How to Start and Scale a Newsletter with Beehiiv: A Step-by-Step Guide

Newsletters are having a moment, and it’s not just hype. They offer a direct line to your audience, stronger engagement than social media, and real potential to become a business.

Newsletters can be your secret for building community, sharing expertise, and driving engagement.

Imagine captivating your audience’s attention right in their inboxes. Sounds enticing, doesn’t it?

While starting a newsletter can open doors you never knew existed, the question is, where do you begin? That’s where tools like doola come into play.

We automate business formation, compliance, and financial management to help creators turn their newsletters into legally registered, revenue-ready businesses.

After a deep-dive webinar with Tyler Denk, founder of Beehiiv, we have brought you the answers about how to start and scale a newsletter.

Let’s turn those blank pages into exciting outreach that turns your audience into income!

Who Is Tyler Denk?

Tyler Denk is the founder and CEO of Beehiiv, a newsletter platform built for creators by creators.

Before launching the platform, he worked at Morning Brew. His former middle school basketball teammate, Austin Rief, on-boarded him to lead the engineering and design team. 

It was just when the newsletter format was starting to gain popularity through outlets like the Skimm and Axios. 

His passion for helping businesses grow through effective email communication led him to grow the newsletter from 100,000 to over 3 million subscribers.

Denk learned that newsletters are, he says,

“A very compelling medium and business model to build a company around.”

However, Denk soon realized that newsletters have a unique power: They free writers from relying on algorithms or needing to pivot toward whatever format social media is prioritizing.

Collaborating with his co-founder Alex Wilson, they launched Beehiiv in 2018 as an easy-to-use solution to streamline the process of creating, sending, and analyzing newsletters. 

With Beehiiv, Tyler took the best parts of Morning Brew’s success and turned them into an accessible platform anyone can use, whether their audience is 50 subscribers or 500,000. 

He knows the pain points of creators because he’s been one.

Beehiiv reflects that deep understanding, with tools built to help newsletters grow faster, monetize smarter, and look more professional from day one.

What Is Beehiiv?

Beehiiv is a newsletter creation and management platform explicitly designed to convert readers into revenue, a process Denk helped revolutionize earlier in his career.

Creators pay a monthly fee to access tools usually reserved for VC-backed media companies, which allows them to build and profit from their online followings. 

Beehiiv is more than just an email platform. It’s a full-stack newsletter tool built by newsletter operators for newsletter creators.

While most platforms stop at “send an email,” Beehiiv goes several steps further by helping you grow your audience, understand your subscribers, and turn your content into income, all from one clean, powerful dashboard.

You can design newsletters, grow a community of readers and subscribers, earn money through ads and premium tiers, and even boost the popularity of other newsletters. 

Here’s what sets Beehiiv apart:

Built-in Growth Tools

Beehiiv has referral systems, recommendations, and custom landing pages that actually help you grow your list.

You don’t need extra plugins or third-party apps. It’s all there.

Clean, Intuitive Editor

Writing essays, curating links, or embedding media? Beehiiv’s editor makes the process fast, focused, and flexible. 

Plus, it supports segmentation, personalization, and dynamic content blocks, so your content hits harder.

Advanced Analytics

Go beyond open rates. Beehiiv gives you detailed insight into subscriber behavior, acquisition sources, churn patterns, and more, so you know what’s working and where to double down.

Monetization, Baked In

Beehiiv offers multiple ways to earn from your content. You can offer paid subscriptions, work with sponsors, run native ads through Beehiiv’s ad network, or use affiliate links and segment by engagement.

Seamless Migration

Already using another platform like Substack, ConvertKit, or Mailchimp?

Beehiiv makes it easy to import your list, archives, and settings so you can hit the ground running.

Free to Start, Scales with You

Beehiiv’s pricing model makes it accessible for new creators but powerful enough to support six and seven-figure newsletter businesses. Whether you’re solo or scaling a media brand, it adapts to your needs.

