Which Email Marketing Service is Best for Beginner Bloggers?
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If you are a beginner blogger, you are probably looking to sign up for an email service so you can collect and email your subscribers.
You are also probably on a tight budget since your blog is so new.
Today I will review a few different services to help you make the decision as to which one is right for you.
- Convertkit
- Mailerlite
- ActiveCampaign
- Flodesk
- and a few others.
Email Marketing Features that Bloggers Need
Sending an email to your audience may seem really straightforward at first.
Each week, you just compose a summary of what you have been working on and send it out.
But as you become a more experienced blogger you will find that you want more.
You will want more data about your subscibers. What did they click on? What content resonated with them?
You will want to be able to send out automated sequences of emails. Perhaps a welcome sequence, an email challenge, or a follow up to a purchase.
Eventually, as you create your own products you will want to know who on your list is a customer or a potential customer.
You can hone in on this information if by using lists, tags, and automations through your email service provider.
This features are really powerful.
But not all email service providers offer them.
Here are some of them that do.
Convertkit
My favorite email service provider and the one that I use is Convertkit.
It offers lists, tags, and automations.
Convertkit also has an all new visual email builder and lots of options for decent looking opt in boxes and landing pages that you can embed throughout your website.
In addition, Convertkit integrates with so many other third party services.
For example, on this blog I use Leadpages for my popups and opt in buttons. I also use Interact Quiz Builder to create quizzes throughout my content.
Both of these services directly integrate with Convertkit. So when someone fills out a Lead box or completes a quiz – their contact info will go directly to Convertkit and be added to my list.
Now let’s talk price. Many new bloggers find Convertkit to be a bit pricey especially when first starting out.
The good news is that Convertkit now offers a free level for up to 1000 subscribers.
However, the powerful automations and email sequences are not available on the free plan.
So, you have a few choices.
You can stay with the free level as you work hard to increase your number of subscribers.
By the time you hit 1000 subscribers, you should be able to monetized your email list to the point that you can cover the paid subscription.
Or, you can look at some alternate email services.
Mailerlite
My second choice in email services for new bloggers is Mailerlite.
I used Mailerlite for many years and still like them very much.
The pricing is much more affordable than Convertkit, which makes it attractive to new bloggers.
And most importantly, you can segment your list and create automations – even on their free level.
For lists and tags, Mailerlite uses different terminology – you divide your list into groups and you can create segments within those groups – but the concept is the same.
The email builder is easy to use and you can easily create a template for your own brand.
You also have the ability to create nice looking opt in boxes.
I found that their WordPress plugin did slow my site down a bit, so I would just manually embed the opt in boxes on my site instead.
If you are new to Mailerlite, you will have to go through an approval process.
This is an important step because ML wants to make sure that your site is legit and not spammy.
So, make sure you have your blog all set up with some decent content before you apply.
You might be wondering why I switched to Convertkit since Mailerlite is so good at a fraction of the price.
Well, Mailerlite does not have a native integration with Leadpages which was important to me, so I decided to switch.
ActiveCampaign
A lot of bloggers also like an email service called ActiveCampaign.
This provider also gives you the ability to segment your list and create sequences and automations.
It has been awhile since I have personally used it – but at the time I found it to be robust and easy to use.
The opt in boxes were not great looking (maybe there have been improvements in that area?) but you might consider using a third party service for your opt ins like:
The advantage of starting with ActiveCampaign is that they have an inexpensive level to start with.
But once you get up to 1000 subscribers the pricing is similar to Convertkit.
One thing to note is that ActiveCampaign is also quite strict with using their platform for affiliate marketing. You should familiarize yourself with the rules here.
Flodesk
Flodesk is a new email service provider on the scene which a lot of bloggers like.
With this platform you can create beautiful, gorgeous optin boxes and emails very easily.
However, since the service is so new the segmentation and tagging is not as robust as other services like Convertkit.
Right now they have great automations and the tagging happens behind the scenes automatically.
Also, Flodesk natively integrates with Shopify but other integrations are done via Zapier (for which you also have to pay a fee).
For new bloggers, Flodesk could be a great option.
You don’t have to struggle to make your forms and emails look nice. And nicer looking forms, especially, can result in higher conversions.
In the beginning, you also may not need powerful automations and A/B testing etc.
Typically, Flodesk costs a fixed $38 per month no matter what the size of your list.
But I have a Flodesk coupon for you! If you purchase through my link you will get a discount of 50% off for the life of your subscription – so you will get it for $19 per month.
They also offer a 30 day free trial so you can test it out.
Other Email Service Providers
There are so many email service providers out there, that I cannot name or review them all.
Here are some that you may want to take a look at in addition to the ones I named above.
MailChimp – MailChimp was once very popular with bloggers but their segmentation, automation, opt in boxes are not as intuitive as other services
SendFox – This is a new service from AppSumo that currently offers lifetime access for a one time fee of $49
Constant Contact – This is one of the oldest and trusted names in the business.
AWeber – another trusted name in the industry
Drip – this is a powerful email service with lots of options for automations – however, I found the learning curve to be steep
Get Response – I am not familiar with this service but it is yet another option
Which Email Marketing Service is Best for YOU?
Each persons needs are different.
If you are going for budget – Mailerlite is a good choice.
If you want a service that will grow with your blog, check out Convertkit.
Want pretty emails and sign up boxes? Flodesk might be right for you.
If none of these fits the bill – check out one of the many other services mentioned in this article.
Happy blogging!