Ready to (finally) start a newsletter in 2025?

Today is your lucky day. 

I will help you decide where to host your newsletter: Beehiiv, Substack, or Flodesk.

If you are struggling to decide which one to pick, I get it. 

It's like trying to pick a dating app - they all promise to be the one, but which one's actually gonna help you find love (or in this case, loyal readers)?

Let's break this down in a way that won't make you want to throw your laptop out the window.

(Disclaimer: I’m not an affiliate for any platform. These are my honest opinions.)

🎯 The TL;DR Version (Because I Love You):

• Beehiiv = For those treating their newsletter like a business

• Substack = For when you just want to write & find community damn it

• Flodesk = For beautiful design & if you are selling digital products 

Now, let's get into the details…

💪 Beehiiv: For Those Treating a Newsletter Like a Business

I will come out and say, I use Beehiiv.

Here’s why:

• With Beehiiv, I felt I had more design freedom. With Substack, you can create a cute logo and some cool icons for your pages. But that’s about it. (And what can I say? I’m vain. I like pretty things.)

Here’s what I mean…

For the opt-in page, you are limited to this on Substack.

Here’s what your “newsletter” or post section would look like:

I love Jessica Yellin, by the way. 

• With Beehiiv you can create a custom landing page. It integrates easily with Showit. (I’m obsessed with Showit. You can get a Tonic template and start quickly with Showit.)

Here’s one of my favorite Beehiiv Newsletters right now, Smart Nonsense. The visual storytelling in their newsletters is epic. (Their landing page is so creative.)

• With Beehiiv, you can also set up basic email automations. (You can’t go crazy. But it’s more than what you can currently do on Substack.) Note: Whether you use Substack or Beehiiv, if you are selling products on a website, you will need another email platform like FloDesk or Kit. 

• They have a referral program to reward people for sharing your newsletter. You can use this tool without paying a $2,000 start-up fee (like you have to on Sparkloop). Sparkloop is wonderful. It’s just not always what you need when you are first getting started. Plus, Beehiiv gives you something similar for free. 

• They have newsletter boosts! So what in the world is a freaking boost? Well… Say you sign up for a newsletter. Then you see this pop-up with recommended newsletters… That’s a boost. It looks something like this:

(Through Beehiiv, you can boost other newsletters, or you can apply for other newsletters to boost yours. This is a great way to get some quality new subscribers. 

• They have an ad network that’s sort of like Passionfroot that’s already built in. 

• There are SEO tools that'll make Google notice you exist.

• They charge a flat monthly fee. There is no revenue sharing like Substack. (In other words, they're not gonna steal your lunch money.)

• You can’t create a podcast like you can on Substack, but you can create an audio newsletter or promote your podcast through Beehiiv.

• They are constantly adding new features at Beehiiv and have leadership that knows how to build successful newsletters. The CEO is Tyler Denk, who was one of the founders of Morning Brew.

• Like Substack, there is a community of writers and content creators…

Social Currency is one I love to read…

I’ve got a brain crush on Sammi. She’s like the Lady Whistledown of the internet. She writes about all the hot gossip with the most popular hot brands in the US.

Redona Dida, the designer who helped with the landing page for Paper Ghosts, has a wonderful Beehiiv newsletter called Simplify Your Message. (She has such a beautiful way of seeing how words and design can fit together to communicate effectively.) I highly recommend you check her out. 

The Creator Spotlight is one I read weekly, too. 

I could go on and on… 

I like Paper Ghosts being among these interesting conversations and creators. 

With all this being said, let’s look at the others so you can make the best decision for YOU.

Up next… Substack. 

Subscribe to Paper Ghosts to read the rest.