The main reason I didn’t get set up with an email platform was mostly that I didn’t realize how beneficial it could be for me. By not using one, I was missing out on building a subscriber list that would allow me to regularly communicate with a group of people who raised their hands to be contacted. Not only that, they are a group more open to receiving offers for my products and services.
Now, I could have tried to manage my subscriber list using a regular email account, but that would have quickly become time-consuming and wouldn't necessarily comply with email marketing laws. That's where an email marketing platform comes in. An email marketing platform makes it easy to:
- Send newsletters
- Automate welcome emails and nurture sequences
- Segment subscribers based on interests
- Promote or sell digital products
- Integrate with your blog and website
- Track opens, clicks, and subscriber growth
Related read: 7 Tips For Starting The Blog You’ve Dreamed About
What to consider before choosing an email platform
Finding an email platform can be overwhelming, as there are many options out there. And more seem to pop up every year. That makes knowing exactly what you want and need in an email platform even more important. As you’re sifting through the different options, here are some things to ask yourself and consider:
What is the goal of your email list? Do you want to use your subscriber list to make sales? Are you planning to use affiliate links in your emails or sell your own products or services?
What types of emails do you want to send? RSS feeds of your latest posts or newsletters?
What’s your budget? Can you afford to pay a monthly fee, or do you need to start out with a free service? How much can I do with the free service?
How much design customization do you need? Do you want to code your emails or use a drag-and-drop editor to customize?
How important is subscriber segmentation? How much can it segment your subscribers so you can send those segments different content and offers?
Will the platform grow with you? How can this email platform grow and flex with me as my subscriber list grows?
What reporting do you need? Can this platform track the performance of my emails and give me enough data to make decisions to improve performance?
Best email marketing platforms for bloggers and content creators
After determining how you want to use your subscriber list and what you need an email marketing tool to do, the next step is to select one.Over the years, the email marketing platforms creators recommend most have changed. When I first started blogging, Mailchimp and MailerLite were recommended almost everywhere.
Today, many bloggers and content creators have moved toward platforms like Kit, Flodesk, and EmailOctopus because they offer pricing, features, and workflows that better fit the needs of creators.
What is Kit?
Kit is an email marketing platform built specifically for content creators. Unlike many email platforms that primarily serve ecommerce stores or traditional businesses, Kit focuses on helping bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, authors, and online creators grow an audience, build relationships with subscribers, and earn income from their content.Best for
Bloggers, creators, YouTubers, and anyone building an audience.
Pros
Pricing
Free for up to 10,000. This is great if you’re just starting out and not making any money with your content. It can take a little bit to get to 10,000 subscribers. Automation features like an RSS feed are not available, and you can only set up one email sequence. But you get some of the important features like
Creator starts around $39/month for 1,000 subscribers. Pricing increases with list size. You get access to more automation features to set up RSS campaigns and unlimited email sequences
Creator Pro starts around $79/month for 1,000 subscribers, with more advanced reporting and automation features. Pricing increases with list size.
Why consider Kit
I've been using Kit for a few years, and it's the platform I recommend most often. That’s because I feel the platform is intuitive, it has space to grow with my blog without becoming overly complicated, and they keep adding new features to help make managing and growing my subscriber list easier.
Pros
- Free newsletter plan for up to 10,000 subscribers
- Excellent visual automations
- Easy subscriber tagging and segmentation
- Landing pages and forms
- Creator Network
- Sell digital products and memberships
- Excellent deliverability
- Built specifically for creators rather than ecommerce brands
Pricing
Free for up to 10,000. This is great if you’re just starting out and not making any money with your content. It can take a little bit to get to 10,000 subscribers. Automation features like an RSS feed are not available, and you can only set up one email sequence. But you get some of the important features like
- Unlimited forms and landing pages to capture subscribers
- Unlimited email broadcasts/sends
- Ability to tag and segment audiences
- Selling digital products and subscriptions
Creator starts around $39/month for 1,000 subscribers. Pricing increases with list size. You get access to more automation features to set up RSS campaigns and unlimited email sequences
Creator Pro starts around $79/month for 1,000 subscribers, with more advanced reporting and automation features. Pricing increases with list size.
Why consider Kit
I've been using Kit for a few years, and it's the platform I recommend most often. That’s because I feel the platform is intuitive, it has space to grow with my blog without becoming overly complicated, and they keep adding new features to help make managing and growing my subscriber list easier.
Related read: 7 Reasons I Switched My Email Marketing To Kit
What is FloDesk?
