has even more social functionality built-in. For instance, it has a chat function to host talks with clients. It likewise has a “Notes” feature which works type of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share things from various other “Stacks” you’re reading. Interesting. Generally, Substack is established to be more like a social media which sustains long-form content.
In general, Substack is additionally much more … minimalist. You either take care of that or do not. Directly, I do not. However, if the goal is simplicity of interface and, frankly, features … Substack works pretty well.
But, I’ll be clear right here …
When it pertains to real marketing, I don’t assume there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is much better fit. I searched for even more factors that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, however honestly … I have a hard time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are frequently with to be the closest rivals, I really see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are pursuing the same target audience and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at makers (like Substack), yet it is much more highly satisfying people that do it for company. ConvertKit has good visual automation structure, it’s own commerce platform, and much more. ConvertKit is a really nice system.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a complete feature-by-feature failure right here. ConvertKit is popular currently. But, here’s how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Points ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
As of now, ConvertKit has more adaptability when it concerns it’s automations. I will additionally state that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit a lot more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains marking. This is simply a basic function of e-mail listings that makes it possible for division in a far more versatile means than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to sustain identifying at some time quickly, honestly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Tags.
ConvertKit does now provide the ability to offer things through their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is necessary to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would certainly always select a more direct choice anyway. For me, I like to utilize my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been about much longer and therefore has way extra integration options. Tons of web-based devices and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is fairly effective. For instance, their plugin now even sustains member-gated material in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. Essentially, this a lot more very closely puts ConvertKit into direct competition by having you be able to release to your site and your email list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is seriously doing not have in these kinds of third-party integrations presently. It’ll arrive. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even active dealing with the growth 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 benefits, however you can likewise pay per lead within the inner ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are truly incredible features of BeeHiiv. Yet …
Did you understand ConvertKit got Sparkloop? Sparkloop is one of one of the most popular viral promo platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall of what this means for the system going forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Tags
BeeHiiv is a lot earlier in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means much less features and less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. However, it likewise indicates that they are rapidly establishing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have witnessed virtually regular launch of new features right into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … yet large features that are fairly important. Their rate of growth at this point has actually been impressive.
I likewise very much appreciate how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, among their item announcements regarding some layout enhancements to the website design features in fact consisted of a small problem with the material width. I merely replied to that e-mail to tell them. I swiftly obtained a reply straight from the CEO:.
That very same day, the issue was fixed.
Few days later, I gave them another pointer …
Indeed, in a little bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to set off automations based upon the embed type used was included in the system.
That kind of responsiveness and straight participation of the team is something I really appreciate.
Another major factor of distinction right here is the rate. Both platforms provide complimentary plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan supplies extra ability and even more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also much more favorable. ConvertKit seems less costly in the beginning look because their pricing web page shows reduced numbers, nevertheless the customer limits are much lower and your cost promptly enhances as your list expands.
With BeeHiiv, your first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid each year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. That same size list is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I directly utilize), you can expand your checklist approximately 100,000. A list of that size would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, too, that places 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 each year.
BeeHiiv remains in an entirely different league when it concerns pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately enhance prices? They might as time takes place. But, I’m thinking people like myself that are currently in will be locked-in. We’ll see exactly how points continue.
Points I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of the things you definitely need to remember is that BeeHiiv is relatively young. They do appear to progress rather rapidly and make new product news somewhat typically, yet there are some fundamental features I actually want they had that I need to just wait for.
One is that they need to have a setting on membership types where I can pick an automation to run right at the kind degree. That would be outstanding for so many factors. Already, registration kinds look OK, yet there’s really little setups for them to help in segmentation.
It would certainly behave to have tagging at the subscriber level. This would be powerful.
I believe webhooks ought to be part of automations to make integrated automations easier and lower reliance on outdoors devices like Zapier.
There are also some minor management interface changes that would come in handy. For example:
- Capability to mass edit/remove customers.
- Ability to mass edit messages (as an example, to mark a number of them at the same time).
- Having a few standard areas as common on customers (like the name).
- Some more customization choices for the web site (such as more versatile color choices, headline control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I wish they perform with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t best and absolutely not virtually as created as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM item.
It possibly never will certainly be, either. As I stated, the purpose is different so it would not a lot a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to become a full marketing automation platform. I think you never recognize, however.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Review
I like BeeHiiv fairly a whole lot. Sufficient where I decided to change my own e-newsletters over to the system regardless of my personal preference for digital sovereignty and possessing my own platform.
Basically, for the e-newsletter posting design especially, I saw adequate value in their system to warrant the change.
Remember, I do not utilize BeeHiiv as my exclusive e-mail checklist. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is good at, however I deliberately have points establish so that I also keep my checklist “in residence” inside of FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the same. It is simply a great insurance coverage, for one. Yet, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your list will be of high use (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are making use of Substack today, I ‘d most definitely take into consideration changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be much more business-friendly. It is targeting different capacities and different needs. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch needs to be rather uncomplicated.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably stay unless you have a big e-mail list and are for that reason being wooled with their high monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are iterating swiftly. There’s likewise a respectable opportunity you’re not also making use of several of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t even require them. Therefore, BeeHiiv could conveniently be a far better and much more affordable fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be very intentional about growing a newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE platform to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open concerning what it is developed to be, it is one of the best games in town now. This is the platform to enjoy.
BeeHiiv offers a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth checking out for yourself. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll discover the free account to be quite feature abundant.