Convert to ConvertKit – In-depth Review & Guide For Creators

As a creator, you want to stay in touch with your audience. But how can you reach all of the members of your community and promote your content? What if we told you there is an easy way to do that? Would you be interested? If yes – stay with us – and by the end of this article, you will know everything you need to know about growing and nurturing your community.

Engaging with your audience is all about communication. Email marketing – especially email newsletters – sent to your audience surely help to promote your work by staying in touch with your fans. That is why choosing an appropriate email marketing software is so important. Today we will get you acquainted with one of the most popular email marketing software – ConvertKit was introduced to the internet in 2013, so the entire platform is still relatively new. Although this software does not have all the bigger competitors’ features, it is enough for small business owners, artists, and authors. ConvertKit provides creators with all essential email marketing tools needed for email marketing and communication.

Using different features, ConvertKit offers you several options: growing your audience, connecting with your fans, and earning a living. It allows you to automate your workflow and adjust the settings of your ConvertKit account up to your liking. You can send personalized content, design your own landing page and even automate your sales funnel. That is everything bloggers, podcasters, and small artists could wish for. For podcast topics ideas, go to our latest article: How to Come Up With the Best Podcast Ideas & Topics for podcasts.

If you are thinking about using email marketing software, continue reading, and we will review every feature and see if ConvertKit is seriously that good. We will cover:

• What is ConvertKit? How does it differ from other Email service providers?
• Key features of ConvertKit
• Who is ConvertKit for?
• A guide to starting ConvertKit
• The pricing of ConvertKit
• Is ConvertKit really any good?

But first, let’s get to the bottom of what ConvertKit is.

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What is ConvertKit?

ConvertKit is a vastly popular email service provider for content creators and is one of the fastest-growing email marketing software companies. The entire idea comes from a creator, author, speaker, designer Nathan Barry, who wanted to help other creators earn a living with email marketing. He designed an easy-in-use platform, full of helpful features such as:

• original landing page templates
• visual automation
• email sequences
• customizable sign-up forms
• and many more

ConvertKit advertises itself as an essential platform for all types of creators (bloggers, authors, makers, YouTubers, poets, painters, designers, and so on). Its so-called mission is to help them earn a living online from their craft and content and give it a deeper meaning.

It is worth mentioning that the creators of ConvertKit view their idea as a sort of life-bettering movement. They want to make an impact on how online creators are perceived. However, the main goal is to help them earn a living from their work online and stay true to their values and mission.

• Create every day
• Work in public
• Default to generosity
• Creator success is our success
• Do it with excellence

‘Our unfair advantage is that we care more.

From the way we serve customers who need help, to the way we create educational content to the features we build to the way we sell….’

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They repeatedly mention their superiority to other email service providers and a different, more humane approach. So the next question is:

How is ConvertKit different from other Email Service Providers?

As mentioned before, ConvertKit is a relatively new platform. Unlike older providers, such as MailChimp, they use new technology and acknowledge modern designs and trends. One of its main advantages is the ease of use. There are simple instructions, like tutorials or step-by-step explanations. ConvertKit provides you with many uncomplicated features (unlike a much pricier competitor – Keap).

Staying on the subject of price – ConvertKit offers three different pricing plans. Compared to other platforms and the quality-to-price ratio, it is very reasonably priced. The standard, the free plan, includes many tools – one being unlimited landing pages and tools.

The other significant advantage of Convertkit is that its primary goal is growing and fostering your audience. Therefore, there are numerous beneficial features for small businesses and creators and less e-commerce-oriented options.

Key features of ConvertKit

The company stays true to its mission to support creators and offer lots of extraordinary features, from which a few are entirely free. They allow you to customize and adjust email marketing design up to your liking. ConvertKit not only helps you with email marketing but also works as an autoresponder. Both, free and paid plans will provide you with email support, email templates, sign-up forms, and landing pages. The best thing is that it is not all! There are many more basic and advanced features for you to use.

The following features are:

Landing pages

Entirely customizable and free landing page templates designed by ‘world-class pros’ are easy to create. Moreover, you do not need to know anything about the code. However, if you want to do it by yourself, you are offered custom CSS. You do not need another platform to do that (for example, Leadpages).

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You also get access to Unsplash – a platform with thousands of free and unique photos and images. What is significant these days – the landing pages are adjustable. They will be perfect for viewing them as well on a mobile, as a computer. They also integrated landing page opt-in forms, so your audience can simply become your subscribers.

The landing page allows to and ensures:

• Collect custom data
• Automatic lead magnet delivery
• Customizable success messages
• Connect to an automation
• GDPR compliant
• Integrations with other tools

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You can also create an easy-to-find landing page by filling in the SEO Title and Description with popular keywords. That way, your page will pop up more often and gain you new subscribers.

