Kit

If you’ve been in the newsletter world for a while, you probably still know Kit as Convertkit. In 2024, the platform went through life with a new, fresh name – but the features remained the same. I’ve used Kit intensively for about two years for various newsletters, and can tell you exactly what works well and what to watch out for. This and more in my Kit review.

Kit: the company

Kit is one of the biggest players in the world of email marketing for creators. The company was founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry (check out his podcast too), who was (or actually is) a blogger and creator himself. His frustration? Existing email tools weren’t made with creators in mind. It had to be different, more personal, and more focused on building a community.

Kit has now grown into a platform where tens of thousands of creators together have earned nearly a billion dollars. The company is known for its personal approach, extensive integration possibilities, and strong focus on the creator economy.

Who is Kit actually for?

Kit is really built for creators who are serious about their online presence. Think of bloggers who want to promote their articles, coaches who sell online courses, or podcast makers who want to grow their community. The platform excels when you have many different products or content types – for example, e-books, workshops and a newsletter.

But let’s be honest: if you just want to send a simple association newsletter, Kit is a bit overkill. The platform works best when you want more than just sending emails. The strength lies in the smart automations, the different ways to monetize your content, and the ability to segment your mailing list into specific groups. Kit isn’t really suitable for e-commerce either. There are better solutions for that, like Klaviyo for example.

You can tell from everything that Kit is built by people who understand what creators struggle with. You can set up sales funnels, create landing pages, and target your audience based on their interests without real technical knowledge.

Kit’s features

Below is an overview of some features you can use in Kit.

• Creating and sending newsletters – The editor is basic but effective: type your text, add images, and send directly or schedule. You can also work with different content blocks like video, products, or personal content.
• Automated emails (sequences) – Build complete email series that automatically send based on actions or time. Perfect for welcome sequences or courses via email.
• Tags and segmentation – Label your subscribers based on their interests or behavior, and then send specific content to different groups. This way everyone only sees what’s relevant to them.
• Forms and landing pages – Quickly create signup forms and landing pages with the drag & drop builder. You can host them on your own domain and they work great on mobile too.
• A/B testing subject lines – Test two different subject lines against each other to see which one works better. Kit automatically tracks which variant gets the most opens.
• RSS integration for blogs – Connect your blog and let Kit automatically send newsletters when new content is published. Or create a weekly digest with your latest articles.
• Creator Network for cross-pollination – Find and connect with other creators in your niche. You can recommend up to 5 creators to your readers, and they can do the same for you.
• Creator Profile – You get a mini-website where all your newsletters, products and links automatically appear. Perfect as a portfolio and archive in one.
• Paid newsletters – Put parts of your content behind a paywall and let people pay for premium content. Kit handles payments and access.
• Sponsor Network for advertising – Find brands that fit you and earn with sponsored content in your newsletter. I want to share more about this later.

Creating newsletters

Kit’s editor might not be the prettiest on the market, but does exactly what you need. It’s a nice mix between simplicity and functionality. You type your text, add some images and can get started with different content blocks like videos, products or personalized content.

Also handy: you can work with ‘snippets’ – these are pre-made pieces of content that you can easily reuse in different emails. Useful for always showing a current offer, for example, or another CTA that keeps recurring. Or one that you want to change globally all the time.

The only thing you sometimes have to deal with: adding blocks in exactly the right place can be a bit fiddly. And real-time collaboration with your team (like in Google Docs) unfortunately isn’t included. But honestly: for most creators who work alone, this isn’t a problem. The editor just does its job, and it does it well.

Sequences and Automations

Kit really excels at automating your emails. You have two options: Sequences for simple series, and Visual Automations for more complex flows.

Sequences are perfect for something like a welcome series or a mini-course. You create a series of emails and determine when they’re sent – for example day 1, day 3 and day 7 after signup. Simple but effective: you set it up once and then it runs automatically.

Automations, this is where Kit gets really smart. With the visual builder you create more complex flows based on what your readers do. For example: if someone clicks link A, they get email X, but with link B they get email Y. It looks like a kind of flowchart, and that makes it clear. You can see at a glance how your flow is structured.

Practical examples:

• Welcome sequence for new subscribers
• Automatic follow-up after a purchase
• Different content for different interests
• Reactivation of inactive subscribers
• Onboarding for new customers

Growing with the Creator Network

Kit’s Creator Network is a smart system for growing together with other creators. It works like this: you recommend other newsletters to your readers, and other creators do the same for you. You can recommend up to 5 creators at once. They do this by showing an additional pop-up after the signup form. So when people have already signed up for your newsletter, there’s then another screen where people can also sign up for others.

