Updated: 2025-04-08 13:10:45 UTC

How to create and publish a post

For those new to beehiiv, we’ve created this helpful resource guide on using the Post Builder to create and publish a post (your newsletter) from start to finish.

The post creation flow is organized into 5 tabs: Compose, Audience, Email, Web, and Review at the top of the Post Builder. The post flow is designed to guide you step-by-step through crafting and publishing a post, using the ‘Next’ button to move between pages. If you prefer to navigate out of order, you can use the 5 tabs to jump directly to any stage in the process of creating your post.

Simply click the topics below to access the content.

Getting Started

Upon logging in to beehiiv, you’ll be brought to your account dashboard where there are a few easy ways to start creating a post. To quickly open a blank draft in the Post Builder, you can just type beehiiv.new into an open browser tab.

Or, from the left panel in your account, you can:
- Click Start Writing to access your Post template library. After selecting a template the Post Builder will open on the Compose page.
- Click Posts to view all of your previous posts and drafts.
- From your Posts page, click on Start writing in the upper right corner to open a new blank post draft immediately. Or, click the arrow next to Start writing to select from opening a Blank draft or Use template to be brought to your Post template library where you can select one of your previously saved templates.
Refer to this article for more details on creating and using newsletter templates. Once you select a blank draft or choose a template, the Post Builder will open on the Compose page.
In the Post Builder, you’ll see 5 tabs at the top that link to these pages in the post flow: Compose, Audience, Email, Web, and Review. Follow the steps below to create, configure, and publish your post.

Compose Page

The Post Builder opens on the Compose page, where you'll use the post editor to create your content. On the right, the Write and Style tabs let you format and customize your post. By default, you'll start on the Write tab while drafting.

On the Write tab in the post editor, you can:
- Give your post a title.
- Include a subtitle.
- Add a post thumbnail.
- Add content tags.
- Add authors.
- View and place your available ad opportunities from the Ad Network, when enabled.
- Create your post content using the Write tab.
- Customize your post using the Style tab.
- Access the beehiiv Knowledge Base (where you’re at now).
- Save your post as a template.
- Access and revert to the post’s version history.
- Add comments to the post.
- Set up backlinks for the post.
- Search the post copy and replace text if needed.
To add a thumbnail for your post, click Add Thumbnail and select Upload an Image or Use from library.

Refer to this article for more detailed instructions about uploading a thumbnail for your publication.

Once your thumbnail is uploaded, you'll notice a Visibility eye icon in the upper-right corner. Click this icon to toggle the Show at top of web post option on or off. You can replace or delete the thumbnail anytime.
Content tags help categorize your post and make it easier for readers to filter posts by topic on your website. Refer to this article for more detailed instructions to create or assign content tags.

To add content tags to your post, click Add Content Tags above the post title and select from existing tags or create new ones.

While adding content tags is optional, they’re a great tool for organizing your posts by format or topic.
Your name will automatically appear as the author of your post. You can click the X next to your name to remove it. Click the + plus sign to access the Visibility settings, add an author or guest author, and manage your authors page.

If you remove all authors from the post, an Add authors option will appear at the top, allowing you to add them back at any time. Refer to this article for more detailed instructions on adding authors to your posts.
By default, the post title and subtitle will appear at the top of your email post and serve as your email’s subject line and preview text.

To hide the title and/or subtitle from showing in your email, you’ll need to access the Visibility settings. To do so, click the eye icon next to the title or subtitle, select Visibility, and toggle off Show in email.

Keep in mind there is a separate toggle for both the title and subtitle, and by default, they are both set to show in the email.
To begin writing your post, click in the designated text area where it says Click here to start writing.

Or, type the forward slash key ("/") to access the post editor where you’ll find several options including images, buttons, code blocks, content breaks, and more to add to your post. The post editor options are organized into 5 sections: Basics, Headings, Embeds, Dynamic Tags, and Premium (available based on your plan).

Using the text toolbar

Once text has been added, a toolbar will appear, providing styling options such as bold, italic, underline, and others.

Here are some of that various formatting options accessible in the toolbar:
- Create bullet lists, block quotes, or code blocks.
- Change the font size, color, and family.
- Use beehiiv’s AI editing features to improve your writing, translate text, or fix grammar.
If you're on a paid plan, you’ll have access to our Premium blocks in the post editor:

AI Writer: Access the beehiiv AI tools to improve your writing, translate text, fix spelling and grammar, and more. Explore the AI tools available on beehiiv by reading this article.

