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The Newsletter Creator's Dilemma: Choosing Between Constant Contact, TinyEmail, and beehiiv
How Each Platform Helps You Engage Beyond Email
Russell Cargill
January 31st, 2025
You've poured your heart and soul into your newsletter, and you hit send, brimming with anticipation... A couple of hours pass, and you decide to check your analytics.
What you see is low open rates, dismal click-throughs, and a subscriber list that's shrinking faster than a wool sweater in hot water.
The problem?
Either your content isn’t as good as you thought, or your current email platform is letting you down, turning your masterpiece into another ignored message in an overcrowded inbox.
While you're struggling to keep your head above water, other newsletter creators are riding the waves of success, building engaged audiences and monetizing their content.
The difference? They've found the right tools for the job.
In this no-holds-barred comparison, I’m putting Constant Contact, tinyEmail, and beehiiv under the microscope.
I’ll dissect their features, analyze their strengths, and uncover which platform can transform your newsletter from an inbox afterthought to a must-read sensation.
You'll know exactly which tool can help you craft emails that your subscribers will eagerly await, engage with, and even pay for.
Let's dive in and find your perfect match.
Key Takeaways
beehiiv emerges as the go-to platform for serious newsletter publishers focusing on growth and monetization
Constant Contact offers a comprehensive suite of email marketing tools suitable for various business types
tinyEmail provides a streamlined, no-frills approach to email marketing
Design capabilities vary significantly, with beehiiv offering the most newsletter-centric templates
Integration options are crucial, with beehiiv leading in newsletter-specific integrations
Analytics and reporting depth can make or break your newsletter strategy
Table of Contents
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Email Design and Customization
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Analytics and Reporting
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Integration Capabilities
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Frequently Asked Questions
Between Constant Contact, tinyEmail and beehiiv, Which Platform is Best for Beginners?
Which Platform Out of Constant Contact, tinyEmail and beehiiv Offers the Best Email Deliverability?
Do Constant Contact, tinyEmail and beehiiv Offer Customizable Email Templates?
Can I Integrate Constant Contact, tinyEmail, or Beehiiv With Other Tools and Services?
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv at a Glance
beehiiv Overview
Imagine if the love child of a tech startup and a publishing house decided to revolutionize newsletter creation. That's beehiiv in a nutshell.
It's not just another email platform; it's a specialized ecosystem designed to turn your newsletter from a side hustle into a full-blown media empire.
beehiiv understands the unique challenges and dreams of newsletter creators. It's a platform that grows with you, from your first subscriber to your millionth.
Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)
Growth on Autopilot: beehiiv's built-in referral program is like having a clone army of you, each dedicated to growing your subscriber list. It gamifies sharing your newsletter, turning your readers into your most enthusiastic marketers.
Monetization Made Easy: beehiiv features native support for sponsored ads and premium subscriptions. It turns your wordsmithing into cold, hard cash. One newsletter on beehiiv went from $0 to earning $16,000 in less than four months.
SEO Superpowers: Every newsletter you send gets an SEO-optimized web version automatically.
AI Writing Buddy: Just about everybody I know uses AI at some point during their day. beehiiv's got an inbuilt AI tool to help you write and generate images in seconds.
3D Analytics: beehiiv's analytics give you a solid breakdown of how readers engage with your content. Growth Daily had this to say:
Of course, there are a bunch of other awesome features unique to beehiiv that you can’t find anywhere else.
Customization and Design Flexibility
beehiiv offers a fully responsive design that you can customize to make your newsletters look great on any device.
The drag-and-drop editor allows creators to build their website templates in literally minutes. The newsletter editor is incredibly intuitive and easy to use, offering various customization options.
Analytics and Integration
Think of beehiiv's integration suite as your newsletter's backstage crew.
From seamless content migration to automated subscriber acquisition, beehiiv's integrations are designed to work smarter, not harder.
The best part?
These powerful tools are available even on the free plan, giving you enterprise-level capabilities without the enterprise-level price tag.
