Which Email Marketing Platform Is Right for Credentialed Professionals?

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There’s a lot of tech evangelizing out there:

“This newsletter software is the best!

“You don’t know about this platform? That’s the only right answer!

“I just started my newsletter with this software and have been very impressed.”

“Definitely check out this one!”

(These were all actual responses to a LinkedIn post I wrote comparing Kit to Substack.)

And while I’m personally a huge fan of Kit as an email marketing platform for credentialed professionals such as financial advisors, therapists, speech pathologists, lactation consultants, and others who built their business on years of expertise, you might be surprised to learn that I don’t recommend it for everyone.

(In fact, my Deliberate Email Method was developed as a result of seeing so many business owners – myself included – fall prey to one-size-fits-all email marketing advice.)

I’m very anti one-size-fits-all advice when it comes to email marketing. (Except when it comes to consent. That’s non-negotiable.)

As a Certified Kit Expert, I’m only well-versed enough in Kit’s features to be able to give you a full rundown of all of its pros and cons. So instead of telling you which platform to use, I want to give you a framework for figuring out the right category of software for your business rather than an exhaustive, side-by-side comparison of multiple softwares.

Instead this is to help you to understand, depending on your Newsletter Identity Profile and your business model, what type of software you need so that you can better narrow down your options. 

But before we can get there, let’s get on the same page about what we even mean when we talk about newsletters and email marketing, because that distinction will impact which type of software you need.

Newsletters vs. Email Marketing

While I have an entire post devoted to breaking down the difference between newsletters and email marketing, the way I look at it is that email marketing is a spectrum, from sharing ideas and thought leadership all the way to actively promoting selling your products and services.

A newsletter lives at the intersection of thought leadership and updates. It’s not really selling, but it’s still marketing-adjacent in that you’re marketing your ideas.

Your emails can sit anywhere on that spectrum, and they can shift over time depending on what your practice needs and who the audience is.

People often use the terms email marketing and newsletters interchangeably, myself included. While generally I don’t have a strong preference about what you call it, it does matter when it comes to selecting which type of platform you choose.

That’s because “Newsletter Platforms,” such as Substack, are built for one end of the spectrum. Email marketing platforms like Kit, Mailchimp, Mailerlit, and can be used for either.

Newsletter and Email Marketing Platform Categories Explained

Ok, now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s break down the different types of platforms available. I’ve grouped them into four buckets:

1. Newsletter Platforms
2. Email Service Providers
3. Website Builders with Built-In Email Marketing Capabilities
4. Client Relationship Management Tools (aka CRM’s)

Newsletter Platforms

These are platforms where the whole point is to share your original editorial content and while also expanding your reach. 

And in case, like me, you’re wondering what exactly “editorial content” is, I found this New York Times definition to be helpful (bolding added by me for emphasis):

“Editorial content is content, whose primary purpose is to educate readers on a specific topic or issue. Editorial content is crafted and published by brands and organizations with the intention of informing, engaging or entertaining an audience. It differs from traditional marketing and is non-promotional in nature.”

For many people using these platforms, the newsletter itself IS the product. Think people like Heather Cox Richardson who is a historian and professor, and who isn’t selling you anything beyond a subscription to her newsletter. 

Many people using these platforms are trying to monetize their content through paid subscriptions.

Examples: Substack, beehiiv

Best for: Writers, thought leaders, journalists, and content creators who are monetizing through paid subscriptions and/or sponsorships

Pros:

• Built-in discoverability through recommendation networks
• Payment processing for paid subscriptions built right in
• Public-facing archives that function almost like a blog
• Generally lower learning curve to learn
• In Substack’s case, free to use

Both also have community feature, and for Substack especially it serves also as a type of social media platform. (Which for some can also be a negative.)

Cons:

This is super important: both Substack and beehiiv are explicitly designed for sharing ideas, not for marketing and selling services. Their Content Guidelines and Acceptable Use Policies make clear that using their platforms primarily to promote your services or drive people to book with you isn’t what they’re built for.

If using email to promote your services is part of the plan, I’d strongly advise against a newsletter platform. Not because I have anything against these platforms, but because you could be booted from them for using them for this purpose.

(Unless you also plan to move your subscribers on either of these platforms also onto your email marketing software, but that’s a whole other can of worms.)

Email Service Providers (ESP)

An ESP is the platform that hosts your email list and lets you send marketing and/or sales emails. This is the category most businesses selling services, memberships, group cohorts, and/or digital products need.

The main distinguishing feature between an ESP and a Newsletter Platform is that you can use it just for promotional purposes, as well as for sharing your original editorial content.

