Kit (previously ConvertKit) review: A platform that helps creators monetize their content

This Kit review will look into one of the most used newsletter tools by professionals in the email marketing community.

If you wonder what makes this platform special, you’ve come to the right place.

Especially if you are looking for a tool that will help you earn more money…

Kit overview

Kit is one of the best newsletter tools, and I can see why they are also one of the most popular as well.

And I think the main reason for this success is that they have all the tools creators need while keeping things easy to use.

Although Kit has many bells & whistles, how they organize things won’t make you feel anxious or lost when using it. This is what I mean when I say CK is easy to use.

Here’s what I like the most about them:

• The free plan makes it a good option for beginners;
• CK has lots of templates to customize the newsletter;
• Allowing creators to make money is a big focus, and creators have lots of options to monetize their content;

Kit has been around since 2013, and they have a good record of doing the right thing to help creators. So, it’s a platform I am happy to recommend and tell you shouldn’t expect them to do you dirty any time soon!

Kit strengths

Kit allows you to make your creations known via email, and below, I’m breaking down the details of all the things I love about it.

Great for Sending Newsletters

For newbies who are starting a newsletter but somehow feel intimidated, there’s no need to be.

Kit makes the whole process flow like volatile water.

Idiot-proof on many fronts:

• Easy to create an account;
• Things are easy to find;
• Running features without so much hassle.

Look… There are tons of email marketing tools out there repeating the same creative formula.

And while one could say that Kit is not different, I would argue that others probably took inspiration from CK. After all, Kit is one of the OGs in the newsletter space.

Also, CK is crazily simple to maneuver, with no need to spend hours watching how-to-master tutorials.

It has important stuff that all creators care about, like:

• Segmentation;
• Tagging system;
• Automations;

So, you can rest assured that Kit is not falling behind when it comes to newsletters.

Its simplicity is everywhere, but I find it more evident in the text editor.

Kit calls creating a newsletter a ‘broadcast’ (under the Send tab).

So, when you go create a new broadcast, you’re met with the clean text editor on the left for the content and the settings panel on the right.

I love this organization!

It makes it easy to focus on the content, but it also makes it easy to customize things.

But even with all this simplicity, you have options, like creating email sequences that can go from a basic welcome email to advanced marketing funnels that look like rocket science to help you make more money!

On top of that, you can also add the newsletters sent to the feed on your creator profile if you want.

Overall, Kit works flawlessly and runs fast, as one expects from a top tool.

Free Plan

Kit got you covered with their free plan if you're a beginner.

This is one reason why I think CK is good for creators that are just starting out with a limited budget.

At this time, Kit has 3 plans, with the Free plan allowing up to 1,000 subscribers and the Creator plan starting at $9/ month.

The cost of these plans is highly dependent on the number of subscribers you have. So, the more subscribers you have, the more you have to pay them.

The free plan includes most of the things that make Kit great, like:

• Unlimited broadcasts;
• Landing pages;
• Forms;
• A creator library.

It even gives you the luxury to sell digital products such as ebooks— who does that? Most competitors don’t!

As you can see, the Kit free plan has most of the features you need to stand out. So, as long as you keep the subscriber count below the limit, you can stay on the free plan for as long as you like.

However, you must upgrade to a paid account when you pass it. The starting price of the paid plans is fair, considering the audience size and the amount of money you should be earning at that point.

Great Monetization Option for Creators

Kit stays true to its mission to help creators earn a living online.

They have several options integrated into the platform for you to receive money from subscribers.

So, say hello to paid newsletters, selling digital products, and a tip jar to receive donations.

The Earn tab in Kit allows you to sell digital products, like:

• A newsletter;
• A digital course;
• Digital assets (like ebooks or images);
• Services (like consultations and coaching).

Here’s how it works:

• Decide the product type (subscription or a 1-time fee);
• Enter the price (or prices if you want different plans) and billing frequency (if it’s a subscription);
• Upload the assets or configure the subscription;
• Decide the URL and page where the product will live.

It’s as simple as this.

After this setup, you can also customize the landing page to your liking.

Now, you can embed this digital product into your newsletter, and they’ll give them a chance to buy your stuff with ease.

Imagem: Kit-digital-product-demo

The other beauty of Kit monetization is the “tip jar,” and it’s exactly what you think it is.

Regardless if you’re a beginner creator or an experient one, you can ask for support from your patrons via a digital glass of gratuities.

