How I Chose an Email Marketing Software for My Micro SaaS
Selecting the right email marketing software isn’t just about comparing features or pricing—it starts with understanding your users and their journey within your product. For my micro SaaS, this meant identifying key moments where email communication could build trust, engagement, and feedback loops.
Mapping My User Journey
Before diving into tools, I mapped out the user journey to identify the key emails I’d need to send. This was a crucial step to ensure I wasn’t overcomplicating my setup while still covering the essentials. Here’s a snapshot of my user journey:
- Sign-Up Email: Welcome the user, share quick onboarding tips, and set expectations.
- First Action Email: Triggered when the user generates their first output (e.g., their first image). This email aims to solicit feedback and build engagement.
- Follow-Up Email: Sent a few days later to check in and offer support.
- Occasional Feature Launches: Notify users about new features or updates.
I used Excalidraw to visualize these steps and their corresponding triggers. Here’s the diagram I created:
By thinking through the journey and aligning it with my product goals, I was able to clarify my requirements for email marketing software.
My Email Marketing Needs
- Transactional Emails: Triggered when a user signs up or generates their first output.
- Automated Sequences: For onboarding and collecting feedback.
- Occasional Feature Announcements: To keep users informed.
After much research, discussion in Slack communities, and testing, I landed on MailerLite. Here’s how I got there.
My Research Process
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Community Input: I asked for recommendations in my Slack communities, where members suggested tools like Mailgun, Customer.io, Brevo, and SendFox. Each tool had unique pros and cons, but cost, ease of use, and deliverability were major deciding factors for me.
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Blog Reviews: Blogs like EmailToolTester highlighted MailerLite’s strong deliverability, user-friendly design, and affordable pricing.
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YouTube Deep Dives: I watched detailed reviews, like this MailerLite review, which showcased the platform’s features and ease of use. Comparisons like this one helped me evaluate alternatives.
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Pricing Models: Pricing transparency and fairness were critical. Some platforms charged per email sent (Brevo), others per contact (like Mailchimp). MailerLite offered a generous free tier, with reasonable upgrades as I grow.
Evaluating the Contenders
Here’s a quick overview of the key players I considered:
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Brevo:
- Unique pricing model (based on emails sent, not contacts).
- Affordable for infrequent senders, but lower deliverability ratings and recent price hikes dissuaded me.
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SendFox:
- Lifetime deal for $49 (up to 5,000 contacts) and multi-domain support.
- Tempting for multiple projects, but no free trial for testing automations.
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Mailgun:
- Programmatic API-driven solution for transactional emails.
- Limited sequencing capabilities and required additional backend logic.
Why I Chose MailerLite
After much deliberation, I chose MailerLite for several reasons:
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Generous Free Plan: The free plan allows up to 12,000 emails per month to 1,000 subscribers, perfect for pre-revenue startups.
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User-Friendly Platform: The drag-and-drop editor, modern templates, and intuitive automation builder made it easy to set up email sequences.
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Strong Deliverability: MailerLite’s rigorous approval process ensures better email delivery rates.
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Affordable Growth: Paid plans remain cost-effective as your subscriber base grows, with no surprises or hidden fees.
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Developer-Friendly: Their Node.js SDK is straightforward to implement, and the documentation is comprehensive.
Initial Results
I’ve been using MailerLite for a couple weeks now, and it’s been great:
- Setup: Smooth custom domain registration.
- Automation: Seamless workflows for collecting user feedback.
- Support: Clear documentation and helpful YouTube tutorials.
I’m excited to see how this tool scales with my business.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right email marketing software can feel overwhelming, but breaking it down into clear requirements and leveraging community insights made the process manageable. For my micro SaaS, MailerLite struck the perfect balance between functionality, affordability, and ease of use.
If you’re on the hunt for email marketing software, I highly recommend trying MailerLite, especially if you’re a small business or a solo founder. It’s a tool I can confidently say belongs in my arsenal.
What email marketing software are you using? Let me know in the comments or connect with me on Twitter to share your thoughts!
