David Begnaud reaches thousands of people with his newsletter and podcast as part of his new creative venture, Do Good Crew, which focuses on stories of kindness, generosity, and inspiration. I wish the audience could connect with each other!
“We’ve amassed over 50,000 subscribers in about six months,” says Begnaud, who is widely known for his contributions to CBS News. “So I want them to be able to communicate with each other.”
Beehiiv is a company that has worked in recent months to become one of the leading platforms used by a growing wave of journalists and professionals advocating for creator media rights, and aims to help them. The company is adding a series of new services that will allow newsletter and podcast subscribers to provide a forum for comments and discussion, as well as create other types of content accordingly, if the entrepreneurs behind the venture wish to do so. The move aims to foster a more positive connection between creators and followers and reduce the likelihood of “churn,” or withdrawal from a subscription.
“The more we can do these things, the better we get,” said Tyler Denk, the company’s co-founder.
Expanded feature groups allow creators to manage conversations and membership. A new AI operator called Copilot helps users manage, grow, and optimize their audience through a simple chat interface. New programmatic capabilities allow for more granular placement of ads in specific newsletters. Additionally, a new visual editor helps creators understand what their readers will experience. Having these tools means that Beehiiv users don’t have to pay extra for third-party services if they don’t want to.
Beehiiv has been hard at work building a broader suite of tools to help creators do everything from building websites to selling products and services to activities like e-books, coaching, and podcast hosting. The company expands its services at a time when the appeal of creator-owned publications appears to be reaching new heights and an increased focus on monetizing the work of these new digital figures.
“If 50,000 people who subscribe to your newsletter can communicate with each other, that means a lot to your business,” Begnaud says.
Beehiiv’s Denk believes there is room for expansion in the so-called “creator economy,” even though there are signs that Americans’ wallets won’t be able to keep their wallets open to pay for dozens of newsletter and podcast subscriptions. As these platforms mature, he argues, the path to success becomes increasingly viable. The business world is “on the ground floor of the creator economy,” the executive added.
