beehiiv Tutorial 2026: Launch Your Newsletter in 30 Minutes

Step 1: Create the publication

1. Sign up at [beehiiv](/go/beehiiv) — free plan, no card needed — Sign up at [beehiiv](/go/beehiiv) — free plan, no card needed
2. Name your publication and pick your niche framing — this drives discovery and recommendations — Name your publication and pick your niche framing — this drives discovery and recommendations
3. Set sender name + reply-to email — newsletters with real-person senders get better engagement — Set sender name + reply-to email — newsletters with real-person senders get better engagement
4. Import existing subscribers if you have a list (free, takes minutes) — Import existing subscribers if you have a list (free, takes minutes)

Step 2: Website and domain

Your beehiiv site is live immediately — every issue becomes a public, indexable post. Configure the essentials: logo, colors, an about page, and a custom domain if you have one (subdomain.yoursite.com works well).

The website is not optional garnish: it is how issues rank on Google and how subscribers share your archive. Treat it as the SEO surface of the newsletter.

Step 3: Write and send issue one

1. Write → New Post the editor handles text, images, polls, embeds and sections
2. Use a proven issue-one structure who this is for, what they will get, and one useful thing right now
3. Send yourself a test — check rendering on mobile, where most opens happen — Send yourself a test — check rendering on mobile, where most opens happen
4. Schedule or send — the issue publishes to email AND your website simultaneously — Schedule or send — the issue publishes to email AND your website simultaneously

Post-send, the analytics tab shows opens, clicks and acquisition sources — the baseline for everything after.

Step 4: Turn on the growth loops

• Recommendations: select 3-5 newsletters in your niche to recommend — they can recommend you back
• Referral program (Scale): milestone rewards for subscribers who share — enable before you need it
• Subscribe forms + popups: embed on your existing site or link everywhere
• Boosts (Scale): paid cross-promotion — buy subscribers at known CAC or get paid to refer

The growth systems are what separate beehiiv from an email sender. Full mechanics in our Boosts guide and the newsletter growth playbook.

Step 5: Wire monetization when ready

On Scale: apply for the Ad Network once eligible, create a paid subscription tier, and set up Boosts both directions (selling recommendations for revenue, buying for growth).

The referral program turns readers into the acquisition channel — the pattern that scaled Morning Brew. Everything connects to the same subscriber analytics.