Why ConvertKit?

It’s great when we find our people.

As a photographer in the modern world, you end up working with a variety of companies and services. Some are photography peers in your local area, some will be complementary vendors, and others will be online services you use to manage part of your business.

Sometimes these relationships are just business and as a customer you’re a commodity to them. They have no particular interest in what you do or how you do it, and their business goals may or may not be in alignment with yours.

But other times… you find a vendor who gets you. You find someone who can be great partner because your goals are in alignment, and whose values align with yours.

This is why I use and recommend ConvertKit, and it was all reaffirmed for me over the past few days at their Craft + Commerce conference.

Disclaimer: I’ve used ConvertKit for about four years and am an affiliate. If you sign up for ConvertKit through links in this article, you’ll get a great deal and I get a small commission.

ConvertKit is for Creators

MailChimp wants to be the Facebook of the online marketing world by attempting to serve everyone with everything (social media advertising, email, CRM, and more). ActiveCampaign has shifted it focus to bigger businesses. Drip is now describing itself as “Ecommerce CRM.”

None of those sound like a great fit for me as a photographer.

ConvertKit is for creators. It’s for photographers, writers, podcasters, YouTubers, and educators. It’s for people that make things. At Craft + Commerce last weekend, I met quite a few folks for whom photography is all (or a significant part of) their ventures. Photographers across various genres including weddings, portraits, events, and commercial work.

Every ConvertKit employee has a plaque on their desk that says “We exist to help creators earn a living.”

ConvertKit is Powerful Yet Accessible

ConvertKit’s tools for email marketing are such that it’s easy to get started, and easy to advance.

• If you’re new to email marketing, it’s straightforward to create simple forms to add folks to your list and to send out newsletters or basic messages.
• If you’re ready to grow your email marketing, ConvertKit makes it straightforward to start using tags to start to segment your list or to set up email sequences for basic automation.
• If you’re wanting advanced email marketing, ConvertKit offers more powerful automation either within their platform, or by using their API¹ to link your ConvertKit marketing efforts into other web services.

I’ve personally moved through these various stages over the last few years… starting fairly basic, and then adding more advanced features to my marketing and workflows as I needed them.

But you don’t have to do that. Most photographers who are selling their services and sharing their work don’t need to worry about the advanced stuff. You can get quite a bit done with the features built into ConvertKit without need to worry about APIs or such.

ConvertKit Does Good

While not directly related to the services they offer me as a customer, I also appreciate that ConvertKit is putting its money and energy to do good in the world. At Craft + Commerce we got an update on their service. They’ve partnered with organizations are are currently helping the world in three ways:

• They’re funding construction of 3D-printed houses in locations such as Haiti.
• They’re funding new wells through Charity:Water.
• They’re funding the construction of a medical clinic in Burma for an area without adequate services.

I can get behind a company that is out to improve the world.

Get Started and Get Free Coaching

Much like your photo lab, your camera store, or your web hosting company, ConvertKit can be a valuable partner in your photography success. Social networks come and go, and

Get Started with ConvertKit using my referral and I’ll spend an hour with you (via a video call) to talk through how your an best leverage email for your photography ventures. Regardless of where you’re currently at, we’ll talk about what your next steps should be. Once you’ve signed up and paid for your account, email me and we’ll set it up.

Questions? Leave a comment or drop me an email.

Have a few minutes? Watch ConvertKit Founder Nathan Barry:

1. API: Application Programming Interface. It’s a way for computers to talk to other computers. In this case, ConvertKit talking to another online service like Zapier or a beefed-up optin form system like Bloom. ↩