One of my business goals for this year was to build an email list and send out weekly emails.

After doing some research I decided to give ConvertKit a try. They promised their product was easy to use and as a busy mama and business owner, I didn’t have much time to take on a complicated system.

I’ve always loved writing, but with using ConvertKit I realized how much I really loved writing these emails and connecting with my readers. Because their system was so easy to use and setup, the words and ideas just poured out of me.

I added my first email course, 5 Steps to a Brand Facelift. The response was so much bigger than I had anticipated!

HERE’S EXACTLY WHAT I DID AFTER I SIGNED UP

You’ll want to understand these terms that ConvertKit uses before you get started:

FORMS: A form that collects subscriber information. They may be offered a free download and/or enrolled in an email sequence or automation depending on what you have setup.

SEQUENCE: An email sequence is a set of emails that are automatically sent to a specific segment of people on your email list.

BROADCAST: A one-off, time sensitive email. I use broadcasts for my weekly emails since they are sent once and then never again.

AUTOMATION: An automation is generally intended for selling products. It allows you to perform actions based on your subscriber’s behavior. For instance, a subscriber signs up for a free PDF download about baking from your website. You tag them as being interested in baking. You add them to a one week sequence about baking tips. At the end of the sequence you offer them a paid course on how to improve their baking skills.

Install the ConvertKit WordPress Plugin

If you have WordPress, then you need to add the plugin. It’s not required but it makes it easier to add signup forms on pages and posts using a shortcode.

Import Subscribers

I had a good amount of subscribers with MailChimp so I exported them all and easily imported them into my new ConvertKit account. Super simple to do.

Create Signup Forms

I created a basic signup form for my website and a signup form for my automated ecourse. Using the Genesis eNews Extended plugin I was easily able to connect the forms to my site. ConvertKit also gives you the HTML code for your form which you can place anywhere on your site.

In addition to a basic email sign up form I created lead magnet forms for all of my blog posts that offered free downloads. Here’s an example on my site of a post with a free download that users must give their email in exchange for.

Create a Sequence

My first sequence was for my email course, 5 Steps to a Brand Facelift. I had tried to set this up when I was using MailChimp and it was so confusing I gave up. With ConvertKit I was able to create a sequence with the click of just ONE button. The first email is preloaded with default text that explains the basics for creating a sequence like how to publish and email, delay the time between sending emails and how to exclude subscribers from a sequence.

I started drafting the emails for my course in ConvertKit and spent the next few weeks writing the course. It was that simple.

Setup Templates

I was able to create a custom template that has a header image and footer in every email. This saves me a lot of time so that I don’t have to insert a header and footer each time I draft a new email. ConvertKit allows you to create multiple templates and you can easily change your template while drafting an email by selecting a different template from a dropdown menu.

Email Marketing Plan

I do this outside of ConvertKit, using Google Sheets. In a spreadsheet I have multiple tabs set up:

• Tab 1 Weekly Email List: I plan out all of my emails by month and week (I send a new email every Wednesday)
• Tab 2 Cornerstone List: I plan out what emails will be added to my Cornerstone email list. This is a sequence I created of my most valuable emails that I want new subscribers to see in addition to my weekly emails.
• Tab 3 Subject line ideas: I jot down ideas for subject lines and have a list I can pull from at any time.
• Tab 4 Copy snippets: Sometimes there is a particular line of copy I want to reuse from a previous email or blog post. I save those so that I can always reference them.
• Tab 5 Topics: I have a growing list of topic ideas for future emails.

ConvertKit vs. MailChimp/MailerLite

Before I signed up for ConvertKit I was using MailChimp, although I rarely sent out any emails. I found their system to be confusing not very user friendly. I was willing to continue using it because it was free. After some thought, I knew that in order to really grow my business I needed to invest in an email system that could help me do that.

Final Thoughts

I’m thrilled I made the switch to ConvertKit. It’s so much easier now for me to generate emails and opt ins so I can stay in touch with my readers more often and offer them valuable content.

What do you think of this article? Do you have any questions for me? Ask me in the comments box below!