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How much do beehiiv ads pay? Ad Network CPM, CPC, payouts and break-even vs the Lite plan (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 30 Oct 2026
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
Short answer: beehiiv publishes no fixed rates. Each Ad Network offer pays either CPM (per 1,000 unique opens) or CPC (per verified unique click), set by the advertiser, and you see an estimated payout before you accept it. beehiiv's own example is $5 per 1,000 unique opens. You need a paid plan (Lite or above), and you're paid on the 20th of each month for the previous month, through Stripe Express.
Rules from beehiiv's Ad Network page and FAQ (checked 2026-10-30); plan prices from beehiiv pricing (checked 2026-10-27). The $5 CPM and $2 CPC figures are beehiiv's worked examples, not typical rates. We don't estimate rates beehiiv doesn't publish.
How beehiiv ads pay: CPM vs CPC
| Model | What you're paid for | beehiiv's example |
|---|---|---|
| CPM (cost per mille) | Every 1,000 unique opens of the send | $5 CPM = $5 per 1,000 unique opens |
| CPC (cost per click) | Each verified unique click on the sponsored link; bots, duplicates and instant bounces are filtered out, so the count can be lower than your post stats | $2 CPC × 100 verified clicks = $200 |
You can't choose CPM or CPC per offer: the advertiser sets it, and you see which one before reserving. Opens and clicks in the first 72 hours after your send count toward earnings.
Can the Ad Network pay for beehiiv Lite?
The Ad Network needs a paid plan, so the honest first question is whether ads cover it. At beehiiv's $5 CPM example you'd need these unique opens per month (all sends added up) to pay for Lite, or these verified clicks at its $2 CPC example:
| Subscribers | Lite, per month | Unique opens needed at $5 CPM | Verified clicks needed at $2 CPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $59 | 11,800 11.8 per subscriber | 30 |
| 2,500 | $79 | 15,800 6.3 per subscriber | 40 |
| 5,000 | $109 | 21,800 4.4 per subscriber | 55 |
| 10,000 | $139 | 27,800 2.8 per subscriber | 70 |
| 25,000 | $199 | 39,800 1.6 per subscriber | 100 |
| 100,000 | $469 | 93,800 0.9 per subscriber | 235 |
Monthly billing, USD; yearly billing is cheaper (see beehiiv pricing). Ad Network income only; paid subscriptions, paid recommendations and direct sponsors are extra. Your real rates can be higher or lower than beehiiv's examples.
The pattern: on a small list, ads alone rarely cover the plan. At 1,000 subscribers every subscriber would have to open about 11.8 ads-carrying emails a month at a $5 CPM; at 25,000 it's about 1.6. With up to 3 ads per post the totals add up, but each offer runs once and the same advertiser won't appear again for at least 7 days. If you mainly want a free newsletter, see beehiiv's free plan; to compare plan costs, is beehiiv worth it?
How the Ad Network works, step by step
- Eligibility: Lite plan or above and actively sending. Offers then appear in your Ad Network dashboard automatically; there's no application.
- Offers: up to 15 personalised offers at a time, with the top 3 highlighted. You can downvote ones that don't fit; you never have to run an ad.
- Reserve and send: type
/adsin the editor, or reserve from Monetize → Ads → Offers. Up to 5 reservations at once, up to 3 ads per post (1 primary with logo, 2 secondary), and 120 hours to send before a reservation expires. - Tracking: beehiiv counts unique opens and verified clicks for 72 hours after the send and emails a recap about 96 hours after.
- Payout: on the 20th of the next month into your beehiiv wallet via a Stripe Express account; withdraw any time without fees, per beehiiv.
Also worth knowing: the network is non-exclusive, so you can keep direct sponsors; ad copy can't be edited and isn't translated for non-English newsletters yet; and beehiiv says publishers who run ads reliably and meet deadlines get more and better offers over time.
Related: beehiiv pricing · Is beehiiv worth it? · beehiiv free plan · beehiiv to Substack
Sources
- beehiiv: Ad Network page and FAQ (eligibility, CPM/CPC examples, limits, tracking and payout rules; checked 2026-10-30)
- beehiiv pricing (Lite plan prices and what Free excludes; checked 2026-10-27)
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Links marked “paid link” earn us a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. They never change our numbers or rankings. Disclosure.
FAQ
How much do beehiiv ads pay?
beehiiv doesn't publish a rate card or an average. Each offer is either CPM (paid per 1,000 unique opens) or CPC (paid per verified unique click), the advertiser sets the model and rate, and every offer shows an estimated payout before you reserve it. beehiiv's own examples: a $5 CPM pays $5 per 1,000 unique opens, and a $2 CPC with 100 verified clicks pays $200. The estimate isn't guaranteed; you're paid on verified performance.
Can I use the beehiiv Ad Network on the free plan?
No. beehiiv says the Ad Network is available on the Lite plan or above to publications that are actively sending. Lite starts at $59/month for up to 1,000 subscribers (monthly billing).
When does beehiiv pay ad earnings?
On the 20th of each month for the previous month's ad earnings. Opens and clicks in the first 72 hours after your send count, and a performance recap arrives about 96 hours after sending.
How does beehiiv pay you?
Through Stripe. You need a Stripe Express account (with Stripe identity verification), set up under Payment Accounts in your beehiiv account settings. Earnings go into your beehiiv wallet on the 20th, and beehiiv says you can withdraw from the wallet at any time with no fees or transfer costs.
How many beehiiv ads can I put in one newsletter?
Up to 3 per post: 1 primary ad (with the advertiser's logo) and 2 secondary ads (no logo). You can reserve up to 5 offers at a time and must send a reserved offer within 120 hours.
Is the beehiiv Ad Network exclusive?
No. beehiiv says it is non-exclusive: you can run its offers next to your own direct sponsors, and you never have to run an offer you don't like.
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