This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click the link, I might earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

I remember the exact moment I realized I needed to get serious about my email list.

I was sitting in my tiny 20m² studio apartment, scrolling through Instagram at 2am, watching other creators talk about how their email lists were making them money while they slept. And I was like… I have 87 people on my email list and I literally never email them because I have no idea what I’m doing.

I knew I wanted to build a business around writing. I knew I didn’t want to be stuck on Instagram forever, performing for an algorithm that could disappear tomorrow. I knew email was supposed to be this magical thing that actually made you money.

But I was completely overwhelmed by all the different platforms, all the technical setup, all the automation and funnels and sequences everyone kept talking about.

So I did what I always do when I’m overwhelmed – I just picked something and started.

And that something was Kit (formerly ConvertKit).

That decision changed my entire business.

Now, over a year later, I make real income from my email list. Not Instagram or TikTok. My inbox.

The weekly love letter emails I send to 3,000+ women every Saturday have become the foundation of my entire online business.

And Kit is the platform that makes all of it possible.

Why I Even Needed an Email Platform

Before I get into why I chose Kit specifically, let me back up and explain why having your own email platform even matters.

When I first started building my online business, I was doing everything on Instagram. Posting stories, sharing content, trying to grow my following.

And it worked… kind of. I was getting followers and engagement and all that.

But I had zero control.

Instagram could change their algorithm tomorrow and tank my reach. They could ban my account for literally no reason. They could disappear entirely and I’d lose everything I’d built.

I didn’t own my audience. Instagram did.

Email is different. When someone gives you their email address and subscribes to your list, that’s YOUR audience. Nobody can take that away from you. Instagram can’t decide they’re not going to show your content anymore. The algorithm can’t randomly stop showing your posts to the people who want to see them.

Your email list is the only thing in online business that you truly own.

So I knew I needed to build one. I just had no idea how to actually do it.

What I Tried Before Kit

My first email list was on Mailchimp because it was free and everyone said it was easy for beginners.

And it was fine… for about five minutes.

Then I tried to set up an automation and got completely lost in their interface. I wanted to create a welcome sequence for new subscribers and it felt like I needed a computer science degree just to figure out where to click.

I also looked at Substack because everyone was talking about it at the time.

But Substack felt too limiting. I wanted to build my own blog, my own brand, my own corner of the internet. Substack is great if you want a newsletter platform, but I wanted more control than that.

Flodesk kept showing up in my Instagram ads with their gorgeous email templates. And I’ll be honest, I was tempted. Their emails are beautiful.

But when I actually looked into their features and pricing, it didn’t feel like the right fit for what I was trying to build.

Then I found Kit.

And everything finally made sense.

Why I Chose Kit (And Why I’m Still Using It Over a Year Later)

Here’s what sold me on Kit from the beginning:

1. It’s actually built for creators like me

Kit wasn’t designed for e-commerce brands or corporate newsletters. It was built specifically for bloggers, course creators, and online entrepreneurs who are building personal brands and making money from their audience.

That meant the features I actually needed – landing pages, email sequences, tagging subscribers, selling digital products – were all built in. I didn’t have to cobble together a bunch of different tools or pay for expensive integrations.

2. The interface doesn’t make me want to cry

Listen, I’m not a tech person. I can figure out Canva and basic WordPress, but anything more complicated than that and I’m lost.

Kit’s interface is actually intuitive. When I want to send an email, I click “New Broadcast” and I write my email. When I want to set up an automation, the visual workflow builder actually makes sense. I can see exactly what’s happening and when.

I’m not saying there’s zero learning curve – there is. But it’s manageable, and they have really good tutorials for everything.

3. I can actually make money from it

This is the big one.

Kit has a built-in commerce feature that lets me sell digital products directly through my email list. I don’t need to connect to Shopify or use a separate payment processor or set up complicated integrations.

When I launched my online courses, I created a landing page on Showit, connected my Thinkific courses, and started selling. It took me maybe 20 minutes to set up.

Every time someone buys, Kit automatically tags them as a customer, removes them from my sales sequences, and adds them to my customer-only emails. I don’t have to do any of that manually.

That automation is literally what allows me to make money without working 24/7.

4. The email deliverability is actually good

This is something I didn’t even think about when I was starting out, but it matters SO much.

If your emails aren’t landing in people’s inboxes – if they’re going to spam or promotions or just not being delivered at all – it doesn’t matter how good your emails are. Nobody’s seeing them.

Kit has really strong deliverability rates. My open rates are consistently at 50% or more, which is way higher than the industry average.

That tells me my emails are actually reaching people’s inboxes and they’re actually opening them.

