ConvertKit brands itself as email marketing for professional bloggers.
This popular email marketing software application was built by bloggers for bloggers.
That being said, ConvertKit is a sound investment for any organization that uses email marketing (ten praiseworthy features are outlined below in this ConvertKit Review).
If you have (or plan to have) an email list for your business (and every business should have an email list), ConvertKit is worth at least trying out for free via this ConvertKit 30 Day Trial – for up to 1000 subscribers.
But if you already have over 1000 subscribers (or you know ConvertKit is right for you), you can lock in two months of ConvertKit for free today by selecting the Pricing tab on the ConvertKit website and then click on the Yearly Billing button:
Then click TRY IT FOR FREE in the column that fits your subscriber list size.
The features of this popular software application in this quick ConvertKit Review are praiseworthy, but what merits special attention is what’s new for 2018 and 2019.
ConvertKit Review – 10 Praiseworthy Features
ConvertKit’s user interface is almost too simple to be a powerful resource to segment and tag your email mailing list subscribers for strategic growth. But when you immerse yourself in complexity for so long, you expect things to be difficult to be good.
But ConvertKit is different.
Here are ten features included in this ConvertKit Review that you will discover too when you start using ConvertKit:
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Visual Automation Tool (Introduced in 2018)
ConvertKit’s email automation tool lets you easily create visual funnels for your subscribers. An email funnel is a fancy marketing term for the process flow a subscriber will go through when they take certain actions as a subscriber to your email list.
For example, if one of your subscribers clicks on a specific link in an email you send from ConvertKit, you can instruct ConvertKit to then send targeted content to just that subscriber. This is a great way to develop a business relationship with a lead for your business. You are only sending extra information to leads who request it.
ConvertKit also offers this capability through built-in “if this, then that” workflow rules, but now ConvertKit makes the setup of the funnel (also called a customer journey) even simpler because the process flows are visually designed by you in your ConvertKit account. Here is a visual example:
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Only One List
Unlike email marketing services likes AWeber and MailChimp that charge you per email per list (even if it is the same email address), ConvertKit only charges you once per email because there is only one list. All subscribers to your mailing list have their unique profile where you can tag and segment them with ease. You will discover how much easier it makes email marketing to a specific segment of your list.
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Multiple Send From Email Addresses
Do you have more than one custom domain or business? No worries. ConvertKit lets you send messages from different email addresses at no extra cost. You only need one ConvertKit email account to drive communication for all your websites!
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Nice Looking Opt-in Forms
One of the biggest frustrations with other email services is that their opt-in forms are well unattractive out of the box and difficult to configure. Yes, you can customize them if you know what you’re doing (or use an opt-in designer tool like OptinMonster), but ConvertKit lets you set up simple and attractive opt-in forms when you are starting out.
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Built-in Landing Page Templates
This is a very nice and unexpected benefit of ConvertKit. Landing page templates allow you to create an entire page dedicated to your opt-in. This is a feature you can pay separately for with a more robust landing page software designer like LeadPages. But ConvertKit lets you set up a simple landing page at no extra cost through the ConvertKit plugin for WordPress (so the landing page is on your domain). NEW for 2020: ConvertKit offers more robust landing page designs within the tool.
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Easy-to-Follow Autoresponder Sequences
Autoresponders are a term for automated sequences of emails you can send out to your subscribers. ConvertKit makes the process intuitive by displaying all of your email messages in one view in your account dashboard. You can even drag and drop your messages to change the sequence.
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Broadcasting While Excluding
Broadcast emails are one-time messages that can be written and distributed at any time to your subscriber list. Since you only have one list, ConvertKit makes it easy to send a broadcast while excluding certain segments of your list. For example, you want to send out a notice about a sale on one of your products, but you don’t want to send it to customers who have already purchased the product.
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Tagging Based on Your Subscribers’ Activity
ConvertKit lets you tag (and then segment) potential leads in your subscriber list based on their activity on your website or through your email message. As mentioned as an example, you may include a link in one of your ConvertKit emails to assess interest in a new product. If one of your subscribers clicks on the link, ConvertKit can automatically tag that person as being interested.
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Easy to Understand Analytics
When you log in to your ConvertKit account, you will see an easy-to-understand subscriber graph that shows you by the day which forms are growing your subscriber list.
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Integration with Other Software Applications
ConvertKit integrates directly with other software apps like LeadPages, OptinMonster, and Shopify (plus it integrates with countless other apps like Typeform and Acuity Scheduling through Zapier). ConvertKit is also one of only a handful of email marketing services that have been selected to integrate directly with the Rainmaker Platform.
ConvertKit Review – What’s New for 2020
In addition to more landing page design templates, ConvertKit also introduced a new ConvertKit Free Account to its offerings.
But what exactly is a ConvertKit Free Account and how does it compare to a ConvertKit Free Trial?
ConvertKit Free Account
In short, the ConvertKit Free Account gives you unlimited (no expiration) access to most – but not all – product features for up to 100 subscribers. To unlock all features (most prominently the ability to create automatic email sequences – often call autoresponders), you will need to get on a paid plan.
The ConvertKit Free Account does let you create landing pages and forms.
Important Note: The public ConvertKit Free Account via the ConvertKit website does not permit any broadcast or message capabilities until you refer another active user. This ConvertKit Free Account referral link will let you get started with broadcasts for up to 100 subscribers – without any referral requirement.)
ConvertKit Free Trial
The ConvertKit Free Trial, in comparison, gives you limited (e.g. 30-Day ConvertKit Free Trial) access to all product features for up to 1000 subscribers.
If you already have over 1000 email subscribers, this direct link to ConvertKit will also get you started.
(Important Note: The public ConvertKit Free Trial via the ConvertKit website is for 14 days. This One Month ConvertKit Free Trial lets you test-drive all ConvertKit features for an additional 16 days.)
ConvertKit Free Trial vs ConvertKit Free Account
So which ConvertKit offer is better?
If you are not comfortable referring other people or businesses to use a particular type software like ConvertKit, the ConvertKit Free Trial is probably the way to go.
If you already have over 1000 email subscribers (or likely to have over 1000 email subscribers), the ConvertKit Free Trial is probably the way to go.
If you like to test out all software features before buying, the ConvertKit Free Trial is probably the way to go.
But if you are concerned about going to a paid plan ($29/month for up to 1000 subscribers) after one month and then canceling, the ConvertKit Free Account is probably the way to go.
ConvertKit Discount: Free Month or More
If you are now ready to try out this powerful yet affordable software after reading this ConvertKit Review, here again are three ways to save money with a ConvertKit discount:
- If you use this ConvertKit promotional link, you can fully test out ConvertKit free of charge for up to one month.
- Then set up an annual plan to get two more months free of charge over the next year via the additional ConvertKit discount available to customers – just ask for the annual plan discount after your free trial period ends.
- Sign up for a ConvertKit annual plan today and start saving by selecting the Pricing tab on the ConvertKit website and then click on the Yearly Billing button for two months free.
ConvertKit Review: Full Transparency
Graceful Resources has an affiliate relationship with ConvertKit so if you decide to invest in ConvertKit via this ConvertKit free month promo link or the direct ConvertKit setup link, this website is eligible for a nominal commission from the good folks in Idaho at ConvertKit if you decide to pay for the service. There is no extra cost to you.
If you start using ConvertKit, you are encouraged to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well. You’ll want to spread the word too. The software is that good, and I would use and recommend ConvertKit even if there was no affiliate program.
I hope this article has helped in your decision making.