How to set up your opt-in freebie using Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Ready to start growing your email list but not sure how to set up your freebie in Kit? In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to set up your opt-in form, landing page, and automated email sequence step-by-step.

Step 1: Create (or choose) your freebie

Before you can set up your opt-in, you’ll need your actual freebie—something valuable your audience can download after signing up. If you need ideas or want to create a fillable PDF, check out my step-by-step guide on how to create a fillable PDF workbook, read my step-by-step guide to lead magnets, or browse my lead magnet ideas for health & wellness coaches.

Step 2: Sign up for Kit

Kit (affiliate link) offers a generous free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers. However, you can only have one automation and one email sequence on the free plan. You’ll also need a domain-based email address (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com) to use it. Most domain or hosting providers let you set this up for free.

Want to know how Kit compares to MailerLite? Here’s how to set up a freebie in MailerLite.

Step 3: Decide which type of opt-in form you want

Kit offers two easy options:

• Forms: Place a form on your website (WordPress, Squarespace, Showit, etc.).
• Landing pages: Create a standalone page you can share as a link—even if you don’t have a live website yet!

There’s no “best” option—it’s all about what fits your business right now.

Step 4: Set up your form or landing page

1. Go to Grow > Landing Pages & Forms.
2. Click Create New.

Option 1: Create an embedded form

1. Select “Form”.
2. Choose “Inline” as the display style.
3. Pick a template (I like “Clare” for its simplicity).
4. Want to collect first names? Click the plus (+) to add the first name field, make it required if you want.
5. To rearrange fields, just drag and drop using the three-line icon.
6. Edit the button text and color to match your branding.
7. Click Publish and use the embed code to add the form to your website.

Option 2: Create a landing page

1. Select “Landing Page”.
2. Choose a template, then customize the background image, text, fonts, and colors.
3. Add a first name field if you want.
4. Change the button text and colors.

Step 5: Choose your delivery method – incentive email vs. automated email sequence

If you want multiple freebies on the free plan, go to Settings > Incentive and send an incentive email.

Option 1: Set up your incentive (confirmation) email

This is the email your subscribers get to confirm their sign-up—and it’s how you’ll send them their freebie.

• Update the subject line to something friendly like, “Your freebie is inside!”
• Edit the email text (but don’t touch the confirm URL link—this is what verifies the subscriber).
• Change the button text to something like “Download it now”. Change the button style and color to your brand colors if you need to.
• To deliver the freebie, Kit gives you two options:
  • Redirect them to a URL (for example, a private YouTube video or a custom thank you page)
  • Let them directly download a file (for example, your PDF workbook)
• You can turn on auto-confirm for new subscribers, so they don’t need to confirm to be added to your list. If you turn on auto-confirm for new subscribers, make sure to clean your list regularly to avoid email deliverability issues.

Option 2: Set up an automated welcome sequence

For an automated welcome sequence, you will need to host your freebie somewhere – unfortunately, it’s not possible to upload it in Kit.

How to host your freebie with Google Drive

1. Upload your freebie PDF to Google Drive.
2. Right-click > share > set access to “Anyone with the link.”
3. Copy your unique sharing link.
4. Test the link in a new incognito window to make sure it works.
5. For fillable PDFs: remind your subscribers they need to download the file to their computer to use the fillable fields (the browser previewing won’t work).

Set up your welcome sequence

1. First, turn off the Incentive email.
2. Go to Send > Sequences.
3. Create a new sequence.
   • The first email should deliver your freebie (set “Send email” to 0 days to send immediately).
4. If your email template doesn’t have a button for the download:
   • Click plus (+) to add a button.
   • Link to your hosted file (see above for Google Drive instructions).
5. Add more emails for extra tips, client stories, or introductions.

Set up your automation

1. Go to Automate > Visual Automations.
2. Click add New automation > Start from scratch.
3. Set the trigger as “joins form” (or your landing page, or both if you have both).
4. Add an action: add the subscriber to your sequence (and add a tag if you want to organize your list).
5. Toggle the automation to active.

That’s it! Your Kit opt-in freebie is ready

And just like that, you’re all set. Your opt-in is live, your freebie is delivered automatically, and you’re ready to start growing your list.

Need ideas to promote it? See my 25 launch post ideas and how to grow your audience before a launch.

If you want a done-for-you template for your next lead magnet or opt-in freebie, check out my Canva template shop.