Overview
The Lede platform automatically keeps subscriber data in sync with Beehiiv. This sync is bidirectional: changes made through your website or the Publisher App are pushed to Beehiiv, and changes made in Beehiiv (such as through subscriber preferences) are pulled back into Lede. This article explains when and how this sync occurs.
When Are Subscribers Synced to Beehiiv?
Subscriber data is synced from Lede to Beehiiv in the following situations:
1. New Subscriber Registration
When a new subscriber registers on your site and verifies their email address, they are automatically synced to Beehiiv. As part of this process:
By default, this sync waits for email verification (double opt-in). If you disable the “Require email verification before syncing new registrants” setting under Login & Profile Options in the Publisher App, new registrants are synced to Beehiiv immediately at signup instead.
- The subscriber is created in your Beehiiv publication.
- They are opted into your default newsletter.
- All relevant custom fields (newsletter subscriptions, account status, subscription details) are set.
2. Email Verification
If a subscriber was created but has not yet verified their email, the sync is triggered when they complete verification. Unverified subscribers are not synced to Beehiiv unless double opt-in is disabled in your settings.
3. Newsletter Opt-In or Opt-Out
Whenever a subscriber opts into or out of a newsletter on your site, the change is immediately synced to Beehiiv by updating the corresponding boolean custom field.
4. Subscription Changes
When a subscriber purchases, upgrades, renews, or cancels a paid subscription, the platform syncs updated custom fields (such as product name, billing interval, and expiration date) and updates the subscriber’s Beehiiv tier. See Paid Subscriptions and Beehiiv Tiers for more details.
5. Subscriber Login
Each time a subscriber logs in, the platform updates their last_login and ever_logged_in custom fields in Beehiiv. Additionally, the login event triggers a reverse sync that pulls the subscriber’s current preferences from Beehiiv back into Lede. This ensures that any changes the subscriber made directly through Beehiiv’s preferences page are reflected on your site.
Reverse Sync: Beehiiv to Lede
Changes made in Beehiiv are synced back to Lede through two mechanisms:
Webhooks
Beehiiv sends automatic notifications to the Lede platform whenever a subscription is created or updated. Lede processes these events and updates the subscriber’s newsletter preferences to match. For example, if a subscriber opts out of a newsletter via Beehiiv’s preferences page, the notification triggers Lede to mark that newsletter as inactive for the subscriber.
Login-Time Sync
When a subscriber logs into your site, the platform fetches their current custom field values from Beehiiv and reconciles any differences. This acts as a safety net to catch any changes that may not have been captured by webhooks.
Important Notes
- Only active subscribers are synced to Beehiiv. By default they must also be verified (double opt-in); publishers who disable double opt-in sync unverified registrants as well. Inactive accounts are never synced.
- Sync operations run in the background and do not slow down your website. There may be a brief delay (typically a few seconds) before changes appear in Beehiiv.
- If a subscriber already exists in Beehiiv (for example, if they were imported via CSV before being added to Lede), the platform will detect and merge with their existing Beehiiv subscription rather than creating a duplicate.