Profile: Nathan Barry Built A $25M/Year Newsletter Platform (Started As Solopreneur)

ConvertKit is an email marketing platform designed for online creators offering them tools to collect leads, send emails, automate email marketing, and sell digital products.

Who is Nathan Barry?

Nathan Barry is the founder and CEO of ConvertKit. He has always been passionate about creating visually stunning designs. Initially, he started working as a web and software designer but later developed a keen interest in audience building. This passion drove him to establish ConvertKit, which he currently heads.

What problem does ConvertKit solve?

Creators need email automation, and monetization tools that work together to drive continuous growth.

How did Nathan come up with the idea for ConvertKit?

In 2013, Nathan set a challenge for himself: build a $5K/mo SaaS in 6 months with just $5,000. He got the idea after reading people's complaints about Mailchimp online, and decided to build a product that addressed those.

How did Nathan Barry build the initial version of ConvertKit?

ConvertKit initially struggled to grow, stalling at $2,000 MRR. Hiten Shah advised Nathan to either shut down or invest heavily. Nathan focused sharply on professional bloggers, investing $50,000 and building a dedicated team.

This pivot, coupled with direct sales and an emphasis on customer care through concierge migrations, sparked growth.

By leveraging customer referrals and launching an affiliate program, ConvertKit rapidly scaled, reaching $500,000 MRR by 2016.

Continuously innovating, such as with the 2017 redesign for visual automation, ConvertKit remains committed to serving creators independently, focusing on aiding them to earn a living.

How did Nathan launch ConvertKit and get initial traction?

The product launched after validating demand with a landing page and a waitlist generated through blog content related to email marketing philosophy. Nathan charged customers from day one without offering freemium or extended free trials, targeting a niche of creators who already had audiences and needed professional email marketing tools.

What was the growth strategy for ConvertKit and how did they scale?

Initially, Nathan directly outreached to online creators and bloggers, offering to manually help them migrate from their previous email marketing platform to address the main objection.

Affiliate programs then became a core part of how ConvertKit made money and scaled beyond a 1000 customers, with a forever ongoing 30% revenue share on each month a referral is using ConvertKit.

What's the pricing strategy for ConvertKit?

Convertkit has 3 plans: Free, Creator ($9/mo), and Creator Pro ($29/mo).

What were the biggest lessons learned from building ConvertKit?

Nathan Barry learned the importance of validating a product idea before building it, focusing on a specific niche instead of chasing broad markets, and maintaining customer retention through excellent direct human support. He also emphasized working sustainably without venture capital to avoid pressure for hyper-growth that can harm product quality and customer satisfaction.

What platform/tools does ConvertKit use?

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More about ConvertKit:

Who is the owner of ConvertKit?

Nathan Barry is the founder of ConvertKit.

When did Nathan Barry start ConvertKit?

2013

What is Nathan Barry's net worth?

Nathan Barry's business makes an average of $2.08M/month.

How much money has Nathan Barry made from ConvertKit?

Nathan Barry started the business in 2013, and currently makes an average of $25M/year.

Sources (62)

45 webs · 7 podcasts · 4 youtube videos · 2 tweets · 1 indie hackers · …

baremetrics.com Web · 2018

How Nathan Barry Built ConvertKit Into a $10M SaaS

ConvertKit: How to go from freelance to founder of a $10M company. Running ... Knowing what your MRR is, but setting realistic goals and ...

nathanbarry.com Web · 2016

ConvertKit raises $1.8m from large group of angel investors

indiehackers.com Indie hackers · 2017

ConvertKit: How Nathan Barry Bootstrapped an Email Marketing Business

getlatka.com Web

Kit (ConvertKit) Revenue: $25M Bootstrapped on Flywheels

By December 2020, ConvertKit — the email platform for creators, renamed Kit in 2024 — was at a $25M run rate, up from $19M the year befor...

thedisruptors.beehiiv.com Web · 2023

Bootstrapping ConvertKit from a Side-Project to a $30M Revenue Giant

nathanbarry.com Web · 2020

Renaming ConvertKit

nathanbarry.com Web · 2015

Growing ConvertKit to $30000 in Monthly Recurring Revenue

Growing ConvertKit to $30,000 in Monthly Recurring Revenue ... Maybe once we hit $50k MRR my reward to myself will be a little writing he...

convertkit.com Web · 2018

ConvertKit will not change its name – a great apology

kit.com Web

Our Story

We closed out 2015 at $98,000 in MRR and finished 2016 at $500,000 in MRR. ... ConvertKit is now Kit · Advertisers · Contact us · Privacy...

nichepursuits.libsyn.com Podcast · 2020

How Nathan Barry Built ConvertKit to $2.1 Million Per Month and Bought a Ghost Town

getlatka.com Web

ConvertKit $25M ARR 2020 | Nathan Barry Interview

Kit (Formerly Convertkit); /; December 2, 2020 Interview. Founder Interview. How Kit (Formerly ConvertKit) Reached $25M ARR While Staying...

kit.com Web

ConvertKit is now Kit: The Email-First OS for Creators

Aug 4, 2026 · Kit (formerly ConvertKit) empowers creators with email-first tools to scale their businesses, grow audiences, and easily …

getlatka.com Web

Watch: How Kit (Formerly ConvertKit) Reached $25M ARR ...

