I tested ConvertKit from every aspect and angle to find where it excels and falls short.
At its core, ConvertKit aims to empower creators and businesses by equipping them with practical communication tools to engage with subscribers, nurture relationships, and ultimately convert them into loyal customers.
Promising unparalleled automation, user-friendly features, and robust segmentation options, ConvertKit seems like a tool worth considering.
But does it genuinely live up to the hype?
In this ConvertKit review, I’ll break down how the email marketing tool stacks up when it comes to:
- Ease of use
- Automation and drip campaigns
- Subscribers segmentation
- Value for money
- Reporting and analytics
And much more.
Let’s go…
ConvertKit Quick Overview
ConvertKit is an email marketing platform designed specifically for creators. It offers tools and features to help you build, engage, and monetize your audience through effective email marketing campaigns.
Founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry, the tool has grown into a leading email marketing platform, serving the needs of bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, course creators, and other online creators.
The email marketing comes with awesome features including:
- 65+ free landing page templates
- Robust automation tools
- Great list of management functionalities
- An intuitive email designer
- Free forms templates
- Impressive delivery rates of 99.73%
- Email list monetization capabilities
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of this ConvertKit review and see how the tool stacks up.
ConvertKit Review: Ease of Use
Choosing the right email marketing software is a big decision. And when it comes down to it, ease of use is one of the critical aspects to consider.
The last thing you want is to waste time figuring out complicated features or getting lost in a maze of confusing menus.
ConvertKit has one of the most intuitive user interfaces. The email marketing software features a clean and clutter-free dashboard that makes setting up your first campaign a breeze.
Once you’ve signed up, ConvertKit takes you by the hand and guides you through the essentials, like importing your existing subscriber list and setting up your default landing page domain.
But here’s the real beauty of ConvertKit:
Every option and every feature is neatly organized in the dashboard. For example, if you want to create your first campaign, you don’t need to sift through endless tabs to find the option.
Just hit Send menu item, and it’ll display the options to set up your first broadcast or sequence.
But it’s not just about navigation where ConvertKit excels in UX. You’ll quickly appreciate even how easy it is to use its tools.
For example, ConvertKit prioritizes plain text designs over highly visualized templates when creating email templates.
This level of minimalistic design allows you to start creating your email campaigns faster instead of getting caught up in creating a beautiful email template.
Even better, they offer helpful tips and educational resources throughout onboarding to help you maximize the platform’s capabilities.
So if you’re looking for email marketing software built with simplicity and ease of use in mind, you’ll immediately fall in love with ConvertKit.
ConvertKit Review: Automation and Drip Campaigns
This is ConvertKit’s bread and butter.
The platform features a robust automation builder, which they call visual automation, allowing you to create intricate automation workflows fast.
With just a few clicks, you can easily create your first workflow without the need to go through a series of complex steps.
Using this user-friendly builder, you can add up to five entry points to your automation workflow.
Even better, ConvertKit has gone above and beyond by providing over 25 automation templates to jumpstart your journey.
These templates cover many use cases, including welcome sequences, product launches, and re-engagement campaigns.
This not only makes it easy for total dummies to set up automation, but it also saves you time, even as an expert.
Suppose you want to set up simpler automation sequences. ConvertKit has an amazing feature they call Rules.
Using Rules you can set up triggers and the actions that ConvertKit will take to activate an automation sequence.
This can include subscribing to a list, clicking a link, or even making a purchase.
When using ConvertKit, I was pretty impressed by how easy it is to set up automations.
The ability to visualize each stage within the automation through an intuitively designed flowchart-style presentation is a game-changer, especially for beginners looking to create their first automation workflows.
ConvertKit Review: Segmentation
ConvertKit provides robust segmentation capabilities to help you organize and personalize your email marketing efforts.
During my ConvertKit review, I was blown away by how well it handles segmentation.
Right out of the box, this email marketing software provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to group and organize your subscriber list using tags.
Tags act as labels that you can assign subscribers based on specific actions, interests, or behaviors.
For example, you can tag subscribers who’ve made a purchase, attended a webinar, or shown interest in a specific topic.
