Newsletter platform Beehiiv is introducing native podcast hosting, the company tells TechCrunch. This move allows creators to host, distribute, and monetize their podcasts directly on Beehiiv. Users will be able to publish episodes, share them with subscribers, and track analytics all on the platform.
“Podcasting was an obvious move,” Beehiiv co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk told TechCrunch via email. “Fundamentally, there is a huge overlap between newsletters and podcasts. Both are typically long-form content in episodic format, distributed to an owned audience, and monetized through sponsorships. Our roadmap is very much driven by our customers. Our customers have told us that they really want to integrate all of their tools into Beehiiv. Podcasting in particular is consistently requested across customers of all sizes.”
Denk said Beehiiv already has thousands of users and hosts podcasts elsewhere, so it made sense to bring the format in-house. Of course, this move signals Beehiiv’s continued efforts to transform its platform into an all-in-one platform for creators and take on Patreon and Substack, which have long supported podcasts. The podcasting effort builds on the company’s recent launch of a suite of tools for creators that cover things like website creation and analytics.
Beehiiv aims to attract creators to its platform by moving into podcasting as competitors pursue similar strategies. While Substack is aggressively courting video and podcast creators, Patreon is working to attract newsletter writers with a long-awaited feature upgrade.
Semafor previously reported on Beehiiv’s foray into podcasting.
One way Beehiiv is convincing creators to switch from rivals like Substack and Patreon is by not taking a cut of the revenue. Deku said creators will keep 100% of the proceeds and the company will receive no share. By comparison, Substack takes 10% of the revenue from paid podcast subscriptions, and Patreon takes 8%.
Creators can bundle their podcasts into existing subscriptions and offer private feeds to paid subscribers. You can offer a premium experience with exclusive episodes, early access, and other perks. Denk points out that many Beehiiv users already charge for paid newsletters and can now include podcasts as part of that subscription. Creators also have the option of offering free podcasts.
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Beehiiv plans to expand its ad network beyond newsletters and dynamically serve ads in podcasts as well. The company is hiring a head of podcasting to oversee these plans, Denk told TechCrunch.
Podcasts joining Beehiiv at launch include Genshe with Avni Berman, 505 Podcast with Brayden Figueroa and Kostas Garcia, The Reboot Show with Brian Morrissey, Sweat Equity with Alex Garcia and Brian Blum, Most Important Questions with Dr. Caitlin Jetelina, Lunch with Jamie with Jamie Patricof, and more.
Denk said Beehiiv is expected to see heavy adoption from existing users over the coming weeks and months, noting that there are several other notable podcasts promising to launch on the platform in the coming weeks.
In addition to serving Beehiiv users who already run newsletters or podcasts, Denk said the new release could also appeal to podcasters looking to start a newsletter.
“We believe that newsletters should be the core infrastructure of every podcast,” Denk said. “This is a way to own your audience, grow your distribution, and create more real estate for advertisers. Podcasters who want to launch a newsletter will find a natural home here. Growth is one of the biggest challenges in podcasting. Newsletters drive podcast downloads, and podcasts drive newsletter signups. The two are mutually reinforcing, and right now creators are managing that across fragmented tools. We’re fixing that.”
Creators can upload their podcasts directly to Beehiiv, and the platform distributes them to major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and Castro. The platform supports MP3, M4A, and WAV files and features automatic audio normalization for consistent sound. Each episode also includes a full transcript to improve search and LLM discoverability.
Each podcast episode has its own SEO-optimized web page, Denk said. Instead of sending listeners to Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, Beehiiv can keep listeners on the platform, where they can choose to listen directly or choose their preferred player.
Beehiiv’s podcast analysis is built on IAB standards and provides detailed breakdowns by country, listening app, device, and operating system. Creators also get insight into episode-level downloads and real-time data.
Founded in 2021, Beehiiv last raised $33 million in Series B in April 2024 with Lightspeed Venture Partners and NEA as investors. Denk recently shared that Q1 2026 was the best quarter in Beehiiv history as the company added $4.5 million in ARR, sent over 10 billion emails, and surpassed 50,000 active users.
Updated to include previous reporting on Beehiiv’s podcasting efforts.
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