In short, Beehiiv removes the friction from growing a high-quality, high-impact newsletter. It’s the platform of choice for thousands of top creators because it’s built on a simple principle: you should own your audience and your business.

Why Newsletters Are Booming

Newsletters have been around for decades, but in recent years, they have skyrocketed in popularity.

With social media platforms becoming noisier, creators and entrepreneurs are turning to more algorithm-driven and less predictable channels. 

Newsletter has become their preferred choice as it serves as their direct line to an engaged audience. 

There’s no middleman, no gatekeeper, no fighting to be seen. When someone subscribes to your newsletter, they’re permitting you to show up in their inbox on their terms.

Here’s why that matters now more than ever:

1. You Own the Audience

Unlike social media followers, your email list is yours. You’re not renting space on a platform that can change its algorithm, throttle your reach, or shut down your account. 

With newsletters, you control the relationship, and that’s a significant business asset.

2. Email Engagement > Social Engagement

Email has consistently higher open and click-through rates than most social platforms. People actually read newsletters. 

They save them, forward them, and reply to them. That means deeper engagement and stronger trust over time.

3. They’re Built for Business

Newsletters are now proven monetization engines. From side hustles making $500/month to full-blown media businesses pulling in six figures, newsletters are making it happen.

More creators are now turning their niche knowledge, insights, or curation skills into actual revenue through subscriptions, sponsorships, ads, and affiliate deals. 

4. Low Overhead, High Leverage

You don’t need a team. You don’t need video production skills or ad budgets. Newsletters are lean, flexible, and creator-friendly from day one.

You just need a valuable idea, a consistent publishing habit, and the right platform like Beehiiv. 

5. Trust Is the Ultimate Currency

Audiences are tired of mass content and influencer overload. Newsletters feel personal, human, and intentional. 

They’re often written in your voice and tone, which creates a powerful sense of connection. People trust your insight, not just your content.

6. They Fit Any Niche

Finance? Parenting? AI? Internet rabbit holes? Whatever your topic, there’s an audience for it and a way to serve them weekly. 

You don’t need to be mainstream. Your content just needs to be clear, valuable, and consistent.

The bottom line? Email isn’t dead. It’s just different now.

In fact, it might be the most valuable platform a modern creator can build on. And with tools like Beehiiv, starting your own newsletter has never been easier or more worth it.

Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Newsletter

Starting a newsletter might seem simple, and in many ways, it is. But building one that actually grows, engages, and makes money takes strategy, consistency, and the right tools.

Here’s a complete breakdown of how to start your newsletter the right way using Beehiiv:

Step 1: Choose Your Niche and Define Your Audience

Before you write a single word, you need clarity.

Who are you writing for? And what value are you delivering?

This isn’t just about picking a topic. It’s about solving a problem, sparking curiosity, or entertaining a specific kind of person. The more niche you go, the easier it is to build a loyal community.

Don’t try to speak to everyone. Pick a specific topic or niche in which you have expertise, passion, or a unique perspective.

📌 Pro tip: Ask yourself, “What kind of content would someone pay to read?” Then, build your free newsletter with that level of value.

A newsletter about Marketing tips is vague. “No-fluff growth tactics for Indie SaaS founders” is where the money is.

Step 2: Set Up Your Newsletter on Beehiiv

Now that you know your niche, it’s time to build your publishing home base. This is where Beehiiv shines.

Beehiiv’s user-friendly interface is simple and flexible so that you can spend less time formatting and more time writing. This also makes it incredibly easy to get started, as you can have a professional-looking newsletter ready to go in less than an hour,

Visit the Beehiiv website and click on “Start a Trial” to sign up for a free account. No credit card is required. You can either get started with their free Launch plan or choose a plan that fits your needs.

Pick a clean, customizable template and high-conversion landing page template. Add the final touch with your branding, such as logo, colors, newsletter name, etc.

You can also set up your newsletter’s name, description, and custom domain, like newsletter.yourbrand.com, to match your brand’s aesthetic.

