After Less Than A Year: Why I Switched Back to Flodesk
For years, email marketing has been an essential part of running my art business. It allows me to maintain a connection with my audience, announce new collections, and keep people engaged with my creative journey. After all, writing is one of my favorite things to do. However, finding the right email marketing platform has been far from simple. As a creative, I need a tool that reflects my brand’s aesthetic, is intuitive to use, and can support the growing needs of my business.
My journey with Flodesk started several years ago (I wrote about it here and here), and I loved it from the beginning, when they were beta testing it. But last year, I made the decision to switch to ConvertKit, hoping to take advantage of its advanced automation and segmenting features.
Hindsight is 20/20, right?
Less than one year later, I’m now back on Flodesk—thanks to the incredible strides in its features and functionality. This is the story of why Flodesk has become my go-to email marketing tool, and why it might be the perfect platform for artists like you.
Heads up, friend…
This post contains some affiliate links, which means if you sign up or make a purchase through one of my links (like this one), I might earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you, of course! While I am being compensated for writing this, all opinions and recommendations are 100% my own. I genuinely use and love Flodesk for my email marketing and will recommend it to almost all of my artist clients! Your support helps keep the creative vibes flowing, so thank you!
The Frustration with ConvertKit: Why It Didn’t Work for Me
At first, ConvertKit seemed like the solution to all my business needs. My art business had grown to the point where I needed more advanced automation, better segmentation, and the ability to manage complex workflows with ease. ConvertKit promised all of that, and for a while, it did deliver. But as time went on, I began to notice a series of frustrations that eventually made the platform more of a burden than a help.
Design Limitations
One of the biggest issues I faced with ConvertKit was the lack of design flexibility. As an artist, visual communication is everything, and my emails need to reflect the aesthetics of my brand. Unfortunately, ConvertKit's templates felt insanely outdated. The customization options were limited, and trying to create emails that felt aligned with my brand was like driving a Ferrari with a hand break pressed the entire time. Frustrating!
I found myself spending hours trying to make my emails look even halfway decent. The experience became a barrier between me and my audience, which is the last thing any artist wants. Beautiful design is at the core of what I do, and ConvertKit simply didn’t offer the tools I needed to express that in an easy and straightforward manner.
Complicated Automations
While ConvertKit offers powerful automation tools and IS a fantastic marketing tool, it has a steep learning curve. I remember spending countless hours setting up workflows, only to find myself tangled in a web of automation that I was afraid to break. Whenever I tried to edit a workflow, I worried I’d accidentally trigger a cascade of unintended emails. It was like walking through a digital laser maze. Now granted—someone with more experience and patience than me could pull it off. But me? As a solo-entrepreneur with no tech wizard on my team, I just don’t have that time to waste.
Despite investing in a systems specialist to help me set things up, I constantly felt like I was on the edge of making a mistake that could send the wrong message to my audience at the wrong time. This fear, combined with the time-consuming nature of the platform, made email marketing, something I loved, feel like a chore.
After nearly a year of struggling with ConvertKit, I made the decision to return to Flodesk. To my surprise, the platform had evolved significantly in the time I was away. Not only had they introduced new features like Flodesk Checkout, but they had also made vast improvements to their automation workflows, making them more functional and capable of supporting the complex needs of my business.
Here’s why I believe Flodesk is the perfect email marketing platform for artists and creative entrepreneurs:
Sales page designed on Flodesk
1. Flodesk Checkout: Simplifying the E-Commerce Experience
One of the most exciting new features I discovered when I returned to Flodesk was Flodesk Checkout. As service provider who also sells digital products, I needed a checkout system that was easy to use, visually appealing, and fully integrated with my email marketing. I had been using Thrivecart for my transactions, but it wasn’t cutting it in the intuitive design department. Squarespace e-commerce didn’t allow me to have the granularity I needed to segment by purchase made and, they took a huge cut on the plan I was on.
So what’s a girl to do?
Flodesk Checkout allows you to create high-converting, visually stunning sales pages in just a few clicks. The integration with Stripe for payment processing is seamless, and unlike many other platforms, Flodesk doesn’t take a cut of your sales beyond the Stripe transaction fee. For artists who need checkout functionality to sell services, courses, or workshops, Flodesk is a game-changer.