With all these amazing offers, Kit only takes a 0.6% cut from anything sold + credit card fees.

Advertisement Network for Newsletters

For creators with a bigger audience, one avenue to earn more opportunities is to find sponsorships and brand deals.

However, the work that comes after that isn’t fun. I’m talking about inquiries to find sponsors, negotiate prices, chase payments, and report the results.

You can spend a week doing this in the blink of an eye. And it’s a pain in the bum!

So, how can you possibly earn more without compromising too much of your time and mind space?

This is where Kit Sponsor Network (CKSN) comes in, encouraging its users to become creators who are focused on creating.

The CKSN brings advertisers and brands to partner with creators and sell the ad spots on your behalf.

From sales reporting, payments, and negotiations, to logistics, a team manages all the grueling tasks for you.

To be eligible to apply, should have at least 10,000 subscribers. But even if you’re below the 10,000 mark, you can still try to apply and try your luck.

Right now, for this service, Kit charges 20% of the total sponsorship revenue for signing and selling the sponsorship, plus the usual credit card fees.

Creators have been loving this Sponsor Network and the extra money this brings them.

Good Customization

Beauty matters. We know it, and so does Kit.

That's why they have stunning templates for newsletters, landing pages, and forms.

You can use the default options or use them as inspiration to save time instead of creating everything from scratch.

You can customize things like:

• Font color and size;
• Background color;
• Style of the buttons,

You can even add an extra layer of styling with custom CSS.

Content snippets are also a major plus on Kit. These are blocks of content that you can reuse multiple times. Creating once and using it forever is a great idea for repetitive content.

Image: CK templates

Customizing the public archive page and forms is also possible and really simple.

This is to say, you have many visual possibilities with Kit, as you can make everything cater to your personality and brand, giving you creative freedom.

Kit weaknesses

Kit does almost everything well. So, these weaknesses aren’t exactly a jive towards them. Instead, see these more as nitpicking than major flaws about the tool.

Pricing

I think we can all agree that pricing is a major factor in choosing a tool.

And the drawback of Kit is that prices escalate as you get more subscribers since it follows tiered pricing.

I know Kit has a Free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers, which helps so many creators at the start.

But the problem is that Kit prices escalate more than other competitors. I think this would have been fine if it offered better blogging capabilities as some competitors do.

Yes, I know blogging isn't at the core of what Kit offer.

And I also know they are introducing blogging elements to follow the market trend. But still, what they have at this point is pretty basic.

There are other newsletter tools that are also great and cost much less than Kit, like MailerLite and beehiiv.

So, there's no way to deny it: Kit can be considered expensive.

Weak for Blogging

I will continue focusing on the lack of Kit’s blogging features…

Kit is not a blogging platform. Thus, it was never really its selling point.

But I’ve noted that they are adding some blogging capabilities.

However, the offering is still primitive.

At this stage, the maximum CK allows having a feed on the creator page with the recent newsletters sent.

This is not a proper blog. Not even close!

But at least it allows creators to have some online discoverability to their emails, which is better than nothing.

This is also an option for a creator to use Kit for sending their newsletter and treat it as a blog. However, I would not expect SEO success at this point.

Alternatives

If you’re comparing Kit versus other newsletter platforms, I’ve made things easier for you with a summary in this section.

MailerLite vs Kit

MailerLite is a fantastic platform that works for both beginners and professional creators.

In my opinion, it is one of the best email marketing software that keeps the cost low but still is capable.

Main Similarities between MailerLite and Kit

Kit and MailerLite are so similar that it’s almost like comparing the same fruit. Both are easy to use with a simple dashboard.

Both have similar free plans for up to 1,000 subscribers offering access to most tools.

When it comes to advanced tools, they got you covered as they also have things like email automation.

These tools have plenty to offer regarding integrations, with some big names in the bag, including Shopify, Wix, Zapier, and WordPress.

Main Differences between MailerLite and Kit

When it comes to differences, I'd say that MailerLite is more developed when it comes to blogging than Kit.

MailerLite allows you to create a proper website with menus and pages. This serves as the base for a blog, although some essential SEO features are missing on MailerLite.

In contrast, Kit only allows embedding the feed of posts into the creator profile, which is basic.

On the other hand, Kit comes on top when it comes to monetization. After all, Kit has a Sponsor Network that allows creators to earn money from ads without any additional work, whereas MailerLite doesn’t have any of this.

