The plan in one table
The dates assume a start on Monday 2 November 2026; shift them to your own start. Each step names the decision to make and links to the guide on this site that covers it in depth, so this page stays a checklist rather than a repeat of those guides.
| Day and date | Task | Done when | Deep-dive guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1, Mon 2 Nov | Choose and register the domain | You control DNS at a registrar such as Namecheap | How to choose a domain extension |
| Day 2, Tue 3 Nov | Choose the platform | Account open; plan confirmed for custom-domain sending | beehiiv vs MailerLite |
| Day 3, Wed 4 Nov | Add the platform's DNS records | Every record entered exactly as shown | Connect a domain to beehiiv, or Namecheap SPF, DKIM and DMARC records |
| Day 4, Thu 5 Nov | Verify | Platform shows authenticated or Live | MailerLite domain authentication failed |
| Day 5, Fri 6 Nov | Publish DMARC at p=none with a report address | One TXT record at _dmarc | DMARC rollout |
| Days 6 to 7, 7 to 8 Nov | Signup form, confirmation choice, welcome email | A test signup receives the welcome email | Double or single opt-in; Welcome email sequence plan |
| Days 8 to 9, 9 to 10 Nov | Write issues 1 to 3; footer and unsubscribe | Three drafts pass the QA checklist | Email campaign QA checklist; CAN-SPAM footer |
| Day 10, Wed 11 Nov | Send issue 1 to engaged readers first | Sent; no bounce spike | Warm up a new sending domain |
| Days 11 to 14, 12 to 15 Nov | Measure and adjust | Notes on clicks, complaints, unsubscribes | Newsletter going to spam checklist |
| Wed 18 Nov and Wed 25 Nov | Issues 2 and 3 | Same weekday and time as issue 1 | Email campaign QA checklist |
Days 1 and 2: domain and platform
Register a domain you are happy to keep for years; changing the sending domain later resets the reputation work you are about to start. A separate sending subdomain such as news.yourdomain.com is a reasonable choice for a new list; our sending subdomain guide covers the trade-offs.
Then confirm that your platform plan supports what you need on day 3. beehiiv says custom domains are available on paid plans and recommends setting up both a web domain and a sending domain for most publications. [1] MailerLite lets new accounts send their first campaigns without authenticating a domain during the 14-day trial, but requires authentication for custom-domain sending. [2] Plan for authentication either way; you will need it within two weeks.
Days 3 to 5: DNS records, verification and DMARC
At Namecheap, records go in Domain List, Manage, Advanced DNS. That tab only appears when the domain uses Namecheap BasicDNS, FreeDNS or PremiumDNS; if it is missing, your DNS lives elsewhere (another provider, or cPanel for Namecheap hosting) and the records go there. [4] In the Host field, enter @ for the root domain and only the subdomain part for anything else, for example www rather than www.yourdomain.com. [4]
MailerLite's Namecheap instructions list three records: a DKIM CNAME at litesrv._domainkey pointing to litesrv._domainkey.mlsend.com, an SPF TXT record at @ and a verification TXT record at @, with the exact values shown in your account. It also says there should be only one SPF record at a time. [3] beehiiv shows its records in the app starting with an ownership-verification record, can add them automatically through Entri, and asks Cloudflare users to set each record to DNS only. [1]
Verification windows differ. MailerLite says it can take up to 24 hours, but is usually approved in minutes. [2] beehiiv says a few hours, and up to 72. [1] Namecheap's default TTL is 30 minutes, so a correction can take that long to be seen. [4]
On day 5, add DMARC. MailerLite's example is v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected], where p=none monitors without enforcing. [6] beehiiv says every publication sending from a custom domain needs a DMARC record. [1] Google requires DMARC for bulk senders, meaning more than 5,000 messages a day, and says the policy can be set to none. [5]
Days 6 to 9: signup, welcome email and the first three issues
- Decide single or double opt-in before you publish the form. Our double or single opt-in guide covers the trade-off.
- Write one welcome email that says what the newsletter is, how often it arrives and what the reader gets first. A sequence can come later; see the welcome email sequence plan.
- Sign up yourself with a personal address and confirm the welcome email arrives and renders.
- Draft issues 1, 2 and 3 now. Having three in hand stops the second week from slipping, which is when most new newsletters miss their schedule.
- Add the footer: your postal address where the law you follow requires it, and a visible unsubscribe link. Google asks bulk senders to support one-click unsubscribe and to show an unsubscribe link in the body. [5]
- Run each draft through the email campaign QA checklist, including a real send to yourself; MailerLite notes that test emails do not exercise unsubscribe or forward links. [8]
Day 10: send issue one carefully
If you are starting from zero subscribers, send to everyone; the list is small by definition. If you imported a list, ramp up. Kit's guidance for a newly verified domain is a useful general pattern: start with the most engaged subscribers, add groups over time, consider suppressing cold subscribers for two weeks, and avoid other major changes during the period. [7]
Turn on UTM tags before sending so web visits from the issue are attributed to it. In MailerLite this is a toggle under Tracking options, and the tags only help if your site runs Google Analytics. [9]
Days 11 to 14: what to measure
Treat open rate with caution (our Apple Mail privacy guide explains why) and look first at the signals that predict trouble or growth.
| Signal | Where to read it | Act if |
|---|---|---|
| Spam complaint rate | Google Postmaster Tools for Gmail recipients | Above 0.1%, Google's recommended ceiling; 0.3% is the hard limit [5] |
| Bounces | Your platform's campaign report | A visible spike on the first send: check the imported list |
| Clicks per issue | Platform report, plus Google Analytics with UTM tags [9] | Nobody clicks anything: the issue may be too long or the links buried |
| Unsubscribes | Platform report | Several on issue one: check the signup promise matches what you sent |
| Replies | The reply-to mailbox | Replies bounce: fix the reply address before issue two |
Who should not follow this schedule
If you are moving an established newsletter between platforms, use a migration plan instead: list export, custom field mapping and a warm-up on the new platform matter more than the launch order here. If you need to send transactional mail such as receipts from the same domain, settle that design first; see our transactional versus marketing email guide.
Questions before you decide
Can I send my first issue before my domain is authenticated?
In MailerLite, new accounts can send their first campaigns without authenticating a domain during the 14-day trial, but authentication is required for sending from a custom domain after that. beehiiv says to wait until all domain items show Live before sending from the new domain.
Do I need a DMARC record to launch?
For beehiiv, yes: it says every publication sending from a custom domain needs a DMARC record. Google requires DMARC for bulk senders of more than 5,000 messages a day, and says the policy can be set to none.
How long does DNS verification take?
MailerLite says it can take up to 24 hours but is usually approved in minutes. beehiiv says verification usually takes a few hours but can take up to 72 hours. Namecheap records use a 30-minute default TTL, so edits can take that long to show.
Should I send issue one to the whole list?
If you imported an existing list, ramp up. Kit's deliverability guidance for a newly verified domain is to start with your most engaged subscribers and add groups over time, rather than sending to everyone at once.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv Support: Configuring custom domains Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to verify and authenticate your domain Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to authenticate a domain in Namecheap Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: How do I set up host records for a domain? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Google: Email sender guidelines Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: The basics of DMARC Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: What you should know before setting up a verified sending domain Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: Everything about test emails Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to use Google Analytics in your campaigns and websites Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.