I Tested Beehiiv For 30 Days. My Honest Review

Newsletters are an effective method for reaching customers and the tool you use for this task can be critical to your success. Beehiiv is a newsletter tool that has been continuously attracting creators and businesses looking for a solution designed to scale. In this article, I will share my first hand experience to you in detail about what Beehiiv provides, who the platform is for and how it is positioned with regards to other similar ones.

What I like about Beehiiv

1. User-Friendly Interface: When I started using Beehiiv, the drag-and-drop editor immediately stood out. For example, the drag-and-drop editor lets individuals style newsletters to their preference without added programming skills. Everyone who has tried to edit some text knows that there are features like auto-save and preview mode which greatly simplify the work.

2. Scalable Features: One of my favorite aspects is the referral program. I created a campaign where subscribers could earn exclusive content by referring friends. This not only boosted my subscriber count but also increased engagement among existing readers.
3. Customizable Templates: Beehiiv has a variety of templates that can be edited in a way that you desire hence creating a brand awareness. For example, you can modify the style, color and format of the font to match your newsletter with the identity of your enterprise.

4. Advanced Analytics: This covers fine level detail, like heat maps that demonstrate where within your newsletters people interact most; the links. This enables the users to analyze their strategies in relation to content to be posted to get the best result.
5. Monetization Options: Beehiiv integrates several payment levels for paid newsletters allowing content creators to provide different types of content for different subscription levels. This is good in achieving the maximization of the firm’s revenue since it can take on a number of different forms.

What I didn’t liked

1. Limited Free Tier: Some important features that you require during the growth of your business including advanced statistics and referral system are unavailable in the free version. For instance, while using the free package, subscribers might find it difficult to analyze the success of their newsletters.
2. Learning Curve for Advanced Features: Back that basic features of ReferralCandy are relatively simple to manage, there are tools like the ability to segment audiences and the capability to generate unique rewards for each campaign may take some time to learn how to use. This could have been daunting particularly for non technical users.
3. Fewer Integrations Compared to Competitors: Some integrations are available with third parties; for example, it easily integrates with Google Analytics and Zapier; but I noticed the lack of direct CRM integrations. For example, I couldn’t connect it directly to HubSpot, which was a minor inconvenience.

My Experience with Beehiiv

It has been quite fulfilling to use Beehiiv. You see, when I first tried my first referral program I got more than 300 people who subscribed in one month alone. I found the support to be excellent when I was struggling to add my own domain. They tend to explain procedures systematically, and if what may seem complex at first seemed so easy to me later. With the monetization features, I was able to make a balance of a steady income and the analytics capabilities I have never seen before. I couldn’t imagine my content plan without Beehiiv now.

With Beehiiv, publishing a post means you can publish both to the web and email at the same time.

Beehiiv is a relatively new platform, and while it evolves quickly with frequent updates and feature announcements, there are still some areas where it could improve.

For example, having an option to trigger automations directly from subscription forms would be incredibly useful for better segmentation. Currently, while the forms look decent, they lack advanced settings that would make them more powerful. Adding tagging capabilities at the subscriber level would also enhance the platform’s functionality significantly.

Integrating webhooks with automations could streamline workflows and reduce reliance on external tools like Zapier. Additionally, some administrative updates would make a big difference, such as bulk editing/removal options for subscribers and posts, adding standard fields like names to subscriber profiles, and offering more website customization, like flexible color schemes and headline controls.

What is Beehiiv?

Beehiiv is much more than a newsletter service; it’s a set of tools tailored to help creators expand their audiences and eventually turn a profit. It stands out for its ease of use and features tailored specifically for scaling newsletters. Of course, there are more examples: starting with the referral program and ending with the analysis of the subscribers’ behavior, it provides users with the possibility to create value while excluding technical barriers.

Key features of Beehiiv include:

• Referral Programs: It is recommended to try growing your audience through incentives.
• Custom Branding: Employ your own domain and create newsletters for your brand.
• Paid Subscriptions: Create several layers of monetization so that you can capitalize on the content.
• Detailed Analytics: Gain actionable insights into subscriber behavior and engagement.

Who is Beehiiv For?