Shortcuts in the post editor

The beehiiv post editor offers a slew of easy shortcuts to speed up your workflow.

beehiiv editor cheat sheet.png

Toolbar Shortcuts

Shortcut	Command
Bold	To quickly apply or remove bold from your text, type: Command/Control + B
Italicize	To quickly apply or remove italics from your text, type: Command/Control + I
Underline	To quickly apply or remove underline from your text: type Command/Control + U
Strikethrough	If you need to add strikethrough to your text, type: Command/Control + Shift + X
Highlight	Need to highlight your text? Type: Command/Control + Shift + H
Superscript	To see your text in superscript formatting, type: Command/Control +
Subscript	To see your text in subscript formatting, type: Command/Control +
Markdown	Using markdown will also work, like typing your text in * for italics or ** for bold
Align Right	To align your text to the right, type Command/Control + Shift + R
Align Left	To center align your text, type Command/Control + Shift + E
Align Justify	To justify align your text, type Command/Control + Shift + J

Text Visualization Shortcuts

Shortcut	Command
Blockquote	Need to quote someone? Use Command/Control + Shift + B to see their quote pulled out from the text as a blockquote.
Codeblock	Have some code to share? Use Cmd/Ctrl + Opt/Alt + C then select which kind of code it is to display a line or chunk of code. Note: This does not transform the code.
Heading	Switch between heading levels by typing Command/Control + Opt/Alt + <number> with the number indicating heading size for the text (H1, H2)
Numbered List	Easily create an ordered, numbered list by typing Command/Control + Shift + 7
Bullet List	Create a bulleted list by typing Command/Control + Shift + 8

General Shortcuts

Shortcut	Command
Open menu	Open the beehiiv editor by typing /
Adding Emojis	Type a colon (:) followed by the emoji name
Search and replace	Use Command/Control + F to search and replace words or phrases in your post. You can replace one instance or all instances of a specific word.
Undo	Make a mistake? No problem. Use Command/Control + Z to undo your last action.
Redo	If you used Undo and didn’t mean to, you can always fix it by typing Command/Control + Shift + Z to redo what you just undid.
Copy	Easily copy your work by typing Command/Control + C
Paste	Use Command/Control + V to paste with formatting
Paste without formatting	Remove all formatting and paste by typing Command/Control + Shift + V

Shortcuts Native to beehiiv

Shortcut	Command
Select Parent	To highlight and select the individual node you’re working in, type: Command/Control + A (1x) If you want to highlight and select the entire section you are working in, type: Command/Control + A (2x) If you wish to select the entire newsletter you have written, type: Command/Control + A (3x)
Insert new Footnote with marker	Insert a new footnote with a market by typing ^^
Insert marker for existing footnote	If you wish to add a marker to an existing footnote, type: ^<footnoteNumber>
Insert content break	To insert a content break into your newsletter post, type - + - + -
Insert line break	Use Shift + Enter or Command/Control + Enter to insert a line break
Insert backlinks	To insert backlinks, type [ + [

Adding borders and working with sections are options in the post editor that allow you to group one or more components together. To create a section, type /section and select it from the post editor menu, or highlight multiple components and group them into a section.

By clicking on the 6 dots menu to the left of a section, you can:
- Group to section, by selecting other sections that you’d like to add.
- Add a Comment for your teammates.
- Customize the Visual settings by adjusting the spacing, background color, text color, border styles, and more.
- Set the Visibility of the section. Choose whether the section appears on your website, in email, or both. This is especially useful for free and paid newsletters, allowing you to control which content is visible to each audience.
- Set an Anchor in the post.
- As well as Reset text formatting, Duplicate, Copy to clipboard, and Delete.
On the right side of the post editor, you'll find the Write and Style tabs. By default, you'll start on the Write tab when drafting your post. Switch to the Style tab to customize your post’s appearance, from Basic elements to Advanced settings that give you precise control over every aspect of your post. Changes are automatically saved.