Here's a quick rundown of what beehiiv integrates with:
Content Migration:
Substack
Mailchimp
Other platforms via API
Subscriber Acquisition:
Zapier (connecting to thousands of apps)
Carrd
Webflow
WordPress
Shopify
Wix
Squarespace
Privy Forms
Community Engagement:
Discord
Slack
How to Get Started with beehiiv
Go to www.beehiiv.com → Click “Get started.” Then, you’ll enter a registration flow. Fill out the form to start your sign-up.
After registering, you’ll enter beehiiv’s onboarding flow. Don’t worry; it’s super quick and easy.
Once you’ve done that, you'll be taken to your newsletter dashboard.
Here’s a video tutorial to register your account:
Is it easy to switch from MailPoet & Constant Contact to beehiiv?
Absolutely! I’ve migrated more than a handful of newsletters over to beehiiv, and every time it has gone smoothly.
beehiiv has made the migration process as painless as possible. The process is pretty much the same for both platforms.
Constant Contact:
Switching from Constant Contact to beehiiv is a straightforward process that can give your newsletter a significant upgrade. Here's a quick guide:
Clean your Constant Contact list:
Remove inactive subscribers and bounces to improve deliverability.
Use Constant Contact's reporting features to identify these contacts.
Export your contacts:
Go to your Contacts list in Constant Contact.
Select the contacts you want to export.
Click "Actions" and choose "Export."
Alternatively, use the "Export All Contacts" option.
Import to beehiiv:
Review and clean your exported CSV file if necessary.
In your beehiiv dashboard, go to Audience > Subscribers.
Click "Import Subscribers" and then "Start New Import."
Upload your CSV file and follow the prompts.
From MailPoet:
If you're using MailPoet with WordPress and want to make the switch to beehiiv, the process is straightforward.
Prepare your WordPress site:
In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Settings” > “Reading”
Under "For each post in a feed, include" select the "Full Text" option.
Click "Save Changes" to ensure your RSS feed includes entire posts.
Start the migration in beehiiv:
In your beehiiv dashboard, navigate to the import section.
Enter your WordPress blog's URL when prompted.
Click the "Import" button to begin pulling your content and blog information.
Export your MailPoet subscribers:
In your WordPress dashboard, go to the MailPoet plugin.
Export your subscriber list as a CSV file.
Import subscribers to beehiiv:
In beehiiv, go to Audience > Subscribers.
Click "Import Subscribers" and then "Start New Import."
Upload your CSV file and follow the prompts.
Why Trust Me? Russell, the founder of the InboxConnect marketing agency, has over five years of deep expertise in email marketing. Under his leadership, the agency has become known for innovative strategies with notable successes, including campaigns for renowned clients like Payoneer.
Constant Contact Overview
I’m willing to bet that Constant Contact has been around longer than some of you have been born.
It’s been a big name in email marketing for over 25 years, and for good reason.
It's a solid platform that caters to a wide range of businesses, from mom-and-pop shops to larger corporations.
It is an email marketing platform that also supports customer relationship management (CRM) and lead generation.
However, its market share declined from 8.69% to 5.08% from 2020 to 2022. This is probably because new and more specialized platforms have come to market.
But, even today, it’s a solid choice for many business and marketing professionals.
Constant Contact Features
Constant Contact comes packed with features that cover most email marketing needs:
Email Campaigns
Automation
List Management
Reporting
E-commerce Integration
One standout feature is their event management tool, which allows you to create and promote events, sell tickets, and manage registrations all within the platform.
tinyEmail Overview
tinyEmail was launched in 2020, and while it might be one of the new kids on the block, don't let its youth fool you.
While giants like Constant Contact have been losing market share, tinyEmail has quietly carved out its niche. It's like the minimalist tiny house in a neighborhood of McMansions - small, efficient, and surprisingly powerful.
tinyEmail's philosophy is to keep it simple, stupid (KISS). They've stripped away the bells and whistles that often overwhelm users, focusing instead on what matters: sending emails that get opened and read.
tinyEmail Features
tinyEmail may be 'tiny' by name, but it's not lacking in features. Here's what you get:
Easy Email Creation: A no-frills editor that does the job without overwhelming you with options.
