In the blogging and writing world, there’s a lot of hype about the importance of growing your email list. It makes sense — social media is ever changing and often unpredictable. But if you have a person’s email address, you can access them directly, every time.

Getting the email aspect right can be a significant way to increase your reach and maximize your impact as a writer, blogger, or small business owner.

In this post I’m going to share why I switched from using MailChimp to ConvertKit as my email distribution provider.

Please note: This post does contain my affiliate link to ConvertKit, which means I’ll receive a commission if you choose to click through my link and sign up for a paid plan. I only recommend products and services that I’ve tried and enjoyed or benefited from myself, so feel free to contact me if you have specific questions about how ConvertKit works!

 

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Why I Switched from MailChimp to ConvertKit

 

I used MailChimp for a long time (maybe a few years?) before hearing about ConvertKit from a few different blogging and writing friends. They all raved about the benefits and ease of ConvertKit, but when I looked at the price, I didn’t think I could justify making the switch.

MailChimp offers a free plan for up to 2,000 subscribers. Eventually I got the notification from MailChimp that my subscriber list had outgrown the free plan and I would have to start paying. At this point, I decided to weigh my options.

I watched demo videos and talked with friends who had been using ConvertKit with great success for quite a while before making the decision to switch.

Here’s a Facebook Live video I recorded on the Five Minute Friday Facebook page, sharing some of my favorite benefits of ConvertKit:

 

Here are the main points that sold me on ConvertKit: 

1. ConvertKit does not duplicate subscribers

ConvertKit describes their product as a subscriber-centric model, whereas MailChimp is a list-centric model.

In MailChimp, part of the reason I had reached my 2,000 free subscriber limit was because I had the same subscribers on multiple lists. Instead of counting this subscriber as one individual, the same email address was being counted multiple times if it was registered on more than one list.

Once I switched to ConvertKit, I discovered I really only had about 1,200 unique subscribers and I was able to tag them according to their interests and the groups they had signed up for:

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For example, I have two different websites, each with their own list. Several of my subscribers have chosen to sign up on both sites. Instead of having to pay for duplicate subscriptions, ConvertKit will recognize that it is the same email address and allow me to “tag” that subscriber in multiple groups without increasing my overall subscriber count.

 

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2. ConvertKit offers excellent opt-in flexibility

Another significant problem I was having with MailChimp was that I could not figure out how to offer different opt-in incentives or lead magnets on the same website. I think it had something to do with the actual opt-in plug-in I was using on my WordPress site, but to go back and change all of my opt-in forms seemed way too tedious.

All I wanted to do was to have the option to offer a few different downloads for subscribers based on the post or location they visited on my site, then have those sign-ups filtered to a specific list or segment.

With ConvertKit, this is so easy!

RELATED POST: What is a Lead Magnet or Email Opt-in Incentive? 

When I signed up for my initial free trial with ConvertKit, I could not believe how simple it was to accomplish what I had spent hours trying to figure out with MailChimp. I texted one of my friends who recommended ConvertKit to say, “I can’t believe I waited so long to make this switch! This is amazing!” She replied, “I felt the same way when I switched!”

I now have a number of different forms on my site, including static homepage, sidebar, and end-of-post opt-in forms, as well as a modal pop-up that appears when viewers are about to exit the site.

The best part in my opinion is that I can now offer different perks to my readers based on the article they’re currently reading so I’m more likely to capture their interest based on their needs.

Then ConvertKit automatically assigns a tag to that new subscriber when they sign up according to the automation rule I’ve indicated in my account. It may sound complicated now, but once you see it in action, it’s super easy.

 

3. ConvertKit has an awesome affiliate program 

I won’t lie — I love the fact that as a ConvertKit affiliate, I don’t just get a once-off commission when someone signs up using my affiliate link . . . I get a monthly recurring commission of 30% of whatever that referral is paying for their subscription. Amazing, hey?

 

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These were the top three reasons that drew me into ConvertKit in the first place, but now that I’m here, I’m definitely staying because of the versatility of options I can use on my site and because of how user-friendly and intuitive the whole system is in general.

WATCH SOME DEMO VIDEOS HERE

 

Is ConvertKit Right for You?

 

While I really love this product, ConvertKit may not be the right fit for you at this time.

I would recommend ConvertKit especially if you: 

  • Want flexibility with the opt-ins that you offer to your future subscribers
  • Want an easy, hassle-free email distribution program that will save you time and energy
  • Want to set up multiple lists or segments within your list to best cater to your subscribers’ interests
  • Want to offer a number of different drip campaigns or automated sequences based on interest

 

START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW

Go to: www.fiveminutefriday.com/convertkit

Got questions? Feel free to reach out to me using the contact form in the menu above if you want to know more about my experience using ConvertKit, or if you want my opinion about whether it’s the right fit for you.

 

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