How I Set Up a Beehiiv Newsletter System That Achieved 44-48% Open Rates for a US Executive Recruiting Firm
Beehiiv Setup | Newsletter Management | Cold Email Warmup | Domain Authentication
The Challenge
A US-based executive recruiting firm (StealthJobs) needed a complete newsletter system built from scratch. They had:
No existing Beehiiv account or newsletter infrastructure
A cold contact list of 9,896 emails that had never been mailed before
A custom domain (stealthjobs.co) hosted on AWS that needed authentication
An existing website signup form that needed to connect to Beehiiv automatically
A need for branded newsletter templates matching their website design
What I Delivered
1. Full Beehiiv Account Setup
Configured publication settings, sender name and reply-to address
Added business address to newsletter footer for CAN-SPAM compliance
Set up publication tags and general settings
2. Domain Authentication (AWS Route 53)
Configured custom sending domain: mail.stealthjobs.co
Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records via AWS Route 53
Configured branded tracking links for click analytics
3. Custom Newsletter Template
Built a branded job listings template matching the client's website design
Designed repeatable job card blocks with title, company, stage, compensation and location
Template is reusable client can duplicate and fill in new roles each send
4. Welcome Automation
Built a triggered welcome email automation for all new subscribers
Wrote branded copy matching the client's website tone and messaging
5. Website Signup Integration
Integrated Beehiiv embed code into the existing stealthjobs.co website
New website signups are automatically enrolled in the newsletter
6. Cold List Warmup Strategy
Implemented a domain warmup schedule to protect deliverability on a new sending domain
Split 9,896 cold contacts into 5 batches sent over multiple days
Monitored bounce rates, spam reports and unsubscribes after each send
Key Takeaways
Proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for inbox placement zero spam reports across all 9,748 sends
Domain warmup strategy protected deliverability on a brand new sending domain
Open rates of 39-48% on early batches are 2x the industry average
A well-structured setup from day one prevents deliverability issues down the line
Services I Offer
Beehiiv account setup and configuration
Custom newsletter template design
Domain authentication (GoDaddy, Namecheap, AWS Route 53, Cloudflare)
Welcome automation setup
Website signup form integration
Cold list warmup and batch sending strategy
Monthly newsletter management and analytics reporting
A/B testing for subject lines and copy optimization
1 like · 16 views · Jul 27, 2026
How I Set Up a Beehiiv Newsletter System That Achieved 44-48% Open Rates for a US Executive Recruiting Firm