It’s like having your own personalized system to create segments of subscribers with similar characteristics or interests. This allows you to send them highly relevant and tailored content that meets their specific needs.
In addition to tags, ConvertKit also provides custom fields to collect and store additional information about your subscribers. These custom fields offer valuable data that can be used for advanced segmentation purposes.
For instance, you can create segments based on demographic information, preferences, or purchase history. This level of segmentation enables you to target your audience with even greater precision and deliver highly personalized campaigns.
Moreover, ConvertKit provides advanced filtering options that allow you to create segments based on multiple criteria.
You can mix and match tags, custom fields, subscriber behavior, and engagement metrics to create laser-focused segments that align perfectly with your marketing goals.
This granular level of segmentation ensures your emails reach the right audience with the most relevant content, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion.
During my ConvertKit review, I found segmentation decent and one of its strong selling points.
ConvertKit Review: Forms and Landing Pages
Forms are a crucial component of any email marketing software. They are your gateway to capturing valuable lead information like email addresses and names.
On the hand, landing pages act as lead captures. By creating a page with specific and focused messaging that aligns with your offer, you can entice your visitors to opt-in for your newsletter and the rest.
Now ConvertKit offers both form-building and landing page capabilities. But how do they measure up? Let’s find out.
Building Forms With ConvertKit
Straight out of the box, ConvertKit offers various display formats for your forms, including an inline, modal, slide-in, and sticky bar.
You also get access to free-form templates that serve as your playground for customization.
With just a few clicks, you can transform these templates into visual masterpieces that perfectly align with your brand’s identity and messaging.
Depending on the template you choose you can adjust the colors, toss in some eye-catching images, sprinkle some persuasive text, add captivating quotes, and even a countdown timer for that extra touch of urgency.
Let’s talk about form settings.
ConvertKit allows you to configure display settings for your forms. Take, for example, the modal display format.
You choose from three display options for your popup opt-in form.
Want to trigger your form based on exit intent? No problem. Fancy setting it to pop up when visitors reach a specific scroll percentage? There’s an option for that. What about timing? Also, there’s that option.
While ConvertKit’s form builder is intuitive and has some free-to-use templates, it is still limited.
Sure, you can add your custom CSS to spruce things up.
But when it comes to customizing the form beyond its default appearance you’ll find yourself hitting a roadblock.
Furthermore, when it comes to previewing forms, ConvertKit falls short in one aspect. While you can conveniently preview forms on desktop devices, there is no option to preview how they will appear on mobile devices.
This can be problematic since user experience can vary significantly between different devices and screen sizes.
Without the ability to preview forms on mobile, there’s a risk of creating a visually appealing form that ends up being a display nightmare on smaller screens.
Building Landing Pages With ConvertKit
ConvertKit provides a diverse selection of over 65 well-designed landing page templates, all free.
You can also choose the design depending on the category or what you want to use it for.
Want to create a landing page for your podcast? No problem.
Are you hosting a webinar? There’s a template for that.
The best part?
These templates aren’t just eye candy; they’re highly customizable, to say the least. You don’t have to stress yourself creating a new landing page from scratch.
All you have to do is choose a template, personalize it to match your messaging, and voila! You have a good-looking landing page ready to captivate and convert leads.
Now, here comes the kicker.
While ConvertKit page builder excels in simplicity and minimalistic designs, it just lacks functionality.
Sure, you can play around with font colors, styles, opt-in forms, and backgrounds, but the number of elements you can add to a page could be much higher.
For example, let’s say you chose a template, and after that, you think…well, this landing page could use a testimonial section to build trust.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but ConvertKit doesn’t have this option.
In fact, here are the only advanced elements you can add to your landing page:
But let’s get real for a moment. When we compare ConvertKit to heavy hitters like Leadpages, it’s clear that ConvertKit’s landing page builder falls behind.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But James, isn’t simplicity the secret ingredient for high-converting landing pages?”
Absolutely.
However, you need to realize that simplicity also means a professional-looking landing page design. And when it comes down to it, ConvertKit just doesn’t hit the mark.
