How to set up a custom domain with Hover

How to use a custom domain hosted by Hover

Before we get started, it’s important to understand that while there are a few back and forth steps that you’ll have to take between your beehiiv account and your Hover account, you should only need to set these aspects up once and when you’re done, you’ll be good to go. 

This article will guide you through adding custom domains hosted by Hover to your beehiiv publication so that they can be used as a Web Domain and/or Redirect Domain where your publication will live online, as well as an Email Domain to be used to send your beehiiv newsletter.

We’ve broken the process down into these 4 sections: 

A. Verify a custom domain

B. Configure a Web Domain

C. Configure a Redirect Domain

D. Configure an Email Domain

In the following instructions, we will be using newsletterhover.online as our example. 

A. Verify a custom domain

1. Log into your beehiiv account and from the left panel options, go to Settings > Publications > then click on the Domains tab found up top.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Scroll down to the Verified Domains section and click on Add Custom Domain
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Enter your custom domain URL and click on Add Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. You'll be provided with a custom TXT record that you will need to add to the DNS records of your domain. Please keep this tab open, we will refer back to it.
   
   Note: Do not use the examples in the images.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. In a separate tab, log into your account at Hover and navigate to your Your Account.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click on the Control Panel option.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Click on the DNS tab.
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Click on the ADD A RECORD button.
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Select a TXT record type.
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Refer back to your beehiiv tab from Step 4 and copy the Name content, then return to the Hover tab and paste it into the field for HOSTNAME.
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. For the CONTENT field, refer back to your beehiiv tab from Step 4 and copy the Value content, then return to the Hover tab and paste it into the CONTENT field.
    Note: Do not use the examples in the images.
    
    
    
    
    
    
12. Review all of your inputs to make sure they are correct, then click on ADD RECORD.
    
    
    
    
    
    
13. You will now see your custom TXT record added within your Hover domain DNS settings.
    
    
    
    
    
    
14. Go back to your beehiiv tab from Step 4 and click on Verify.
    
    
    
    
    
    
15. Once verified, you will see a quick success message at the top of your screen and ‘Verified’ next to a green checkmark icon under your new domain. Congrats! 🎉
    
    
    
    
    
    (Optional) If you would like to add additional domains that you may use as either a Web, Email, or Redirect Domain, you can click the Add Custom Domain button and repeat the process.
    

 

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B. Configure a Web Domain

Now that you have added one or more custom domains to your account, you can configure one to use as a Web Domain where your beehiiv publications will live. 

1. From the Domains tab in your publication settings, scroll down to the Web Domain section and click on Select Custom Web Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Select a domain from the dropdown list of already Verified Domains that you'd like to be your Web Domain. In this example, we have added 2 subdomains and will use the "www" option for the Web Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click on Configure Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. You will be provided with a CNAME record to add to your Hover DNS settings. Please keep this tab open, we will refer back to it.
   
   Type: CNAME
   Name: subdomain of your choosing (i.e. www, blog, newsletter)
   Value/Data: cname.beehiiv.com
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. In a separate tab, log into your account at Hover and navigate to your Your Account.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click on the Control Panel option.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Click on the DNS tab.
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Click on the ADD A RECORD button.
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Select the CNAME record type. Refer back to your beehiiv tab from Step 4 and copy the name into the Target Name field. You can leave the TTL field as-is.
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Review all of your inputs to make sure they are correct, then click on ADD RECORD.
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. Go back to your beehiiv tab from Step 4 and click on Verify Setup.
    
    
    
    
    
    
12. Once verified, you will see a quick success message at the top of your screen and ‘Verified’ next to a green checkmark icon under your new domain. Congrats! 🎉
    
    
    
    
    
    

Tech Note: It can take up to 24 hours to propagate a new DNS record. During this time, your beehiiv account might show the status as 'Verifying Configuration' which means that you may need to wait. If you have fully set up a custom domain and are still experiencing issues after 24 hours, we recommend taking a full screenshot of your DNS records. Then, head to the Help page in your account to submit a support ticket or ask our chatbot, Buzz, for further assistance.

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C. Configure a Redirect Domain

Now that you have added one or more custom domains to your account, you can configure one to use as a Redirect Domain. 

1. From the Domains tab of your publication settings, scroll down to the Redirect Domain section and click on Select Custom Redirect Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Choose an option from your Verified Domains and click Configure Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. You’ll be prompted to Verify Domain Configuration and should follow the instructions in the box that pops up.
   
   If you’re adding a root domain (yoursite.com for example) as the Redirect Domain, then it will provide you with this A record that you will need to add to your DNS records.
   
   Type: A
   Name: @
   Value/Data: 104.16.243.55
   
   
   
   
   
   Or, if you’re adding a subdomain (www.yoursite.com for example) as the Redirect Domain, then it will provide you with this CNAME record that you will need to add to your DNS records.
   
   Type: CNAME
   Name: subdomain of your choosing (i.e. www, blog, newsletter)
   Value/Data: cname.beehiiv.com
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. In a separate tab, log into your account at Hover and navigate to your DNS records, then refer back to your beehiiv tab to add either the A record or the CNAME record that you were provided to your DNS account.
   
   
5. Go back to your beehiiv account page and click on Verify Setup. If all is correct, then your domain will be verified, and you will see the green success checkmark under your Redirect Domain. Congrats! 🎉

 

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 D. Configure an Email Domain

Now that you have added a couple of custom domains to your account and used one as a Web Domain, you’ll need to select and configure one to use as your Email Domain. 

1. From the Domains tab of your publication settings, scroll down to the Email Domain section and click on Select Custom Email Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Choose a domain from the dropdown list of already Verified Domains that you'd like to be your Email Domain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click on Configure Domain to confirm.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Click on the dropdown trigger and select Verify.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. You will then be provided with 3 CNAME records that you will need to add to your Hover DNS account to verify for sending. Please keep this tab open, we will refer back to it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. In a separate tab, log into your account at Hover and navigate to your DNS records, then refer back to your beehiiv tab to add the 3 CNAME records that you were provided to your DNS account.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Review all of your inputs to make sure they are correct, then click on ADD RECORD.
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Go back to your beehiiv tab from Step 5 and click on Verify Setup.
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Once verified, you’ll see the green checkmark confirming your Email Domain is ready. Congrats! 🎉
   
   

Option to update your email username

You will automatically be assigned a working email username for your publication but you have the option to change this. It will be the email address that your subscribers will see your newsletters being sent from. 

1.  Under your verified Email Domain, click on Update Email to change your email username.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Type in the name you’d like to use for the “from” emails that your subscribers will see. Click on Confirm to verify.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Your email username is now set up for sending and your username is set. Congrats! 🎉
   
   
   
   
   

 

Additional custom domain resources

• Read this article for more information on using custom domains with your beehiiv account.  
• Read this blog article to learn why a custom domain is essential for your business. 
• Click here to see all articles on custom domains.
• Use this online tool to check your current DNS record status.