With algorithms changing, email marketing is one way bloggers continue to build and nurture an audience. We’ve switched to ConvertKit from Mailchimp, and we’ve used it since 2018. Our ConvertKit review for bloggers includes pros, cons, pricing, and our favorite features. Plus, learn how you can get a free trial in 2024.
What is ConvertKit used for?
ConvertKit is an email marketing service designed for bloggers, business owners, and content creators. It helps you easily connect with your audience through newsletters and automated email series.
Why trust us? We’ve focused on email marketing as part of our blog since we started in 2011. Before choosing ConvertKit, we tried several email service providers (ESP) including Aweber, BombBomb, and MailChimp.
We also don’t spend a ton of money on expenses. The fact that we spend $3,630 for something speaks volumes.
What makes this review different than other reviewers? We aren’t tech gurus. Our ConvertKit review looks at how easy it is to use, as well as, how it helped us grow our email list and income. We also went through Email Crush to learn how to use ConvertKit fully.
Why is ConvertKit the best?
ConvertKit offers a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform that allows you to send beautiful emails, target your offers to specific subscribers, and create automated email series to provide value to your audience.
Grab a Free ConvertKit Trial
Email Service Provider Features To Look For
We love that ConvertKit offers so many customization options and advanced features.
No matter what service you choose, we recommend always looking for these important features:
- send basic email campaigns (also known as broadcasts or newsletters)
- set-up and send automated email sequences
- create rules for automations (if-this-then-that)
- an API
- offer GDPR compliant subscriber forms
- support its clients with excellent customer support
- allow for native integrations like Zapier
Luckily, ConvertKit does all of these things and more including a landing page editor, paid newsletters, tip jar, and the ability to sell digital products!
We’ve also had really great experiences with their customer service over the years.
They also just launched their own ad network in 2023. This means you can include ads automatically once you are accepted into their ad program.
What We Like About ConvertKit
ConvertKit is user-friendly, offers a ton of customization features, and it’s easy to see how things are converting.
1. User-Friendly
When you sign up for ConvertKit, you may feel a little overwhelmed by all of the options. The good news is the learning curve is pretty quick!
Also, if you have a large list already, ConvertKit offers a free migration service to move over your subscriber list. If this sounds like something you’d like, we’d recommend signing up for the free trial and then emailing them to get it started!
2. Lots of Customizable Features
Everything you need for email marketing is within ConvertKit. You can create beautiful landing pages and forms inside of it, as well as, send newsletters and automated series.
You can also create funnels, sales emails, and connect it to your Shopify store if you have one!
We love that you can customize the pre-made templates or create your own for attractive emails, too!
3. Easy to Set Up Mailing Lists and Segmentations
We currently have 3 websites with multiple sign-up offers, as well as, an online shop within our one ConvertKit profile.
ConvertKit makes it really easy to segment these lists with tags, forms, or segments. This helps us send tailored content and offers to the correct audiences!
4. Unlimited Landing Pages and Opt-in Forms
As mentioned above, you can create landing pages and forms for your lead magnets within ConvertKit. You can embed them on your blog or share a link to any of them on your social profiles or anywhere on the web!
This is a great way to grow your email list and also develop funnels.
For example, if you’re a food blogger using ConvertKit, you could set up a form where someone could sign up for your 5 Best Cookie Recipes!
You could then include that 5 Best Cookie Recipes form on your blog, social media channels, or anywhere!
When people opt in, you can create an automated email series to go out to them. This drives traffic to your website, and you could even offer them a discount on your cookbook or something at the end of the automated emails!
There is also a WordPress plugin you can use to embed your forms!
Screenshot
5. Super Easy Automation
As mentioned above, you can easily created automation rules within ConvertKit. So when someone fills out your 5 Best Cookie Recipes form they’ll automatically receive an email with them!
Their automation system is super easy to use. You can set up rules and email sequences quickly.
This makes it super easy to get new subscribers involved and opening your emails!
An example of an automation rule is:
If someone signs up for the 5 Best Cookie Recipes form, then add “this tag”, and subscribe them to “this sequence”.
Screenshot
6. Helpful Analytics and Reporting
Whether you send a weekly newsletter (It’s called a broadcast on ConvertKit) or an automated sequence, you can easily see the open rate, click rate, and unsubscribes.
You can also do A/B testing on the subject line and add a featured snippet on Broadcasts. You’ll be able to compare the results from the A/B test after 4 hours of initially sending the email.
