The thing that I always notice about Tyler Dink and the Beehiiv team is that they still like their product. The enthusiasm, energy and drive that often fades away from a lot of SAAS tools overtime is still there. I can tell that Tyler is still excited about growing and building Beehiiv. It’s so interesting listening to other SAAS founders talking about the platform and Tyler and I think they’re getting something wrong about Beehiiv-they’re completely missing the community member, consumer perspective of the tool and how Tyler views the development of Beehiiv.
I was listening to Creator Spotlight where Tyler Dink was the guest and one thing really stuck out to me from that conversation. He said that he wanted people to consider Beehiiv like the Shopify of Newsletters. It’s the tool vs. people creating a Beehiiv. By the way, I wish people would stop comparing Substack and Beehiiv-it’s becoming increasingly clear to me who hasn’t used either platform when they make this comparison. I’ve included a link to a podcast episode from last year where I break down why these two platforms compliment each but are increasingly not the same.
Disclaimer
*In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy here.*
Listen to the Episode
Show Notes
I have been hesitant to say “yes” to Beehiiv because of one specific reason-it’s expensive. Despite my deep interest in the tool, my love of the ad platform that users have access to and the focus on analytics-the cost was something that held me back. Here’s the thing, I was loving my growth on Substack but I wasn’t loving my newsletter metrics.
By the end of 2025 it was clear that Substack was great for discovery and growing visibility but the key measurements that I valued from my email marketing especially the Click Through Rate weren’t performing as well as I felt they should. One thing I do want to mention is that my community interactions were fantastic and I was experiencing a high level of community interaction each time I sent an email out.
So, What Changed?
It was clear that I needed a better email marketing tool. Beehiiv began innovating in a way that was exciting to me. Recently, Tyler and the team announced the ability to sell digital products on the platform. This is huge because it means that I can get rid of other tools and lower the cost of running Creators Getting Paid.
I feel like Beehiiv is actively focused on the things that I care about-innovation, responsiveness, ease of use and customer service. The team just feels present in a way that I would like to see if I’m spending almost $100 a month to use the tool.
The ad network has always been intriguing to me. I love that I don’t have to seek out brands, they’re already active in the eco-system and I can say “yes” or “no” to brand ads based on how I perceive the fit with my content.
Finally, there was the user feedback I kept hearing. I have a friend who loves using Beehiiv and their Click Through Rate is significantly higher than mine. I don’t want to spend another year frustrated that my list isn’t performing as well as I feel like it should. I look forward to sharing how things go at the beginning of 2027.
I love that Beehiiv’s new features are signaling a focus on the long-term goal of becoming more of an all in one tool that empowers its users to get paid. No ego, just cash. I think that other builders of SAAS tools (I’m not just talking about Substack) would stop being so self-congratulatory about what they’re doing and pay attention to what Tyler is building and it’s something bigger than just the Beehiiv tool. I’ll keep you posted as I test out Beehiiv this year.
The Creator Income Collective
Are you looking for a high impact resource for your online brand building as you manage the cost of living during wildly weird times. Are you an empathetic, mission led creator who is building beautiful work and is wanting to find more people to be a part of and support the work that you’re doing? Are you looking to be in community with other creators doing the work and who understand the stress of what you’re doing? Join The Creator Income Collective today. It’s ridiculously inexpensive on purpose. I want this to be the easiest professional development tool and space that you say “yes” to this year. Go to: https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/membership All community members of The Creator Income Collective also gain access to the resource: SUBSCRIBED a growing list of different mission lead content creator newsletter and email lists that compliment the type of work or communities that you’re building and would like to get in front of this year.
