How I use Convertkit
If you decide to get fancy with ConvertKit you have to document your settings somewhere, because clicking around in the ConvertKit interface to find stuff is painfully slow. And because it gets so complicated, so fast, that you need it all written down in one place. Iâm writing stuff down in this public post.
In particular, this is a reference for the forms, custom fields, segments, code snippets, automations, and sequences I use and maintain. (I donât use tags except to facilitate automations.)
Forms
This is a major gripe of mine with ConvertKitâthey really want you to use their fancy styled forms, and I really just want some HTML I can style myself. But anyway, here are the forms I use:
Your Website Sucks (Read a sample)
Available at yourwebsitesucks.fyi. Uses the built-in ConvertKit confirmation flow (for now! see âCustom fields > CONFIRMEDâ) to send subscribers to a top secret PDF with sample chapters from the book.
On my todo list: Follow up with a couple emails with additional tips, then warn subscribers theyâre about to be dumped onto my weekly-ish email list.
Generic email signup
This is the form at the bottom of this page! And most pages on this site. It simply drops you into my weekly email list.
Auto opt-in Gumroad form
This is an invisible form that only exists to add members who opt in to one of my Gumroad products.
Right now it simply drops subscribers onto my weekly-ish list with little or no warning :)
First Impressions Workshop opt-in
Youâll find it at briandavidhall.com/first-impressions-workshop/. It drops subscribers into a sequence (see below).
Custom fields
I use these liberally, create them without hesitation, often populate them manually and frequently discard them. But here are the ones that have stuck around for more than one email:
EMAIL_FREQUENCY
Can be whenever
, weekly
, or big_announcements_only
. New subscribers default to weekly
(see âAutomationsâ).
A link in the footer offers subscribers the option to update their email frequency (see âCode snippetsâ).
PURCHASED_YWS and REVIEWED_YWS
Can be true
or blank. I manually update PURCHASED_YWS
when I know that someone has bought (or been given) a copy of Your Website Sucks, so I can avoid asking them to buy it. (Same for REVIEWED_YWS
and asking them to review it.)
PURCHASED_ONE_STAR and REVIEWED_ONE_STAR
Same as above, but for One Star.
YFTC_BETA_READER
Can be round1
, round2
, coaching
, or blank. I manually update these fields and allow subscribers to click a link to set it, so I can coordinate coaching calls or send out beta reading links.
ONE_STAR_DAILY_STATUS
A newsletter within a newsletterâthis custom field can be subscribed
, unsubscribed
, or blank.
Anyone who opts in (via link click or form) to subscribed
receives daily emails with quotes about dealing with criticism ⌠until I run out of quotes (see âSequencesâ). If they opt out, theyâre marked unsubscribed
so the daily emails stop, but they stay on my list.
ONE_STAR_WEEKLY_STATUS
Same as above, but for weekly emails containing draft chapters of the book.
CONFIRMED
Iâm not using this yet! But itâs on my todo list to stop using ConvertKitâs auto-opt-in email to confirm addresses, and build a custom one instead, per this post. Kind of like how the ONE_STAR_DAILY_STATUS
and ONE_STAR_WEEKLY_STATUS
work, but for all subscribers.
ONBOARDING
For some (but not yet all) free resources, this field is set to true
when someone opts in so I can exclude them from chaotic weekly emails until Iâve prepared them for the experience. (The full package will involve a âbridge sequenceâ to transition them from the free resource to my weekly-ish emails, and an automation to update this custom field to complete
.
Segments
Weekly email recipients
Itâs everybody whose EMAIL_FREQUENCY
is set to weekly
or whenever
. These are the folks I email on (most) Fridays.
Whenever email recipients
Everyone whose EMAIL_FREQUENCY
is set to whenever
. Sometimes Iâll send out daily-ish emails to these brave souls. Emailing this list more often is probably the biggest improvement I could make in my overall approach to communicating with the world. Love yâall.
Big announcement recipients
This is actually just âall subscribersâ :)
YFTC beta
Folks with YFTC_BETA_READER
set to round1
, round2
, or coaching
. Used to send updates about this particular book-in-progress.
Code snippets
Hereâs how I address people based on whether theyâve bought/reviewed my first book:
{% if subscriber.purchased_yws == "TRUE" %}
{% if subscriber.reviewed_yws == "TRUE" %}
Thanks for reviewing my book!
{% else %}
Thanks for reading my book! Please consider leaving a review.
{% endif %}
{% else %}
Buy my book! (If you want.)
{% endif %}
Hereâs the snippet from the footer of my weekly emails that lets subscribers adjust their email frequency:
{% if subscriber.email_frequency == "weekly" %}
Too many emails? Click here and I'll only send updates a few times a year, when something big happens.
(If you wouldn't mind more frequent emails, click here and I'll email you literally whenever.)
And no hard feelings if you just want to unsubscribe (I never check unsubscribes).
{% elsif subscriber.email_frequency == "whenever" %}
Thanks for being on my "email me whenever" list. You're the best.
If you ever decide you want to back off to "weekly-ish emails only," click here.
And no hard feelings if you just want to unsubscribe (I never check unsubscribes).
{% else %}
No hard feelings if you want to unsubscribe (I never check unsubscribes).
{% endif %}
Automations
This is the messiest part of ConvertKit. Just a bunch of if-then rules strung together to add & remove people to sequences or update custom fields. Hereâs what Iâve got:
Link triggers
- Click One Star Daily confirmation -> Update
ONE_STAR_DAILY_STATUS
tosubscribed
and add to sequence - Click One Star Daily unsubscribe -> Update
ONE_STAR_DAILY_STATUS
tounsubscribed
and remove from sequence - Click One Star Weekly confirmation -> Update
ONE_STAR_WEEKLY_STATUS
tosubscribed
and add to sequence - Click One Star Weekly unsubscribe -> Update
ONE_STAR_WEEKLY_STATUS
tounsubscribed
and remove from sequence - Click âvery occasional emailsâ / âweekly emailsâ / âfrequent emailsâ link -> Update
EMAIL_FREQUENCY
field tobig_announcements_only
/weekly
/whenever
Form signup triggers
- Any form signup -> Set
EMAIL_FREQUENCY
toweekly
- First Impressions Workshop form signup -> Set
ONBOARDING
totrue
, add to the email course sequence, then setONBOARDING
tocomplete
Sequences
First Impressions Workshop
An email course with 7 lessons. (Find it here.)
One Star daily
At the time of writing, 32 daily emails, each with a pithy quote about dealing with criticism.
On my todo list: actually create an opt-in form for this sequence.
One Star weekly
At the time of writing, 9 emails delivered on Mondays, each containing a chapter of the book.
Todo: create an email opt-in :)
If youâve read this far, youâve probably either got questions or advice for me. Iâd love to hear either. Just hit Reply on any email Iâve sent you. (If Iâve never sent you an email, sign up below :)