Table of Contents
What beehiiv Actually Does
beehiiv is a newsletter platform built by former Morning Brew engineers specifically for growth and monetization, not just publishing. Beyond email sends, it bundles a full website, a podcast page, an ad marketplace, paid subscriptions at 0% platform commission, a referral network (Boosts), and analytics that go well beyond open and click rates.
0% commission on paid subscriptions
Unlike Substack's 10% cut, beehiiv only passes through Stripe's standard processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on paid subscription revenue — a real, growing savings as a newsletter's paid revenue increases.
Getting Started: Newsletter Setup
Go to beehiiv.com and sign up for the free Launch plan — up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, a website, a podcast page, and custom domain support, no credit card required.
- Choose your publication name and set up your custom domain (or use beehiiv's default subdomain to start)
- Customize your website theme — beehiiv generates a full site automatically, not just a subscribe page
- Set up your subscribe form and connect it to your existing audience if migrating from another platform
Writing and Sending Your First Issue
How to Publish an Issue
- Click New Post from the dashboard
- Write your issue in the block-based editor — text, images, buttons, dividers
- Set the audience (all subscribers, a specific segment, or paid-only)
- Preview on both desktop and mobile before sending
- Send immediately or schedule for later
Monetization: Ads, Paid Subscriptions, Boosts
Setting Up Paid Subscriptions
- Go to Monetize → Subscriptions
- Connect Stripe (required for payment processing)
- Set your price tiers and what paid-only content includes
- Mark specific posts or sections as paid-only when writing
Using the Ad Network
Go to Monetize → Ad Network to opt in — beehiiv matches your newsletter with relevant sponsors based on your audience size and niche, letting even a small list run sponsorships without selling ads yourself.
Boosts: The Referral Network
Boosts lets other beehiiv newsletters recommend yours (and vice versa) in exchange for a small per-subscriber payout — a genuinely low-effort growth channel most competing platforms don't offer.
- Go to Grow → Boosts
- Opt in as a recommending publication, a recommended publication, or both
- Set your payout rate per new subscriber if you want other newsletters actively recommending you
Turn on Boosts before you need growth, not after you plateau
Boosts compounds slowly — subscribers referred through the network tend to be higher quality (they came from a real recommendation), but it takes weeks to build momentum. Enable it early rather than waiting until growth stalls.
Automations
Automations (Scale plan and up) let you set up trigger-based email sequences — a welcome series for new subscribers, a re-engagement sequence for inactive readers, or a paid-upgrade nudge after a set number of free issues.
- Go to Automations and click New Automation
- Choose a trigger (new subscriber, tag added, time-based)
- Build the sequence of emails and delays
- Activate — new subscribers automatically enter the sequence going forward
Reading Your Analytics
Beyond open and click rates, beehiiv's analytics show subscriber growth source (organic, Boosts, paid ads), engagement trends over time, and revenue breakdown by source (ads, subscriptions, Boosts payouts). Check the growth-source breakdown regularly to see which channel is actually driving new subscribers, rather than assuming.
Full Workflow: Launch to First Paid Subscriber
Here's a realistic sequence for a new newsletter:
Launch on the free plan, publish consistently
Get your first several issues out on a predictable schedule before adding monetization complexity.
Enable Boosts and the ad network
Both are low-effort to turn on and start compounding growth in the background while you keep writing.
Introduce a paid tier once you have consistent engaged readers
Mark select posts or a regular paid-only section, and set up a basic welcome automation for new subscribers.
Check the growth-source breakdown monthly
Double down on whichever channel — Boosts, organic, ads — is actually converting best for your specific audience.
beehiiv Pricing 2026
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $0 | Up to 2,500 subs, unlimited sends, website |
| Scale | from ~$43/mo (annual) | 0% commission paid subs, automations, A/B testing |
| Max | from ~$96/mo (annual) | White-label, multiple publications |
Start free — new users get a 14-day trial of paid features plus 20% off the first 3 months if you upgrade.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Never enabling Boosts or the ad network. Both are low-effort to turn on and represent real, compounding growth/revenue channels most users leave unused.
- Introducing a paid tier too early. Paid subscriptions convert best once you have a consistent, engaged free readership — launching paid content before that base exists usually underperforms.
- Ignoring the growth-source analytics. Without checking where subscribers actually come from, it's easy to keep investing effort in a channel that isn't the real driver.