why I switched to flodesk

I woke up one morning in September 2021 and switched to flodesk and this is the story of how it happened. I was frustrated with my previous email provider. At the time, I was using one of the email marketing tool where I had to pay almost $80 monthly because I had about 5,000 subscribers, which was a little frustrating.

I was frustrated because I had not monetised my email community, and frankly, I didn’t want to. I liked the bond we shared. I liked that it was not transactional, and I just wanted to build a community where I shared value without the pressure of making money. I had other outlets where I made money, but I started to feel this pressure to monetise to keep up with the monthly $79.99 charge. I was always so worried whenever I added a new subscriber. My heart often skipped a beat because I knew that automatically created a possibility of an extra cost. I was always so worried about growing my email community to 10,000 subscribers because it literally came at a price. My open and click-through rates were great; people often replied to my emails. I had built the community I wanted, and it was evident that people weren’t coming to me because of the design or the platform but for the value they got from it. The platform also felt rigid, with too much going on backend and wayyyy too many bottlenecks. So, on this beautiful morning, I woke up and decided something had to change.

I was scrolling through my emails that morning, catching up on the emails in my inbox on the way to inbox 0, when I read one email that ended with “made with love in Flodesk“. I got curious because I always signed all my letters with “with love, Blessing Abeng”. I felt a strong affinity for the brand and immediately wanted to know what flodesk was. It wasn’t just the signature at the end; it was also the simplicity of the design of the letter, which was so airy and minimalist. I decided to try it, so I signed up immediately for a trial. 

Some of my favorite things about flodesk during the trial period were:

1. it was limited and unlimited at the same time: one of my favourite things about the trial period was that unique blend of freedom to do whatever I wanted with the consciousness of a limited duration. I had access to all the features during the trial period [30 days].
   
2. it was free and didn’t require my card details: I could just sign up with my email and get started for 30 days. Unlike other tools, I didn’t have to share my card details to get access to everything.
   
3. unlimited subscribers: most of the other tools I had used up until this moment had charged me per subscriber, and flodesk offered me access to an unlimited subscriber base… meaning even if there were half a million people subscribed to my mailing list, I would still pay the same amount. 
   
4. templates: there were a number of templates you could choose and customers without being a design expert. They were clean, minimalist, and easy to use. I love minimalist design, so this was just such a magnetising factor.
   
5. forms: there were forms of different styles [in-line, full page, pop-ups, etc.], and they were easy to copy and paste on my website without any technical knowledge required.
   
6. easy to customise: the templates and forms were so easy to customise and manipulate and there were beautiful fonts available. You could choose your brand colours and the guides were not technical at all. What you saw was what you got. It was so easy to design emails people loved.
   
7. ease of navigation: unlike all the other email tools I had used, it was not overwhelming or too scanty. It was beautiful and had the essential things I needed. I could easily find what I was looking for per time. The interface is not distracting or overwhelming, just clear.
   
8. attach media: I loved that with this feature, you could attach images, pdfs, etc., or add links to a YouTube video. Whether or not you had a website, people could download your resources.
   
9. landing pages: you could create a landing page whether or not you had a website, and this landing page will direct people to a specific segment of your list and trigger a workflow. Unlike many platforms, you did not need to have a website for this to work; they’ll generate a link for you, and you can share it. Meaning that you could get people on your waitlist, get them to sign up for your event or even download your ebook without having a website.
   
10. workflows: this was probably my favourite thing. I loved that I could create beautiful workflows so whenever someone joined a specific list, they could get automated emails like I just sent it. I could customise the triggers based on time delay [at a specific time/day or after a particular period of time], based on a condition or even action. This made me happy too.

I am sure there were other reasons I liked it, but these were the reasons I was initially excited. And I had access to everything for 30 days. The consciousness of this limited period made me explore all the functionalities. I exported all my emails into flodesk and got to work immediately. I had just 30 days, so I did my best to make every day count [I didn’t send emails to my community every day, but I tested probably every single feature in small bits and pieces]. I remember the first email I sent out, I got so much positive feedback about the new email skin, and I didn’t even ask.