Founder Interview Video. How Kit (Formerly ConvertKit) Reached $25M ARR While Staying Bootstrapped and Profitable (Interview with Founder...

share.transistor.fm Podcast · 2017

#008 – Growing a $600,000/mo Business by Starting with Direct Sales with Nathan Barry of ConvertKit

audio.fexingo.com Podcast · 4 months ago

How ConvertKit Bootstrapped to 30 Million in Revenue Without Venture Capital

startupgtm.substack.com Article · 2024

ConvertKit (Now Kit) Growth Story - How Nathan Barry ...

ConvertKit's MRR flatlined at $2,000 before dipping to $1,330 in September 2014. Cause: Nathan Barry was juggling multiple projects, givi...

linkedin.com Web · 2024

Nathan Barry's Post

This is the exact flywheel that I used to scale ConvertKit from $2k to $98k in MRR in 12 months with direct sales.

sacra.com Web

ConvertKit Turns Email Into Ad Network | Sacra

ConvertKit Turns Email Into Ad Network. Diving deeper into. Nathan Barry, CEO and founder of ConvertKit, on ConvertKit's path to $100M in...

linkedin.com Web

ConvertKit [archive] - LinkedIn

ConvertKit helps 600k+ creators like you work smarter – not harder – with email, automation, and monetization tools that work …

medium.com Web · 2016

Email marketing startup ConvertKit raises $1.8m angel investors

kit.com Web

Kit: The Platform for Creators - Email Marketing, Automation ...

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the creator-first email marketing and newsletter platform. Grow your audience, automate campaigns, and …

nathanbarry.com Web · 2013

A sneak peak of ConvertKit

creatorstackclub.com Web · 5 months ago

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) Review (2026): Pricing & Features

Kit (ConvertKit) review: pricing, features, and honest assessment (2026) Kit Per-subscriber tiered pricing · Cloud · Web · Free trial …

sacra.com Web · 2023

ConvertKit at $38M ARR

nathanbarry.com Web · 2015

Growing ConvertKit to $5,020 in Monthly Recurring Revenue

getlatka.com Web

Kit (Formerly Convertkit) Revenue 2024: $43.8M

Kit, formerly known as ConvertKit, is a bootstrapped email marketing and creator monetization platform founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry an...

getlatka.com Web

On Dot Media America vs Kit (Formerly Convertkit)

ConvertKit.com, an email marketing automation software company that helps creators and small business owners grow their audiences and tur...

sacra.com Web

ConvertKit revenue, valuation & funding | Sacra

Sacra estimates that Kit (formerly ConvertKit) reached $52M annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 2025, up 20% year-over-year from $42M in 20...

sacra.com Web · 2025

ConvertKit at $43M ARR - Sacra

Sacra estimates that Kit (formerly ConvertKit) reached $43M ARR in 2024, up 14% year-over-year from $38M in 2023, (not including transact...

sproutworth.com Web

SaaS Revenue Growth: 7 Lessons from ConvertKit's Rise

ConvertKit reached $125,000 MRR in 15 months by going full-time, running direct sales webinars, offering free concierge migration to remo...

youtube.com YouTube

The 3 Tactics ConvertKit Used to Add $135000+ in MRR in 1 ...

The 3 Tactics ConvertKit Used to Add $135,000+ in MRR in 1 Year – Nathan Barry – MicroConf 2016. @RobWalling17 likes1K views6 years ago

leadfeeder.com Web · 4 months ago

How Convertkit Grew From $98K to $625K Via Webinars

How ConvertKit Grew from $98k to $625k MRR by Doing 150 Webinars in 1 Year · The Early-Stage Secret: Find One Thing That Generates Growth...

reddit.com Reddit

Nathan Barry Grew ConvertKit to $43M by Ignoring ...

ConvertKit rebranded from Convertkit to Kit. Is it the right time ... MRR, and their Vercel bill jumped from $50 to $1,200. Here's what ...

facebook.com Web

How niche-down marketing increased MRR by 80x

$1,207 MRR after 22 months — that was ConvertKit, selling email marketing to everyone. One niche-down move to bloggers changed it: $97,00...

lemonpie.fm Web

ConvertKit: Building a Content Flywheel

ConvertKit: Building a Content Flywheel. Tune in to learn more ... There are some pretty big show, like obviously Joe Rogan or maybe like...

getlatka.com Web

Kit (Formerly Convertkit) vs Brevo: Revenue & Funding

Kit, formerly known as ConvertKit, is a bootstrapped email marketing and creator monetization platform founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry an...

getlatka.com Web

Kit (Formerly Convertkit) Alternatives & Competitors (2026)

The closest alternatives to Kit (Formerly Convertkit) are Kajabi, Getresponse and ActiveCampaign. This page compares each of them with Ki...