Examples: Kit (formerly ConvertKit), Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite, Flodesk, Constant Contact, Klaviyo

Best for: Digital creators, service-based business owners, coaches, consultants

Pros:

• Collect subscriber information (with their permission)
• Send automated emails based on subscriber actions
• Segment your audience based on what they sign up for or actions they take – for example, separating current clients from prospects, or people on a waitlist
• Integrate with other tools like booking software and checkout platforms
• You own your subscriber list and can move it to a different platform if you need to

Cons:

• With the exception of Kit, most ESPs don’t have built-in discovery tools. Getting people onto your list is entirely up to you.
• Depending on the software and the number of subscribers, can be expensive
• Generally somewhat steep learning curve, though varies greatly depending on which software you use

Website Builders with Built-In Email Marketing Capabilities

Several website builders include email marketing as an add-on feature, so you can keep everything under one platform.

Examples: Squarespace, Kajabi, Wix, Shopify

Best for: Businesses selling digital products and/or memberships and want to keep everything in one tool

Pros:

• One software to learn
• Everything integrated directly with your website and other tools that come with your website (e.g. scheduler, learning management platform, checkout cart, etc.)

Cons:

Because email isn’t the core feature, it’s often not done particularly well, and the features might be really limited.

Client Relationship Management (CRM) System

CRMs are platforms designed to manage the entire client journey, from first inquiry through invoicing and beyond. 

Salesforce defines a CRM as a “software that helps track each interaction you have with a prospect or customer. That can include sales calls, customer service interactions, marketing emails, and more.”

Examples: HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel

Best for: Businesses that need robust client management and want email marketing fully integrated into that system

Pros:

All of the pros of using an ESP, plus:

• Ability to track multiple interactions in one software (e.g. if someone clicks on a link in an email to book a call, books a call from a particular email, and/or had a call and with who and when)
• Very granular control over who receives which emails at which points in the client journey

Cons:

These tools are generally way more than most solo practitioners or small teams need, to the point of overwhelm. Not to mention, they tend to be much pricier with a much steeper learning curve. 

How do you determine the right tool for your business?

Instead of asking, “Which platform should I use?” start by asking, “What do I actually need this platform to do for my business?”

These four questions will get you there.

Question 1: Is your newsletter itself the product?

Are you planning to monetize through paid subscriptions (where people pay specifically to read your writing)?

If yes: Newsletter platforms like Substack or beehiiv are built for this. That said, some ESPs like Kit also support paid newsletters if you want that option down the road.

If no: If your newsletter supports your business rather than being your business, skip the newsletter platforms.

Question 2: Do you plan to use it to promote your business?

If the primary purpose is to market and sell your products and services, and/or to do launches with a heavier cycle of promotional emails?

If yes: You need a platform that supports email marketing (such as an ESP, all-in-one, or CRM), not a newsletter platform.

If no: If you’re focused more on editorial content/thought leadership with promotional content only in moderation, any of the platforms will work just fine. 

Question 3: What features do you need it to have?

Do you need to:

• Send different emails to different groups of subscribers?
• Send automated emails?
• Deliver lead magnets and/or digital offers?
• Integrate with your booking or checkout software?

If yes: You need an ESP, a CRM, or a website builder with solid email capabilities. 

If no: If everyone gets the same content and you’re not differentiating between subscriber types, any of the tools will also work. 

Question 4: Will you actually use it?

This is the most overlooked question in any platform conversation.

It doesn’t matter how many features a platform has. If you hate using it – or it doesn’t make sense to you – you won’t use it. 

The best tool for your business is the one that does what you need it to do, and that you’ll actually use.

A quick and dirty comparison chart of the different software categories

As you can see, each category of software can vary quite different in its features, but I think the second row is the most important one to pay attention to.

Should you use Kit for your newsletter?

Ok, as a Kit expert, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something specifically about Kit!

I’ve been a Kit user since 2016 and became a Kit Certified Expert because I genuinely believe it’s one of the best ESPs available for small business owners, especially for credentialed professionals who need segmentation, automation, and ethical list-building in one place.

But as I said at the beginning, I don’t think it’s the right fit for everyone, for a variety of reasons. I recognize the cost can be a barrier for some (though they have a very generous free plan, which includes up to one automation).

If you work through the questions above and Kit seems like a strong match, I’m happy to go deeper on why I recommend it and what it can do for a practice like yours.

And if you’re still not sure which direction to go? That’s exactly what a Power Hour is for. It’s one focused session to look at your specific situation and walk away with a clear answer.