Basic Automation: Set up simple autoresponders and drip campaigns without needing a PhD in marketing automation.
List Management: Import and manage your subscriber list easily. There is no complex segmentation here, just straightforward organization.
Analytics: Get the basics on how your emails are performing. It's not big data, but it's the data you actually need.
Mobile Optimization: Every email looks great on mobile devices which is super important.
One standout feature is tinyEmail's focus on deliverability. They've built their entire system to ensure that your emails reach the inbox, not the spam folder.
tinyEmail offers five different subscription levels suitable for individual bloggers who want to grow their affiliate revenue to larger companies needing to run large campaigns with large customer databases.
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Email Design and Customization
Constant Contact offers various templates (over 100) covering different industries and purposes. Their editor is intuitive, allowing for easy customization. You can also create your own templates from scratch if you're feeling creative.
tinyEmail, true to its name, keeps things minimal. They offer a handful of basic templates that you can tweak. The focus here is on content rather than design, which can be a pro or a con depending on your needs.
beehiiv takes a unique approach that puts creativity and customization front and center.
Unlike platforms that offer pre-made templates, beehiiv lets you build your newsletter design from the ground up.
You’ll have a blank canvas for you to create your unique designs:
Start from scratch with a clean slate.
Build your design using a variety of customizable elements.
Save your creation as a template for future use.
To help you create your perfect newsletter template, beehiiv provides you with:
Text blocks for your content
Image blocks for visual appeal
Code blocks for advanced customization
Columns for layout flexibility
Multiple heading options
Embed options for multimedia content
Referral Program integration
Polls for audience engagement
Recommendations for cross-promotion
Again, once you've crafted your perfect design, save it as a custom template ready to be reused at the click of a button.
beehiiv Website Customization
beehiiv goes beyond just email, providing creators with a customizable website to showcase their newsletter and content.
Currently, users can adjust color schemes, layouts, and other design elements to align their web presence with their brand.
But here's where things get really exciting: beehiiv recently acquired Typedream, a move that's set to revolutionize their website offerings.
Soon, beehiiv users will have access to hundreds of professionally designed website templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop web editor.
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Analytics and Reporting
When it comes to understanding your newsletter's performance, data is king.
Let's dive into how our three contenders measure up in the analytics arena.
Constant Contact offers a solid foundation of analytics that covers all the essentials. You'll get insights into open rates and click-throughs, helping you gauge overall engagement.
The platform will also keep tabs on bounce rates and unsubscribes, giving you a clear picture of list health. For the tech-savvy, Constant Contact breaks down email client and device usage, allowing you to optimize for your audience's preferred platforms.
They even throw in geographical data, so you can see where your readers are tuning in from.
As a cherry on top, Constant Contact offers A/B testing for subject lines, helping you fine-tune your open rates over time.
TinyEmail, true to its name, keeps things simple and straightforward. They provide the bare essentials: open rates, click rates, and unsubscribe tracking.
Their analytics come wrapped in easy-to-digest graphs that show performance trends over time.
It's a no-frills approach that gets the job done, but data-hungry marketers might find themselves craving more.
When it comes to beehiiv, we're entering a whole new realm of analytics sophistication. beehiiv's analytics are built on a foundation of data-driven growth strategies.
At the heart of it all is the 3D Analytics™ tool, a comprehensive system designed specifically for newsletter creators.
The 3D Analytics tool is divided into two main reports: the Posts Report and the Subscribers Report. Don’t worry, a click report is also available.
The Posts Report provides a detailed breakdown of all your posts within a given timeframe. You can track standard metrics like deliveries, opens, and clicks, but beehiiv takes it further.
beehiiv developed a proprietary ranking algorithm that systematically ranks your top-performing posts and links, taking into account dozens of metrics. This makes it easy to spot trends and understand what content resonates most with your audience.
The Subscribers Report is where beehiiv really shines. You can input any time period and get a thorough breakdown of where your subscriptions came from during that time, along with the performance of those subscribers since.
Want to know how well those subscribers you gained from a Facebook ad campaign in March are performing? beehiiv's got you covered.
