How to Choose the Right Email Marketing Platform for Your Coaching Business

If you have ever typed “best email marketing platform for coaches” into Google and come out more confused than when you started, I completely understand. There are dozens of options, everyone has a strong opinion, and the comparison articles all seem to say the same vague things without actually helping you make a decision.

Today I want to do something different. I’m going to tell you exactly what I think based on years of experience using these tools myself and helping coaches set them up — including which platforms I personally use, which ones I’d steer you away from, and why.

Let’s get into it.

First, What Does a Coach Actually Need From an Email Platform?

Before we talk about specific tools, let’s get clear on what you actually need. As a coach, your email platform needs to do a few core things really well.

It needs to deliver your lead magnets automatically. It needs to send a welcome sequence to new subscribers without you touching anything. It needs to segment your list so you can send the right message to the right people. It needs to integrate with the other tools in your business, your website, your scheduler, your payment processor. And ideally, it needs to be intuitive enough that you actually use it.

With that in mind, here are my honest thoughts on the platforms I recommend most often.

Kit (Formerly ConvertKit): My Top Recommendation for Most Coaches

I will be honest with you, I flirted with Kit for a long time because of the price. I used it, then I moved to another tool. Then I’d go back to Kit (aff link) for a while before leaving them again for another tool. I had most recently been using MailerLite and telling myself the savings were worth the trade-offs. Then I found a significant discount that made the switch back to Kit a no-brainer, and within less than an hour I had every sequence, form, and automation migrated over completely.

That experience told me something important. When a tool is truly intuitive, you know it immediately. Everything just makes sense. And that kind of confidence in your tech is worth something real, because when you trust your tools, you actually use them. When you’re not quite sure what you’re doing, you avoid them. And an email platform you avoid is the most expensive tool in your stack regardless of what it costs per month.

Kit connects with virtually every tool in the coaching ecosystem, course platforms, membership sites, scheduling tools, payment processors, and more. (Fight me! Which tool integration is it missing?) The integrations are genuinely best in class. And the interface is clean, logical, and welcoming even if you don’t consider yourself particularly tech savvy.

Is it the least expensive option? Nope. But when I weighed the confidence I felt using it again versus the cost, especially with a discount bringing the price down significantly, it wasn’t even a close call. Watch for promotional pricing because Kit does offer deals periodically and when they do it’s absolutely worth jumping on.

MailerLite: A Solid Option for Coaches Watching Their Budget

MailerLite deserves an honest mention because it genuinely does a lot of things well at a very accessible price point. The automation features are solid, the landing page builder works nicely, and for coaches who are just getting started and need to keep costs low, it’s a reasonable place to begin. They even have a limited free option which is pretty feature-rich.

My honest experience was that while the functionality was there, something about the interface never quite clicked for me the way Kit does. I always felt like I was working a little harder than I should have to get things done. It took 4-5 clicks to accomplish things that should have taken 1-2. And I got tired of looking for things and the settings weren’t where I expected them to be. And this was after I upgraded to a paid plan to get access to automations.

That’s a personal experience and yours may differ, but I share it because I think the feeling of ease and confidence you get from your tools matters more than most people account for when they’re comparing prices.

If budget is your primary constraint right now, MailerLite is a solid starting point. Just know that as your business grows and your tech stack gets more complex, you may find yourself wanting to migrate to something that integrates more seamlessly with everything else you’re running.

Flodesk: Beautiful, Woman-Owned, and Worth Knowing About

I have a soft spot for Flodesk and I’ll tell you exactly why. It is stunning. The email templates are genuinely beautiful, the interface is a joy to use, and it was founded by women, who I love supporting when I can.

I currently use Flodesk for my coaching practice and it serves that purpose really well. The flat-rate pricing model is also appealing because I pay the same amount regardless of how many subscribers I have. And I always will, although this pricing plan was discontinued last November. Also, if you want to start with a free plan, skip Flodesk because they will let you collect email addresses but you cannot send to them.

Here is my honest caveat though. Flodesk does not integrate with as many tools as Kit or even MailerLite, and that can become a real limitation as your business grows and your tech needs get more complex. It’s something I genuinely hope they address because the platform itself is wonderful. For coaches with simpler setups who prioritize beautiful design and ease of use, Flodesk is worth serious consideration.

Disclosure: This page does contain affiliate links which means I get a commission if you purchase through my link. That said, I only recommend things I truly love and use. Learn more.

Two Platforms I’d Steer You Away From

I believe in being honest with you even when it’s not what you might expect to hear, so let me talk about two platforms I typically don’t recommend for coaches.

Mailchimp is probably the most well-known email marketing platform out there, which is exactly why so many people start there. But here’s something that often catches coaches off guard: Mailchimp does not allow affiliate marketing ‘as an industry‘ in emails sent through their platform. For coaches who promote other people’s products, tools, or programs, which is extremely common, this can be a significant problem that you don’t discover until it’s too late.

Another platform I suggest coaches avoid is ActiveCampaign. ActiveCampaign is a robust platform and I want to be clear that it genuinely is powerful. But that’s actually part of the problem for most coaches. It is one of the most feature-rich and complex email marketing tools available, and with that complexity comes a steep learning curve and a price tag to match. In my experience, the vast majority of coaches will never use the advanced features that justify the cost, which means you end up paying a premium for capabilities that are sitting completely unused. Unless you have a very sophisticated marketing operation that genuinely requires enterprise-level automation, there are better options that will serve you just as well at a fraction of the price.

Neither of these is a dealbreaker for every business, but for most coaches I work with, the limitations and trade-offs outweigh the benefits when better options exist at more accessible price points.

So Which One Should You Choose?

Here is my simple framework for making this decision. If you want the most intuitive experience with best in class integrations and you want an email partner you can stay with for a long time, Kit is where I’d send you. If budget is your primary concern right now and you need something functional and affordable, start with MailerLite. If you prioritize beautiful design and have a simpler tech setup, Flodesk is worth a look.

And if you already have a platform and you’re not sure whether it’s actually set up correctly or serving your business well, that’s something we can look at together. The Personalized Tech Audit includes a full review of your email marketing setup and gives you clear, specific recommendations based on your actual business, not a generic checklist.

The Most Important Thing

Whatever platform you choose, the most important thing is that you actually use it. The best email marketing platform in the world is worthless if it sits unused because it confuses you or feels overwhelming every time you log in.

Start with something you can grow into. Set it up properly from the beginning. And if you need help getting it configured so it actually works the way it’s supposed to, that’s exactly what I’m here for.

Ready to get your email marketing working properly and not sure where to start? Head to the Work With Me page to explore how we can set this up together.