E-newsletter platform beehiiv just lately celebrated its four-year anniversary by launching a collection of latest options, together with an AI web site builder, in addition to help for podcasts and promoting digital merchandise.
In different phrases, beehiiv is about greater than newsletters now. Co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk (who writes a popular startup newsletter of his personal) spoke to TechCrunch about why the corporate has been increasing, explaining that it was largely in response to buyer demand, notably since beehiiv supplied very fundamental weblog templates from the beginning.
“All of our customers have been like, ‘Hey, that is nice, I like utilizing your e mail stuff, [but] my weblog seems like everybody else’s. It’s horrible. It’s not customizable. I wish to promote programs. I wish to acquire leads. I would like extra flexibility on my web site,’” Denk recalled. “In order that led us to buying TypeDream — they have been a YC firm to deal with that want, as folks wished higher web sites. Then, you realize, you give an inch, they ask for a mile.”
This does imply beehiiv is turning into extra aggressive with different creator platforms, even those that weren’t essentially targeted on newsletters. Certainly, Denk predicted that we’ll see extra of “this characteristic creep of consolidation throughout the creator stack and content material stack.”
That doesn’t, nonetheless, imply that Denk thinks the alternatives for brand new newsletters have dried up.
“High quality content material will at all times rise to the highest,” he stated, and there is perhaps much more alternative because the social media panorama turns into extra fragmented.
Learn a transcript of our dialog, edited for size and readability, under.
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco
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October 13-15, 2026
You’ve repeated this quote that beehiv is “arming the rebels of digital content material.” What do you imply by that?
I bought the inspiration from the president of Shopify [about] arming the rebels of digital commerce — I feel that’s what he stated.
The promise of the creator economic system is taking energy from establishments, giving it to people, and permitting them to succeed. Going again via who really had the technique of distribution and energy beforehand, and now this new distributed, unbiased media world, the place lots of people go to their favourite podcasters or content material creators for data, the place it was once the massive TV and radio applications.
And [there’s a] democratization of data, but in addition the flexibility for folks to succeed on the web by creating content material is consistently evolving. I feel the tendencies are beginning to speed up a bit extra. The newest election yr confirmed loads about what really moved the needle for votes and all the things else. You’re seeing this huge wave.
This yr, we’ve seen tons of those journalists, whether or not it’s from The Washington Submit or different conventional shops, the place these folks have constructed up these private manufacturers, they’ve their beat, they know their viewers rather well, and so they really now have the instruments and capabilities to go unbiased. I feel that’s inspiring and enjoyable and attention-grabbing, and ideally, we will be a part of the toolkit to assist empower them.
Though one of many attention-grabbing issues about beehiiv is that you simply’re working with these particular person creators, however you’re additionally working with bigger publications like TechCrunch, and also you’ve bought much more legacy publications on the platforms as nicely. What’s it like making an attempt to construct a platform that serves these completely different wants?
It’s an ideal query, and it’s really why we led with this tagline throughout our occasion: the working system of the content material economic system. As a result of I don’t wish to be painted into simply the creator economic system. And we do serve TechCrunch and Time and Newsweek and all of those giant publishers, and we serve them extraordinarily nicely, simply as we serve the lengthy tail of content material creators rather well.
There must be some commonality in that, and it’s simply [that] content material is what makes their enterprise run, and that we predict we are able to actually be the working system and assist them achieve doing that. My thesis from method again after I was at Morning Brew, and I used to be the second worker, I constructed all of their inside infrastructure and helped them scale. And once we have been constructing Morning Brew, we had 3 million readers at a time, and all of those unbiased journalists and writers and smaller shops got here to us being like, “We would like the identical toolkit that you’ve got.” All the best way all the way down to somebody who’s writing [for] 10 folks, their finest buddies and their mother and like that.
The preliminary thesis for beehiv was: Can we construct enterprise degree software program like we constructed at Morning Brew, that any of those giant publishers would need … however make it inexpensive for the lengthy tail of everybody to have entry to that? In order that’s how we discovered ourselves on this bizarre spot of true enterprise-level software program, the place my brother launched a UFC e-newsletter final week with 5 folks [reading] it, and there he’s utilizing the identical toolkit that Time is utilizing, and TechCrunch.