You can drill down to specific acquisition channels and evaluate their ROI, making it easier than ever to optimize your growth strategies.
But beehiiv doesn't stop there.
They offer geographic breakdowns of your audience, allowing you to tailor your content or pitch to sponsors more effectively.
You can track top-performing URLs across all posts, making it simple to monitor the performance of ongoing ad campaigns or popular content.
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Integration Capabilities
Constant Contact comes out swinging with an impressive array of integrations. They've got hooks into major e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, perfect for businesses looking to tie their email marketing directly to their online stores.
CRM integration? Check. Constant Contact connects seamlessly with big names like Salesforce and HubSpot. Social media, payment processing, event management—Constant Contact has it all covered.
This wide-ranging integration capability makes it versatile for businesses with complex tech stacks and varied needs.
TinyEmail, staying true to its minimalist philosophy, keeps its integration offerings lean. They provide a basic Zapier integration, which allows users to connect with thousands of apps, albeit in a less direct way than native integrations.
They also offer a WordPress plugin for embedding signup forms. While limited, these integrations cover the basics for simple newsletter operations, which might be just enough for those looking for a streamlined approach.
As I mentioned previously, beehiiv offers a robust suite of integrations designed to make migrating content, adding subscribers, and updating your audience as easy as possible.
For content migration, beehiiv offers specialized integrations with popular platforms like Substack and Mailchimp. The Substack integration is so smooth that your premium subscribers won't even notice the switch.
If you're coming from another platform, beehiiv provides API access (even on their free plan) to make the transition as painless as possible.
When adding subscribers, you have a wide array of integrations. These include native integrations with website builders like Carrd, Webflow, WordPress, Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace. This means you can easily embed customizable subscribe forms on your existing website, no matter where it's hosted.
With Zapier, you can connect beehiiv to thousands of other apps and automate your subscriber acquisition process. For instance, you could automatically add new leads from your Google Forms directly to your beehiiv subscriber list.
For those looking to keep their community engaged, beehiiv offers integrations with Discord and Slack. These integrations allow you to automatically notify your community every time you send out a newsletter, helping you stand out in your readers' crowded digital lives.
Final Thoughts
Right now, I’m sure it’s clear that each platform has its strengths. Constant Contact offers a comprehensive suite of tools for diverse email marketing needs. TinyEmail provides a streamlined, no-frills approach that is perfect for those who value simplicity.
However, for serious newsletter creators looking to grow and monetize their audience, beehiiv stands head and shoulders above the rest.
With its newsletter-centric features, powerful analytics, and thoughtful integrations, beehiiv offers the most robust toolkit for turning your newsletter into a thriving business.
Ready to take your newsletter to the next level? Sign up for beehiiv today and experience the difference for yourself.
With a range of plans, including a free tier to get you started, there's no reason not to give it a shot.
Happy mailing!
Constant Contact vs tinyEmail vs beehiiv: Frequently Asked Questions
Between Constant Contact, tinyEmail and beehiiv, Which Platform is Best for Beginners?
While all three cater to beginners, TinyEmail is the simplest to use out of the box. However, for those specifically interested in newsletters, beehiiv offers the most intuitive path to growth and monetization, balancing ease of use with powerful features.
Which Platform Out of Constant Contact, tinyEmail and beehiiv Offers the Best Email Deliverability?
While all platforms prioritize deliverability, beehiiv's partnership with Twilio SendGrid stands out. Using SendGrid's Engagement Quality Score (SEQ), beehiiv achieved a 52% increase in deliverability rate year-over-year.
Do Constant Contact, tinyEmail and beehiiv Offer Customizable Email Templates?
Yes, all three platforms offer customizable email templates, but the extent of customization and the focus of the templates will vary.
Can I Integrate Constant Contact, tinyEmail, or beehiiv With Other Tools and Services?
Constant Contact offers the widest range of general business integrations. TinyEmail provides basic integrations for simple operations. beehiiv focuses on integrations specifically valuable for newsletter publishers, including tools for monetization and audience growth.
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