How to set up and use group subscriptions as a publisher

paid plans

This article is for beehiiv users who are setting up group subscription options for their paid subscribers. If you are a subscriber looking to purchase or manage a group subscription, see How to manage a group subscription you purchased.

Group subscriptions let a buyer purchase multiple paid subscriptions in a single transaction and then distribute them to readers through an invite-based seat system. Instead of collecting everyone's email up front or tracking redemptions by hand, the buyer manages a pool of seats and invites people to claim them.

Each claimed seat becomes a full paid subscriber to your publication, so group purchases roll into your normal subscriber and revenue numbers. A 50-seat purchase, for example, shows as 50 subscribers as seats are claimed.

This article covers enabling group purchasing on a tier, surfacing it on your upgrade page, how buyers purchase and manage seats, how recipients claim a seat, and where group data appears in your dashboard.

What is a group subscription?

A group subscription is a single purchase of multiple seats on one of your paid tiers. The person who buys it (the admin) receives a pool of seats and distributes access by inviting readers: by email, by a shareable redemption link, or by uploading a list. Each invite that is claimed consumes one seat and grants that reader a full paid subscription.

The admin manages the whole group from one place: how many seats exist, who has claimed them, who is still pending, and when the group renews.

How you can use group subscriptions 

• Selling a block of annual subscriptions to a book club or community.
• Gifting subscriptions to family members.
• Providing paid access to an entire newsroom or team.
• Offering subscriptions as a corporate benefit.

Individual vs. gift vs. group

Group purchasing sits alongside the two existing ways readers can buy a paid subscription. Your tier supports all three options, if enabled:

Before you begin

• Paid subscriptions require a connected Stripe account to process payments. If you have not connected Stripe yet, see Setting up a Stripe account for paid subscriptions and digital products before continuing.
• Group subscriptions can be added to any tier you create, providing you set up an annual billing cadence for that tier. For full instructions on how to create a tier, see our guide: How to set up and use paid subscription tiers.

How to enable group purchasing on a tier

1. Go to the Tiers tab in your Paid Subscriptions area.
2. Create a new tier by clicking on + New Tier or open an existing tier by clicking on the 3 dots menu > Edit tier. 
   
   

3. Progress to the Advanced tab within the tier creation flow and enable the Group purchase option.
   
   

   In order to set up a group subscription, you must have an annual billing cadence set up for your tier. For details on how to do this, read How to set up and use paid subscription tiers.

4. Set a minimum number of seats a buyer must purchase (required). 
   
   
5. Set a default discount for group purchases (optional). This is a good option if you want to incentivize larger orders.
   
   

6. If you’re creating a new tier, click on Create to finalize your selections. If you are editing an existing tier, click on Save. 

   Enabling group subscriptions will not add the group subscription option to your pricing blocks or upgrade page in the Website Builder. Continue with the instructions below to surface your new payment option.

How to surface group purchasing on your upgrade page

Enabling Group on a tier does not automatically add the Individual and Group options to your upgrade page. You turn them on in the Website Builder.

1. Open your publication site in the Website Builder.
2. Select a Pricing block on your upgrade page by clicking on the block. 
3. With the pricing card selected, navigate to the design panel on the right and scroll down to the Group options. Click on Yes to enable the group subscription option in your pricing block. 
   
   
4. Publish your changes. Readers will then see Individual and Group options in that pricing block. 

This enablement step is required; the Individual and Group tabs do not appear automatically when you enable group purchasing on a tier.

How subscribers purchase a group subscription

For your reference, we’ve compiled a guide for your subscribers to purchase and manage group subscriptions. This guide covers everything your subscribers need to know, including making their initial purchase, inviting readers, and managing seats.

1. On your upgrade page, the buyer selects the Group option.
2. They choose the number of seats, with the minimum number of seats you set up.
3. A live price preview updates as they adjust the seat count. For example, 10 annual subscriptions at $100/yr shows as a $1,000 total, with any per-seat discount applied.
4. They complete checkout, then land on the seat management page with a prompt to invite readers.

How group subscriber admin manage seats

After purchase, the admin manages the group from a dedicated seat management page. Each group shows a summary with the tier and cadence, total seats purchased, seats claimed vs. remaining, the renewal date, and the total renewal cost.

If a group subscription admin removes seats, it will take effect at the next renewal. There is no refund or partial credit for the current period.

How recipients claim a seat

Recipients get a straightforward claim experience and are not shown seat, billing, or pricing details.

1. The invite email has a clear call to action to claim a subscription to your publication, and notes which admin invited them.
2. Clicking the link activates access:
   • If they already have a free account, it is upgraded to paid with no payment info required.
   • If they are new, an account is created and the subscription is activated.
   • If all seats are already claimed, they see a message that no seats remain and to contact the admin.

A group member's subscription management page shows that their subscription is managed by the admin who invited them.

Billing for group subscriptions

The admin is billed for the group and has a dedicated billing view for it. Seat management, payment status, and any payment issues are surfaced only to the admin in their subscriber management page. Individual group members are not billed and do not see billing or payment details.

Group subscriptions in your dashboard

Group subscriptions appear in your Paid Subscriptions dashboard under a dedicated Group subscriptions section on the Tiers tab. The breakdown shows the admin email, seats purchased, the plan and cadence, the tier, and seats redeemed.

The Status section shows the payment status of the group subscription in Stripe. Until the status shows as Active, the group subscription admin will not be able to invite recipients or manage seats. 

Group revenue and subscribers roll into your existing paid-subscription counts and revenue dashboards. Each claimed seat counts as its own subscriber, so growth reflects every redeemed seat.

Frequently asked questions about setting up and using group subscriptions