I'm Nichole, a wedding photographer, wifey, dog mom, and attorney for creatives based in Greenville, SC. ✨ Playful, heartfelt photos for couples who live in the moment. Serving SC, DC, FL + beyond. Connect with me using the icons below or feel free to send me an email: hello@nicholelaurenphotography.com. You can also find me on the podcast and Youtube. And don't forget to share your favorite posts!
Ready for my *super honest* Flodesk review? Bet. As an online business owner with educational offerings, email marketing is everything to me. When I was making the transition from solely photography services to a hybrid of photography and education (and not coaching), I knew I wanted to get into building an email list. And while I’m not a huge creator, creating an email list has hands down been the best form of marketing for the education side of my business.
Today, I want to chat with you about my favorite email marketing software and also share their new pricing model that was literally just released! (We are talking HOT off the presses, people!)
When I first started building my email list in 2022, I had just quit my full-time job and was diving headfirst into full-time business ownership. I wanted to diversify my revenue and expand into areas I’d always wanted to explore. To do that, I started building on my small but might “newsletter list” I’d had for ages as a photographer. You know the one… “sign up for my newsletter” quietly pleading at the bottom of your webpage. Thank goodness my strategy has greatly improved since then!
But I started on a couple different platforms before officially landing on one that truly fit my needs. No need to bash any competitors by name here. But overall, what I found lacking on other platforms was aesthetics, intuitive features, and most importantly EASE. There were times I thought, “Does this really have to be so complicated?” As soon as I made the switch to Flodesk, I was completely converted. My emails were beautiful. Creating them was more than easy. And sending marketing emails actually felt FUN?
There are so many reasons why it felt like an instant fit for me once I started using Flodesk, but there are a few key features that were super huge game-changers for me:
Flodesk prioritizes aesthetics first. In an email marketing landscape that frankly feels lackluster and even boring, it’s becoming increasingly important to cater to the design preferences of your audience. Flodesk provides email designs and features that make your emails beautiful and ones that your audience will want to open.
Sophisticated interface without the confusion. We all want top of the line tools to use in our businesses but not at the cost of ease. Flodesk is truly so intuitive and makes sending emails seamless and fun! Literally used to take me hours formatting emails before switching to Flodesk.
Ever-expanding features that let you work smarter, not harder. Flodesk is constantly improving and has launched so many new features in the short few years I have been a customer. This dedication to innovation and improvement is certainly a reflection of the fact that Flodesk is built by small businesses, for small businesses.
So now that you know what initially drew me to Flodesk and what confirmed the resounding YES of it being the best fit for my business, let’s talk about my favorite features Flodesk has rolled out. Y’all, these are so good!
Intuitive Builder: I mean it when I say I get excited to sit down and send emails to my list. It’s literally so much fun! By this point, I have a system down for the design I love my emails to follow, but when I was first starting, I relied heavily on Flodesk’s stunning email templates. All around, every feature is minimalist, aesthetic, and simply gorgeous!
Powerful Automations: This may be the feature I utilize most in my business honestly. I have systems in place on the backend so that subscribers who download any of my freebies, automatically get categorized and funneled through a workflow that helps me nurture them. Wild!
Checkouts: Did you know Flodesk allows you to not only send gorgeous emails and build stunning forms, but you can also sell directly in Flodesk with checkouts. This is how I got my start into the education space selling digital products. And it was a game-changer early on in my journey.
Email Analytics: I’m a total data nerd, so I spend a lot of my time creeping on the analytics side of my account. I love seeing the hard numbers and which emails perform the best with my audience. Another cool thing is I can resend an email to unopens easily to increase my open rate.
Impactful Integrations: This is the area where even I am not using Flodesk to its fullest potential. Flodesk is constantly improving and adding features that make running an online business so much better! I need to explore their integrations with other tools like Canva, Session, and Thrivecart and Manychat coming soon! Can’t wait!!
The best way I have found to build my email list is with opt-ins or freebies and sending my warm audience into a “nurture funnel” right away. I’m going to walk you through my process from start to finish so you can start with Flodesk today and get right to growing your list ASAP.
Freebie or Opt-in: This is the step that is arguably most important. If you miss the opportunity to capture someone’s email, the rest of this process is not that helpful after all! The key here is that you must have a bit of a perfect storm for someone to say, “Yes, I’ll give you my email.”
First, you must have good marketing to actually get eyes on your site. This is where SEO work comes in, so make sure you are blogging regularly and also optimizing the backend of your website so you are actually getting traffic to your site.
Next, create your irresistible free offer. This can’t be a fluff PDF that everyone else has on their site. Your freebie needs to be value-packed AND speak directly to your ideal client while priming them to be interested in one of your paid offers. It’s a tall order, but I know you can do it!
Then, build your beautiful form in Flodesk. Not only does this need to be visually appealing but it also needs to include a strong CTA and clearly explain the value your audience member will get upon signing up.
Nurture Sequence: One your audience member goes from cold to warm (aka they sign up through your form), you can’t leave them hanging. They’ve willingly just given you their email, so remember, they are ASKING you to show up in their inbox, okay?
First, make sure you add your new subscriber to a segment that makes sense. This will help you keep everyone straight and streamline future email audiences to maximize impact.
Next, create a workflow for this segment which includes your freebie delivery. But make sure your email that goes along with the freebie is awesome! Introduce yourself and why you can hlep, then give them the goods.
Finally, set them on their way feeling fully supported by you. This is where you can start something called a “nurture funnel.” The goal of this workflow is a sequence of emails spread out over a few weeks that orients this new audience member to you, the value you bring, and how they can go deeper. It truly is such an impactful tool for your online business! Trust me.
Flodesk has launched new pricing that is even more friendly for the small business owner (like me). It’s making it even more accessible for smaller lists to get more while paying less. Check out their new pricing here!
I’m telling you. You need to check them out today and raise your marketing game for 2026! Happy Emailing!!
*Please note: I am a Flodesk Partner which means are no cost to you, I may make a commission on your signup for Flodesk. And you get an exclusive discount! Win, win! 🙂
Be the first to comment