Beehiiv vs Substack for Affiliate Bloggers (2025): Which One Converts Better and When
Wondering whether Beehiiv vs Substack for Affiliate Bloggers converts better in 2025 – I tested both platforms and tracked clicks to real revenue to find out.
I started this as a question and turned it into a mildly obsessive experiment. I sent identical affiliate-focused newsletters from Beehiiv and Substack, tracked open rates, clicks, and downstream conversions, and dug into docs, deliverability reports, and publisher case studies to see which platform actually turns subscribers into buyers. The goal wasn’t to crown a universal winner – it was to map which platform converts better for specific affiliate setups and why.
This guide is for solo affiliate bloggers, small teams, and scalable publishers who need practical answers – not cheerleading. I’ll compare deliverability, monetization, list growth, analytics, pricing, and workflow. I’ll also explain my testing methodology: seed inbox tests, actual campaign runs, attribution with UTM parameters and server-side postbacks, and cross-checks against platform docs.
Quick keyword research snapshot for anyone who wants the SEO flavor I used: main keyword – Beehiiv vs Substack for Affiliate Bloggers. Secondary keywords (high traffic): email deliverability for affiliate marketing, affiliate newsletter monetization, newsletter growth tools for bloggers, newsletter conversion tracking, affiliate marketing newsletters, email list monetization, convert subscribers into buyers. LSI terms: open rate, click-through rate, sender reputation, SPF DKIM DMARC, UTM tracking, server-side tracking, referral program, paid acquisition, landing page templates, affiliate link tracking.
I’ll use “converts better” to mean a measurable funnel: CTR to affiliate click, affiliate click to conversion, and revenue per subscriber. Read on and you’ll get a quick decision checklist at the end so you can pick a winner in under five minutes – or at least stop arguing about dashboards with your coffee buddy.
Deliverability & Inbox Placement
email deliverability for affiliate marketing matters more than pretty templates when your goal is commissions. If your emails don’t land, none of the fancy CTAs matter. I treated deliverability like a conversion channel and ran seeded inbox tests plus small live blasts to measure real inbox placement across common ISPs.
Platform deliverability comparison
Beehiiv shipped stronger inbox placement in my tests for new sending domains. Their setup uses modern sending infrastructure and allows more control for warming and custom domains, which helped my test campaigns show higher initial open rates. Substack was respectable for long-established writers who already have high engagement, but it leaned on shared sending infrastructure that sometimes flagged affiliate-heavy content in seed tests.
Third-party reports and community feedback in 2025 show a similar pattern – Beehiiv invests in deliverability tools geared to growing lists, while Substack focuses on ease of publishing and platform reach. That means Beehiiv often edges out slightly higher click-through rates for affiliate marketing newsletters, especially when the list is young or recently migrated.
Note: actual results depend on list quality. A warmed-up audience on Substack can beat a cold audience on Beehiiv any day.
Authentication, sender reputation, and policies
Authentication matters. Beehiiv supports custom sending domains with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup, and offers options to manage your sending reputation more directly. Substack historically used platform domains for many sends, which simplifies setup but gives you less control over sender reputation.
Dedicated IPs are rare for either platform at base tiers, but Beehiiv’s paid plans make it easier to access cleaner sending paths. Substack’s sender policy is friendlier to personal newsletters, but affiliate links routed through third-party redirectors can sometimes look spammy to shared IP pools. Both platforms allow disclosures and affiliate links, but the ability to use your own domain and authentication on Beehiiv reduces the chance affiliate tracking looks like link spam to ISPs.
Practical takeaway: if you want absolute control over inbox placement, prefer a platform that lets you own the sending domain and has clear SPF/DKIM/DMARC guidance.
Practical deliverability tips for affiliate campaigns
Small checklist from my mistakes and wins: warm new domains slowly, segment high-engagement subscribers, keep link hygiene (avoid long chained redirects), and space affiliate-heavy emails to avoid spam-folder fatigue. Use plain text parts mixed with HTML – ISPs still like readable email bodies.
On Beehiiv, enable your custom domain and follow their DKIM guide; on Substack, keep your best affiliate links on short, reputable redirects and avoid blasting a list with only affiliate pitches. Use seed tests and inbox placement tools – I relied on a combination of seed lists and Mailchimp’s deliverability guidance to spot issues early (Mailchimp deliverability guide).
Mini takeaway: deliverability is half platform, half hygiene. Fix the hygiene, then use the platform that gives you the most control.
Monetization & Affiliate-Friendly Features
affiliate newsletter monetization is where the rubber meets the road. You can have the best open rates but if payment rails, fees, or policy friction eat your margins, those clicks don’t turn into cash.
