Learning how to make money with SparkLoop has been a hot topic for newsletter creators since the platform launched in 2019. 

SparkLoop’s paid recommendations feature was the perfect dream—earn money by referring your subscribers to other newsletters.

However, many creators (especially those who weren’t tech-savvy) realized that the setup, integrations, and approvals could be a bit of a hassle. That’s why I often point creators to beehiiv instead.

beehiiv’s Ad Network and Boosts features let you earn right inside the platform. This means you can publish newsletters, grow your audience, and earn money from one simple dashboard – no need for any complex setup or juggling multiple platforms.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how SparkLoop helps creators earn, the downsides I noticed, and why beehiiv might be a better alternative for you.

Why Trust Me?

I am passionate about researching and writing about tools that help creators and businesses grow. I also run a newsletter myself, so I understand what to look out for when testing and comparing newsletter tools.

SparkLoop helps creators make money with a newsletter through paid recommendations. Here’s how it works:

You sign up for SparkLoop, connect your newsletter platform, and apply to join the SparkLoop Partner Network. 

Once approved, you can browse a list of newsletters that’ll pay you for subscribers you refer. You can recommend these newsletters through SparkLoop Upscribe (a popup that appears right after someone signs up to your newsletter) and inside your emails. 

When someone joins a newsletter via your recommendation, you get paid anywhere from $2 to $7.

Besides earning, SparkLoop also offers growth features. You can pay other creators to promote your newsletter through the same Partner Network or run a SparkLoop referral program that rewards your subscribers—with digital products, merch, or coupon codes—for bringing in new readers.

While SparkLoop’s monetization sounds simple in theory, using it comes with a few downsides worth noting.

Setting up SparkLoop takes time. It took me about 20 minutes to get access to my dashboard. And, even then, the interface and features felt a bit overwhelming. Tools like Paid Recommendations require extra steps and at least a 24-hour approval before you can start promoting other newsletters.

SparkLoop isn’t a full newsletter platform; it’s an add-on. You’ll need to connect it to another tool to send emails, which means juggling multiple dashboards (and logins) if you run several newsletters.

SparkLoop suggests applying once you have 500 to 1,000 subscribers. Applying too early (or not meeting certain criteria) can lead to a rejection—sometimes, permanently—with no clear explanation.

While SparkLoop is free to join, they take a 20% commission cut plus a 3.5% processing fee on monthly payouts. It may seem small at first, but it adds up as your earnings grow.

After signing up and testing both SparkLoop and beehiiv, I found beehiiv to be the easier option to make money with a newsletter. Everything you need—newsletter and blog publishing, growth, earning, and analytics tools—are all built right inside its dashboard.

beehiiv’s Ad Network connects you with brands that pay to appear in your newsletter. This contributed to the Cyber Corsairs’s  monthly revenue of $16,000, just seven months after joining beehiiv.

Then, there’s Boosts (beehiiv’s version of paid recommendations), which lets you earn when new subscribers join other beehiiv newsletters through your recommendations. 

According to Matt Navarra, founder of the Geekout Newsletter, this is his favorite beehiiv feature. He leveraged Boosts to offer sponsored content to other newsletter creators, earning him over $25,000 on the beehiiv platform.

Many creators, regardless of size, are using these tools to make anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands. As a result, beehiiv pays out over $1 million to creators every month. 

You get access to these newsletter earning tools on beehiiv’s starter plan, which starts at $49/month for 1,000 subscribers; so, no, you don’t need any minimum subscriber count to be eligible. 

Plus, beehiiv lets you keep 100% of your earnings, so you only pay for Stripe processing fees.

SparkLoop works best for established newsletters that don’t mind SparkLoop’s complex and lengthy setup process and already have a large, active audience. If you can refer enough subscribers, its paid recommendations feature brings in steady earnings.

If you’re looking for a simpler SparkLoop alternative, go with beehiiv. Its Ad Network and Boosts make it easy to start earning, even with a small list. 

Plus, it’s easier to scale your earnings with beehiiv. You can manage multiple newsletter publications and revenue streams under one beehiiv account. There’s also no commission model that forces you to pay more just for earning more.

Sign up for a beehiiv account and start growing and earning from your newsletter today!

SparkLoop is a growth and monetization add-on for newsletters. Its paid recommendations feature lets creators make money by promoting other newsletters. It also has growth tools like the SparkLoop referral program, which lets you reward existing subscribers for referring new readers. 

Yes, SparkLoop is worth it for larger newsletters that have enough subscribers to generate steady referral income. Smaller newsletters may not earn much this way, and there’s no option to explore additional revenue streams.

Sign up for SparkLoop, connect your newsletter platform, and apply for the Partner Program. After approval, you can start promoting your chosen newsletters via the Upscribe widget and in your emails. When subscribers sign up through your links, you get paid.

You can earn money with SparkLoop by joining the SparkLoop Partner Program and referring your subscribers to other newsletters. Each time someone from your audience subscribes to a promoted newsletter, you’ll earn between $2 and $7.

Yes, SparkLoop works with beehiiv (and 20+ email platforms). However, since beehiiv already offers earning tools like the Ad Network and Boosts, you might not need SparkLoop unless you want to try it out or just prefer its own tools.