Add a Newsletter to Your Site with beehiiv: Form, AI, and Blog
The full setup in plain steps: make a join-the-list form, connect it to beehiiv, let AI read your numbers with the MCP, and show your posts on your blog. Part of the jynlab SaaS Tool Kit series.
Most guides jump straight to the fancy parts. But the thing that actually matters first is simple: get a working signup form on your site, and make sure the emails land somewhere safe. Once that works, everything else is a bonus. Here is the whole path I use, from the form to the AI, in the order you should do it.
- Step 1: Make the form and send signups to beehiiv. This is the part that matters most.
- Step 2: Connect the beehiiv MCP so your AI tool can read your numbers.
- Step 3: Show your newsletter posts on your blog with RSS or the API.
- Rule for the whole thing: start with the easy way. Add the hard way only when you really need it.
Step 1: Make the form and connect it to beehiiv
Your form is just the box where people type their email. You need two things: the form itself, and a way to send those emails to beehiiv. There are two ways to do this. Start with the easy one.
The easy way: embed beehiiv's form
- Make a beehiiv account and a publication. The free plan is fine to start. The publication is your newsletter.
- Copy your signup form code. In beehiiv, open your subscribe form and copy the embed code it gives you.
- Paste it on your site. Drop the code where you want the form to appear, like your "join the list" section.
- Test it. Sign up with your own email. Then check that it shows up in beehiiv. Done.
That is the whole thing. No code to write, no API key to manage. beehiiv even handles the unsubscribe link for you. For most people, stop here.
The custom way: use your own form
Use this only when the form must match your own design, like the jynlab style. It is more work, so do not pick it by default.
- Keep your own form. Your styled HTML form with an email field stays as it is.
- Send the email to a small server function. A Cloudflare Worker works well. The form sends the email there, not straight to the page.
- Let the function call beehiiv. The function uses the beehiiv API to add the person to your list. Your API key lives inside the function, never on the page.
- Test it the same way. Sign up, then check beehiiv. If the person appears, you are connected.
Easy way first. Custom way only when the design really matters.
Step 2: Connect the beehiiv MCP
Once people are signing up, you will want to understand them. The beehiiv MCP lets your AI tool, like Claude, read your newsletter data. So instead of clicking through a dashboard, you just ask. It is free on every plan.
Connect it in Claude Code
- Add beehiiv as a remote server. Run this in your terminal:claude mcp add --transport http beehiiv https://mcp.beehiiv.com/mcp
- Start Claude Code and sign in.Run
claude. On first use it opens beehiiv in your browser to grant access. Log in with your beehiiv account. - Test it.Ask a simple question, like how many subscribers you have. If it answers from your real data, you are connected.
On Claude Desktop or other tools, add a custom connector with the same URL, https://mcp.beehiiv.com/mcp, and sign in. Things worth asking:
- Which of my recent posts brought in the most new subscribers?
- Find free subscribers who open often but have not upgraded. What do they share?
- Were there any churn or unsubscribe spikes in the last 90 days, and which posts match them?
One limit to know: v1 can read your data and create segments, but it cannot send. So treat it as an analyst, not a sender. You still send from beehiiv, or use the API for actions.
Step 3: Show your newsletter posts on your blog
Many builders want their newsletter issues to also live on their blog. There are three ways. Lightest first.
- RSS feed. beehiiv gives your newsletter an RSS feed. Pull it into your site to show the archive. Almost no code, no key.
- beehiiv's built-in site. beehiiv hosts a website with a custom domain on the free plan. It can be your archive with zero setup.
- The API. Pull your posts with the API and render them in your own template. Use this when you want full control of the design on your own domain. Run it when the site builds, and keep the key on the server.
Simple rule: MCP to analyze, RSS or the API to display, the beehiiv editor to publish. Do not reach for the API until RSS or the built-in site falls short.
Limits and safety
The MCP mostly reads. v1 can read your data and make segments, but it cannot publish or send yet. beehiiv has said more write features are coming in v2. For now, send from beehiiv, or use the API to take actions.
Keep keys safe. If you use the API, the key can change your list. Keep it on the server or in build secrets only. And remember your AI tool sees your subscriber data through the MCP, so check its data policy if your list is sensitive.
Builders and future builders are already on the list. Every time I wire up a part of the stack, you get the steps before anyone else.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to add a newsletter form to my site?
Embed beehiiv's signup form. You copy a small piece of code from beehiiv and paste it on your site. New signups go straight to beehiiv. You do not need to write code or use an API key.
How do I make the form match my own site design?
Use your own form and send the email to beehiiv with its API through a small server function, such as a Cloudflare Worker. Your API key stays on the server, never in the page. Use this only when the design really matters, because it is more work.
Can the beehiiv MCP send my newsletter for me?
No. Version 1 can read your data and create segments, but it cannot send. Use beehiiv to send, or the API to take actions. More write features are coming in version 2.
How do I show my newsletter posts on my blog?
The easy way is beehiiv's RSS feed or its built-in website. For full control over the design, use the beehiiv API to pull your posts and render them in your own template.