Flodesk Checkout also made it easier for me to revamp my entire digital product shop. I migrated some of my products to Squarespace and now use Flodesk as the checkout solution. It’s simplified my sales process, allowing me to focus more on creating art and less on managing technical details.
I especially love how dreamy the post-purchase experience looks!
The post-purchase experience on Flodesk
2. Enhanced Automation Workflows: Simple Yet Powerful
One of the primary reasons I initially left Flodesk was because its automation workflows weren’t robust enough to handle the complexity of my business. But since returning, I’ve been blown away by how much they’ve improved this feature.
Flodesk now offers heavy-duty workflows that can manage complex automations with ease. The workflows are intuitive to set up and allow for link actions that segment subscribers based on their interactions. For example, if someone clicks on a specific link in one of my emails, they can be automatically funneled into a sequence relevant to that.
This level of functionality is something I had previously only found in ConvertKit, but Flodesk now delivers it with a much more user-friendly interface. For artists who want to nurture their subscribers with tailored email journeys—whether it’s promoting new artwork, inviting subscribers to an exhibit, or sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content—Flodesk’s automation features are a perfect fit.
3. Stunning Email Design: A Must for Artists
One of Flodesk’s greatest strengths has always been its dedication to beautiful design, and it remains unmatched in this area. As an artist, the visual aspect of my emails is incredibly important. Flodesk’s drag-and-drop email builder allows me to create on-brand emails in under 10 minutes, with no coding required.
The platform offers an extensive range of customizable templates, fonts, and layout options, all designed to help your emails stand out in the inbox. This was one of my main frustrations with ConvertKit—the limited design options made it impossible to create emails that felt like an extension of my brand. With Flodesk, I can easily craft emails that reflect my aesthetic, making the email experience more cohesive for my subscribers.
4. Flat-Rate Pricing: Grow Your List Without Growing Your Bill
Flodesk’s flat-rate pricing is another reason why I decided to return. Unlike other platforms, which charge more as your subscriber list grows, Flodesk offers one simple, predictable rate. Whether you have 100 subscribers or 100,000, the price stays the same.
This is particularly important for artists and small business owners, as it allows you to scale without worrying about increasing costs. As my business grows, I know that I won’t be hit with unexpected fees, which gives me peace of mind and helps me budget more effectively.
5. Fun and Engaging Form Options
Flodesk’s latest form features are reawakening my excitement for creating engaging ways to attract more sign ups. For me, it’s not just about growing a list—it’s about engaging potential buyers, collectors, and fans in a way that feels authentic and interactive. Flodesk’s video forms allow me to embed video directly into the sign-up form. Video creates a personal connection, and Flodesk’s drag-and-drop form builder makes the entire process effortless. I recently used it in the sign-up for for my October Instagram visibility challenge, Show Up / Show Art.
Additionally, the super-fun spinner forms are perfect for running giveaways or offering discount codes to new subscribers. Offering a promotional discount has never been this fun.
5. Flodesk Analytics: Know Your Audience
For any business, data is key, and Flodesk doesn’t fall short in delivering the insights I need to improve my email marketing strategy. When I send out an email campaign, I can easily track open rates, click rates, and engagement. However, what makes Flodesk’s analytics truly helpful for artists is the ability to see more granular data like which types of emails get the most engagement or what times my audience is most active.
Data is power, and data-driven decisions are key to growing your business. Flodesk makes it easy to see how well your forms, emails, and checkouts are performing at a glance.
Embrace Simplicity and Creativity with Flodesk
In the world of email marketing, it’s easy to get bogged down by complex tools and endless features that, quite frankly, make our jobs harder. But Flodesk proves that you don’t have to sacrifice simplicity for functionality. By returning to Flodesk, I’ve been able to refocus on what truly matters—creating and connecting with my audience in a way that feels effortless and aligned with my brand.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your creative business, Flodesk offers a perfect balance of ease of use, beautiful design, and powerful features. If you’re ready to simplify your email marketing, give Flodesk a try—and don’t forget to use my affiliate link to get 50% off your first year!
And remember…
This post contains some affiliate links, which means if you sign up or make a purchase through one of my links (like this one), I might earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you, of course! While I am being compensated for writing this, all opinions and recommendations are 100% my own. I genuinely use and love Flodesk for my email marketing and will recommend it to almost all of my artist clients! Your support helps keep the creative vibes flowing, so thank you!
