beehiiv just crossed $2M MRR

but most founders are still stuck trying to generate their first $100K

to celebrate the milestone I’m going to try something new…

I’m sharing the exact playbook we used in the early days (10 simple tactics)

hope this helps someone: 1. build a waitlist

our first hundred customers came from a simple tweet (I’ll share it in the video)

my goal was two-fold:

• establish credibility
• connect with potential users

substack just rug pulled all of their customers

the creator economy’s promise is taking power from institutions and giving it to individuals

but substack has now become the institution

they're extracting value from creators and trying to lock them into their platform for good last week they announced that all writers are required to offer Apple's in-app purchase (IAP) payment option

that does two things

1) increases the cost to readers by 30%
2) locks writers into the platform long-term

we analyzed over 15 BILLION emails so you don't have to

here are my top 5 takeaways from the @beehiiv 2025 state of newsletters report 👇 🕓 timing is everything

· peak engagement occurs in the mornings
· best open rates occur tuesday - thursday
· lowest open rates on saturdays

.@beehiiv is going to smash through $10k MRR in less than 6 months (growing ~72% MoM)

and we haven’t spent a dollar on acquisition

here’s how we made it happen: credibility

I was the 2nd employee at Morning Brew and my cofounders were also early employees

collectively we built the infrastructure and tools that helped scale MB into the millions of subs

we know what data, tech, and functionality to prioritize

I've seen thousands of newsletters sent via @beehiiv

some look incredible, some don't

here are 14 things you can do to make your newsletter look better👇🏽🧵 2/ use custom images for headers (especially if you have recurring sections)

looks a lot better than a standard plain-text header

h/t @LocalOptimists @PiqueAction TheSocialLife

after 8 months of long nights and weekends, I’m thrilled to introduce @trybeehiiv and the launch of our private beta

while most spots are already filled, we will be accepting limited applicants off the waitlist on a rolling basis

1/ if you write a newsletter and are tired of substack + other eh platforms…

we only have a few spots left❗️

• custom site builder
• custom email templates
• no % fee on subscriptions
• bespoke referral system and ad network coming soon
• built by people who know email

2/