2 days before my 30 days was over, flodesk reminded me that it was time to decide if I would be staying on as a flodesk lover, and they sweetened the deal with a 50% offer I could lock in. The code in the image doesn’t work anymore [that’s why I covered it] but I am going to gift you one that offers you 50% off your flodesk subscription for a whole year, click this link or use this code W4MBU5 to access it.

As you now know, I jumped on that opportunity and locked in my flodesk subscription. The truth is, even if I didn’t get the 50% discount, I would have paid for flodesk because my subscribers have grown so much since 2021, and I still get to pay only a tiny fraction of what I paid monthly in 2021 with a different email marketing platform. I am grateful for the 30-day trial because it pushed me to test and commit. After paying, I couldn’t afford not to use it. I had to use it, and that took procrastination away. The best part is that flodesk has grown so much and improved its functionality.

3 years of using flodesk, and these are my favourite new things:

• link in bio: I love this feature because it helps you put your most important links front and centre and it connects to your email forms in a seamless way. Here’s an example of mine.
  
• personalised url: you can have your own flodesk url, so you don’t even need a website to start. Your flodesk url can be a good starting point too and you won’t feel like a bot. It’s human.
  
• smarter links + workflows: you can now add automations to link actions. This means people can click a link and be automatically added or removed from a workflow or choose [not] to join a new segment without filling out a form. By just clicking a link, they could receive a new email workflow. For example, if someone fills out a form to download your ebook, they can automatically get an email with the ebook, and three days later, you can ask them their thoughts about it. You can add a link within the email asking them if they want to receive your regular letters, and by clicking a link to that email, they can get a welcome message from you [while you’re asleep], welcoming them to your community.

• flodesk analytics: this has improved since I joined. With this, you can identify what is working, what is not, who is clicking, who is not, who is unsubscribing, the particular email that made them unsubscribe, form conversion rates, workflow analytics, and so much more. 

• exemptions: I love that you can exempt people within a specific segment from receiving a particular email while including people from another segment.
  

• more dynamic forms: in addition to all the forms that previously existed, new templates, and the ability for creators to create templates, flodesk has added spinner forms, video forms, and countdown forms. I think it’s so beautiful that they are evolving to make the forms more interactive.
  

• speedy response from the flodesk team: this is one thing I am most grateful for – the team’s responsiveness. They are so helpful and polite, and really truly help you. They don’t sound like robots but are kind and really helpful.
  

• the price is still the same: I still can’t believe that flodesk is still the same price for unlimited emails. I tested it with one of my brands with over 300,000 subscribers, and we still paid the same price. It inspires you to want to grow your list because you feel peace knowing you won’t have to pay more. I recommend the annual plan + you can even get it 50% cheaper if you sign up with my link. That means you”ll get it for [$19/month or $210/year without the e-commerce feature]. That’s a good deal. 

• a 50% discount for you: if you sign up now with this link, you get your 30-day free trial and 50% off for a whole year.Try it for 30 days and then decide.
  

• integrations: You can integrate flodesk with Zapier & Pabbly Connect, Interact, Session, BookFunnel, Grow by Mediavine, and they are working on more.
  

• checkout features = templates that can convert: you can sell directly from your emails and it goes straight to checkout, so you don’t need a separate platform or website to do this. And I love that you keep your money and only pay the stripe processing fee, flodesk doesn’t charge you a percentage. 

I switched from my former email marketing tool to flodesk at first because it was minimalist, beautiful, and 5x cheaper for me [now more than 10x cheaper based on my list], but I stayed for the functionalities I mentioned above and the brand warmth. It’s my flodesk anniversary, my third year of using flodesk, and I reflected on why I am still a user, and these were some of the reasons. I love flodesk and I have referred more than 80 people to the platform. Some of them have messaged me thanking me for bringing this tool their way. Flodesk is definitely one of the tools making my life easier, you can find 10 more digital tools I love using here. I hope this blog post helps you as you decide and if you choose to switch to flodesk, enjoy my sweet discount. I hope this gift makes you smile. Don’t procrastinate. Start building your list. Take the first step now, and sign up for flodesk.

MY GIFT TO YOU: Get 50% discount on flodesk plan with this link.

with love,

Blessing Abeng