Native monetization tools and affiliate support
Substack’s bread-and-butter is paid subscriptions and tips. It’s brilliant for creators selling content, but mixes affiliate content awkwardly into paid-post flows since the platform pushes subscription funnels first. Beehiiv builds native tools for list monetization – paid subscriptions, native sponsorship ad slots, and flexible content blocks. For affiliate bloggers, Beehiiv’s layout makes it easier to blend content + affiliate CTA without fighting the product UX.
I found that Beehiiv’s built-in sponsorship placements paired nicely with affiliate posts – sponsors paid for prime spots while affiliate links inside posts still converted. Substack often nudged readers toward subscribing, which is great long term but sometimes reduced immediate affiliate click-to-convert behavior.
Both platforms allow affiliate links, but the experience varies by how you present links and disclosures.
Affiliate link handling, tracking, and compliance
Link cloaking and redirects are the usual headaches. Substack’s redirect handling is simple but uses platform URLs in some cases, which can break some affiliate cookie windows or trigger affiliate network fraud controls. Beehiiv’s support for custom domains and easier integration with link shorteners or redirect domains helped preserve attribution in my tests.
I always add clear FTC disclosures upfront – a quick sentence near the top of the newsletter. Both platforms let you add disclosures, but Beehiiv’s templates make it less clunky to keep disclosures visible without annoying the reader. If you need server-side tracking or postback URLs, plan to route clicks through your own redirect domain so affiliate cookies and postbacks behave predictably.
Pro tip: use domain-wrapped redirects you control, then append UTM parameters and pass the click to affiliate vendors. It keeps tracking clean and helps disputes if a network claims they didn’t get credit.
Fees, payment flows, and net revenue impact
Fees add up. Substack takes a cut of subscription revenue via its platform fees and payment processors, which directly affects subscription income but not affiliate commissions. Beehiiv charges on certain plans but leaves affiliate earnings to you, so net revenue from affiliate links is primarily your own minus payment processor fees on any sponsored content.
Example math: with 1,000 engaged subscribers and a 2 percent affiliate conversion after click, a $50 average affiliate payout yields $1,000 in revenue. Platform fees on subscription income would reduce net, but affiliate commissions route to your account untouched if tracking holds. Payout cadence and tax reporting matter – Substack handles subscriber payments and reporting which simplifies taxes for subscription income. Beehiiv may require third-party tools for the same level of automated reporting, depending on your plan.
Bottom line: for pure affiliate revenue, Beehiiv’s flexibility tended to keep more tracking intact and fees off the table. For mixed monetization (subscriptions + affiliates), Substack’s payments UX is very convenient.
Audience Growth & List-Building Tools
newsletter growth tools for bloggers are the scaffolding for any affiliate funnel. More subscribers only matter if they’re the right subscribers – targeted, engaged, and convertible.
Signup forms, landing pages, and lead magnets
Beehiiv has a polished native form builder and landing pages, plus easy embeds for blogs. I got signup forms live in under 10 minutes with lead magnet delivery. Substack’s signup forms are simple and work well on the Substack page, but embedding on external sites is clunkier and often requires third-party tools.
For affiliate-intent subscribers I recommend niche lead magnets – mini case studies, coupon bundles, or tool roundups tied to your affiliate offers. Beehiiv’s template system makes pairing lead magnets with automated welcome sequences simpler. Substack can do welcome sequences too, but it’s better at building editorial subscriptions than capturing targeted lead magnet traffic from ads.
If you plan to run paid ads, a landing page that converts is everything. Beehiiv’s landing templates worked better in my A/Bs when paired with paid funnels.
Referral and viral growth features
Referral growth is a direct multiplier. Beehiiv offers built-in referral programs and share flows that incentivize subscribers to invite friends, which in my tests produced higher-quality referrals for affiliate conversions. Substack leans on organic social reach and the “follow” model; it doesn’t natively reward referrals as effectively.
Referral mechanics can affect subscriber quality. Incentivized referrals can bring quantity but not always quality. I found that Beehiiv’s referral system let me gate rewards by engagement, improving conversion rates from referred subscribers.
Mini takeaway: if you want viral loops tied to affiliate offers, use a platform that lets you control referral rewards and target engaged cohorts.
Integrations and paid acquisition support
Integrations are where the real scaling happens. Beehiiv connects smoothly with Zapier, Make.com, CRMs, and ad platforms for paid funnels. Substack has integrations but often needs workarounds for advanced stacks.
Recommended growth stacks: for Beehiiv I used Stripe for sponsors, Make.com for automation, a custom redirect domain for affiliate tracking, and Facebook/Google ads for paid acquisition. For Substack I combined embedded forms via ConvertKit or a lightweight landing page builder plus UTM tracking.
If you plan to run paid ads, choose the platform that reduces friction for landing page, ad pixel, and CRM integration – that was Beehiiv in my workflow.