It makes it harder on the product advertising and marketing aspect of issues, PR is harder, how we discuss our customers is tough, as a result of they’re cohorted, however I nonetheless imagine all of them need the identical factor. Finally, it’s a seamless expertise to create content material, but in addition [to] develop sooner and make more cash. And if we are able to do these three issues and play properly with the opposite instruments of their tech stack, it’s normally the profitable method.
You talked about your latest launch occasion, the place my takeaway was that beehiiv is not only a e-newsletter firm anymore — most notably, you now have this AI web site builder. Was that at all times the route you wished to go in, or did that come later?
So no, I’d say many of the roadmap really simply comes from suggestions from our customers. I feel our superpower is, we take heed to our customers higher than anybody else does, and we really act on it in a short time.
When you requested me 4 years in the past, [I’d say] we’re the very best e-newsletter platform that has this advert community that may democratize entry to premium promoting, form of like what YouTube did for video. However we are able to try this for e mail, and meaning manufacturers like Nike and Netflix having the ability to sponsor all of those completely different newsletters, and these newsletters getting access to manufacturers they in any other case by no means would have had. And I feel that’s actually thrilling, and that’s a giant imaginative and prescient in itself, and it’s nonetheless a part of the imaginative and prescient.
We rolled out from day one a really fundamental web site builder — I wouldn’t even name it a web site builder, it’s like a weblog template that you simply had by default. All of our customers have been like, “Hey, that is nice, I like utilizing your e mail stuff, [but] my weblog seems like everybody else’s. It’s horrible. It’s not customizable. I wish to promote programs. I wish to acquire leads. I would like extra flexibility on my web site.” In order that led us to acquiring TypeDream — they have been a YC firm to deal with that want, as folks wished higher web sites. Then, you realize, you give an inch, they ask for a mile. We construct this new web site builder, and we launched it in July, and other people [say], “That’s wonderful, now I’m really utilizing you guys for my web site, however there’s issues I had on WordPress or Wix that I might try this I now can’t do, like reserving time, promoting digital merchandise, programs, embeds, all that sort of stuff.”
We launch one thing to deal with a necessity, and that opens up a broader market. And I feel our superpower exterior of listening to customers is basically simply product velocity and engineering. If we predict we are able to serve these customers higher than anybody else, [it’s] simply the pure march to the following factor that may serve them.
One facet of this development is that any platform that’s has some form of creator device — if you happen to’re targeted on one space, whether or not that’s subscriptions or newsletters or no matter, you inevitably begin including issues and, I wouldn’t have considered beehiiv being aggressive with Patreon a pair years in the past, but it surely appears like each creator platform in the end turns into aggressive with all of the others, since you’re making an attempt to do all these various things.
I’ve been saying it just lately: I feel there’s going to be large consolidation within the creator house. I don’t know if that’s via firms going out of enterprise, or M&A or merging, or what, however we’ve already seen a number of the conventional creator economic system platforms broaden. Possibly they have been link-in-bio, after which they launch a web site builder, or possibly they have been programs and group, however then they launch a e-newsletter or an e mail platform.
I do assume you’re going to see this characteristic creep of consolidation throughout the creator stack and content material stack. My wager is, e mail may be very tough to do. There’s tons of infrastructure, it’s very difficult at scale. I feel it’s one of many extra aggressive wedges, as a result of it’s the technique of communication. And I’m making the wager that we are able to go into web site, link-in-bio, programs, group higher than they may go the opposite method.
Clearly, you imagine you will have the very best product. However is there one thing else on the core that you simply assume makes beehiiv completely different from these different platforms?
It’s more durable to quantify, but it surely’s the product high quality and excellence. There’s a number of platforms, even exterior the creator economic system, that I exploit on a day-to-day foundation, which aren’t the best software program. One factor I’ve been saying loads just lately is, I would like beehiiv to be essentially the most pleasant product that anybody makes use of on a day-to-day foundation, and I feel we’ve a chance to make it simply an pleasing expertise.
[Also,] many of the creator companies are take fee companies, and we don’t take a lower of income, whether or not it’s paid subscriptions, digital merchandise, appointments, gross sales. That’s simply our ethos: We don’t imagine [that] by connecting Stripe and doing that as a intermediary, that we needs to be taking a ten% price.
