Overview
Beehiiv has a built-in concept of subscriber tiers that distinguishes between free and paid subscribers. The Lede platform uses this tier system to automatically reflect a subscriber’s paid subscription status in Beehiiv. This article explains how tiers work and how they are managed.
How Tiers Work
Every subscriber in Beehiiv is assigned to a tier:
- Free — the default tier for subscribers with no active paid subscription.
- Custom tiers — created automatically for each subscription product you have configured in the Publisher App. The tier name matches the product’s display name (e.g., “Annual Membership” or “Premium Digital”).
Custom tiers are set up in Beehiiv when your publication is first onboarded, and new tiers are created automatically whenever you add a new product in the Publisher App.
How Tier Assignment Works
A subscriber’s tier is determined automatically based on their active subscriptions:
- If a subscriber has an active, non-expired paid subscription, they are assigned to the tier corresponding to that subscription’s product.
- If a subscriber has no active paid subscription (or their subscription has expired or been canceled), they are assigned to the free tier.
Tier assignment is updated whenever:
- A new subscription is purchased.
- An existing subscription is updated (e.g., product change or renewal).
- A subscription is canceled or expires.
Premium Newsletters
Tiers also control access to premium newsletters. When a newsletter is marked as premium in the Publisher App, subscribers with an active paid subscription that includes the premium newsletter entitlement are automatically opted in. If a subscriber’s subscription lapses, their premium newsletter preferences are retained, but they can be targeted separately using segments (see Sending to Newsletters: Segments in Beehiiv).
Using Tiers in Beehiiv
Tiers can be used in Beehiiv to:
- Create segments that target only paid or only free subscribers.
- Control content visibility within Beehiiv’s post editor — you can restrict certain content blocks to specific tiers.
- Differentiate email content by showing different messaging or offers to paid vs. free subscribers.
For example, you could create a segment for “All subscribers in the Premium Digital tier” to send an exclusive newsletter edition, or target “Free tier” subscribers with an upgrade offer.