Updated: Dec 8, 2024
Creating and embedding beehiiv subscribe forms
A beehiiv subscribe form allows you to capture email addresses and add them to your audience list. Your subscribe forms are customizable and embeddable, making them a powerful tool that you can add to any webpage, post, or landing page.
First, we’ll give you some quick tips to help you get started and show you how to create a custom subscribe form. Then, we'll explain how to access the embed code so you can place your form anywhere on your website, post, or landing page. Lastly, we'll cover frequently asked questions to address any issues you might encounter.
Quick tips to get you started
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Subscribe forms vs. Survey forms: Subscribe forms are designed solely to capture email addresses, while Survey forms allow you to collect any type of information you need.
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Subscribe forms vs. Signup Page: Subscribe forms are intended for use outside of beehiiv, on any website. In contrast, your Signup Page is hosted on your beehiiv publication site and can be customized through the Website Builder.
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Subscribe forms do not lead to your Signup Flow: Unlike the Signup Page, which leads to a customizable Signup Flow after someone subscribes, external subscribe forms do not currently support this flow.
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Using Boosts: If you’re using Boosts, you can create a recommendations widget that triggers once someone completes a subscribe form.
- Creating segments: You can create segments based on the subscribe forms used, allowing you to target specific groups of subscribers.
How to create a custom subscribe form
- From the left panel Dashboard, go to Audience > Subscribe Forms.
- You’ll be taken to the Subscribe Forms page. Click Create new form.
- A New Subscribe Form window will open on the right. Start by entering a Name for your subscribe form — this is for internal use to help you keep track of your forms.
- Under the Content section, adjust the Header and Description fields. The header will default to your publication name, and the description will pull from the one-line description you created during setup (both sourced from the General Info section of your publication's settings).
Customize the Input Placeholder text, which guides users on what to do (e.g., Enter your email). You can also determine what the Button Text will say (e.g., Subscribe Now).
- In the Color Palette section, button colors will automatically populate based on your global color settings in the Website Builder. You can either use these pre-selected colors or customize them directly within the New Subscribe Form creation window.
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In the Typography section, enter the desired fonts for your form.
Note: Fonts are case sensitive and must be selected from Google Fonts.
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In the After Submission section, decide what should happen after a visitor subscribes using the form. You can select between Show a success message and Or, redirect to an external page. Enter the relevant details, such as a custom message like ‘Success!’ for the success option, or a URL for the redirect option.
Tech Note: Redirecting subscribers to a Signup Flow is not currently supported when using a subscribe form.
- If applicable, you can enable the Remove emails from the redirect URL toggle. This option is only available if you’ve set a redirect URL for your subscribers. When enabled, it replaces the email address in the redirect URL with the subscriber ID.
- Review all then click Save to save your subscribe form.
- After creating a subscribe form, you'll return to your Subscriber Forms page, where the new form will appear in the list. Next to each form name, you can click the 3 dots icon to View, Edit, or Delete your form.
Where to find embed codes for a subscribe form
You have multiple options for embedding your subscribe forms on any website. Each method provides a different level of customization and control, allowing you to choose the approach that works best with your website's setup.
- From the left panel Dashboard, go to Audience > Subscribe Forms.
- Navigate to a subscribe form and click the 3 dots menu beside it to reveal options to View, Edit, or Delete your form. To access the embed codes, click View.
Locate the subscribe form you want to use and click the 3 dots menu next to it. Select View to access the embed codes. You can also choose Edit or Delete from this menu when needed.
- You’ll have the following embed options:
Full Width
Embed this code directly in-line within your website, and it will automatically expand to fill the full width of its container.
Fixed Width
Embed this code directly in-line with your website, and it will expand to the specified maximum width.
Slim Embed
This option gives you the most control over placement, with no background, header, or description included.
Advance Configuration and Attribution Tracking
For more customization, you can apply advanced settings to your subscribe forms.
To forward UTM parameters from the page where the form is embedded, add the provided script just before the closing </body> tag on your website. This will allow you to track where your subscribers are coming from. Refer this article for more details on using UTM parameters in beehiiv.
Frequently asked questions about subscribe forms
How do I delete a subscribe form?
To delete a subscribe form, from your Subscribe Forms page, click the 3 dots menu next to the subscribe form you wish to delete, then select Delete.
Alternatively, click View next to the form you want to remove. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Delete.
You’ll be prompted to confirm the deletion, as this action will immediately disable the form wherever it is embedded. Click Confirm to permanently delete the form.
Can I edit the HTML and CSS of a subscribe form?
Currently, editing the HTML and CSS of a subscribe form is not supported. However, you can customize the appearance by adjusting the color and text settings during the form creation process (see steps 4-6 above).