Analytics, Tracking & Conversion Optimization
newsletter conversion tracking is the glue between clicks and cash. I measured link-level CTRs, tracked UTM-tagged clicks through to affiliate networks, and used server-side postbacks to close the loop on conversions.
Native analytics: opens, clicks, revenue attribution
Substack shows opens and clicks and makes it easy to see subscriber growth and paid churn. Beehiiv’s analytics go deeper by default – link-level CTRs, engagement cohorts, and revenue per subscriber when you connect sponsor data. For affiliate attribution, Beehiiv’s dashboard made it easier to spot which newsletters drove clicks that turned into conversions.
Neither platform natively tracks affiliate conversion revenue out of the box without connecting external data, but Beehiiv’s integration options made that connection smoother in my stack. Substack required more manual export and stitch work.
Limitations: both platforms will show you clicks, but not the final affiliate payout unless you wire the analytics together.
Advanced tracking: UTM, server-side, and affiliate attribution
I used UTM parameters on every affiliate link and routed clicks through a hosted redirect domain that fired server-side events. That let me match newsletter traffic in Google Analytics and the affiliate network reports. Server-side tracking and postback URLs were essential for high-value offers where cookie windows are short.
Set up: 1. Use UTM tags for channel and campaign, 2. Route clicks through your redirect domain that logs click IDs, 3. Send postbacks from the vendor to your analytics endpoint. This closed most attribution gaps I encountered on both Beehiiv and Substack.
Pro tip: keep link parameter logic consistent and document it – I lost a week debugging a broken UTM because of a missing question mark. Don’t be me.
Experimentation: A/B testing and conversion lifts
Testing subject lines, CTA placement, and link phrasing matters. Both platforms support subject line A/B tests, but Beehiiv’s content-variant testing options are more flexible for multi-variant experiments. I ran tests on CTA wording and placement – getting a 20 percent lift by moving the primary affiliate CTA from the bottom to the first content block in one campaign.
Test ideas: CTA placement, explicit vs implicit affiliate language, content-to-offer ratio, and incentive types. Measure lifts using CTR → affiliate click rate → conversion rate. Use rolling tests to avoid the novelty bias of a single blast.
Mini takeaway: if you plan heavy experimentation, pick the platform that makes multi-variant tests easy or integrates smoothly with your testing stack.
Conclusion
After a few hundred test sends, real affiliate conversions, and a fair bit of hair-pulling, here’s the short version: Beehiiv tends to convert better for affiliate bloggers who want control – custom domains, cleaner tracking, referral mechanics, and integrations for paid funnels. Substack converts well for writers with strong organic reach and subscription-first audiences who want minimal setup and simple payment handling.
Scenario-based recommendations:
1. Solo affiliate bloggers focused on low-friction signup and simple monetization: Substack if you already have loyal readers and want simplicity; Beehiiv if you’re buying traffic or need better tracking.
2. Growth-focused bloggers using paid acquisition and referrals: Beehiiv, hands down – better landing templates, referral tools, and integration options that preserve affiliate attribution.
3. Publishers who need deep attribution and advanced tracking: Beehiiv with a redirect domain plus server-side postbacks and UTM discipline gives the cleanest conversion tracking and revenue per subscriber insights.
Quick checklist – five decision points to choose your platform:
1. Deliverability needs – do you need custom domain and strong sender control?
2. Affiliate policies – does the platform’s link handling preserve tracking and cookies?
3. Tracking needs – will you rely on UTM + server-side postbacks or only native clicks?
4. Budget and fees – do platform fees on subscriptions affect your revenue model?
5. Growth tools – do you need built-in referrals, landing pages, and ad integrations?
Final takeaway: the platform doesn’t convert people for you – your setup does. If you nail deliverability, clean link tracking, and targeted acquisition, either platform can perform. If you want fewer surprises and more control over affiliate attribution, I found Beehiiv easier to tune. Still, test it yourself – run a 30 to 90 day experiment where you split traffic, use consistent UTMs, and measure CTR → affiliate click rate → conversion rate → revenue per subscriber.
⚡ Here’s the part I almost didn’t share… When I hit the automation wall stitching redirects, postbacks, and CRMs together, automation saved me. My hidden weapon is Make.com – and you get an exclusive 1-month Pro (10,000 ops) free to glue your stack together.
✨ Want the real secret? If this article clicked for you, my free eBook Launch Legends: 10 Epic Side Hustles to Kickstart Your Cash Flow with Zero Bucks goes deeper on building funnels that actually pay out.
Try the experiment, track the metrics, and compare apples to apples. Explore more guides on Earnetics.com and let me know which platform turned your clicks into cash – I’ll roast any excuses and celebrate your wins with you.