Basic setting options include:
- Colors: Set different colors for the outside background, post background, text on background, primary, text on primary, secondary, and links.
- Typography: Adjust the heading and paragraph text, plus the font family and font weight for each.
- Spacing: Adjust the margins and padding for the post in pixels.
- Borders: Set the corner radius and border thickness.
Advanced setting options include:
- Background: Adjust the background color for the canvas, post, and post border. Or control the margins, padding, corner radius, and border thickness.
- Body: Control the look of the paragraph text, 6 header options (H1-H6), and spacing. For the fonts, you can also adjust the family, weight, size, line height, and color.
- Widgets: Granular settings for all aspects of the widgets including: links, images, buttons, breaks, lists, quotes, embeds, and tables.
- Email Header: Set how the email header will look by adjusting the title, subtitle, image, byline, date, padding, and code.
- Email Footer: Control how the email footer will look by adjusting the colors, text, social links, border, margin, and padding. Or select Custom to add your own footer content.
Before publishing, be sure to preview your post by clicking on Preview in the top right corner. Or, click the arrow next to it to access more options.

From the Preview options you can:
- Copy a draft link of your post to share with others before publishing.
- Send a test email to up to 10 email addresses (if you're on a paid plan).
- Simulate the view for specific subscribers by entering their email.
Once in Preview mode, you can view how the post will appear on your beehiiv website or in different email clients and see how it will look on both desktop and mobile devices.
beehiiv allows for collaborative editing. You and other team members can edit the same post simultaneously, with real-time updates reflecting each person's changes. You’ll also see the initials of team members currently editing at the top of the editor.
You can leave comments for your team members as well. Simply highlight text or sections and leave comments for team members. Or, tag others by using the "@" symbol to notify them.

Please read this article to learn more about using comments to collaborate in the post editor.

Access the Version History icon located at the top of the post to view previous versions of your post and restore them if needed
If you frequently use similar layouts for your posts, you can create templates.
Click the Template icon at the top of the post.

Name the template and click Save.

Saved templates will be available for future posts.
Learn more about saving a post as a template by reading this article.

Audience Page

On the Audience page, you’ll select your Email and Web Audiences. If you would like to only publish to one audience, simply uncheck the options for the one you don’t wish to include.

For each, you can also define which segments of your audience will receive the post. This is where you can include or exclude specific segments of subscribers. The segmentation options allow for greater personalization of your email content, ensuring the right people receive the right message.

Email Page

On the Email page, you'll set up the email details that will be sent to your subscribers. This is where you can personalize the subject line, preview text, and sender details.

Key Elements
- Subject line: Craft a compelling subject line to capture the recipient’s attention.
- Preview text: Add text that shows in the inbox preview, giving more context to the subject.
- A/B test: Test out different subject lines for your post. To learn more about A/B tests, please read this article.
- Social, Like, and Comment buttons: You can add social sharing, like, and comments to a post. Please refer to this article to learn more about enabling social sharing options for your post.
- Custom Read Online URL:By default, the 'Read Online' link will lead to the web version of your post. You can choose to override this and redirect to a different site instead. Click into the Advanced Settings drop down menu to get started.

Web Page

The Web page focuses on how your post will appear on your publication website. This section lets you preview and edit the SEO settings, post visibility, and more.

Key Elements
- Post URL: Customize the slug for your web version before the post is published.
- Advanced email capture: Add a popup or gated capture for your post.
- Comments: Control who can comment on your post.
- Audio newsletter: Toggle this feature on to offer an audio version of your post, a player will be displayed at the top of the web post.
- SEO title and meta description: Customize how your post appears in search engines.
- Post Visibility: Decide whether to hide the post from the feed or feature it by toggling the available options. You can feature up to six posts on your webpage.
- Custom display date (Eastern Daylight Time): Click into Advanced settings to choose a custom display date for your article. By default, the publish date is displayed, but you can easily override this without impacting the actual publish date.

Review Page

The Review page provides a final overview of all the settings before the post is published. You can review the audience segments, email, and web configurations, ensuring everything is correct before publishing. When ready, click the Schedule button to either publish the post immediately or schedule it for a specific date and time.

Key Elements
- Review audience and email settings: Ensure the segments and email content are accurate.
- Verify your A/B settings: If you conducted an A/B test, this section lets you confirm the winning subject line and other details.
- Scheduled post or publish immediately: Decide when the post should go live.
  
  When you publish a new post to both Email and Web, any edits made after the campaign is sent will only appear on the Web version. If you have an A/B test scheduled, the Web version cannot be edited until the A/B test period has ended.