Newsletter platform Beehiiv is introducing native podcast hosting, the company told TechCrunch. With this move, creators can now host, distribute and monetize their podcast directly on Beehiiv. Users will be able to post an episode, share it with subscribers and track their analytics all on the platform.
“Podcasting was an obvious move,” Beehiiv co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk told TechCrunch in an email. “Basically, newsletters and podcasts have a huge overlap. Both are typically large-format episodic content, distributed to owned audiences, monetized through sponsorships. Our roadmap is very much driven by our customers. They’ve told us they really want to consolidate all their tools into Beehiiv, and the size of the podcast they’ve been asking for is specific.”
Denk says Beehiiv already has thousands of users with podcasts hosted elsewhere, so it makes sense to bring the format in-house. Of course, the move signals Beehiiv’s continued efforts to transform its platform into an all-in-one platform for creators, causing Patreon and Substackboth have long supported podcasts. The push into podcasting builds on the company’s recent release of a series of creator-focused tools covering website creation, analytics and more.
Moving into podcasting, Beehiiv aims to attract creators to its platform as its competitors pursue similar strategies. Substack is heavily courting video and podcast creators, while Patreon has been working to entice newsletter writers with long-awaited feature upgrades.
One way Beehiiv convinces creators to switch from competitors like Substack and Patreon is to not take a cut of their revenue. Denk says creators keep 100% of their profits and the company doesn’t take a cut. By comparison, Substack takes a 10% cut of revenue from paid podcast subscriptions, while Patreon takes 8%.
Creators can bundle a podcast with their existing subscription and offer a private stream to paying subscribers. They can offer a premium experience with exclusive episodes, early access and other perks. Denk notes that many Beehiiv users already charge for a paid newsletter and can now include a podcast as part of that subscription. Creators also have the option to offer a free podcast.
Beehiiv plans to expand its ad network beyond newsletters to dynamically serve ads on podcasts as well. The company is hiring a Head of Podcasts to oversee those plans, Denk told TechCrunch.
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Some of the podcasts joining Beehiiv at launch include; Genshe with Avni Barman, 505 podcasts with Brayden Figueroa and Kostas Garcia, The reboot with Brian Morrissey, Sweat Equity by Alex Garcia & Brian Blum, The most important question by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Lunch with Jamie by Jamie Patricof and more.
Denk says that Beehiiv expects a lot of adoption by existing users in the coming weeks and months, noting that there are several other notable podcasts committed to the platform in the coming weeks.
In addition to serving people on Beehiiv who already have newsletters and podcasts, Denk says the new launch could also be aimed at podcasters looking to start a newsletter.
“We believe a newsletter should be a core piece of infrastructure for any podcast,” Denk said. “It’s how you own your audience, expand distribution, and create more real estate for advertisers. Podcasters who want to start a newsletter will find a natural home here. Growth is one of the biggest challenges in podcasting. Newsletters drive podcast downloads. Podcasts drive newsletter signups. The two reinforce each other, and we’re currently fixing this tool.”
Creators can upload podcasts directly to Beehiiv and the platform will then distribute them to major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro and more. The platform supports MP3, M4A and WAV files, with automatic audio normalization for consistent sound. Each episode also includes a full transcript, improving findability in search and LLMs.
Each podcast episode has its own SEO-optimized webpage, Denk said. Instead of sending listeners to Apple, Spotify or YouTube, Beehiiv can keep them on the platform, where they can choose to listen directly or select their preferred player.
Beehiiv’s podcast analytics are built to IAB standards and provide detailed breakdowns by country, listening app, device and operating system. Creators also receive episode-level download insights and real-time data.
Founded in 2021, Beehiiv last raised a $33 million Series B in April 2024 with investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and NEA. Denk recently shared that the first quarter of 2026 was Beehiiv’s best quarter ever, as the company added $4.5 million in ARR, sent more than 10 billion emails and crossed 50,000 active users.