We transfer shortly, not simply out of necessity, however we predict our customers have a number of wants, and we are able to serve them faster and higher. I feel that shines via in what we’re constructing.
As you evolve and broaden into these different areas, are you continue to dedicated to that concept of that you simply’re not going to be taking a lower of any of those income streams? Or might you think about some situations the place possibly the core product has SaaS pricing, however there’s completely different product traces and enterprise fashions?
Our aim is to not cost a take fee on something, solely the subscription price.
In your put up, you talked about this concept that, particularly earlier this yr, you wished to place a number of power into rising model consciousness. I dwell in New York, so I’ve seen a number of the beehiiv advertisements on the subway. How profitable do you’re feeling like these advertisements have been?
That point, specifically, was undoubtedly essentially the most progress we’ve ever seen — actually going all-in on model and making an attempt to make a press release.
And I feel the product at the moment is 10x what it was again then. We’re actually prepared for the mainstream, to have the ability to serve a a lot wider cohort of customers. I’d count on extra of that in Q1 [of next year.] I feel we’re going to go a lot more durable into advertising and marketing and progress.
I imply, the job’s by no means performed on the product aspect. There’s at all times issues we are able to enhance. However I feel the product’s in an ideal place the place we are able to help and convert customers and proceed to ship our promise to them. Now we want everybody in New York and everybody who has the ambition to construct one thing on their very own, round their content material, to know precisely who we’re as an organization.
Philosophically, I feel we’re getting in a really completely different route than Substack, however due to once we launched, we’re at all times in comparison with them. And [with their] first mover benefit, they undoubtedly have extra of the model title. We have to make up some floor there.
Although beehiiv has turn out to be extra seen this yr, it does really feel like Substack has actually performed this wonderful job of creating their title virtually synonymous with the thought of: You’re going to start out a publication round your private model, and it’s going to be newsletter-centric, that’s a Substack. Is that one thing that worries you? Would you like extra of that mindshare?
Yeah, for positive. We undoubtedly need the highest of thoughts, and we undoubtedly need the mindshare there. [But] like I stated, we’re getting in two very completely different instructions. I feel they’re making an attempt to construct a social feed to compete with X and Threads and Instagram and Bluesky and all of that. We’re simply instruments and infrastructure.
The analogy I at all times use is Amazon versus Shopify. You go to Amazon, there’s hundreds of thousands of third-party sellers, however you don’t actually know who they’re. The third-party sellers don’t get the information. The patron goes via the Amazon app, the Amazon web site, [their order] reveals up in an Amazon field. It’s very Substack — going via their app, they take management over the reader expertise, you’re giving up a number of management and information.
We’re very a lot the Shopify — instruments and infrastructure within the background to assist help these content material companies. We’re not having folks launch beehiivs. We’re merely simply the instruments and infrastructure to assist them succeed. And I feel that that’s interesting to a big portion of customers. There’s some who simply don’t care and simply desire a running a blog platform and possibly Substack’s the higher match for them, however I feel we are able to each coexist and succeed right here.
I additionally wish to speak extra about the way you’ve seen the media enterprise evolve and the way you think about it’d evolve. Such as you stated, it’s this actually thrilling second as a result of anybody who’s had some extent of success might conceivably go direct and begin their very own factor and convey a few of their viewers with them. It additionally appears like this can be a time the place individuals are doing that as a result of the variety of conventional alternatives — there aren’t as lots of them as there was once.
Positively, it’s an attention-grabbing market and predicament. I feel the plus aspect is, we’ve seen on our platform, there are such a lot of profitable, quote-unquote, “no title,” small creators which might be simply being born — that cowl a subject, whether or not it’s EVs or crypto or AI, which have really constructed a really profitable enterprise.
And in addition what we’re seeing from the Morning Brew and theSkimm days is that the equation for e-newsletter was once: How do you develop as quick as you probably can, get one million subscribers, promote huge sponsorships. [Whereas now] we’ve a farming e-newsletter that has 2,500 subscribers and makes $15,000 a month. So there’s a number of energy in area of interest content material, and that’s as a result of there are instruments that you are able to do paid subscriptions instantly, so that you’re not counting on Google AdSense, there’s the group play, there’s digital merchandise, there’s programs, there’s occasions.
