How to migrate from MailerLite to beehiiv

In order to successfully migrate from MailerLite to beehiiv, you’ll need to do two things:

• Migrate your subscribers
• Migrate your newsletter content

You can follow the step-by-step instructions for each below, and use the links above to jump to a section. 

1. Log into your MailerLite account.
    

2. Head to the Subscribers page to start exporting subscribers.
   You can export all subscribers or choose specific subscriber categories, including active, unsubscribed, bounced, unconfirmed, and those who have sent spam complaints.
   
   

   
   Pro Tip: We highly recommend only migrating your active subscribers to beehiiv. To view this specific list in your MailerLite account, select to show Active subscribers from the dropdown menu.
3. After you select the subscribers you wish to export,  you can select subscribers individually or click on the dropdown arrow next to the Subscriber column to select all subscribers that are visible on the current page or all of the subscribers in the list.
   
   
   

4. Toggle each of the columns/fields you wish to export.
   
   

   
   Tech Note: The export function only exports the columns/fields that are visible on your subscriber list overview at the moment of exporting. By default, the first few columns will always be included. To select additional columns /fields in your export file, you’ll need to click on the Toggle columns dropdown option to see the full list.
5. Head back to the Actions dropdown option and select Export CS.
   
   
   
6. When your file is ready, you’ll get a message on the page. Click the Download button to download and save the file to your device.
   
   
   
   
   Here’s an example of an exported CSV list of subscribers:
   
   
   

Before you import an exported MailerLite CSV file into beehiiv, it is best practice to look through the data and clean up any fields.

1. Open the exported MailerLite CSV file and review the header, or top row, information.
    
2. For easier mapping during the import, you should rename the ‘Subscriber’ column header to ‘EMAIL’.
   
   
   
3. Also, make sure the header fields use the same names as the custom fields that you’ll be using in beehiiv, and remove any data that you don’t plan to use.
   
   
   
4. Log into your beehiiv account. From the left hand panel, go to Settings > Publication > then click on the  Import Subscribers tab.
    
5. After clicking on  the black Start Import button, you’ll be prompted to choose an import method. Select Upload a CSV file and then choose the CSV file that you want to import.
   
   
   
   
   If you have a welcome email setup or an active automation, you can choose those options or leave them blank. You can also select or skip the email validation.
    
6. Review your selections and click on Import Subscribers.
    
7. A confirmation message will pop up where you will need to confirm that the contacts in the list have knowingly opted-in to receiving emails from you. Click on Import to confirm.
   
   
   
8. Next, you’ll be able to start mapping out the fields (tags) from the CSV file as custom fields within beehiiv.
   
   
   
9. When done making your selections, click on the Import button.
    
10. Once completed, you will see how many subscribers were accepted. 
    
    
    
11. You can then view the subscribers by navigating to the Audience section of your account.
    
    
    
12. To see the newly imported custom fields, click on an individual subscriber’s name and navigate to the Custom Fields section.
    
    
    

Currently, there’s no direct integration or automated tool to import previous MailerLite newsletter content into beehiiv. We’re actively developing an import tool to simplify this process and will update this article once it becomes available.

In the meantime, you can migrate your content by either:

• Manually copying and pasting your MailerLite posts into new beehiiv posts, or
• Hiring third-party help through the beehiiv Experts Directory.

For hands-on help with your migration from MailerLite to beehiiv, you can work with a specialist from the beehiiv Experts Directory. These trusted partners offer professional migration services to help ensure a smooth transition to your new platform.