Today we are talking all things ConvertKit, and I’ll run you through the reasons I love using the platform… but also, the reason you may not want to use the platform.
What is ConvertKit?
ConvertKit is an email marketing system.
That is to say, it is a system that allows you to collect, store and send emails to the email addresses of your fans/tribe etc.
There are hundreds of email marketing systems out there. From the free Mailchimp, to the much more expensive Infusionsoft, and everything in between.
Every platform has it’s own pros and cons, so it is worth having a look to find something that suits you.
The Pros
It was built by bloggers for bloggers.
Unlike other platforms which actively discourage people from selling services and online products through their platform, ConvertKit was built with sales in mind. (Mailchimps terms of use have changed recently, but used to prevent the selling of digital products.)
They easily allow for things like A/B split testing subject lines
With sales and open rates in mind, ConvertKit make it easy for you to check what is working for you, and what isn’t. You can send the same email to 2 halves of your database with different subject lines, to see what works best for you.
It only has one “list”
If you are familiar with tools like Mailchimp, you will understand that you have different lists of people and you can send emails out to one or multiple lists. The problem with this is, if someone is on 2 lists, they are counted as 2 subscribers. That means you are paying for them twice, and they can receive 2 copies of the email.
ConvertKit only has one list. Everyone lands in the same spot.
But it has a really easy system of tags and segments, to help you see what people are interested in and where they came from.
No matter how many tags or segments they are in, the system recognises that they are one person. You will only ever pay for them once, and they will only receive one copy of an email.
Easily track clicks and tag users
In addition to above, it is very easy to allocate a new tag to people who click a certain link in your emails. That means I can see who is watching my videos… but it also allows me to see who clicked through to a sales page for a new product or service. I can then send targeted emails to just the people who were interested enough to click through.
Build email sequences
If you want to build a 5 day challenge, or a drip fed course… then ConvertKit allows you to create a series of emails that drip out over a certain time frame, depending on when someone signed up to that sequence.
In other services, such as mailchimp, you pay extra for this ability, with Convertkit it is all included in your monthly fee.
It is intuitive and easy to use
This is one of the biggest things for me. I found ConvertKit very easy to use. The learning curve was small, buttons are where I expected them to be and it is generally just very user friendly.
Creating landing pages or optin boxes is fast
Very fast!!
I can add a “If you loved this blog, sign up for more” box to the bottom of a blog post in just 2 clicks. And I can create landing pages for new ebooks or opt-ins in under 5 minutes.
The service comes with a range of templates that are easy to adjust, and after all, collecting the email addresses is the important bit!
The Cons
There is no free level
ConvertKit doesn’t have a free level, unlike services like Mailchimp. Their lowest level of service is $29us a month. So if you are just starting out, or not in a position to pay for your service yet, then maybe ConvertKit isn’t the option for you.
It doesn’t make super pretty newsletters
Don’t get me wrong here, you can definitely add headers, pictures and change the size and colour of the fonts… but if you are used to using a drag and drop newsletter builder, like Mailchimp has, then you might be disappointed moving across to ConvertKit.
ConvertKit is designed to send emails that look like emails. They are more personal-able, and are shown to have better conversion rates for services.
However if you run a product based business with pretty stock (like soap or stationery) the ConvertKit might not be the platform for you.
At the end of the day you need to make a decision about what is right for you… but I am a huge fan of ConvertKit and tell all of my clients to use it too.
If you would like to find out more about ConvertKit and check out their current pricing structure, click here.
Note:
The views in this post are mine, and mine alone.
The links above are affiliate links, and I may receive a small payment if you chose to use the service.
However, you know I wouldn’t tell you about a product or service if I didn’t use it and love it.