Beehiiv vs Kit

Despite not being around for that long, beehiiv is one of the highest-rated newsletter platforms I have tested and a solid alternative to Kit.

Main Similarities between Beehiiv and Kit

In my opinion, Beehiiv and Kit are the gold standards for monetizing newsletters.

They both allow charging subscriptions for a newsletter in an easy way, and they also have a built-in ad network, connecting creators and advertisers.

This makes things easier for both parties:

• allows creators to make money without doing extra work;
• and gives access to reliable data advertisers are looking for about their investments.

Main Differences between Beehiiv and Kit

Beehiiv is different than Kit as it is a hybrid platform that works as a blog and a newsletter, all in the same place.

For this reason, it is built with a more modern infrastructure.

Beyond the sophisticated structure, it also has a nice free plan version, offering up to 2,500 subscribers.

In this department alone, Beehiiv is superior to Kit’s free plan option of only 1,000 subscribers.

What Kit does better is giving the creator the option to work with CMS they want while keeping the newsletter separated from their website and blog.

Ghost vs Kit

Ghost is a fantastic simple platform with modern functionalities for blogs and membership websites. It can also be an alternative to Kit if you want one.

Main Similarities between Ghost and Kit

One of the times that Ghost and Kit are on the same page is in their monetization options.

On Ghost, you make money through paid subscriptions and display ads. The paid membership works well with newsletters, while the display ads monetize on informational content— call that hitting two birds with one stone.

However, the ads on Ghost only work on the blog.

Kit runs with the same strategy for paid newsletters. But I have to say, their money-making features are more developed for selling digital products.

Both platforms' cost is similar if you consider the official managed hosting for Ghost called Ghost (Pro)

Main Differences between Ghost and Kit

As I mentioned earlier, Kit was never built for blogging. It’s developing in this aspect, but it’s not there yet. But when it comes to newsletters, the conversation changes as CK is amazing.

Actually, Kit is much better than Ghost for newsletters.

However, with Ghost, you can create a website that can serve as a better online archive and good search engine optimization (SEO) that will help you rank well on Google.

Let’s say Ghost is much better for blogging, while Kit is better for newsletters. That’s why these two work pretty well in partnership, allowing creators to get the best of both tools.

Substack vs Kit

Substack deserves a pat on the back for making newsletters cool again. And it's seen by most as the go-to platform for non-technical users, but Kit is a proper alternative to Substack, in case you didn’t know!

Main Similarities between Substack and Kit

Like Kit, Substack is also vying for the most user-friendly newsletter tool in the market.

And I have to say, they’re both winning, not just because of the ease of use but by valuing monetization.

In fact, both tools make it easy to earn money through their paid newsletters as the main option.

However, you can also make money with advertisements.

On Kit, you can use the Sponsor Network for this.

While on Substack, the concept is the same (putting ads in the middle of the newsletter), but you’ll have to do the work yourself.

Main Differences between Substack and Kit

Regarding differences, Substack allows publishing different types of content on their platform, such as blog posts, podcasts, newsletters, and even chat posts where you can communicate directly with subscribers.

I can’t say the same with Kit, as the platform only focuses on sending newsletters and basic blogging features.

So, Substack is more like a community tool, and Kit is one of the best newsletter tools available.

In terms of pricing, you can forever remain in the free-plan zone with Substack as long you don’t charge memberships.

While kit has a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers but doesn't take a big cut in your subscriptions like Substack does.

Final Thoughts

Kit has been around for so many years, which may explain why there's not much buzz and excitement all over the place about them.

But they are an excellent platform for sending newsletters!

And a very effective one.

In fact, it has some great design capabilities, advanced tools like automation that are fantastic for professional creators, and a great focus on making money.

Its pricing is a bit harsh as it keeps going up quite a lot the more subscribers you have. But at the end of the day, it’s still one of the best tools around.

Moreover, Kit has an excellent free plan that caters to beginners with tight budgets.

Needless to say, I’m impressed with its commerce capabilities that allow selling any kind of digital products, including subscriptions!

Kit, while being around for a while, is popular and loved by many for a reason.

But if you are mainly looking for a blogging tool, you should consider other tools like Ghost CMS that are more suited for the job.

However, if you already have a blog and want one of the best newsletter tools available: I 100% recommend Kit.

Sign up today and begin your creator’s journey using Kit.