Why I Switched to ConvertKit (and You Should Too)

I’m going to get a little nerdy in this post about something I’m totally obsessed with: ConvertKit. I’m sharing the reasons I love ConvertKit and why you should (or shouldn’t) sign up! I will be sharing my affiliate link in this post! If you sign up under me with this link, you can get a FREE MONTH of CK to try it and I gift my affiliates a course on Mastering ConvertKit and I have a private Facebook group. Keep reading to find out why I love ConvertKit (and if you already know you want to try it + get my course & group, sign up HERE).

For me, 2015 was the year of EMAIL. I started a list for my lifestyle blog in 2012, mostly to share updates about a book I wrote. I started writing weekly emails, but didn’t do a LOT to grow my list.

When I started the Create If Writing podcast in 2015, I decided to go all out with email. I signed up for four service providers in one year (Mailchimp, Mad Mimi, Aweber, & ConvertKit). I launched the Free Email Course and Own Your List, my signature course about email. Since then, I’ve given talks at almost a dozen conferences and events about email.

YEP. TOTAL EMAIL NERD.

I am fully convinced that email should be the backbone of our online platform. So why ConvertKit?  At least a little. Now that I’ve been with ConvertKit for two years, I want to count down the top 5 reasons that I am glad I switched to ConvertKit and why you might (or might not) want to switch too.

WHY I SWITCHED TO CONVERTKIT 

1. ConvertKit Has AWESOME Automation

Tagging is a super detailed way to organize subscribers. Automation in ConvertKit allows me to have tags added when email subscribers do certain things. As an example, when someone buys a course from me, a tag is added to them so I can leave them out of any future emails about buying that course.

I can do a poll to my subscribers asking them to click to share their interests. When they click either choice (which would be a hyperlink to a more in-depth poll or a resource page, for example), a tag will be added that tells me if they have a blog or not. This helps me send targeted emails and know my subscribers better. It’s fancy and it’s fun!

(I go over all of this more in depth in my ConvertKit course, free for people who sign up with my affiliate link!)

2. ConvertKit Has Fabulous Form Analytics

On the main dashboard, you are greeted with a view of your signups as a whole in a bar graph. Each bar is broken down by color to show you how many people signed up from which form.

Below this, you’ll see a little box for each form, showing the analytics for how many times it has been seen and how many signups you’ve gotten. This is really helpful to see what’s working well. You can also choose to send emails to people by which form they used to sign up.

3. ConvertKit Has Easy Sequences (aka: autoresponders)

I don’t know of an email service provider that doesn’t have the option of autoresponders (or drip campaigns). But I really love the way ConvertKit has these set up. Having tried these in other providers, it is SO MUCH MORE SIMPLE.

But you ALSO get some really cool advanced features. You can choose to exclude people from a whole sequence, so that you don’t send that welcome series to the same person twice (like if they sign up for two different content upgrades on your blog). You can exclude people from a single email in the sequence also. As an example, if you are going to sell a product during an email, you could exclude people who have purchased that product from getting that ONE email. So. Many. Features.

 

4. ConvertKit Makes Freebie Delivery Your Confirmation Link

I’m in a lot of blogging groups on Facebook and there is always a lot of discussion about how to deliver freebies and content upgrades. There are solutions in other email service providers, so it’s totally doable. (Read my full post on delivering a freebie to your email subscribers!)

But ConvertKit makes this process so streamlined by letting you upload your freebie or content upgrade right . And rather than a click to confirm button, you have a click to download button with your freebie RIGHT THERE. It’s simple and easy. Plus, people are more likely to click confirm if that’s HOW they get the freebie they want.

 

5. ConvertKit Can Save You Money

I know what you’re thinking: the cheapest plan (under 1000) starts at $29. First of all, if you have multiple lists with Mailchimp and a few people are on a few lists, you are paying for each of those emails more than once. EVEN IF IT IS THE SAME PERSON. So your costs could actually go down moving over because you aren’t paying for the same person two or three times.

The other HUGE benefit is the affiliate program. Rather than getting a one-time commission, if someone signs up through your affiliate link, you get 30% of what they pay EVERY MONTH. Get a few affiliate sign ups and your email pays for itself. That’s pretty awesome.

This is one reason I want to take care of my affiliates by offering a free course and a free Facebook group! I want to be sure that I’m supporting the people who sign up with my link as a way of me thanking THEM. Sound good? Click below to get your first month free! Then shoot me an email to let me know you signed up! (kirsten at kirstenoliphant dot com)

Should You Switch to ConvertKit?

So, is ConvertKit right for you? Maybe. Maybe not. My simple advice is that if you are using email in a simple way, then you may not need ConvertKit. I have my lifestyle blog email on Mailchimp because I generally send ONE email to the WHOLE list and don’t do a lot of selling or complicated segmenting.

If you are running webinars or workshops, building sales funnels, targeting several types of people, or selling products, ConvertKit will make your life so much easier!

Still have objections?

• If you’re concerned primarily with cost, see #5. The monthly price comes in a little higher than Mailchimp once you are on the paid plan, so it’s VERY comparable. If you get some affiliate sales, you can be set. Cost may not need to deter you!
• If you want to know your subscribers better, you can use the automation and tagging features to segment and send more targeted emails.
• If you want to create stellar autoresponders that are easy to manage, you’ll find ConvertKit fantastic for this.
• If you want to track analytics on your signup forms, you got it. They also have great reporting on all your broadcasts and sequences so you can see what’s working and how people are engaging with emails.

I didn’t even touch on the fact that ConvertKit’s forms are very mobile responsive, so you don’t have to worry about things looking weird or ugly. They also have landing pages and can do pop-ups with their modal forms. Their emails are also mobile-responsive, so they look AMAZING if you are reading on a phone. This is huge, since a growing percentage of people read email on phones.

I also LOVE the Facebook group that ConvertKit put together. It’s full of people taking email seriously and trying to figure out the best ways to use ConvertKit. If you don’t know how to do something, it’s a great place to ask. You can also let the developers know what features you’d like to see added. AND THEY LISTEN.

Try a month free with my affiliate link so you can test out the features and see if it makes sense for YOU to switch! GET YOUR FREE MONTH HERE! Let me know when you sign up so I can get you into the Facebook group and my ConvertKit course!

What’s your favorite feature from your email service provider? Which of these ConvertKit features would you get nerdy and excited about?