Since Kit acquired Sparkloop, there are also paid options. You can also earn money by including sponsored recommendations. The system automatically tracks how many new subscribers each recommendation generates. I’ve earned a few hundred dollars with this in recent months.

The beautiful thing is: you’re not only building your own list, but also helping other creators grow. And because you choose who you recommend yourself, it stays relevant for your readers.

Making money with Kit

Kit’s calculator promises substantial earnings through their Sponsor Network, but for Dutch creators this is somewhat disappointing. Let’s be honest: you need at least 10,000 subscribers to even participate. And even then the earnings are minimal.

Here’s a simple calculation example: suppose you have 10,000 subscribers with an open rate of 50% (which is quite good). Kit charges per thousand opened emails (CPM) and pays about €3 per 1000 opens. In this example that means:

• 10,000 subscribers
• 5,000 open your email (50%)
• 5 x €3 = €15 per advertisement

Forms and landing pages

Kit’s form and landing page builder is surprisingly comprehensive. You can choose from more than 50 templates – from simple pop-ups to complete landing pages. It all works with drag & drop, so without technical knowledge you can quickly create something beautiful.

For forms you have various options:

• Embedded forms (that you embed in your site)
• Pop-ups that appear after x seconds
• Slide-in forms that subtly come into view
• Sticky bars that stay at the top of your site

The landing page builder is basic but effective. You choose a template, adjust the text and colors, and you’re done. The nice thing is: you can host them on your own domain (even in the free package). That looks much more professional than a random kit.com/xyz URL.

But there are also limitations:

• The templates are fairly standard and you can only customize them to a limited extent
• The mobile editor is somewhat limited
• Advanced design options are missing
• Sometimes a bit slow with loading
• To get everything right, you do need some custom CSS (but that’s an option, use ChatGPT or Claude for this for example)

API and integrations

Kit makes it easy for you to connect with other tools. Via Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat) you connect Kit to hundreds of other apps. And what’s special: even with a free account you get access to the API – something that with other tools is often only for paying users.

The possibilities are extensive. You can add subscribers from other tools, automatically update tags, and even create and update custom fields. Synchronizing data with your CRM or automatically processing subscriptions is also easily handled.

Kit has an impressive number of ready-made integrations. From popular tools like WordPress and Shopify to specific creator tools – the list is long. And recently there’s also an App Store, where more and more new integrations are being added. Combine this with the API capabilities, and you can make Kit work with practically any tool. Small downside: you can’t send emails via the API, that’s only possible with a paid account. But for most basic automations and integrations, the free API is more than sufficient.

Selling through Kit

With Kit you can monetize your content in various ways. The tool has a built-in shop where you can sell digital products: from e-books and online courses to paid newsletters.

The system is simply set up: you create a product, add a description and price, and Kit handles the rest. For paid newsletters you can even set up different membership levels.

Kit alternatives

If you’re looking for a Kit alternative, you have more than enough to choose from. Below is a list of the best choices.

• Beehiiv – Modern platform specifically for creators with strong analytics and built-in monetization models. Unique is the boost function that lets you promote other newsletters for payment.
• Substack – The tool for writers and journalists who want to earn money with a paid newsletter. The platform has its own discovery network and takes a 10% commission from your earnings, but is limited in features like automations and integrations.
• Flodesk – Design-focused newsletter tool with beautiful templates and a fixed price regardless of number of subscribers. Perfect for visual creators, but lacks advanced features like extensive automations and has limited integration possibilities.
• MailerLite – User-friendly and affordable alternative with all important features included. Offers a good balance between functionality and simplicity, but lacks specific creator features like a built-in monetization model.

Kit review conclusion

Kit is a powerful tool that particularly excels in its focus on creators. The platform has everything you need on board: a nice editor, smart automations, and strong capabilities to monetize your newsletter. The acquisition of Sparkloop has made the Creator Network even more interesting, and the extensive integration possibilities make Kit a serious player.

Where Kit really excels is the complete package. You don’t just get a tool to send newsletters, but a complete platform to run your creator business. The free version is surprisingly complete and even the API is available without paying. If you do pay, you get access to advanced features that really help you grow.