Is it Mailchimp? Substack? Beehiv? MailerLite? ActiveCampaign? Here’s why I think it’s Kit (formerly ConvertKit).

“Which email service provider (ESP) is the best?”

That's probably the question I get asked MOST as an email strategist and copywriter.

I used to say: "It depends".

It depends on –

❓Your business

❓Your ability or willingness to pay

❓The number of subscribers you have

❓How serious you are about email

❓Your personal preferences

But now, after switching from MailChimp to ActiveCampaign and then to Kit (formerly ConvertKit)...

I say Kit is the best ESP for creators, coaches, and service providers.

I joined Kit in early 2023 (I'm on the Creator Pro plan).

Here's what I've loved most and why I think you should choose Kit over email service providers like MailChimp, Active Campaign, FloDesk, etc.

(Btw, you can try Kit for free with their 14-day trial right here << That's an affiliate link, because Kit officially has my heart and I want EVERYONE to know about it. I'm also a Kit Partner. Back to my reasons for loving it...)

1 - Kit Works

No, but seriously…it works.

I know every tool has its down days, but I haven’t had one with Kit yet.

No bug-iness, no glitchiness, no freezing, no tech problems that’ve messed up my campaigns or launches. (This was my main issue with Active Campaign).

Oh and Kit's Support team is AMAZING.

So if you do have any problems or questions, they’ll take good care of you.

2 – Easy to use

Email can get complicated – especially when you add in things like tags, segments, automations, and conditions.

But Kit is easy to understand and easy to use.

Everything makes sense. The interface, the layout, the user experience...it's all just chef's kiss 👩🏽‍🍳💋

3 – Made for creators (and small business owners like us)

With some of the other ESPs, it can feel like you’re trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Other ESPs created for huge companies and enterprises don’t make it easy for us creators and small business owners.

If it feels too hard, it probably IS too hard.

Kit though?

It was literally made for you. And you can sense that as you use it.

4 – Cool segmentation tools

Kit makes it easy for you to segment your email list at the point of opt-in.

That means you can send the right emails to the right people ALL the time. (This is important because segmentation helps to increase sales).

See? 👇🏽

*The opt-in form for my lead magnet: The Email Rules*

5 – Rules

The Rules feature allows you to automatically trigger an action based on your subscriber’s behaviour or choices.

So if you want to tag a subscriber EVERY time they click on a certain link, you don’t need to set up that action every time you create a new email.

Instead, you set up a Rule one time and Kit will remember to add that tag every single time that link gets a click.

We love it when email is easy!

6 – Cool features that help you make more 🤑

Features like...

Products – which lets you sell digital products and subscriptions directly through Kit.
Tip Jars – which allows your audience to tip you for your content.

7 – Kit helps you GROW your newsletter

Kit's Creator Network is where you and other Kit creators can recommend one another's newsletters.

I currently have 662 people recommending my newsletter, and I have a 25.8% conversion rate on those recommendations.

YES to newsletter growth!

(If you're on Kit Pro, you also get access to SparkLoop (a newsletter referral tool) for free.

8 – Free Newsletter Plan (includes 10,000 subscribers)

Kit's new Newsletter Plan allows you to have up to 10,000 subscribers before you start paying.

You can set up one automated sequence, monetise your newsletter (with Kit Commerce), and access the Recommendations feature to grow your subscriber numbers.

It's generous and it's really a no-brainer for business owners who want to get serious about their email marketing but don't need a particularly advanced email strategy right away.

9 – Apps

So, a lot of people hate the new ConvertKit to Kit rebrand...but I love it. One of the reasons I love it is because Kit now has a bunch of apps that integrate with its software.

E.g. SavvyCal: a Calendly-like scheduling tool that allows you to tag people who book calls and trigger an automated email sequence (all inside SavvyCal).

And like Broadcast Boost which trawls through your broadcasts and gives you insights on the most opened and clicked emails, so you can easily decide which emails to repurpose.

I have so much more to say about the Kit rebrand and these new Apps, but I'll save that for another blog post ;)

There are a LOT of business owners and creators who share my love for Kit (formerly ConvertKit) over on social media.

But there are also a lot of business owners and creators who disagree with me.

And they have a point – Kit isn't perfect. (No email service provider is).

So let's talk about Kit's downsides...

👎🏽 Landing Pages

Kit doesn't allow you to create nice landing pages. This feature is pretty basic. (But they are working on this).

And that's fine with me because I use LeadPages for my landing and sales pages anyway.

So if you have another tool that you use for landing pages that you can just connect to Kit, this won't matter to you. But if you don't, this issue will annoy you.

Here's my opinion on this...

Email service providers cannot and should not do everything. Kit is great for email.

If you want beautiful landing pages, invest in a landing page tool.

👎🏽 You can't easily A/B test automations

You can very easily A/B test subject lines for single broadcasts, but Kit doesn't make it easy to A/B test automations.

It is possible (as Jason Resnick shows us in this YouTube tutorial), but it's not easy.

My verdict: I don't know many email service providers that offer this feature – so this is a bonus feature for me rather than a must-have.

👎🏽 Pricing – potentially? It depends...

Kit charges based on the number of subscribers you have. The more subscribers, the more you pay.

I have almost 3000 subscribers, so I pay Kit $700 a year. (I'm on the Creator Pro plan).

Now, in my opinion, that's totally worth it. I think their pricing is fair and it's on the lower side compared to other huge ESPs (e.g. ActiveCampaign).

Email marketing is a HUGE part of my business and the ROI makes sense for me considering how many sales I make via email.

BUT – if you're not going to make the most of your Kit subscription OR you don't know how to make sales through email marketing, you probably shouldn't make the investment right now. You should stick to the free Newsletter plan or another cheaper ESP.

(By the way, another option is to hire me and my team so we can create a great, money-making email strategy FOR you).

What are your thoughts on this?

If you're open to trying Kit, you can sign up for their free 14-day trial right here (<< affiliate link).

Eman :)

Which email service provider (ESP) is the best?