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How to Create Subscriber Preferences in beehiiv (Tutorial)

Disclaimer: The beehiiv platform has evolved since this video was recorded, so parts of the interface may look slightly different from what you see in your account.

This video and article feature the Website > Builder (Legacy), which is only available to accounts created before July 15, 2025. If you're using the New Website Builder (available to all accounts), check out our articles in the New Website Builder category for updated instructions.

1. From the left panel dashboard, go to Audience > Subscribers.

2. Your Subscribers dashboard will initially open on the Subscribers tab. Click on the Preferences tab instead.

   

3. To start building your subscriber preferences, click on the New preference button.

   

A New Preference form will open on the right. Enter in the details of the preference and then click on Create in the bottom right corner. New preferences and changes will be saved automatically.

• Name (required): This is what the preference will be called in the subscriber profile. It can be a question or a prompt.

• Description (optional): Provide additional context to your question or prompt in the Name field.

• Type (required): Select the format of the preference. Choose from:

  • Multiple choice: Lets readers pick from a list of options. With this selection, be sure to toggle on the Allow multiple responses setting. Then, choose an Options format: Checkbox, Numerals, or Unstyled.

    Note:

    You’ll want to pair this with a List (Multi or Single Select) custom field if you would like a subscriber to select multiple options.

  • Short response: Enables users to type their answer into a field.

  • Dropdown menu: Creates a list of options that readers can select from using a dropdown menu.

  • True / false: Allows readers to toggle the preference on or off.

2. Custom field: Choose a custom field from the list or click the ‘New custom field’ link in pink to create a new one.

3. Visible: By default, your preference center settings are set to visible. Toggle it off if you don’t want subscribers to see this option in their preference center.

4. Save It: Don’t forget to click Create to save your preferences.

1. From an open post, navigate to the Web page in the Post Builder. Toggle the Enable Audio option on.

   

2. Click into the Choose Voice options and select one of the names from the dropdown options. To hear a sample of a voice, click on the Volume icon next to the name.

   
   Pro Tip:

   You also have the option to clone your voice for your audio content. Read our guide to featuring your newsletter as a podcast for more details.

3. After choosing a voice, select the Audio content type . This setting controls how your post content is converted into audio.Choose from the following options:

• Transcript : The audio will match the exact wording of your post.

• Summary : The audio will be a concise, AI-generated summary of your post in English.

• Custom : Add a prompt describing how you’d like the audio to be generated by AI.

4. (Optional) If your publication has the Podcast Show Feed enabled, you can also select Publish as a Podcast Episode, and then add the podcast Episode Title and Description . Refer to this article for more details on publishing your newsletter as a podcast.

   

5. Once published to your website, your newsletter will feature a Listen Online option at the top of the post next to the Read Online option.

   

6. When the Listen Online link is clicked, you’ll be taken to the web post with an audio file option at the top, found just underneath the author, date, and social icons.

   
   Important:

   The audio file will capture the entire post, ignoring visibility settings. It will be accessible on your published web post, regardless of audience delivery settings. 

When using the audio newsletter feature, not all options in the post editor will be read aloud. Refer to the tables below for which blocks are included or excluded.