Today’s episode explores a critical shift in how scaling Shopify brands can build deeper, more profitable customer relationships.
As digital ad costs climb heading into Q4—with BFCM just around the corner—too many brands waste budget competing in noisy landscapes, ignoring an untapped resource for ongoing engagement and conversion: owned audiences through branded newsletters.
Most DTC brands still rely solely on transactional email flows from ESPs like Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Mailchimp—abandoned carts, promotional blasts, order confirmations. But newsletters offer something fundamentally different: a direct line to engaged subscribers who actually want to hear from the brand, enabling thought leadership and relationship-building beyond the transactional nature of traditional email marketing.
What if launching premium branded newsletters that drive organic growth, monetize audiences, and integrate seamlessly with Shopify didn’t require expensive engineering or platform lock-in?
Today’s guest, Moshe Zippel, Senior Lead of Advertising Success at Beehiiv, breaks down how modern newsletter platforms give DTC brands an unfair advantage. As a Beehiiv customer myself, I’ve seen firsthand how the platform makes it incredibly easy to launch beautiful branded newsletters. Moshe shares the most actionable strategies—from automating subscriber growth through partner recommendations to activating Beehiiv’s in-platform ad network—for building owned lists, driving engagement, and monetizing communities outside the “ad-taxed world” of Google, Facebook, and random-interruption advertising.
What You’ll Learn
✅ Why newsletters build deeper relationships than transactional emails — Discover how owned audience strategies reduce platform dependency, eliminate algorithm risk, and create direct lines to engaged customers beyond abandoned cart flows and promotional blasts
✅ How to integrate newsletter signups directly into Shopify stores — Practical options for embedding Beehiiv signup forms, implementing magic links, syncing with existing ESPs like Klaviyo, and capturing subscribers at high-intent touchpoints throughout the customer journey
✅ The power of Beehiiv’s Recommendations and Boost networks — Grow subscriber lists organically through reciprocal cross-promotion with complementary newsletters, or accelerate growth by paying $1-2 per validated subscriber through strategic partnerships
✅ How to monetize newsletter content without a sales team — Tap into Beehiiv’s Ad Network to automatically match with relevant advertisers, run cost-per-click sponsor campaigns, and earn revenue from engaged audiences reading content they already love
✅ Essential KPIs and analytics for newsletter success — Track open rates, unique clicks, verified conversions (with bot filtering), and subscriber attribution through UTM parameters—plus how the Beehiiv Pixel tracks full-funnel conversions from email click to Shopify purchase
✅ Real-world results from brands leveraging newsletter advertising — How SaaS companies like Black Crow slashed cost-per-opportunity by 50% using contextual newsletter ads that reach engaged readers instead of random-interruption advertising on YouTube and social platforms
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Episode Summary
Moshe Zippel positions Beehiiv as more than just another email platform—it’s a complete newsletter ecosystem serving everyone from individual creators to major publications like Time Magazine. Unlike transactional email providers focused on abandoned carts and promotional blasts, Beehiiv enables brands to create content-rich newsletters that build genuine audience relationships beyond the margin treadmill of paid advertising.
Steve and Moshe explore two powerful growth strategies most brands overlook. The Recommendations network allows cross-promotion with up to four complementary newsletters, creating organic subscriber growth through curated partnerships. The Boost Network accelerates this by letting brands pay $1-2 per validated subscriber for strategic placements across hundreds of relevant publications. Steve demonstrates live how his own newsletter has gained quality subscribers through these reciprocal relationships.
The conversation reveals why newsletters deserve a place alongside traditional marketing channels. While consumers face ad fatigue from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TV interruptions, newsletters offer value-driven content subscribers actively choose to receive. This creates owned audiences independent of algorithm changes, platform policies, or rising ad costs—eliminating dependence on third-party platforms that control reach and charge for every impression.
Moshe dives into practical implementation, covering Shopify integrations through embedded signup forms, magic links, and Google Tag Manager for pixel tracking. The newly developed Beehiiv Pixel extends attribution beyond email into advertiser websites, measuring full-funnel conversions from newsletter click through Shopify purchase. The Beehiiv Ad Network democratizes monetization by automatically matching publications with relevant advertisers on a cost-per-click basis, eliminating the need for dedicated sales teams while ensuring brands only pay for verified human engagement.
With Q4 approaching, Moshe emphasizes this is the perfect window to launch newsletter strategies. Beehiiv’s accessible pricing—starting at zero dollars for up to 2,500 subscribers—makes it feasible for any brand to build owned audiences and capture high-intent subscribers heading into BFCM..
Strategic Takeaways
👉 Own Your Audience, Control Your Destiny
Stop renting attention from Facebook and Google—build newsletter lists you fully control and monetize directly. When platforms change algorithms or increase ad costs, owned audiences remain accessible without paying for reach or worrying about policy changes that could tank your marketing overnight.
👉 Newsletters Aren’t ESPs—They’re Relationship Builders
While Klaviyo and Mailchimp excel at transactional flows, newsletters serve a different purpose: delivering consistent value through thought leadership and storytelling that transforms customers into brand advocates. This builds deeper engagement than promotional blasts or abandoned cart sequences.
👉 Cross-Promotion Accelerates Growth Exponentially
Leverage Beehiiv’s Recommendations and Boost networks to tap into established trust from complementary publications. Instead of cold subscriber acquisition, you’re reaching highly targeted audiences through reciprocal partnerships that cost $1-2 per validated subscriber—far cheaper than traditional lead generation.
👉 Context Beats Interruption Every Time
Newsletter advertising outperforms random-interruption ads because it reaches readers already engaged with relevant content. A Shopify app advertised within an e-commerce newsletter converts significantly better than the same ad interrupting unrelated YouTube videos—context drives intent and willingness to purchase.
👉 Attribution Closes the Loop from Click to Conversion
The Beehiiv Pixel tracks user behavior from newsletter click through Shopify purchase, providing full-funnel attribution data. This allows optimization based on actual revenue impact rather than vanity metrics, ensuring newsletter content and ad placements drive measurable business results.
👉 Q4 Timing Creates Momentum for 2026
Launch newsletters before BFCM to capture high-intent shoppers during peak buying season. These subscribers become valuable assets for post-holiday engagement, product launches, and retention campaigns throughout the following year—building momentum that extends far beyond the holiday rush.
Guest Spotlight
Moshe Zippel
Senior Lead, Advertising Success, Beehiiv
Moshe Zippel is a leading force behind Beehiiv’s meteoric rise in the newsletter landscape. With deep expertise in audience growth and monetization, Moshe has helped scale Beehiiv from serving solo creators to powering enterprise media brands and SaaS leaders. He’s the mastermind behind Beehiiv’s Recommendations and Boost networks—innovative tools that connect high-quality publications with advertiser partners and enable brands to grow engaged, profitable audiences. Moshe is passionate about equipping content marketers with the strategies and technology needed to thrive in an ever-evolving digital world.
Links & Resources
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