Beehiiv caters to:

• Content Creators – Beehiiv is your creative partner, helping you shape and share impactful stories that leave a digital legacy.
• Web3 & Crypto – We make the fundamental ideas of crypto and Web3 easy and relatable converting your knowledge into newsletters that attract patronage.
• Health & Fitness – Motivate people to share ideas and follow them by creating newsletters that are going to make people change for the better.
• Food – If your passion is cooking then Beehiiv allows the reader to devour each of your recipes or reviews.
• Entertainment – Get updated with premier Beehiiv coverage of Top Stories – including celebrities, News and trends.
• Podcasters – Add substance to your podcast and attract more listeners with a fresh, terrific newsletter that keeps your fan base hooked ‘tween episodes.
• Sports – Enjoy fitness and post exciting moments before a game with enthusiasts who love sports.
• Business & Commerce – Share important information and in-depth analytics within an environment tailored for precise and edgy writing.
• Fashion & Beauty – For all customer’s heads turns into a way to share runway trends, make-up tips, and others you – with Beehiiv’s help – transform style into an interesting newsletter.

I’d say Beehiiv works best for creators and businesses who prioritize growth and monetization but are willing to invest in the platform’s advanced features.

What Benefits Does Beehiiv Have?

1. Organic Growth: I grew the most from the referral program they offer. People started recommending it to others who I had never needed to approach personally.
2. Revenue Potential: Monetization tools are flexible and very versatile. Making some content premium for paid members allowed me to reach several segments of viewers properly.

3. Data-Driven Insights: Finally, through real time analytics I was able to make improvements to my newsletters. For instance, I learnt that through figuring out click through rates I was able to have better positioning of links and enhanced call to action.
4. Seamless Branding: It was convenient for me to use my custom domain which brought about professionalism, the templates helped me maintain brand image and identity.
5. Ease of Use: While the users  have to invest time to figure out the features of the software for project management, basic interactions are quite easy.

Beehiiv Pricing

Beehiiv offers several pricing tiers to cater to different needs:

Plan	Price	Subscribers	Key Features
Launch	$0	Up to 2,500	Custom website & newsletters, analytics, unlimited emails, 3 publications, recommendation network, API access.
Scale	$31.20/month	Up to 1,000	Everything in Launch + Ad/Boost Networks, paid subscriptions, automations, referral program, 3D analytics, Beehiiv AI.
Max	$79.20/month	Up to 1,000	Everything in Scale + removes branding, unlimited teams, 10 publications, priority support, audio newsletters.
Enterprise	Custom Pricing	100,000+	Everything in Max + concierge onboarding, account manager, dedicated IPs, infinite subscribers.

The pricing is competitive, making it accessible for both individual creators and businesses. With no transaction fees on paid subscriptions, Beehiiv provides excellent value for those looking to monetize their newsletters.

Beehiiv Alternatives

While Beehiiv is a robust platform, here are some alternatives worth considering:

• Substack:
  • Pros: Easy to navigate, good for sole authors and has powerful means to make profit.
  • Cons: High transaction costs at 10% of the business’ revenue and the ability to slightly adjust the interface.
  • Comparison: The outright winner of this match up in this aspect is Beehiiv, over Substack in terms of branding, options for customization, and data insights which are preferable for growth-oriented users.
• ConvertKit:
  • Pros: Sophisticated automation tools, perfect for creators who perform email marketing.
  • Cons: Harder to adopt and more expensive on more advanced layers.
  • Comparison: That is why, when it comes to automation tools, ConvertKit can be considered the best one, while if you focus on referral systems and opportunities for monetization, Beehive is much more suitable for newsletters that have plans on their organic growth.
• Mailchimp:
  • Pros: Advanced email marketing tools, huge list of integrations and respectable brand name.
  • Cons: Too complex an interface and, to some extent, relatively pricey packages for expansion.
  • Comparison: Mailchimp is perfect for massive email marketing, while Beehiiv is easier to use for newsletter publishers.
• Ghost:
  • Pros: Digital platform for print and email newsletter services that operates mainly with content.
  • Cons: Has to be set up technically and is not very rich in further options that are specific to newsletters.
  • Comparison: That’s why Ghost is ideal for bloggers and publishers though for the newsletter-first approach Beehiiv offers more universal tools for audience outreach and insights.

FAQs

Conclusion

Beehiiv is a potent newsletter tool built for growing – newsletter indeed. Because of its simplicity, data and analysis, and monetization features, it is a favorite among content providers and companies. Still, it has its drawbacks, there is no doubt that its narrow targeting, an orientation at a large audience, and the opportunities for its scaling make it extremely valuable. Whether you’re first beginning, or you want to take your newsletter to new heights, Beehiiv has the set to get you there.

Thanks to the list of affordable prices and features that support organic growth, Beehiiv has emerged as the benchmark of the overflowing newsletter platform market. Try it out and get the most out of your email conversation.

Ready to take your newsletters to the next level? 🌟 Click here to start your 30-day free trial and explore all of Beehiiv’s premium features—no credit card required! 🚀