Step #1 of 3: Get your free Kit (formerly ConvertKit) account
It starts with an account. If you haven't subscribed to Kit (formerly ConvertKit) yet, head over now and get a free account.
When you sign up, you'll automatically get a 14-day free trial after which you can either go for a premium plan, starting at $9/month.
If you choose the free plan (the 'Newsletter' plan) then you'll be able to collect up to 10,000 subscribers, however, your automations are limited to one Visual Automation (think funnels) and one email sequence (a series of drip-fed emails).
Step #2 of 3: Configure your 'Settings'
Once logged in, head for the 'Settings' menu option (top-right corner of your Kit desktop), this is where you need to do most of the configuration so that Kit operates the way you need it to for your business.
There's nothing complex or confusing; it's simple click-and-type actions, so don't worry about things getting too techy.
Once you click on the 'Settings' link, you'll be shown the screen with several links down the left-hand side of the screen;
To get started, all you need to focus on are the options shown above in the red box (i.e. 'General' and 'Email').
For the 'General' section, you need to make sure your 'Business Name' represents you and your business, as this is what will be shown on any public-facing assets, for example, the unsubscribe page.
(I'm using a demo account for this article, hence the name)
Now click on the 'Email' section, this is where the most important configuration happens - this will determine your email deliverability, so you need to make sure it's set up correctly.
Your 'From' Address
The topmost section shows the email address that will be used for all the emails you send to your subscribers. You can have multiple email addresses but can only ever one set as your 'default' email address at any one time.
To verify your email address, you need to add it to your profile and then click on a link inside a confirmation email that Kit will send you.
Your Verified Sending Domain
Don't worry - it sounds techy, but it's not really.
As a bit of a backstory, at one time, you could use any old email address (like john@gmail.com) to send your emails to your subscriber list, but that option was recently taken away when Yahoo and Google changed the rules about sending emails via 'bulk email platforms' (i.e. like Kit).
To send emails to your subscribers, you need a proper domain, one that you have secured for your business, like 'provenflows.com' in my business (or 'kitmastery.com' in my demo account).
Fortunately, Kit makes this an easy box to tick with their automation tool that does it all for us.
Firstly, click on the button entitled '+ Add a Verified Sending Domain' (you can see it in the image above); this will then start a click-along sequence of forms that you need to complete (you'll need to know the login details for your domain hosting account - this is normally the company from which you bought your domain, e.g. GoDaddy, Ionos, Hostinger etc.).
I already created a written article and a video showing this process step by step, so you can check it out here if you want.
If you don't verify your sending domain, your email deliverability will be negatively impacted by ISPs (i.e. the companies who provide email services to your subscribers like Google, Yahoo, Apple, Microsoft, etc.) directing your emails into subscribers' spam folders or, worse still, rejecting them.
Step #3 of 3: Create your first landing page
One of your main objectives for your email marketing system is to add right-fit subscribers to your email list every day - so you need a way of capturing their name and email address (and any other data elements you wish).
The simplest way to get started with this in Kit is with a 'Landing Page'. The clue is kinda in the name - it's a place where your would-be subscriber will 'land' by clicking on the link you share with them.
To create your first landing page, head to the menu option 'Grow'> 'Landing Pages & Forms';
Once there, click the "+ Create new' button;
This will then pop a form that gives two options, to get started, choose 'Landing Page';
When you click on 'Landing Page', you'll be shown a list of templates from which you can choose the one that resonates most with your preferences.
Whichever template you choose, just know that you can edit it to make it more aligned with your brand colours, images, fonts, etc.
By default, you'll be shown a list of all available templates, however, if you want to narrow the options, use the template filters on the left-hand side of the screen.
Once you select your preferred template, you'll then be taken to the landing page editor, where you can modify and configure it to look and behave as you want it to.
Landing Page Settings
This is where you configure your landing page to behave the way you want it to, to best serve you and your subscribers.
To get started, you only need to focus on configuring the first 3 menu items on this form (see below);
General:
You have 3 options to choose from for what to do when a subscriber joins;
- Show a success message on the screen
- Redirect them to a thank-you page (one created in Kit)
- Redirect them to an external page (any URL you wish)
The simplest option is No.1, however, to add a little bit more of a professional look and a better experience for your subscribers, I recommend you choose option No.2 - the thank-you page.
This is a page you create in Kit as you're creating your landing page. In the landing page editor, click the button 'Add Page' - this will add your thank-you page, which you can then edit, just as you do with your landing page.
Domain:
This is where you create the link that you will share with your audiences so they can visit the landing page and join your email list.
You can give the page whichever URL you wish, providing it's not already being used elsewhere - see an example below;
Incentive:
This is where you configure the landing page to either send an incentive email, or not.
An incentive email is a confirmation email that subscribers need to open and click the link inside to confirm that it was them who requested to join and that it's a bona fide email address.
This is known as a 'double opt-in' policy, i.e. the subscriber opts in twice - once for the lead magnet, and secondly to confirm their email address.
After confirming their email address, you can instruct Kit to either take the subscriber to a URL that allows them to download the document (if that's what you're offering) or, alternatively, to take them to a URL of your choosing (this can be any URL, but one that needs to deliver on whatever promise you make with your lead magnet.
If you want Kit to provide the 'download' for the subscriber, you need to click on the button entitled, 'Choose a file' - this will pop up a window where you can choose the file to upload to Kit.
Once you have your landing page configured the way you want it, hit the 'Publish' button (top-right corner) and you'll see your URL that you can share with your audiences - click the little 'copy' icon to save it to your clipboard.
Good job, you just created your first landing page!
I have created a detailed written article and a video showing you how to create landing pages in Kit, should you want more help.
⚡️ Summary
That's it - just these 3 steps and you're ready to start collecting subscribers using Kit;
- Get a free Kit account (at kit.com)
- Configure your account settings (i.e. your 'from' email address, verified sending domain etc.)
- Create your first landing page and share it with your audiences (e.g. across your social platforms)
Have a go, and hit me up if you have any questions!