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Want to know if ConvertKit is the right email service provider for your online business? I’ve used a few different email companies and currently, my top choice is ConvertKit. So today I wanted to write a ConvertKit Review for those of you considering making a switch between companies.
There’s absolutely no denying the fact that if you wish to be highly profitable online, you MUST build an email list. Selling to warm leads and existing customers is far easier than trying to convert cold visitors (prospects).
This is why you see marketers constantly parroting the quote, “The money is in the list!”
That’s definitely true. However, let’s not forget a crucial component in all of this. The money may be in the list – but where you keep the list matters greatly too.
The best way to build your list will be to use a reputable autoresponder. Since this is a very profitable online business model, there are many large companies offering email marketing services.
So, which will you choose?
They’re all not made equal. Some are infinitely better than others. So, you have to pick an autoresponder carefully.
What is ConvertKit?
ConvertKit is an email service provider (ESP) that allows businesses, specifically online creators to connect with their customers via email (full disclosure—it happens to be the one we prefer and use on this site). So, if you’re a blogger, an author, a photographer, a graphic designer, web developer and designer, an illustrator, a freelance writer, a consultant, a public speaker, and the like, ConvertKit was designed with you in mind.
But it’s so much more than that too–it’s a powerful tool for building marketing funnels that can take a customer from signing up to actually buying a product. It’s particularly useful for businesses that have multiple product offerings in their suite.
It’s pretty simple to use once you understand what you want to achieve with the service, but is it the right service for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially online business owners? Well, that’s what we’re going to uncover in our comprehensive ConvertKit review.
Yet, to find out more about what ConvertKit does in a more general sense, check out their super helpful knowledge base here.
Email Marketing Strategy: Why You Need an ESP
Running and operating an online business isn’t easy. We’re all struggling with burnout these days.
In fact, 52% of Americans say they burned out in 2021. Pushing yourself to grow for growth’s sake in 2022 just might overwhelm you with the possibility of burning out again.
Here’s the thing.
When it comes to scaling your business, you have to grow in a way that works best for YOU rather than allowing that burnout to sneak back in.
In general, there are three ways you can accomplish this:
- Automate routine or mindless tasks with software
- Delegate or outsource tasks to new hires, agencies, or virtual assistants
- Eliminate to-dos that don’t matter to the bottom line
Sound like a lot to figure out?
Luckily, you can do all three of these really well with email marketing. However, an ESP is the most important piece of technology to support your email marketing strategy.
Email marketing is one of the most powerful methods to build relationships and market your products and services to your audience.
Ditch Self-Hosted Autoresponders
Avoid using self-hosted autoresponders! They’re usually created by ‘smaller’ marketers and lack the features and automation that the managed services provide.
Very often, the self-hosted autoresponders only have one thing going for them – a low one-time fee. But you always get what you pay for. If you have deliverability issues, etc. you’ll have to sort them out yourself.
Not to mention, most self-hosted autoresponders do not have as many integration and customization features as the ‘big guns’. So, it’s best to pick a managed solution even if it means forking out a monthly or yearly fee.
Mention autoresponders and you’ll always see a few big names being mentioned.
Very often, the name ConvertKit will make an appearance and you’ll see marketers raving about it. But does it live up to the hype?
But what are the best email marketing services for entrepreneurs? Today, we’re going to take a look at ConvertKit, one of the most hyped marketing services out there, and find out how it measures up to the others.
Now that we know what ConvertKit does, let’s find out what features it offers.
Benefits of ConvertKit
We’ve used ConvertKit to power our main hub & Funntripps’ email marketing for several years. In that time, we’ve found it to be the ideal ESP for our needs.
Visual Automations
There is no doubt that this feature in ConvertKit made it popular with the masses. It’s extremely easy to segment list subscribers based on their actions. You can specify exactly where you want the subscriber moved based on a ‘trigger’ action they take.
It’s all neatly laid out for you to see in the visual automations. ConvertKit was probably one of the first autoresponders to have a tag-based subscriber system where the subscribers could be tagged based on a click or an action.
User Friendly Interface
The ConvertKit interface is clean and easy to use. Most beginners to email marketing will love the intuitive lay out in this email marketing tool. You could be up and running in 30 minutes or less. It’s really that easy!
Landing Page Builder
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t wish to get a page builder such as OptimizePress, you can still create basic landing pages within ConvertKit. They’ll get the job done even without the bells and whistles you’d find in page builders like Lead pages.
Once you’re making sales and have a sizeable list in your ConvertKit account, you can invest in a page builder. Until then, you can use the landing pages here.
Beautiful Emails
There’s not much customization available in ConvertKit. The templates are mostly text-based and marketers in the ecommerce scene may balk at this.
However, if you’re an affiliate marketer, blogger, etc. ConvertKit’s emails are actually better because of their simplicity. The emails that you create on this platform will look like emails that a friend or family member may send. Mostly text.
Email service providers will be less likely to flag your emails and send them to the SPAM or promotions folder. Which brings us to the next point…
Email Deliverability
This is a CRUCIAL factor and ConvertKit scores very well here. There’s no point in sending emails if they don’t land in the subscribers’ inboxes.
Your emails from ConvertKit will (in most cases) show up in the subscriber’s inbox and they’ll read it. This point alone should make you choose ConvertKit because it’s that important.