But here’s my take.
If you want a simple landing page without hassles or spending an extra penny creating or hosting one, ConvertKit is your go-to.
However, if you aim to create an advanced landing page tailored to every aspect of your brand and specific conversion goals, you’ll need a more specialized tool like Leadpages or Unbounce.
These platforms offer enhanced customization options to make your landing page stand out.
ConvertKit Review: Email Designer and Templates
ConvertKit’s email designer is a game-changer when it comes to crafting beautiful emails without the hassle.
Simplicity is one of the standout features of ConvertKit’s email designer. Unlike other platforms that involve complicated design work, ConvertKit understands that sometimes less is more.
The clean formatting options provided by ConvertKit’s email designer are a breath of fresh air.
With just a few clicks, you can change the font, color, and alignment or add a link to your email content.
If you’re comfortable with coding and want to add your personal touch, ConvertKit has got you covered.
Instead of diving into the source code of your email, the email software allows you to add an HTML box to customize specific parts of your content. It’s a nifty feature that allows you to make your emails truly unique.
While ConvertKit excels in simplicity and clean formatting, it lacks advanced design capabilities.
ConvertKit’s email designer is primarily geared toward content-focused emails. While this is a strength in many cases, it may not be ideal if your marketing strategy heavily relies on visually striking and image-driven emails.
However, if you’re a content creator, blogger, or small business owner who values simplicity, streamlined editing, and a focus on content, ConvertKit’s email designer is well-suited for you.
ConvertKit Review: Reports and Analytics
ConvertKit’s analytics provides a quick overview of your email campaigns’ performance. You can track essential metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and deliverability (available only in Creator Pro).
Even better, you can A/B test your subject lines to know what’s working for your emails and what’s not.
However, I won’t sugarcoat it—their reporting capabilities are pretty darn basic. They don’t offer nifty features like geography and device reporting.
If you look at a tool like ActiveCampaign, you’ll notice that they even offer support email heatmaps to help you visualize the results of your last email campaign.
This is especially useful when sending offers for your online stores as it helps you visualize what regions in your email are getting more attention.
For example, do more subscribers click on the image or the call to action?
Regarding A/B Testing, the only thing you can do with ConvertKit is only testing subject lines.
I mean, come on guys.
There’s much I can test apart from the subject line. I could A/B test different email content versions and designs to understand what’s working for my audience.
Do they want just a plain text email or an email with some visuals? Do they want an email with a CTA button, link, or both?
Or I could even test different send times to learn when my recipients will most likely open my campaigns.
If you’re a geeky marketer, you’ll quickly be disappointed with the ConvertKit tracking and A/B testing capabilities.
ConvertKit Review: Integrations
Regarding integrations, I’ll have to admit that ConvertKit has quite improved.
In fact, the tool integrates pretty much with almost any tool you’d need as an online creator or an e-commerce business owner. From online course platforms like Thinkific to e-commerce platforms like Shopify, ConvertKit has you covered.
You can visit their integration page to learn about the tools and platforms ConvertKit integrates with.
On the other hand, if you’re a developer you can use ConvertKit’s API to connect it to your app for seamless data exchange, automation triggers, and synchronization.
ConvertKit Pricing Review
ConvertKit offers a free plan and two paid plans priced based on the number of subscribers you have. Here is a breakdown of ConvertKit pricing:
- Free Plan: ConvertKit offers a free plan for users with up to 1,000 subscribers. It includes basic features such as email broadcasts, landing pages, and sign-up forms.
- Creator Plan: For up to 1,000 subscribers, the Creator Plan starts at $29 per month. The pricing increases based on the number of subscribers you have. It includes all free plan features and provides additional benefits like automated funnels, integrations, and priority support.
- Creator Pro Plan: If you require advanced features and have a more extensive subscriber base, ConvertKit offers the Creator Pro Plan. The pricing for this plan is based on the number of subscribers and starts at $50 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers. This plan includes all the Creator Plan features, advanced reporting, subscriber scoring, and more.