Beehiiv performs a small half in that, however there’s a way more established ecosystem of instruments that makes it attainable. If you could find your 1,000 true followers, you possibly can construct an actual, sustainable enterprise off of that. I don’t know if that was the case 5, 10 years in the past.
You answered this just a little bit, however let me ask a associated query. As a tech journalist who has, a couple of times, toyed with the thought of beginning one thing alone, I simply instantly assume, “God, there are such a lot of tech journalists who’ve began Substacks or different newsletters.” It feels just like the window for that’s closed. Do you are concerned that we’re approaching the saturation level — if not essentially in all places, then at the very least in sure sectors?
Saturation has at all times been essentially the most attention-grabbing query, as a result of ever since we raised our seed spherical, folks thought we have been [at] peak e mail again then. Peak e mail comes each week, apparently.
However I additionally assume we’ve extra podcasts than ever, extra video content material, UGC, and truly, professionally performed, excessive manufacturing video. However nobody ever says [we’re at] peak Netflix, ever. That is a kind of issues the place, one, the world’s huge, and I feel which you can carve out a distinct segment in any content material class. Two, I feel essentially the most high quality content material will at all times rise to the highest.
So, positive, there’s tons of tech writers, proper? What’s the distinctive perspective and beat and entry and no matter that appears like, and the way is it packaged in a method that’s distinctive? Sure, it’s undoubtedly getting extra crowded, however I feel all the things is getting extra crowded. High quality will nonetheless rise to the highest, and I feel that there’s sufficient folks and sufficient enterprise fashions on this planet to have the ability to differentiate.
You talked about this concept of the very best content material rising to the highest. I at all times hope that’s true, however this problem of standing out — due to how the panorama has modified, all of the stuff that’s occurred with Twitter/X, it feels a lot extra fragmented than it was once.
Do you see there’s extra alternative in the truth that there’s now Mastodon, YouTube Reels, TikTok, Bluesky? It’s extra fragmented, however that’s additionally extra alternatives and touchpoints to succeed in folks. I feel there’s virtually extra of a menace in being overreliant on previous Twitter, the place it had such a dominance over the mainstream zeitgeist of what was occurring, and by being shadowbanned or restricted, regardless of the algorithm wished to determine to feed or not feed, you’re really just a little bit extra weak in that scenario.
There’s two sides to each coin, proper? It might be scarier or it might be extra alternative to succeed in completely different audiences.
Intellectually, I feel that having many alternative platforms with barely diminished energy appears higher for the world, however I additionally notice that I don’t depend on these platforms in the identical method that, say, a sole proprietor of a e-newsletter would depend on them for locating an viewers.
That stated, I additionally wished to ask about this spectrum from Time to TechCrunch to people. One of many success tales individuals are on the lookout for is not only can folks begin one thing to help themselves, however really construct the newsroom of the longer term on these sorts of platforms. Is that one thing you’ve seen on beehiiv?
Yeah, lots. We have now a number of e-newsletter native firms which have began — Status and Oliver Darcy is the latest instance that involves thoughts. He left CNN, launched his own thing, now has two folks on the crew. [Or three, depending on how you’re counting.] I feel they’re going to launch a further vertical.
There’s loads of newsletters who began off as a hobbyist e-newsletter that scaled to 50,000, 100,000 subscribers, discovered some income, and expanded past simply one-person groups.
My final query is: Enthusiastic about the creator economic system, the media economic system 10 years from now, how is it going to be completely different from at the moment?
I’m not predicting something loopy, however somebody requested me my predictions for 2026, and I simply assume all of the tendencies are simply going to proceed in the identical route. I don’t assume it’s going to be a step operate change, however I really assume with AI, the tailwinds are, one, there can be some degree of job displacement sooner or later. And the place do you differentiate your self if you happen to’re a mid-level PM? If I’m hiring a product supervisor, I’m in all probability hiring a product supervisor who has put their ideas out into the web, and I do know precisely who they’re, what they consider, what they worth, and I can really resonate [more] with them than one other faceless PM who’s making use of for the job.
So I feel leaning extra into private model storytelling and this human connection can be extra vital than ever as AI proliferates. Whether or not that reveals up in e mail and internet and podcasts and video, in all probability the entire above, I really assume there’s going to be a bigger significance positioned on placing your voice and your self on the market to essentially differentiate, each within the workforce and broadly.