📌 Pro tip: Beehiiv also lets you segment your audience right from the beginning, so you can personalize messages later as your list grows.

Step 3: Build Your Subscriber List 

Having a strong subscriber list is essential for the success of your newsletter. Starting from zero is the hardest part, but this is where momentum begins.

Getting your first 100 subscribers is about personal connections and hustle. People support people, so don’t be afraid to DM, email, or ask.

You can start building your list by importing contacts from existing databases or by encouraging website visitors to subscribe through pop-up forms or opt-in boxes.

You can also invite your personal network, coworkers, and LinkedIn connections and ask them to subscribe. 

Share your signup link on social platforms, in online communities, or on your blog. Personal messages work best at the start.

As your list grows, Beehiiv’s automation tools will save you time and help you stay efficient. You can:

• Set up a welcome email sequence for new subscribers

• Segment your list based on engagement or interest

• Re-engage cold subscribers with targeted campaigns

• Personalize content for different reader types

The goal is to make every subscriber feel like you’re writing for them.

You can also schedule emails in advance, which is perfect for batching content and staying consistent even when life gets busy.

Step 4: Test and Send Out Your Newsletter 

Before sending your newsletter to your entire subscriber list, it’s essential to test its functionality.

Use Beehiiv’s preview mode (link) to check for errors or broken links. 

Once satisfied, schedule a specific date and time for the newsletter to be sent.

Congratulations! You have successfully sent out your first newsletter.

Growth Strategies to Scale Your Newsletter

Once your newsletter is live and you’ve got your first batch of subscribers, the real challenge begins: how do you grow consistently without burning out or spamming your audience?

The good news? You don’t need a massive ad budget or a viral TikTok to scale.

The best newsletters grow by combining smart strategy, creator-friendly tools, and consistent delivery. 

Here’s how to do just that, especially with Beehiiv in your corner.

• Nail Your Positioning First: Before you pour fuel on the fire, make sure your positioning is crystal clear. If your readers can see the value in what you offer, they will naturally want to share it.

• Use Beehiiv’s Referral Program: Beehiiv’s native referral program lets you reward your readers for sharing your newsletter without needing a third-party tool like Viral Loops or SparkLoop.

• Leverage Recommendations: Beehiiv’s Recommendations feature allows you to partner with other newsletters in your niche and mutually promote each other. This is one of the easiest, most underrated growth levers that compounds over time.

• Create a Magnetic Lead Magnet: Offering a high-value, relevant freebie in exchange for an email can skyrocket your opt-in rate. Think checklists, templates, short guides, or even free tools.

• Be Everywhere: You don’t have to master every channel but pick 1–2 places where your audience hangs out and shows up consistently. Share small parts of your newsletter as content previews. 

With Beehiiv’s built-in growth tools and a solid strategy, you can grow from 100 to 10,000+ subscribers without losing your voice or burning out.

Monetization Strategies: Turning Your Newsletter into a Business

After successfully launching your newsletter with Beehiiv and building a loyal subscriber base, it’s time to turn your newsletter into a profitable business. 

The good news? You don’t need a massive audience to start earning. Many newsletter creators begin monetizing with just a few hundred loyal readers. 

The key is choosing the right monetization model (or combination) based on your audience, content, and niche.

1. Paid Subscriptions

If you consistently deliver high-value, premium content, consider launching a paid version of your newsletter, which works exceptionally well in niches like finance, SaaS, productivity, and industry-specific analysis.

This model turns your newsletter into a mini media business, and Beehiiv makes setup seamless :

You can create subscriber-only content with Beehiiv’s native paywall tools, offer monthly or annual pricing tiers, or sell paid editions to monetize your best insights.

💼 Pro tip: Start with a free version to build trust, then introduce a paid tier once readers know your value.

2. Sponsorships

Sponsorships are one of the most common and scalable ways to monetize a newsletter. They allow you to sell ad space in your newsletter (typically at the top, middle, or end).

