If you’re just starting a business or a creator journey, someone has probably told you that you need an email list… but then you looked at your options and found dozens of email tools, all promising to be the best, with no easy way to tell which one won’t waste your time or your money.
Let me save you the trouble. I’ve used Kit since October 2019, about seven years now, and I tried all sorts of other email services before I settled on it. Kit was by far the easiest to use and the most effective, even for someone who has never sent a marketing email. That’s why, in our email tutorials, we’ll be using Kit every step of the way, because in my experience it’s simply the best.
Below, I’ll explain what Kit is, why you need an email list, what you get for free, and my five favorite features, so you know exactly where to start, even with zero experience.
What Is Kit?
Kit, formerly known as ConvertKit, is an email marketing and newsletter platform made for creators. Kit describes itself as “the email platform for creator business owners,” and it’s built for bloggers, authors, coaches, course creators, podcasters, YouTubers, and newsletter writers.
With Kit, you can collect subscribers with forms and landing pages, send emails, automate follow-ups, sell digital products, and even earn money from sponsors, all in one place.
Why Do You Need an Email List?
Social media is rented space. Algorithms change, reach drops, and accounts can be restricted or lost overnight. An email list is different. It belongs to you, and it lets you reach people who chose to hear from you, without paying to be seen.
If you create content, sell anything, or just want a steady audience, an email list is the most reliable way to turn casual followers into people who show up every time you publish. That’s why I’ve kept mine going for seven years.
What Do You Get on Kit’s Free Plan?
Kit has a free plan that costs $0 a month for as long as you stay under 10,000 subscribers, according to Kit’s help center. That’s plenty of room to start and grow a list, and you don’t need a credit card to get going.
You don’t give up much to use it. The free plan includes unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email broadcasts, audience tagging and segmentation, A/B testing on your broadcasts, digital product and subscription sales, and API access. It also includes free and Smart Recommendations through Kit’s Creator Network, where other creators can feature your newsletter. You get five Smart Recommendation slots, and they fill automatically.
A few things are saved for paid plans: visual automations and the automation template library, email sequences, RSS campaigns, and earning from Paid Recommendations. Newsletter sponsorships are also not part of the free plan, per Kit’s pricing page. When you’re ready for those, you can upgrade, and everything you’ve built stays right where it is.
Why I Chose Kit Over Everything Else
Over the years, I tried all sorts of other options. Kit won every time because it was easier to use and more effective for me. I spent less time figuring out the tool and more time on my emails, my list, and my income. Seven years later, that’s still true, and it’s why I’ve never had a reason to switch.
1. Recommendations That Grow Your List
Kit’s Creator Network lets other creators recommend your newsletter to their readers while you recommend theirs. Free and Smart Recommendations are both included on the free plan, so you can grow your list with real, interested subscribers without spending anything on ads.
2. Sponsors That Pay Without Extra Work
This is one of my favorites. On my main account, I make about $225 a month extra from Kit sponsors, and it takes almost no additional work.
According to a 2026 breakdown of the feature, brands apply to advertise through Kit, and Kit matches them with newsletters by niche, subscriber count, and engagement. You see the brand, the brief, and the estimated earnings, then choose whether to accept. Kit pays by the click and handles payouts directly, so there are no invoices to send. Sponsorships aren’t on the free plan, and what you earn depends on your niche, list size, and engagement, so $225 a month is my own result, not a promise.
3. Easy Logic and Automation
I’ve used a lot of email tools, and Kit is the one where building logic and automation feels simple instead of technical. The visual automation builder lets me map out what happens when someone joins, clicks a link, or gets a tag, then watch it run. Automation templates give me a starting point instead of a blank canvas, so I can set up welcome sequences and send people down different paths without a developer. Visual automations and email sequences are paid features.
4. Deliverability I Can Count On
Great emails don’t matter if they land in spam. Kit says it manages the IP addresses, sending domains, and link-tracking domains used for your messages and sets up DKIM and SPF authentication for you. It reports a 99% system-wide delivery rate, which measures delivery rather than inbox placement. Hard bounces are removed from your active list automatically, and feedback loops flag complaints.
5. Cold Subscriber Management on Autopilot
Kit treats a subscriber as cold if they haven’t opened or clicked an email in 90 days (or 30 days if they joined less than 90 days ago). Its list cleaning templates take it from there. Automatic cleaning sends new subscribers who haven’t opened an email within 180 days a short re-engagement sequence, then unsubscribes them if they still don’t open anything. Ad hoc cleaning does the same for all of your cold subscribers, and anyone who clicks the link is marked as reactivated.
A cleaner list keeps engagement up and helps protect deliverability. You can even drop to a lower subscriber tier afterward to cut your bill, which is a great way to make sure you’re never stuck paying for services that you don’t really need. These templates are available on paid plans.
Is Kit Right for You?
If you’re a blogger, creator, or small business owner who wants to grow an email list without a steep learning curve, Kit is a great place to start. You can begin on the free plan, grow with Recommendations, and upgrade when you want automations and sponsors.
After seven years, Kit is still my preferred email marketing service. It’s easy to use, it helps my list grow, it earns me extra income, and it keeps my list healthy with very little effort.
