The Importance of an Email Platform for Authors
If you’re an author looking to grow your audience and stay connected with your readers, email marketing is one of the most effective tools at your disposal. But with so many platforms out there—where each one offers a different mix of features and price points—it can be overwhelming to choose the “right” one. You need something that’s easy to use, doesn’t break the bank, and offers enough flexibility to grow with your career.
As someone who’s tested over 10 different email marketing platforms for both personal and professional use, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the downright frustrating. After evaluating countless options, I found one tool that checks all the boxes for authors: MailerLite.
In this post, I’ll walk you through why MailerLite stands out as a powerful, budget-friendly email marketing solution. Whether you’re just starting to build your email list or looking for an upgrade, I’ll share the key features, pros, and a few potential drawbacks to help you decide if it’s the right fit for you.
Let’s dive in and find out how MailerLite can help you stay focused on what you do best—writing—while keeping your readers engaged.
Why I Chose MailerLite Over Other Email Platforms
I started working with email marketing tools in 2021 as a freelancer. Since then I’ve used over 10 different email marketing tools between clients and my own business. So when I started to get serious about building an email list, I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for. I know a lot of the shortcomings or limitations of the different tools. I know the tricks to get things to work.
Despite all of that experience, I didn’t choose any of the platforms I was familiar with for the email marketing tool that I would use as an author. I chose MailerLite as the email platform I wanted to use as author.
What I Needed in an Email Marketing Tool
With all of this experience, I know what I like and don’t like when it comes to tools. So I was looking for a free plan that can:
- Schedule emails to send in the future
- Host multiple webpages or landing pages
- Automate multiple email sequences
- Allows tagging and segmenting
- Is easy to use
- Is affordable when it comes time to upgrade
Basically, I wanted a lot of functionality and flexibility with no price tag, and then a price tag I can stomach paying each month after I hit a minimum number of subscribers.
For authors, I know that every dollar counts. A lot of writers are hobbyists. A lot of writers have other jobs. Even if you’re a writer who makes a full-time living off of your writing, you don’t want your email marketing tool to be a huge expense.
At the same time, it needs to be easy to use. No one wants to spend hours learning how to use a tool. I would much rather be writing than fighting to get my email marketing tool to work. As someone who uses these tools every day, I can have a skewed view of what is easy to learn, but I know simple when I find it. And I appreciate tutorials and 30 days of support as much as any user when exploring a new tool.
Other Email Platforms I Considered
There were a lot of other email marketing tools that came close.
Kit (formerly convertkit) now allows their free plans to have 1 landing page and 1 email sequence. They didn’t when I originally explored them back in 2018 with my first blog that never quite made it live. I have had great experiences using Kit with clients, so I did explore this option. But I wanted to have the option for more than one. Plus, Kit gets expensive fast as your subscriber list grows.
I started my business email list using Flodesk, which has a bigger price tag than MailerLite even with the affiliate discount. A business coach recommended Flodesk as an easy solution for my small business to have an email list and a basic landing page. Flodesk is easy, but not for the price I was paying. It lacked SEO ability, and I couldn’t use my own domain name for the landing page url.
If you’re curious about the any of the other platforms I’ve tried, here’s the list that I can remember at the time of posting: MailChimp, Wix, Squarespace, Zoho, Kartra, Kajabi, Keap (Integromat), SendinBlue, and Drip.
You may notice that several of these platforms don’t market themselves only as email platforms. Several of them are multiple products in one, which ends up making the cost a lot more if you aren’t using all of the features. Even then, they aren’t always the best option. If you think you’re looking for a solution that has additional features, I’m always happy to discuss what I know and offer support. Reach out here.
Why MailerLite Stood Out
MailerLite is able to do all of the things I expected from the free plan with Kit, but also more. And the upgrade won’t crush my bottom line when I need to upgrade.
When I chose to set up MailerLite in the fall of 2024, this is what their free plan includes:
- Up to 1,000 subscribers
- 12,000 monthly emails
- Drag & drop editor
- Email automation builder
- Websites
- 10 landing pages
- Comparative reporting
- Signup forms & pop-ups
My only hang-up? Even though I can send the emails from my personal domain, I can’t use that domain for the website location of my landing pages with the free version. I had a solution for that though – a post for another day.
My Experience Using MailerLite
As I’ve dug into using MailerLite, I’ve felt happily rewarded with the initial research I did into finding the best email platform for authors – including myself. Here are some of the highlights from my experience so far:
- Ease of Setup: MailerLite sends a welcome email with all of the details to get your account set-up, including your domain and the necessary DNS security components (like DKIM, DMARC, SPF) that became required for mass email platforms in early 2024.
- Flexible Email Creation:Creating and formatting emails and sequences is straightforward. Tagging and subscriber segmenting is easy to set-up.
- Personalized Landing Pages and Websites: Creating personalized landing pages is simple. There are a lot of possibilities to play with and explore.
- Integrations: MailerLite has a lot of options for integrations, including a product sales function that works with stripe. I haven’t used too many of these yet, but I do have the integration between WordPress and MailerLite set-up right now. We will see what else I build out, and I’ll be sure to share what it is!
- Unexpected Features: I was even pleasantly surprised to find the option to create quizzes and surveys directly in MailerLite, which I’m currently using to create a quiz for my followers, which is a great way to get them onto my email list.
Is MailerLite Right for You?
I’ve found very few limitations with MailerLite’s free plan, which shows exactly how comprehensive it is. The nitpicky things I want I’ve been able to do or I’ve found acceptable solutions that work easily for me. I’m excited to continue building and exploring with MailerLite.
MailerLite offers an excellent balance of functionality, ease of use, and affordability, making it a standout choice as an email platform for authors. This is a recommendation I would give my paying clients with confidence that they can use it successfully. Give MailerLite a try if you’re an author looking for a home for your email newsletter. Learn more about MailerLite here (not an affiliate link!)
If you’re exploring email platforms or have questions about setting up your email marketing, reach out here—I’d love to help!
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