The Best Newsletter Platform for Small Businesses
“Keeping it simple and minimal”
With nearly two decades of experience writing newsletters, I've tried numerous platforms, including Mailchimp, Convertkit, Active Campaign, and Flodesk. Among these, Flodesk stands out as my top choice for small businesses. Here's why:
1-Minimal Learning Curve and User-Friendly Interface
If you’re running a small business, you’re likely juggling many roles at the same time. You don’t have time to watch tutorials to learn how to use complicated software and how to harness features.
Flodesk is incredibly user-friendly, with an intuitive interface that even those who aren't tech-savvy can navigate.
I tell my clients who are hesitant about technology: “If you know how to use photo editing or social media apps, you’ll know how to use Flodesk!”
2-The Most Beautiful Email Templates
Flodesk is perfect for those who want a professional-looking newsletter without spending hours designing and trying to make their email look good.
The templates are beautifully designed with a magazine-like aesthetic while avoiding looking overly commercial or cold (you know what I mean?).
You can easily create text-only emails if you prefer a more minimal look.
One of my creative solopreneur clients, Zeynep Gursoy, shared her positive experience with Flodesk.
When asked about her proudest achievement during our two months of working together, she replied: "OMG! Cleaning my audience list and switching to Flodesk (from Mailchimp). I started writing and sending regular newsletters to reconnect with my community. "
Zeynep found the newsletter creation process so effortless that she rediscovered her love for writing, leading to more engagement and increased sales.
3-Easy Automation
To engage your audience, you can create automated email sequences, such as newsletter onboarding sequences and nurture campaigns, to turn your leads into clients.
Setting up these automated email workflows can be daunting and triggering for entrepreneurs who have never done this. I’ve seen business owners postpone their freebie launch and newsletter for months because of their fear of technology.
But you don’t need to worry about Flodesk. Setting up these systems in Flodesk is a breeze compared to other platforms.
If your copy is ready, like in a Google Doc, you can create a four-part newsletter onboarding email sequence (using your brand, logo, and email graphics) in under 40 minutes.
Simply:
Select “new workflow.”
Pick your favorite template.
Define the trigger (e.g., subscriber added to segment “Newsletter”).
Copy and paste your copy into the email templates.
Click “publish” and choose now or schedule it for later.
And it'll look fantastic!
My newsletter onboarding sequence consists of four emails, each sent seven days apart.
If the above seems a bit abstract, it’s normal. Don’t worry. ☺️
I invite you to look inside Flodesk; it will all make sense when you sit down to build your workflow.
Imagine spending 40 minutes building an asset that will work tirelessly to grow your business, sending professional-looking emails around the clock.
Wouldn't it be incredibly rewarding to build something timeless for your business that nurtures your contacts and primes the right clients to work with you?
4-Reliable Support and Responsive Team
The Flodesk support team is always quick to respond to questions and issues, and you'll get real help from a human, not just an automated chatbot.
TRY FLODESK FOR FREE
If you’re enjoying this article and want to give Flodesk a try, I invite you to use my affiliate link. By doing so, you'll receive a 50% discount on your first year of Flodesk. I'll also earn a commission, which helps support my work. Thank you! 🫶
If you have a question or issue to fix, you can simply send an email. In my experience, they've always replied to my emails promptly.
I’ve tried other companies, and what turns me off are chatboxes with AIs, support reserved for highest-tier customers, or emails that don’t give you an answer but direct you to online resources.
Sometimes, those links and resources are unrelated or irrelevant, and you must go back and forth before getting to the point. This can be frustrating…
That is so much time wasted instead of focusing on what matters in your business. And when you’re trying to figure out things and put in your best effort, you want to speak to a human.
So, to me, support is CRUCIAL. And Flodesk never failed me.
5-Exciting New Features
They are always new and exciting features, which makes Flodesk a vibrant community to be part of.
One of the most exciting new features introduced this year was checkouts, which allow you to sell a digital product, ebook, or service using its native sales page, payment page, and delivery page—all beautifully designed and attractive.
Unfortunately, I cannot utilize Flodesk's checkout feature due to my business's location in Turkey. Stripe and PayPal aren't supported there.
Another one they launched in September 2023 is the ability to brand your opt-in form links.
So, instead of sharing and promoting a randomly generated handle like mystic-river.myflodesk.com, you can customize your handle to be yourbrand.myflodesk.com/freebie.
This was impossible when I wrote my last review, a deal breaker for me then.
I’m so glad they released this feature. It demonstrates how they listen to their community and constantly work on improving the platform.
Disclaimer
I switched to Active Campaign when I launched a curriculum-based group program because it seamlessly integrates with ThrivecartLearn, a platform I used to host my courses.
If I had stayed with Flodesk, I would have used a third-party integration to connect ThrivecartLearn and Flodesk and enable onboarding welcome sequences when a student signs up for a course, buys an offer bump, or upgrades.
And I don’t like to add complexity to my business.
My motto is: If you can keep it simple and minimal, do it.
However, my business's relocation from France to Turkey this year meant I could not continue using Thrivecart, which only supported Stripe and PayPal.
With all the new features and improvements Flodesk launched (and I miss the support team!), I could consider returning to Flodesk, but the migration process is significant with all the email workflows I have in place.
If Flodesk supported Turkish payment gateways, I would have a compelling reason to switch.
Conclusion
I've used Flodesk extensively for over three years and have been impressed by its ease of use and the general corporate culture, which I'd describe as fun, engaging, and friendly. Even my most tech-averse clients fell in love with the platform.
If you're looking for a modern, reliable, user-friendly newsletter platform, look no further. Flodesk's intuitive interface, beautiful templates, easy automation, and reliable, friendly support make it my top recommendation for small business owners and solopreneurs.
As with any tech tool, consider your budget and how it integrates into your existing tech ecosystem for a seamless workflow.
TRY FLODESK FOR FREE
If you found this article helpful and want to give Flodesk a try, I invite you to use my affiliate link. By doing so, you'll receive a 50% discount on your first year of Flodesk. I'll also earn a commission, which helps support my work. Thank you! 🫶
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About Maika
Maika mentors heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs to build the foundations of their business with her signature Intentional Business Building™ method. Her approach is holistic and integrates the entrepreneur mindset, marketing strategies, and systems to help create sustainable changes and long-lasting results. A lifelong passion for the human psyche, healing arts, and personal growth brought her to mentorship and coaching. She’s French-born in Japan and currently lives in Istanbul with her family.
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