Email sign-up forms

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The same as landing pages, sign-in forms are entirely free and fully customizable. You can determine what data you are requesting and embed forms on your website. They are also offered in multiple ways:

• Delivering a freebie – by adding a so-called ‘freebie,’ opt-in incentives, or content upgrades to your webpage, your audience is more eager to sign up for your content. You give them a free sample, and you can add another subscriber to your email list in return. You can set an incentive to be sent automatically whenever you gain a new subscriber. At the same time, when they click to download your ‘freebie,’ they double opt-in into your email list.
• Exit-intent pop-up – this type of sign-up form is perfect if you do not want to take up space on your page but be sure that your audience sees the option to sign up. You can set the time or action after your form pops up. It is the perfect option for gaining new email subscribers.
• Newsletter sign-up – with this method, you can build your email list with your newsletter. It is considered the best way to connect with your audience and the quickest and easiest way for fans to sign up for your newsletter list. Create ‘drips’ – a pre-written set of short, catchy messages that will raise interest in your audience and increase open rates
• Blog categories – if you have multiple content categories in your blog, you can create a new opt-in form for each one of them. It will become sort of a system helping you tag and segment new subscribers. ConvertKit offers a WordPress plugin, which will attach categorized opt-in forms to particular blog posts.

You can choose what type of a sign-up form you want (inline, pop up, or slide-in) and embed your sign-up forms on your website in multiple ways, using, for example, JavaScript, HTML, or Zapier.

 

Unlike other email service providers (such as Aweber), ConvertKit does not charge you twice for the same subscriber. A person can opt into a new form multiple times, which will not cost you more. That is very useful if you want to provide your audience with upgraded or new incentives.

 

Other features of ConvertKit:

• Integrations
• Commerce
• Creator Pro
• Email marketing
• Email designer

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Who is ConvertKit for?

ConvertKit is a perfect tool for you if you care about its flexible tagging and segmentation. It, being one of the most significant assets, is ideal for automated campaigns. Inbuilt landing pages and sign-up form editors are available in the free plan, so you can do everything you want using just one platform.

 

It is also well suited if you want to sell digital products. Be a marketer and sell products like music, images, ebooks, and, of course, courses. You can connect your website with ConvertKit and easily add new products. You will be charged a small fee, but the results will be so worth it.

A guide to starting ConvertKit

Hypothetically, you decided on starting using ConvertKit. All you need to do is sign up for an account and adjust a few settings up to your requirements. Create an account, enter your company’s name and email address, and choose a pricing plan that meets your needs.

Design your ideal sign-up form and embed it on your website. To keep track of your subscribers’ activity, use tags and segments. Import your contact information, and now you are all set to send the first email.

The pricing of ConvertKit

ConvertKit has three pricing plans to offer. The number of add-ons increases with the price, but already in the basic plan, everyone will find essential tools for marketing automation. These payment plans are subsequently:

Free

With the free plan, you still get a lot of features. It is entirely free for up to 1,000 subscribers and provides you with unlimited landing pages & forms. You can send email broadcasts and sell digital products & subscriptions. The free plan also offers you email support.

Creator

The Creator is a paid plan. It costs 29$ monthly and provides you with all of the previously mentioned free plan features. However, it adds a few options. The first and very user-friendly one is free migration from a different platform. It is practical if you used another email service provider before. You can also automate funnels and sequences.

Creator Pro

This, being the most expensive one, costs 59$ a month. You have access to all of the possible tools and features. Apart from the ones from the ‘Creator’ plan, you get the possibility to monitor subscriber scoring and have access to advanced reporting. Creator pro plan provides you also with a newsletter referral system and helps you manage social media communities, like Facebook custom audiences.

As you can see, you have an option for every budget. What’s impressive is that the free plan gives you all of the essentials that you can conveniently use to engage with your community. To learn more about the importance of community, check out our article: Community Marketing – What It Is and Why You Need It

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Is ConvertKit really any good? – Real users reviews

ConvertKit is one of the top email-sender providers.

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ConvertKit is one of the top email service providers. It is evidenced not only by numerous features, tools but also by the opinions of real users. Here are some of them divided into several categories:

• Ease of use
• Customer service
• Features
• Value for money
• Likelihood to recommend

Reviews source

Amber Rose M, BloggerMarketing and Advertising, Self-employed

Used the software for: 2+ years

Overall Rating 5.0

Ease of Use 4.0

Customer Service 5.0

Features 5.0

Value for Money 5.0

Likelihood to Recommend 10/10

Overall: ConvertKit has been the best email marketing software I’ve used. Even though there are free products, start with ConvertKit. You’ll make the switch eventually, so just start here.

Pros: My favorite feature of ConvertKit is how thorough everything is. For example, there are multiple ways to accomplish your goal, which means you can choose a method that works for you and be successful. The metrics feature is fantastic – you always know if your emails were received well from your subscribers. I love the ability to have a series, test your headlines, and understand the analytics. The BEST feature is the tagging feature. You can have multiple businesses, lists, and passions but still, use ONE product. Just use the tagging feature to give your subscribers identifying tags, and you can send them curated emails based on what you know about them. I have used Aweber and Mailchimp – ConvertKit is best.