Free Account
ConvertKit offers a free trial for you to test it out. Give it a try. You’ll not look back. Here’s exactly what you get with your free ConvertKit account:
- Landing pages
- Forms
- Broadcasts (these are basically single send emails)
- Incentive (freebie) confirmation emails
- Customizable domain
- Subscriber tagging
- Up to 1000 email contacts
Double Opt-in Feature
This is probably one of the most useful features in ConvertKit. Generally, with autoresponders such as AWeber, when someone subscribes to your list, they’ll be sent a confirmation email. Only when they click on the confirmation email link will they be added to your list.
This 2-step cha-cha action will cost you many subscribers who don’t follow through. ConvertKit, however, has a brilliant solution to this problem.
When someone signs up to get your freebie, your first email will have the download link for them to access the lead magnet. The moment they click on it – not only will they get their freebie, but ConvertKit registers the action as a double opt in.
Isn’t that fantastic?
That’s 2 birds with one stone. Or in this case… one email.
Superb Support
ConvertKit offers customer support through email and live chat from your profile tab (once you’re logged in). They also provide support documentation and video tutorials. So, if you have any problems with your emails, etc. you can easily get help.
The support documentation takes you through most of the actions you might want to perform on the email software. It consists of frequently asked questions (FAQs) by users and answers to them.
In most cases, you won’t need the customer support agents with the documentation. But if there’s something you find confusing, you can always use the option of live chat.
No Double Pricing
Many autoresponder companies charge you based on the number of emails in all your lists (including the unsubscribe lists). So, if one subscriber is on 3 of your lists, they’ll be counted as 3 subscribers and you’ll be paying more.
ConvertKit doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t double count or even triple count email addresses. Each subscriber is only counted once and you pay only for the subscribers you have and not more. That’s awesome.
Variety of Forms
If you wish to embed sign up forms on your blog, etc. ConvertKit has quite a variety of attractive forms you can use.
Drawbacks of ConvertKit
ConvertKit is slightly more expensive than the other brands such as GetResponse, etc. However, it’s still worth paying for. Marketers on a tighter budget may be reluctant to pay for ConvertKit because it costs a bit more – but they should, because it’s worth every cent.
Limited A/B Testing Feature
There is an A/B testing feature in ConvertKit, but it’s quite limited when compared to the other brands. But if you’re not doing heavy split testing, you really don’t need this feature.
Analytics Could Be More Robust
The data provided in ConvertKit is quite basic too. Some autoresponders such as Active Campaign have very detailed analytics. There’s a reason for this – ConvertKit is more for bloggers and marketers who are running small businesses and need a clean tight email marketing tool to help them.
They don’t need email marketing software that’s bloated with features and intimidating to them. That’s why they love ConvertKit. It’s lean and effective – and most importantly, simple to use while getting the job done.
ConvertKit Pricing
Firstly, you can pay in two ways for ConvertKit–Monthly or Annual. When you pay annually, you get two months free, but using the service is still based on how many contacts/subscribers you have signed up for your mailing list.
For a long time, ConvertKit only offered paid plans. But in December 2019, the company announced a new free tier if you have fewer than 1,000 subscribers.
Here are ConvertKit’s pricing options as of March 2021:
ConvertKit Free Plan
- $0 /month for up to 1,000 subscribers
The Free plan includes:
- Unlimited landing pages & forms
- Send email broadcasts
- Sell digital products & subscriptions
- Email support
ConvertKit Creator Plan
- $29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers (paid monthly)
- $25/month for up to 1,000 subscribers (paid annually)
- Tiered pricing up to $2,299/month paid monthly (or $1,916/month paid annually) for up to 400,000 subscribers
The Creator plan includes:
- All the features of the Free plan
- Free migration from another tool
- Automated funnels & sequences
ConvertKit Creator Pro Plan
- $59/month for up to 1,000 subscribers
- Tiered pricing up to $2,599/month paid monthly (or $2,166/month paid annually) for up to 400,000 subscribers
The Creator Pro plan includes:
- All the features of the Creator plan
- Facebook custom audiences
- Newsletter referral system
- Subscriber scoring
- Advanced reporting
Is ConvertKit Right For You?
So, there you have it—our review of ConvertKit’s email marketing platform! Essentially, if you’re looking for an email marketing automation tool for your website, you need to define the most important things you want from an email software. Is it design, or ease of use, or automation, or price?
Certainly, the list is longer than that. However, I firmly believe that ConvertKit is intuitive, effective and has your name written all over it.
Test out the free trial and you’ll understand why despite being relatively, the new kid on the block, ConvertKit can still hold its own against competitors who have been in the business for decades.
This tool is only getting better… so you want to get in on it now. It’s an awesome autoresponder.
>>> Click Here to Get ConvertKit <<<
We’ll leave you with a few more resources if you’re curious about ConvertKit, or want to dig further into email marketing.
ConvertKit [Full Disclosure: As an affiliate, we receive compensation if you purchase through this link.]
The SPI Essential Guide to Email Marketing
How I Use ConvertKit’s Simple Email System to Land Coaching Clients
What are your experiences with email marketing services? Is there a particular service you’d like to see reviewed? Let me know in the comments below.
