Quick Info:

Why care?	There are a ton of different ESPs out there, and sometimes simply choosing one seems like such a hard task that we avoid email altogether. (Which would be a terrible idea if we’re trying to make money online.)
Cost:	Varies widely (I’ll help you find budget-friendly options!)
Who should do this:	All business owners who market and/or sell online.
Platform:	Email Service Provider (ESP)

Why do I need an ESP?

Let’s start with the basics. If you use Gmail (Google Workspace) or Outlook (Microsoft) to manage your daily emails, you may think you can just send marketing emails on that platform.

But those platforms were designed to send individual (or small group) emails. They were not designed to send one-to-many emails (like marketing campaigns) and trying to do so on these platforms is a great way to get your email address blocked, fast. 🙈

What you need is a platform where you can send mass emails to your list AND be able to track user behaviour so that you can tailor those messages to hit the right people at the right time. (Google & Outlook can’t do that.)

These platforms are called Email Service Providers (or ESPs).

Which one is the best?

Of course, there is no singular answer to this question. 

Different platforms are designed with different users in mind. For instance, someone selling physical products will have different needs than someone selling services. The platforms each have their own target audience that they are trying to appeal to, and tailor their features to support. 

Further down I’ll give you a breakdown of several major players and who they are best designed for, but there are a couple blanket statements that I feel comfortable making that will help you make a solid decision:

Look for an existing option

What I mean by this is: do you already have a built-in ESP inside your existing website platform? Ex: Shopify, Square, Kajabi, Squarespace, and WIX (just to name a few) all contain their own ESP.

Usually these platforms have limitations that you may one day outgrow. But if it’s already a platform that you are comfortable with and its capabilities meet your current needs, then I usually lean toward using what you’ve already got, until you start needing more. (Let’s not reinvent the wheel if we don’t need to.)

(Shopify recently did a major upgrade to their own ESP, and I am actually really impressed with it!!)

What feels intuitive to you?

I’ve used a lot of different ESPs and each one works slightly differently than the other (even though they offer basically the same functionality). This is because people learn in different ways and we like different things. I might find something easy that someone else finds challenging, and vice versa.

Hence, there’s a lot of variety out there so you can find the platform that’s easiest for you to use.

The downside: you have to try out several platforms to find the one that fits you the best. Usually we want someone else to tell us which option is best so we can skip the trial part, but the truth is that the only person who really knows what the best thing is for you, is YOU. So, testing is mandatory.

Key features to look for

Ease of Use 🛠️

Choose an ESP with an interface that you find user-friendly and easy to pick up. I also like to see what kind of training video or learning resources the company has to help you learn your new platform. 

Automation 🔄

You will want to automate your welcome emails, follow-ups, and promotional campaigns. Look to see what level of plan you need to pay for in order to get these features.

Segmentation 🎯

Effective segmentation allows you to send targeted emails to different groups within your audience. Ensure that your platform has ways to tag and segment your audience. (I love platforms that have commonly used segment templates that you can easily implement with a couple clicks)

Analytics 📊

Good analytics help you understand how your emails are performing. Look for ESPs that provide detailed reports on open rates, click rates, and conversions.

Templates 📧

Choose an ESP with a variety of customizable templates. This makes creating beautiful emails quick and easy.

Do your research

Utilize Google and other tools to find out which ESPs you should take a look at. A good search query could be:

“Best ESP for _[artists/ food & beverage/ small audiences/ selling e-commerce]_”

Click here to view a list of 5 commonly used platforms and their target audience.

What I like (personally)

I have been using MailChimp (affiliate link) for over a decade. I grew up with it, and for me, it feels incredibly intuitive and easy. I also love the intricate automations I’m able to build, the easy access to my email templates, and the way the platform is organized. I feel it’s a wonderful platform for beginners, as well as experts. (That doesn’t mean it’s right for you, it’s just what I like.)

I was planning on switching back to MailChimp (I had left MailChimp to go to ConvertKit because people in my industry said that ConvertKit was “so much better”.) I used it for 1 year, because I paid up front, but I never liked it. It cost more than MailChimp and also caused me more headaches than I care to confess. This platform never felt right to me.

Kartra is my new platform where my online resource library will be housed, which also supports email. Remember rule #1? Use what you have? Well, here I am. It’s taken some figuring out, but I’m going to use the platform integrated within a tool that I am already using.

We’ll see how it goes. 😉

Today’s Task

✅  If you don’t already have an ESP, or you’re not happy with your current one, take the next 10 minutes to do some research around platforms to decide which one is best for you.