Flodesk is an email marketing platform known for making it incredibly easy to create beautiful, professional-looking emails without any design experience. It's especially popular among lifestyle, beauty, fashion, photography, and creative businesses because of its modern templates and user-friendly design tools.Best for
Creators who want beautiful emails
Pros
Cons
Pricing
For new customers, pricing is subscriber-based. Paid plans begin around $25/month (Lite) or $28/month (Pro) for up to 1,000 active subscribers, with lower annual pricing available.
Why consider Flodesk
While it offers automation and email marketing features, its biggest appeal is helping creators send visually polished emails without needing any design experience.
Best for
Pros
- Gorgeous email templates
- Very easy to use
- No limit to the number of subscribers on the free plan
- Unlimited email sends on paid plans
- Great automation tools
- Excellent for lifestyle, fashion, and beauty creators
Cons
- Can’t send emails with the free plan, only with a paid plan
- Pricing scales by subscriber count, meaning once you hit a subscriber count, you need to move up in plan
- Fewer advanced automation features than Kit
- No automation in the free and lower tier plans
- Better suited to visually-driven brands
- Flodesk branding on the free and lite plans
Pricing
For new customers, pricing is subscriber-based. Paid plans begin around $25/month (Lite) or $28/month (Pro) for up to 1,000 active subscribers, with lower annual pricing available.
Why consider Flodesk
While it offers automation and email marketing features, its biggest appeal is helping creators send visually polished emails without needing any design experience.
What is EmailOctopus?
EmailOctopus is a simple, affordable email marketing platform designed for people who want the core features of email marketing without paying for tools they may never use. While it doesn't have as many advanced creator features as Kit, it covers the essentials such as newsletters, signup forms, landing pages, and automations.Best for
Bloggers on a budget
Pros
Pros
- Extremely affordable when you get into the paid plans
- Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers
- Drag-and-drop email builder
- Simple automations
- Landing pages and signup forms
- Great option if you're sending straightforward newsletters
Cons
Pricing
Free: With this plan, you’re limited to 2,500 subscribers / 10,000 emails per month. Additionally, you get EmailOctopus branding on your emails; reports are only available for 30 days; you’re limited to the creation of one landing and one registration form and a small number of automation features.
Paid plans: These start around $9/month with an annual billing plan for 500 subscribers / 10,000 emails a month. The good news is the paid plan scales with the size of your subscriber list, you get full control over your landing pages and registration forms, and you have access to more automations.
Why consider EmailOctopus
I’ve never used this email platform, but after watching some videos and clicking through the website, it seems like a fantastic choice for creators looking for an inexpensive option and don’t want to pay for advanced features they won't use.
- Fewer creator-focused features than Kit
- Simpler automation builder
- Less polished interface
Pricing
Free: With this plan, you’re limited to 2,500 subscribers / 10,000 emails per month. Additionally, you get EmailOctopus branding on your emails; reports are only available for 30 days; you’re limited to the creation of one landing and one registration form and a small number of automation features.
Paid plans: These start around $9/month with an annual billing plan for 500 subscribers / 10,000 emails a month. The good news is the paid plan scales with the size of your subscriber list, you get full control over your landing pages and registration forms, and you have access to more automations.
Why consider EmailOctopus
I’ve never used this email platform, but after watching some videos and clicking through the website, it seems like a fantastic choice for creators looking for an inexpensive option and don’t want to pay for advanced features they won't use.
Related read: 14 Tools That Make Beauty Blogging So Much Easier
Why I didn't include Mailchimp or MailerLite
You may be wondering why I didn't include Mailchimp or MailerLite in this roundup. While both are legitimate email marketing platforms and may be a good fit for some businesses, they aren't the ones I'd recommend first for most bloggers and content creators today.Which email platform should you choose?
In my opinion, Kit provides a better long-term experience for creators who want to build an audience, while EmailOctopus offers a stronger value for those looking for an affordable option. Flodesk is also hard to beat if beautifully designed emails are a priority. Because of those strengths, I think these three platforms provide better overall value for most creators starting or growing a blog.Choose Kit if...
you're serious about growing a blog
you want automations
you may eventually sell products
you want an email platform that can grow with your business
Choose Flodesk if...
beautiful email design is important to you
you're a lifestyle, beauty, fashion, or creative creator
you're willing to pay for premium design
Choose EmailOctopus if...
budget is your biggest concern
you mainly send newsletters
you want an easy platform without lots of advanced features
Shop my fave creator tools
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