We are big fans of having a newsletter for your influencer and blogging business. They are an effective way to boost your digital marketing strategy, help you build more community, and helps you convert more. And if you’re deciding between starting a website or newsletter first, we always suggest newsletter.
Newsletters are an ideal way to offer exclusive content to your subscribers, and also let them in behind the curtain a bit. A newsletter can be a great way to share a series, or more personal content. You can really make it your own and find a strategy that works for you and your audience.
There are so many different newsletter platforms you can choose from to help you create effective email newsletters. But not all platforms are the same. Today I want to share with you a roundup of the best email newsletter platforms for bloggers and influencers.
Best Email Newsletter Platforms
The following are our top picks for bloggers and influencers to use to send emails. Whether you have a blog or not, we recommend using the following platforms for affordability and ease of use. Since most creators are simply sharing content in their emails, and maybe a freebie to grow your platform, these email marketing software options will be your best option.
Flodesk
Hands down our number one recommendation for creators, bloggers and influencers to use for their email marketing platform. This platform allows you to have unlimited number of subscribers and sends for a flat fee no matter your email list size.
Create multiple freebies with pop-ups, forms and workflows. With the drag and drop editor, you can create beautiful emails in seconds. Plus, with pre-made templates (and even the ability to share templates, get ours below), you can create professional-looking emails in no time.
Flodesk has been adding new features non-stop as it’s one of the newest email marketing platforms for small businesses. With more advanced analytics, the ability to create lists, segments and also link actions when customers click a link in an email. Plus, you can now create link in bios with forms to your freebies and your favorite links with Flodesk’s social forms.
If you’re someone who sells products as well from digital guides to courses, or services, you can add on Checkout to your plan.
Substack
For a no frills newsletter, and one that is totally free no matter what size your email list is, Substack is the way to go. A lot of creators are moving to Substack as it feels like a hot new platform. You can sort of create your own “website” on there as well.
Our issue with using Substack as your main website is that you really miss out on SEO, ownership, and ad revenue. Instead, you’re usually earning revenue through two streams, affiliate and paid subscriptions.
You can learn more about our feelings about Substack vs newsletter platforms here.
MailerLite
This is a great place to start if you’re not ready to pay for Flodesk, and have under 1,000 subscribers. You can grow up to 1,000 before paying and then I would honestly switch to Flodesk as it’s cheaper at the end of the day if your list is growing.
MailerLite also offers pop-ups and forms to use to help grow your list. And you can deliver your freebie with their email automation.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp has been in the game for a while, and if you are someone who relies on heavy segmentation for your list, then this may be a good fit for you. However, if you’re a blogger and influencer and just want to send a weekly email or two, and have a few workflows, this is going to cost you a ton of money in no time.
You’ll pay $20/month for just 500 subscribers. Mailchimp has made huge improvements to their email builder (it’s a direct replica of Flodesk and the change only came AFTER Flodesk arrived on the scene). They’ve definitely become more user-friendly and have mimicked the drag and drop editor of Flodesk.
If you’re a retailer or shop owner, this can also serve as a marketing platform and integrate with systems like Shopify and WooCommerce.
Convertkit
ConvertKit is free up to 10,000 subscribers with their very basic services. This is really great if you’re just sending a few emails a month and just have one general funnel for your freebie. You can also sell digital products on their free plan (a transaction fee does apply). They also offer unlimited pop-ups and forms. If you want a variety of freebies to offer your audience, you’ll need to upgrade to the Creator tier.
The following platforms do offer your classic email marketing needs as a blogger or influencer. But many of these really are better for e-commerce. If you own a store or sell products, you may want to consider one of the following options.
AWeber
A really cool feature of AWeber’s email marketing platform is that you can create right in Canva. The platform also offers AI assist on subject lines and copy. Plus, they offer a link-in-bio solution. The Plus plan is great for creators and only $20/month.
AWeber also offers automation for autoresponders as well as integration to platforms like PayPal, WordPress and Shopify. The entry plan is free up to 500 subscribers.
Get Response
A more robust option for those who have online stores or those who want to create courses. While they offer standard email marketing solutions for creators, the price point will quickly add up for the more subscribers you have. This platform also is more targeted for e-commerce.
This platform also allows you to host webinars. You can even provide on-demand webinars which are a great sales tool to generate leads for course sales. If you’re more of an educational service you may find Get Response to offer more in just one platform for your needs. You can
Constant Contact
Constant Contact covers it all from email marketing, to event marketing and even SMS. A more robust option that offers a library of templates to choose from making it super user friendly. This definitely has more than you would need for an everyday blogger, but if you’re a small business and retailer this could be a good option to try.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
This platform is pretty powerful with SMS marketing capabilities in addition to email automation. Brevo is probably better suited for an online store instead of a blog as it has much more robust automation.
Brevo offers ready made templates to use, and unlimited subscribers. However, they do limit your free email sends to just 300 a day. So if you have more than 300 subscribers and want to send an email in one day, you’ll need to upgrade!
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign offers a full suite of email marketing services from email automation, segmentation, triggered workflows and even a CRM. This platform is going to change price based on how many subscribers you have. The starter level also does not offer web forms to use on your blog so if you’re just starting out, this would not be your best option.
How To Choose Which Newsletter Platform Is Best For Your Blog
When narrowing down which newsletter platform is best for your blog, you’ll want to look at a few things. Most importantly you’ll probably want to think about price, will it go up if you grow significantly? And functionality. Will you be needing any e-commerce features? Or do you just need a simple newsletter with pop-ups, forms and simple segmentation?
Here at The Blog Societies, we think you don’t really need a lot of bells and whistles. Which means that almost all of the above platforms really do cover it all minus Substack. Substack lacks the forms, segmentation and e-commerce capabilities. Substack is truly in a league of it’s own and is usually treated as such.
But otherwise, the other 9 options for email marketing tools really cover it all. But our top preference will always be Flodesk. We love using Flodesk for so many reasons which you can read about here. If you’re not ready to pay for a service yet, we think MailerLite is a great alternative. You can always transfer your subscriber list to Substack, or Flodesk, wherever you want when you choose to. We encourage you to export your list every few months to have a backup.
Lastly, it’s important to just start a newsletter. You can always move to a different platform as your needs change. We always get asked “how do you start a newsletter” and it starts with selecting a platform and making a great freebie. And then make a plan to email your subscribers consistently with high-value content.
Your newsletter can be an extension of your brand, and help to generate more affiliate revenue, site traffic and build community. This is why we think it’s crucial to find the best newsletter platform for your business and get started as quickly as possible so you don’t miss out on the revenue opportunity.
Once you choose a newsletter platform to use, check out our tips on how to start a newsletter here!