The rate depends on your subscriber count, open rates, and niche. Even with just a few thousand subscribers, you can start landing sponsors, especially if you’re in a targeted space.

Beehiiv has built-in sponsorship tools, a database of advertisers looking for newsletters, and a clean layout for placing and tracking ad performance.

🤝 Pro tip: Start by reaching out to brands you already love or use. Offer a free trial placement to prove value.

3. Affiliate Marketing

If you already mention tools, software, or products in your newsletter, you should get paid for it. With affiliate marketing, you earn a commission whenever someone signs up or buys through your link.

Keep it authentic. Only promote things you genuinely believe in. The trust you build with your audience is your real asset, so don’t trade it for a quick commission.

🔁 Pro tip: The smart way to do this is through roundup emails (“Top 5 Tools I Used This Month”), resource sections at the bottom of each issue, product reviews with affiliate links, or discount codes for readers.

4. Sell Your Products or Services

Your newsletter is more than just content; it’s a lead engine for whatever else you offer.

Each issue becomes an opportunity to educate, build trust, and drive action. You can even build automated funnels in Beehiiv to guide readers toward conversion over time.

You can use them to sell your digital products, such as eBooks, templates, Notion dashboards, courses, workshops, consulting packages, or even SaaS tools you’ve built.

If you have an e-commerce store, integrating them into your email strategy is a great way to drive sales. 

Newsletters are a great way to showcase new products, offer discounts or promotions to subscribers, and even create special email-only deals.

5. Membership or Community

If your audience wants more than just weekly insights, offer them a place to go deeper. This model fosters loyalty, word-of-mouth growth, and recurring revenue. 

The newsletter becomes your free front door, and the membership is your premium back room.

And yes, Beehiiv integrates well with platforms like Circle, Discord, and Patreon to make this easier to manage. This can include private forums, Slack groups, live AMAs, online workshops, bonus content, or early access to new products or ideas.

You can also partner with other brands or companies for co-sponsored events, which can bring in additional revenue.

Your newsletter isn’t “just” a newsletter. It’s a business platform, a media property, and a brand.

Want help turning your newsletter into an official business? More on that next.

How doola Helps You Formalize Your Newsletter Business 

Once you’re earning income from your newsletter, you’re not just a writer. You’re a business owner.

Like any business, there comes a point when you need to protect your income, stay compliant, and scale responsibly. That’s where doola comes in.

We help you formally register your business and stay legally compliant without the complexity or stress of doing it all alone.

Here’s a quick look at how doola can support your newsletter journey from creator to business owner:

With Beehiiv, you’ve got the right platform. With doola, you get the foundation your business needs to grow, scale, and thrive.

Whether you’re making $100/month or $10,000/month, we ensure you’re set up properly so you can monetize confidently, reinvest smartly, and build something sustainable.

Even if you’ve never started a business before, we will walk you through every step. No legal jargon or expertise is needed.

With doola’s compliance services, you’ll never have to worry about missing a deadline or filing the wrong form. 

That means you can focus on writing and growing your newsletter while we handle the behind-the-scenes legal and financial stuff.

One of the best parts of doola is that it is built for global entrepreneurs, meaning you can launch and run your US-based newsletter business even if you’re living abroad. No SSN or US address is required.

Start and Scale Your Newsletter With Beehiiv and doola: A Powerful Combination

With Beehiiv, you get a publishing platform that’s made for creators, not coders. It gives you everything you need to write, design, send, grow, and monetize without touching a single line of code or paying for a dozen disconnected tools.

And with doola, you get the tools to run your newsletter business like a pro from day one. From forming your LLC and getting a US bank account to handling compliance, bookkeeping, and taxes, we cover everything.

Together, Beehiiv and doola give you a complete creator-business stack. You don’t just build an email list. You build an asset. A brand. A company.

Ready to turn your content into income and your idea into a business?

Schedule a demo today!