One thing I love about ConvertKit’s pricing structure is how it doesn’t limit the essential tools across its paid plans. The pricing is only based on the number of subscribers.
The problem with most email marketing tools is that they advertise attractive tools, but to unlock them; you have to purchase their most advanced plans, which might not be cost-effective for your business.
That’s not the case with ConvertKit. It’s an all-inclusive package.
But compared with its rivals, ConvertKit is expensive.
The lowest-paid package; the Creator Plan costs $29/month (if you choose to pay every month) for 1000 subscribers.
That’s a lot for just 1000 subscribers.
But is ConvertKit pricing justified? Is it worth it?
I wish I could give a more straightforward answer, but it depends.
Let me explain.
If you’re just starting, you’ll obviously have few subscribers. This means the return on investment for such a few contacts will be pretty low.
Although tools like advanced automation and segmentation will help create personalized experiences for your audience, you’ll realize that they may not offer many advantages for such a small list.
However, if you already have an audience and want to create an effective conversion funnel, you’ll appreciate how much ConvertKit has to offer on the table.
ConvertKit Review: Customer Support
Sometime back ConvertKit used to offer customer support via a live chat across all plans. But not as of now. In fact, this support is only available for its paid plans.
But the good thing is that ConvertKit has one of the most resourceful databases. They have a knowledge base with a ton of educative video tutorials to help you navigate and learn about their tool.
They also have an active community where they offer help as well. ConvertKit also offers customer support via email at help@convertkit.com.
I also was impressed that they offer free migration from another platform where their team handles everything for you. From rebuilding your forms, templates, and even automation. Not most companies offer this level of assistance.
ConvertKit Pros and Cons
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Creator-focused features
- Kickass email automation
- Segmentation and tagging
- Huge selection of free landing page and forms templates
- Content snippets
- Seamless third-party integrations
Cons
- Limited design options for landing pages and email templates
- Limited reporting data and A/B testing functionality
- A little bit pricey
Conclusion: Do I Recommend ConvertKit?
Yes, I do recommend ConvertKit.
With its user-friendly interface, robust automation, and tailored approach to audience segmentation, ConvertKit stands out as a powerful tool for email marketing campaigns.
However, it’s worth noting that ConvertKit may not be the ideal choice for every user or business.
Its pricing structure, while reasonable for smaller subscriber lists, can become more expensive as the number of subscribers grows.
Additionally, some advanced features like detailed analytics offered by other email marketing platforms may be missing in ConvertKit.
However, for creators and small to medium-sized businesses focused on content marketing and building strong relationships with their audience, ConvertKit’s simplicity and targeted approach make it a compelling choice.
FAQs About ConvertKit
Is ConvertKit suitable for beginners?
Yes, ConvertKit is suitable for beginners in email marketing due to its user-friendly interface, visual automation builder, pre-designed templates, educational resources, and supportive community. The platform simplifies the process of setting up email campaigns, offers guidance for beginners, and provides a supportive environment for learning and growing in email marketing.
How does ConvertKit ensure email deliverability?
ConvertKit takes deliverability seriously and works to ensure that your emails land in subscribers’ inboxes. They employ various strategies, such as maintaining a good sender reputation, adhering to email marketing regulations, and providing tools to help you comply with GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
How is ConvertKit different from other email marketing platforms?
ConvertKit differentiates itself by focusing on the needs of creators and providing features tailored to their requirements. It offers a user-friendly interface, segmentation via tagging capabilities, visual automation, and personalized email content to effectively engage with subscribers.
What are the best ConvertKit alternatives?
While ConvertKit offers unique features tailored to creators, there are other email marketing platforms that may also suit your needs. Popular ConvertKit alternatives include:
- MailChimp: all-in-one email marketing tool option for many
- Brevo: best free email marketing software
- ActiveCampaign: the most comprehensive marketing automation platform
- Aweber: best for small businesses
- Drip: best e-commerce-focused email marketing platform
What is ConvertKit good for?
ConvertKit is good for automation and sequences. The email marketing tool has a powerful tool called visual automation which simplifies the process of setting up automated email sequences. You can create email workflows that are triggered by specific actions, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