Cons: Sometimes, the software can have a learning curve. There are robust features (which make the price VERY worth it), but knowing how to use everything can be challenging. There is a lot to remember. Yes, they have templates and guides, and support, but it’s still a bit to learn.

Switched From: AWeber

Reasons for Switching to ConvertKit: I switched to ConvertKit for the tagging feature. That was the selling point.

Marie M.Founder, Writing and Editing, Self-employed

Used the software for: 2+ years

Overall Rating 4.0

Ease of Use 4.0

Customer Service 5.0

Features 4.0

Value for Money 5.0

Likelihood to Recommend 8/10

‘I have two ConvertKit accounts because they work so well!’

Overall: Most likely, I’ll stick with ConvertKit for the long haul. They’ve got enough features to cover my basic needs – considering it’s only myself and maybe a VA here and there, even if I had more bells and whistles, it’s likely I wouldn’t have the bandwidth to take advantage of them. So, ConvertKit has fit my needs perfectly, and their customer service is exceptional!

Pros: I migrated to ConvertKit in 2016 and have never had a problem with their service being down. I love how reliable they are! Once you get the lay of the land, ConvertKit is real easy to use too. Their software is straightforward and can do a ton for the low-cost compared to Ontraport and Infusionsoft.

Cons: Many of my friends have been moving to Active Campaign because AC has more analytic features than CK. I’m not sure what I’m missing, but I wish I could have better data from CK on the best days and times of day my emails are being received. I wish I could see which email subject lines are working best for me. I hope I could have an overview calendar of what was previously sent rather than thumb back page after page. I wish ConvertKit’s email templates were easier to use — I don’t know coding and had a designer help me out.

Alternatives Considered: Keap

Reasons for Choosing ConvertKit: The price to get started with Infusionsoft was ridiculous.

Switched From: Mailchimp

Reasons for Switching to ConvertKit: The tagging and automation features that ConvertKit has compared to what Mailchimp had (back in 2016 anyway) was a must-have.

As you can see, one of the most significant advantages of Convertkit is tagging, segmentation, and automation features. Convertkit is not just pretty packaging. It is a user-approved beneficial software for email marketing.

Turn your email list into a profitable online community

As you can see, not only is ConvertKit very helpful with automating workflow but surprisingly easy to use as well. Its functionality and fair pricing make it stand out amongst other email service providers.

And it is not just our opinion – hundreds of positive ConvertKit reviews speak for themselves. Many options, advanced features, and complete customization are just a few reasons for starting using this system. In particular, if you want to reach your audience and stay in touch with the entire community.

Here at GroupApp, we support this software and recommend using it. We know that creating an effective and engaging online course might seem a little bit complicated, and that is why we come to help you with our easy-to-use online course builder. GroupApp delivers all of the tools you will need to create a high-quality online course. It has all of the features you may need to reach and please your audience.

Online Community

GroupApp enables you to create and publish online courses directly inside of your online community. You can unify your online community with your online classes for better community support and improve the learning experience.

We want you to have complete control over your relationship with your community. We offer you the option to build an online community that you own, and that is free from distractions. You can engage with your community members on your terms. Build a stronger relationship with your community and give your members a place to connect and share with each other.

Sell Courses & Digital Content

Make a profit by selling online courses and digital content. GroupApp gives you a platform to share and sell your own course materials in the form of PDFs, Audio, and Video files. Unlike physical items, selling digital products will endlessly increase your income. Provide your community with extra content and online courses and benefit from the same item numerous times.

One of the other GroupApp’s advantages is accessibility. GroupApp offers a mobile-friendly experience for all devices, so you and your students can engage with the community from every device. It is available for all devices and platforms and both on iOS and Android. GroupApp with ConvertKit can help you engage your email list through an online community, experience, sell courses and help you build a better relationship with your audience.

You also get a bunch of additional features such as:

• Members Profile: ‘Community directory that allows members to discover and connect with each other.’
• Activity Feed: ‘Community activity feed that allows members to share a post, leave comments, and follow topics.’
• Posting Types: ‘Creators and members can write a post, upload photos, ask questions, and share videos.’
• Notifications: ‘Send in-app and email notifications to your community members with a simple click of a button.’
• Invite members: ‘Invite members to join your community with your community invite link and email invitation.’
• Privacy Settings: ‘Share your community with the public or set your privacy setting to members only.’
• Paid channels: ‘Share premium content in specific community channels and have members upgrade to access it.’
• Export Data: ‘Own 100% of your member’s data and export it at any time without any restrictions. It all belongs to you.’
• Custom Domain: ‘Maintain a consistent branding experience and drive community traffic to your website by using your custom domain with your community.’

With GroupApp and ConvertKit, you can build a thriving online community and create a stronger relationship with your audience. With our assistance, learn how to deliver the highest quality online courses to your audience.

Sign up for GroupApp and see the quality of your email marketing sky-rocketing. Deliver top-notch content and incentives via email and watch your email list rapidly growing.