facebook.com Web

Kit - formerly ConvertKit

The email-first operating system for creators who mean business. Kit helps serious creators like yourself craft epic emails, create …

linkedin.com Web · 2 months ago

A Founder Who Went Looking For The Catch

In 2023 Kit (formerly ConvertKit) acquired SparkLoop, and Founder and CEO Nathan Barry said: "After seeing what SparkLoop was building, i...

apps.apple.com App store · 4 months ago

ConvertKit One

ConvertKit One converts your documents instantly — no account, no cloud, no waiting. Import a PDF or MOBI file and get JPG images, PNG pa...

sacra.com Web

ConvertKit's SparkLoop growth network | Sacra

That turns ConvertKit from software that sends emails into infrastructure that can move audience growth and ad dollars across many newsle...

linkedin.com Web · 2025

How I built a 7-figure business with no-code tools

... ConvertKit ($1179/mo) The heart of our operation. Handles all email ... How I built a 7-figure business with no-code tools. View prof...

streamlined.fm Web · 2020

Using ConvertKit to Drive Business

And exclusively for How I Built It, listeners, you can get 10% off ... And if you want to get an exclusive deal from ConvertKit, you can ...

lastweekinaws.com Web · 2019

How ConvertKit Could Lower Its $64K Monthly AWS Bill

share.transistor.fm Podcast · 7 months ago

The Nathan Barry Show — I Met 16 Of The World’s Smartest Authors (Their Best Advice) | Nathan Barry | 125

What does it take to truly master book marketing and author growth in today’s crowded landscape? Nathan Barry and James Clear co-hosted a...

twitter.com Tweet · 2021

Founder of ConvertKit Comments on Gumroad Fundraise

bloggingwizard.com Web

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) Review 2026: Pros And Cons You Need To …

Feb 12, 2026 · Wondering whether Kit is right for you? Or how to setup your account? Find out everything you need to know in this Kit …

twitter.com Tweet · 2022

ConvertKit refused to sell to Spotify for “hundreds of millions” in 2021

facebook.com Web

A6K

ifnotnowwen.com/post/the-secrets-from-a-unicorn- founder-interview ... ConvertKit – Founded by Nathan Barry, Convertkit is a Bootstrapped...

reddit.com Web

Kit newsletter vs other options : r/Emailmarketing

Kit (formerly convertkit) knows a vast, vast majority of people, especially solo "creators" will signup and never follow through on sendi...

youtube.com YouTube

Why I LEFT Substack for ConvertKit

... ConvertKit, and why I ultimately ended up choosing ConvertKit. -- ... How I Built $262,000/Year on Substack in 3 Years (6 Things That...

nicolepaulus.com Web

How I Built a Book Launch Landing Page with Kit (No ...

How I Built a Book Launch Landing Page with Kit (No Website Needed) ... Enter: Kit.com—an easy-to-use platform (formerly ConvertKit) that...

youtube.com YouTube

How to Start Building an Email List (for Free) with ConvertKit

to start building yours in a matter of minutes. Get ConvertKit: https://rightly.tv/convertkit ... How I Built an Email List of 30,000+. L...

facebook.com Web

Stop juggling five different tools to run your creator ...

If you want my free guide on how I built it (and the exact stack ... ConvertKit — ever heard of it? It's a simple email marketing tool ...

youtube.com YouTube

My Journey creating my first customer lead magnet in ConvertKit

... how I built my first #customer #leadmagnet, leveraging the power of email marketing with #ConvertKit. From choosing the right tools t...

highsignal.io Web

Beehiiv vs ConvertKit -the best newsletter software for 2025

Beehiiv vs ConvertKit is a fierce clash of two newsletter software companies ... Big Tech ignores. 8 indie startup stories. 1 founder int...

youtube.com Web

Introduction to Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and Free Trial 2025

Looking for the best email marketing software for coaches, course creators and small businesses? Kit, formerly known as ConvertKit, ...

searchengineland.com Web

ConvertKit: The complete guide (Now called Kit)

ConvertKit is easy to use, decently powerful, and its paid plans are fairly priced. They also offer a free landing page plan. ConvertKit ...

jacobmcmillen.com Web

How I Used ConvertKit & SumoMe To Get 600 Email Subscribers ...

ConvertKit gives you InfusionSoft-like capabilities for essentially the price of Mailchimp. It let's you do everything I'm about to show ...

Indie Hackers Podcast · 2021

#206 – How Small Actions Lead to Compound Gains with Nathan Barry of ConvertKit

<p>Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) has grown ConvertKit from $7M to $27M since I last spoke with him three years ago. He’s done several thing...

How to Win podcast with Peep Laja Podcast · 2021

How Nathan Barry bared all to take ConvertKit from $0 to $2 million MRR

<p><strong>Listen and learn:</strong></p><ul><li>The best advice Nathan Barry has received in business (1:44)</li><li>How ConvertKit diff...

Bootstrapped Stories Podcast · 2022

#5 How to build an audience? | Nathan Barry, Founder & CEO ConvertKit

<p>$30M in ARR, a team spread in 28 cities, and a strong audience worldwide. In this podcast, we talk about Nathan's successful keys in g...

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