My 3 Favorite ConvertKit Features

Convertkit or Flowdesk? Have you asked yourself that question before? I’ve used both email service providers and I’m here to say that if you get an email from me it will have come through Convertkit. But why did I choose Convertkit? Let me tell you the top 3 features I use that led me to switch from Flowdesk back (yes back) to Convertkit. 

A/B Testing Email Subject Lines

Now stick with me here. I know the term “A/B testing” might sound a little boring, but bear with me. In the summer of 2023, I listened to a great talk about email marketing by CEO and Founder of Aeolidia, Arianne Foulks. If you are unfamiliar with her work, one of her clients is Lisa Congdon (!). In the talk, she explained how she uses A/B testing in email subject lines to figure out what resonates with audiences (aka what entices them to click and open emails).

This idea really intrigued me and luckily, Convertkit has a feature where you can A/B test email subject lines built right in! It’s super simple. Here’s a little screenshot from their website that will tell you exactly how to do it yourself.

What I’ve learned from using the A/B Testing feature

I always A/B test my artist interview email subject lines. This has taught me that when I include the artist’s name in the subject line I get more people to open it up. A subject line that glimpses what’s inside without using the artist’s name never wins. 

I often write one straightforward subject line and one that is more creative and aspirational. Funny enough most of the time the straightforward subject line wins.

Language like “sneak peeks” or “special surprises” seems to win out more often. This surprised me, but rest assured I rarely use these phrases because I don’t want to click bate, but it is interesting to know.

I love the A/B testing feature inside of Convertkit and plan to continue using it as much as possible. It helps me figure out what resonates with my audience and has increased my open rates. Using a data-driven approach like this has helped refine my copywriting skills and email marketing strategy.

Why I Love Convertkit’s Link Trigger Feature

Another standout feature Convertkit offers is called Link Triggers. The definition is practically in the name, but it’s worth describing further. When you make text into a link inside a Convertkit email you can also set up that link to automatically trigger a particular action.

For example, you could set up a link trigger to add a tag to the subscriber. Say you have two audiences, one who wants to buy your products, and another who wants to take your courses.

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You could add these two lines to your welcome email to help them get tagged and sorted into the best group for them:

Tell me a little bit about yourself. Click the link below that describes you:

I’m here because I love the products you make and want to know when you update your shop.

I’m here because I want to learn from you and take your courses.

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The other way I like to use link triggers is to allow subscribers to opt out of sales or promotional emails. If I have a course launch coming up I always include an opt-out link that says something like this “Not interested in X? No problem! Just click here to ​snooze emails from me about X, but stay on the list for future goodness.”. 

Adding this gives people more control over what comes into their inbox and it helps reduce the number of unsubscribes from your list during an email-heavy launch period. 

By leveraging Convertkit’s Link Trigger feature, I have been able to segment and tag my subscribers more effectively and deliver content that’s tailored to their interests and preferences. 

Convertkit Products and Tip Jar Function

The last feature I’d like to highlight is Convertkit Commerce which allows you to sell products or set up a tip jar. I love that this feature is already integrated into a product I already pay for and understand how to use. 

When I decided to sell my very first paid offer I went with Convertkit. It’s just as easy to create a product in Convertkit as it is to set up an email broadcast. Once you’ve decided what you want to sell their Product feature walks you through setting a price, creating a purchase page, customizing your checkout and receipt, and planning fulfillment. Once the product is created you can even set up an automation to tag the purchaser or add them to an email sequence. 

One more Commerce product I’ve recently implemented is their Tip Jar (here’s mine if you want to see what it looks like). This is a simple way your fans can pay you back for the free content you provide. Honestly, I was a little worried about setting up this feature. I didn’t want to seem salesy or like I was begging for money, but I had a few subscribers say they would like to support me in this way so I decided to give it a try. 

Conclusion

There are of course a lot of things to consider when choosing an email service provider. Are Flowdesk’s emails prettier…perhaps. In the end, I went back to Convertkit because I liked the features more, these three in particular. Choosing an ESP is personal to you and your business, but I hope hearing a little bit about my experience will help as you learn and do your research before making a decision. 

If you like the features I’ve shared I’d love it if you signed up to use ConvertKit with my affiliate link. Convertkit offers a free plan for your first 1,000 subscribers so why not give it a try?

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