5. I can build my entire funnel in one place

I don’t just use Kit for sending emails. I use it for:

• Opt-in forms on my blog posts (see below an example!)
• Email sequences that automatically nurture new subscribers
• Tagging and segmenting my audience based on what they click
• Automated emails that go out when someone makes a purchase

All of that lives in Kit. I’m not jumping between five different platforms trying to make everything talk to each other.

How Kit Actually Works in My Business

Let me give you a real example of how I use Kit to make money from my weekly love letter emails.

Every Saturday, I write a diary-style email to my list. It’s not salesy. It’s not a hard pitch. It’s just me, sharing what’s happening in my life and my business, being honest about the messy middle, and giving people a peek behind the scenes.

Those emails go out to everyone on my list. Kit handles all the sending, tracks who opens and clicks, and gives me data on what’s resonating.

And when someone clicks on a specific link in my email – let’s say the link to one of my Playbooks – Kit automatically tags them. Now I know they’re interested in that offer.

A few days later, I can send a targeted email just to the people who clicked. Not my whole list. Just the people who already showed interest.

That’s way more effective than blasting my entire list with the same sales email over and over. I’m only talking to people who actually want to hear about it.

And when someone buys? Kit automatically:

• Tags them as a customer
• Removes them from any sales sequences
• Adds them to a welcome sequence for new customers
• Sends them their login information

I don’t have to do any of that manually. It all happens automatically in the background while I’m sleeping or traveling or living my life.

That’s how I make money from weekly emails without being glued to my laptop 24/7

The Features I Use Most

If you’re considering Kit, here are the specific features I use constantly:

Broadcasts: This is what I use for my weekly Saturday emails. I write my email, schedule it, and it goes out to my entire list (or a specific segment if I choose).

Sequences: These are automated email series that go out when someone takes a specific action. I have sequences for new subscribers, people who download my freebies, people who buy my products, etc.

Tags and Segments: This is how I organize my audience. I can see who’s interested in blogging vs online business, who’s clicked on specific offers, who’s purchased what. Then I only email relevant content to relevant people.

Visual Automations: This is where I set up all my automated workflows. If someone does X, then Y happens. It’s a visual builder that actually makes sense.

The Honest Cons (Because Nothing’s Perfect)

I’m not going to sit here and tell you Kit is flawless because it’s not.

The pricing can add up. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers, which is great when you’re starting out. But once you pass that, you’re paying based on your subscriber count. I’m currently paying around $79/month for my list size.

Is it worth it? For me, yes, because I’m making way more than $79/month from my email list. But it’s something to be aware of.

The email editor is pretty basic. If you want super fancy, beautiful emails with tons of design elements, Kit might feel limiting. Flodesk is definitely prettier. But I’ve learned that simple, text-based emails perform better anyway.

People want to feel like they’re getting an email from a friend, not a marketing campaign.

There’s a learning curve. It’s not as intuitive as, say, Mailchimp for a complete beginner. You’ll need to spend some time learning how sequences and tags and automations work. But Kit has really good tutorials and their support is helpful.

Who Kit Is For (And Who It’s Not For)

Kit is perfect for you if:

• You’re a blogger, course creator, or online entrepreneur building a personal brand
• You want to actually make money from your email list (not just send newsletters)
• You need automation and segmentation to work smarter, not harder
• You want everything in one platform instead of juggling multiple tools
• You’re willing to invest in a tool that will grow with your business

Kit might not be for you if:

• You just want to send pretty newsletters and don’t care about monetization (try Substack or Flodesk)
• You’re running a traditional e-commerce business (Klaviyo or Mailchimp might be better)
• You want a completely free option forever (stick with Mailchimp’s free plan)
• You’re not ready to actually commit to building and growing your email list

How to Get Started With Kit

If you’re ready to actually start building your email list and making money from it, here’s what I recommend:

Start with the free plan. You get up to 10,000 subscribers for free, which is plenty when you’re just getting started. You can test everything, figure out if you like it, and only upgrade when you actually need to.

Set up one simple opt-in. Don’t try to build your entire funnel on day one. Just create one landing page with one freebie and start getting people on your list.

Send your first email. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just hit send. The hardest part is always the first one.

Learn as you go. You don’t need to master every feature before you start. I’ve been using Kit for 3 years and I’m still learning new ways to use it.

You can sign up for Kit here and get started for free →

The Bottom Line

I’m not getting paid to write this. (Well, technically I’m a Kit affiliate, so if you sign up through my link I get a small commission. But I’d be recommending Kit anyway because it’s genuinely what I use and love.)

Kit is the platform that helped me turn my email list from 87 people I never email to 3,000+ people who actually read my weekly love letters and buy my products.

It’s not perfect. Nothing is. But it’s the best tool I’ve found for creators like me who want to build a real business around writing, not performing for Instagram.

If you’re serious about building your email list and actually making money from it, Kit is worth trying.

Start your free Kit account here →

And if you grab it, come tell me! I’d love to hear how you’re using it to build your business.