Screenshot
7. The Creator Network
ConvertKit launched the Creator Network in 2022 or 2023, and it’s a really cool way to connect with other bloggers and also grow your email list!
You can set up a profile on the Creator Network with what your emails are about. Once you have this set up, others on the Creator Network can recommend your newsletter to people signing up for theirs and vice versa!
For example, if you participated in the Creator Network, you could recommend 1-3 other food bloggers when someone signs up for your 5 Best Cookie Recipes form.
You have the ability to choose who you recommend and on what forms, and it’s all voluntary. We’ve recommended people in the same or complimentary niche, and we’ve been recommended as well. It’s been a great way to grow our email list!
You can always check out the analytics and conversation rate and adjust as needed as well.
8. High Deliverability
Some email service providers don’t have great deliverability rates. We won’t get into this much because it’s technical — just know ConvertKit has been tested and been shown to have high deliverability.
High deliverability means that the email you send to someone has a high chance of actually ending up in their inbox.
ConvertKit’s email deliverability rates have been between 80% up to the mid-90s.
They use an upstream provider, SendGrid which is a very reputable brand to deliver their emails.
9. Monetization Opportunities
ConvertKit also offers way to make money on within the email platform! So not only can you send an email about one of your products, you can actually get paid for your email marketing.
Sparkloop
Sparkloop works a lot like the Creator Network. If you choose, you can add the option for someone signing up for your 5 Best Cookie Recipes form to also sign up for another newsletter. You can choose who you recommend, and you can get paid for referring people to that newsletter!
ConvertKit Commerce
If you sell printables, templates, or downloadable products, ConvertKit has a built-in checkout cart you can use!
Ads
They also just launched their own ad-network! Right now, you have to have a certain amount of subscribers and apply to be apart of it, but if you’re selected you’ll be able to choose when and where you’d like ads to be placed in your emails to make some extra money!
How to Use ConvertKit
We highly recommend Email on AutoPilot (aka Email Crush) by Matt Molen to learn how to use all of the features on ConvertKit.
He walks you through everything step-by-step, and when we went through through the email course we saw a major increase in our subscribers, as well as, our open rates!
Learn More About Email Crush or Grab Our Review of It
Is ConvertKit free?
Technically you can get a free ConvertKit plan indefinitely up to 1,000 subscribers. With that said, you can’t create email automations or sequences with the free ConvertKit account.
So the free tier is only great if you want to send a newsletter or basic email because you don’t get the extra features like a Creator or Pro Plan.
We recommend getting the free trial instead and then looking into the ConvertKit pricing.
ConvertKit Pricing
The cost of ConvertKit ranges depending on the features and amount of subscribers you want to include. Currently, there are 3 ConvertKit Plans: Free, Creator, and the Creator Pro Plan.
As bloggers, we currently have the Creator membership, and it’s worked very well.
Grab a Free ConvertKit Trial
How much does Convertkit Cost?
Convertkit’s price varies depending on the amount of subscribers you have, the features you’d like, and if you choose a monthly or yearly membership.
For example, if you have 5,000 subscribers, the price is ranges from $66 to $93 a month based on the annual membership.
If you have 1,000 subscribers and don’t need a lot of features, you can use the service indefinitely for free. However, if you go above 1,000 you’ll need to pay.
You can get started for free with no credit card required for 14 days though!
Pricing shown on picture is for 5,000 subscribers on a yearly plan as of April 2024.
Is ConvertKit worth the money?
ConvertKit has been well worth the money spent for us as bloggers. We’re able to generate more traffic each week with our newsletters and automated email series.
We’ve also included marketing funnels that drive people to targeted offers for our digital products.
We’ve also utilized Convertkit’s Network Profile to grow our email list and their ad network to generate an income from our emails.
Grab a Free ConvertKit Trial
Convertkit vs Mailchimp
We started with Mailchimp, but ConvertKit has been so much easier to use! It offers a ton more features, automation options, and analytics unlike Mailchimp.
Final Notes
We hope this review of ConvertKit helps you decide if it’s a good fit for you.
βThe free Convertkit membership is a great starting point if you have less than 1,000 email subscribers, and the free trial will also let you play with the email marketing tool to see if it’s the right choice for you if you have more subscribers!
If you’re worried about the steep learning curve or are brand new to email marketing automation, we highly suggest Email Crush.
Matt Molen, the online course creator, is one of the best ConvertKit Pros, and he definitely helped us up our email marketing game.
Grab a Free ConvertKit Trial
Learn More About Email Crush or Grab Our Review of It
Get More Simple Life Hacks on Our Podcast!
