If you’re going to spend hours creating content, growing an audience, and publishing regularly, you might as well get paid for it.

Choosing the right blogging platform is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a creator. 

Why? Because not all platforms are built for monetization.

Some lock your content into walled gardens. 

Others take big platform fees. 

And a few? They’re just plain outdated.

This guide walks through what features matter, the platforms that deliver (and those that don’t), and why beehiiv is the best blogging platform to make money in 2025, whether you’re starting out or scaling fast.

3 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Blogging Platform for Monetization

Before we get into the platform battle royale, let’s align on what actually matters when you’re trying to monetize a blog.

1. Flexibility in Monetization Options

The best platforms give you options. Think:

• Paid subscriptions

• One-time content purchases

• Affiliate links and sponsored posts

• Merchandise or digital product sales

• Ads 

If a platform limits you to just one or two revenue streams, you’ll quickly hit a ceiling. The blogging platform you choose should give you multiple monetization levers to pull, without needing dozens of third-party tools.

2. Support for Paid Subscriptions

Recurring revenue is the gold standard. And no monetization model does this better than paid subscriptions.

The best blogging platforms make this easy:

• Intuitive paywall settings

• Simple upgrade flows for readers

• Subscriber segmentation

• Payment processor integrations

3. User Base and Audience Reach

Some platforms have massive built-in audiences (like Medium), while others focus on helping creators build their own.

Ask yourself:

• Do I want my audience to be mine or rented from the platform?

• How discoverable is my content on Google and social?

• Do I have access to first-party data like email and engagement?

5 Reasons beehiiv Is the Best Platform to Make Money Blogging

Now let’s break down exactly why beehiiv dominates when it comes to blog monetization.

1. Built-In Subscription and Monetization Tools

Unlike platforms that rely on integrations or plugins, beehiiv has native tools to:

• Sell paid subscriptions

• Offer exclusive content

• Gate-specific posts or newsletters

• Promote upsells and premium tiers

2. Optimized for Audience Growth and Retention

beehiiv has growth baked in.

Features like:

• Referral programs to incentivize sharing

• Recommendations to attract engaged subscribers

• Magic links for seamless login and sharing

Paired with automated email flows and segmentation, beehiiv helps you grow faster and retain better.

3. Flexible Pricing for Multiple Revenue Streams

You’re not locked into one business model. You can:

• Start free, grow to paid

• Offer both free and premium content

• Test pricing tiers and bundled offers

4. High-Level Analytics for Revenue Tracking

You can’t grow what you can’t measure.

beehiiv gives you:

• Revenue by product or post

• Subscriber churn rates

• Open/click heatmaps

• List growth from each source

No need to patch together tools, it’s all there, out of the box.

5. Robust Email Marketing Capabilities

This one’s a game-changer.

With beehiiv, your blog is your newsletter, and vice versa.

You get:

• Drag-and-drop editor

• Automated campaigns

• Segmentation by engagement, location, and subscriber type

• A/B testing for subject lines and CTAs

• Website builder 

4 Comparisons of beehiiv, Substack, and Medium for Earning Potential

Let’s put the top three platforms head to head.

1. Monetization Tools and Customization

beehiiv allows full monetization stack flexibility:

• Tiered paid plans

• Drip content

• Gated newsletters

• Add-on offers and sponsorships

Substack and Medium? Not so much.

2. Ease of Reaching Paid Subscribers

beehiiv makes it easy to:

• Upgrade free readers with in-email CTAs

• Promote upsells with automations

• Use engagement scores to convert lurkers

Substack has fewer segmentation tools. Medium doesn’t let you build an email list at all.

3. Platform Fees and Profit Margins

Profit margins matter. Here’s what you pay:

• beehiiv: 0% on free plans, small fee for premium tiers

• Substack: 10% flat fee on paid subscriptions

• Medium: You don’t set the rate — they do

beehiiv gives you more profit per post, plain and simple.

4. Supporting Long-Term Revenue Growth

Medium’s partner model is unpredictable. Substack growth is flat without virality.

beehiiv is built to scale:

• SEO optimization

• Multi-author support

• Internal growth loops (recommendations, referrals)

• Paid newsletter funnels

In other words, it grows with you.

3 Monetization Mistakes to Avoid on Blogging Platforms

Now that we’ve covered the tools — let’s talk strategy. These are the most common traps bloggers fall into:

1. Neglecting Email Subscriber Lists

Biggest mistake? Relying on readers who never opt in.

If you’re not:

• Capturing emails

• Nurturing subscribers

• Sending weekly value

…you’re losing revenue. beehiiv keeps your email and blog in sync, so your list grows alongside your content.

2. Relying Solely on Platform Ads

Ads ≠ sustainable income.

They’re:

• Low-paying

• Out of your control

• Irrelevant to most readers

Instead, focus on:

• Direct subscriptions

• Product sales

• Affiliate marketing

Ads can be part of the mix, but shouldn’t be the whole plan.

3. Ignoring Audience Engagement

Want more subscribers? Start conversations.

Too many bloggers ignore:

• Polls

• Feedback forms

• Comments

• Q&As

beehiiv lets you build a two-way relationship with your audience — and that’s where conversion happens.

Final Thoughts: Choose the Platform That Pays Long-Term

If your goal is to make money blogging — don’t pick based on popularity.

Pick the platform that gives you:

• Ownership over your audience

• Flexibility in how you earn

• Tools to grow and retain subscribers

• Data to improve and optimize

That’s beehiiv. It’s built for bloggers who are building real businesses, not just publishing online diaries.

Ready to Launch or Migrate?

Start blogging smarter with a platform that turns readers into revenue.

Launch your blog with beehiiv today

💸 Start earning. Keep more of your money. Grow on your terms.