The best email marketing platforms for doulas offer you the features you need: effective automations to nurture potential clients, excellent deliverability, and easy to use – while still within your budget! Let’s compare popular email marketing tools for doulas: Flodesk, Kit, ActiveCampaign, and MailerLite. I’ll help you assess which email marketing tool actually fits your business needs, your tech comfort level, and your growth goals.

The next step after building your doula website is choosing the right email marketing platform – a step that can feel weirdly overwhelming. Everyone has an opinion, and it’s easy to be seduced by pretty templates and low-cost pricing. The question you should be asking is this: What does my business need now – and what will I need a year from now?

If you are a doula, chances are someone has mentioned Flodesk as the dream option for your email marketing. It is pretty. It feels simple. The templates look like they belong in a glossy magazine. For birth workers who value beauty and connection, this is a strong draw.

But good email marketing is not just about being pretty. It is about getting your emails into inboxes and turning readers into clients.

Below you’ll find the good, the frustrating, and what you need to know before you move your whole list over to a new platform – because let’s face it, that’s a LOT of work, and you want to be sure the one you choose will work for you for years to come.

Why doulas love Flodesk

First, the obvious.

Flodesk is gorgeous. The templates are clean, modern, and very on-brand for the wellness space. If you are a visual person, it feels fun to use. You can build a beautiful welcome email sequence without knowing code. The interface is simple. It does not overwhelm you with tech talk.

For newer business owners, that matters. When you are juggling clients, kids, and life, you want tools that feel calm and easy to use.

Flodesk also offers unlimited subscribers for one flat price. That can feel like a relief compared to other platforms that raise your bill every time your list grows.

But… here are the issues with Flodesk that may not be apparent when you first sign up.

The design trap

Flodesk shines in design. But design can also hurt you.

Emails that are 100 percent image with very little text are often flagged by spam filters. That is just how spam detection works. If your email looks like one giant graphic, inbox providers get suspicious.

Many Flodesk templates lean heavily on images. Big banners. Text baked into graphics. Styled sections.

They look stunning. But for deliverability, less is often more.

A healthy text-to-image ratio is about 60 percent text and 40 percent image. Plain-text emails often perform better than fancy ones. Especially in the birth world, where connection matters more than polish.

If you are going to use Flodesk, resist the urge to overdesign. Your subscribers care more about what you are saying than whether your header font is dreamy.

Deliverability matters more than design.

If your emails do not land in people’s inboxes, none of the beauty matters.

One common concern with Flodesk is poor email deliverability. Many users report that emails land in spam folders, especially in the early months of using the platform.

Why does this happen? TBH, it can happen with any email platform, but Flodesk users are often newer to their businesses and don’t follow best practices when they send out emails with issues such as:

• Sending to cold lists
• Have high bounce rates
• Emails that are labeled as spam by users
• Use image-heavy, low-text emails
• Ignore authentication setup

As a shared IP, your sender reputation is tied to other users. If someone else on that IP is sending questionable emails, it can affect you. Email providers are becoming stricter in filtering out emails they suspect are spam.

New users may also see more emails end up in spam at first. Your sender reputation has to be built over time on any platform, but being on a platform that tends to attract newer business owners could have a larger impact.

Automation limitations

For simple automations, Flodesk works fine. A welcome sequence. A freebie follow-up. A nurture series.

But when things get more complex, it can feel limiting.

Tags can be tricky to adjust once you build layered workflows. If you want to create highly specific segments based on behavior, purchase history, or multi-step engagement, it takes more manual setup than on some other platforms.

You cannot create truly custom master templates either. That means if you want a very specific reusable layout across multiple emails, you may have to rebuild them each time you send a new email.

The layout blocks can also feel rigid. While the templates are beautiful, heavily modifying them can be frustrating. The padding and size sliders do not always behave as you expect. Some users find the editing inconsistent. The layout blocks are less flexible than standard text and image blocks.

If you are detail and design-oriented, this can drive you a little nuts….

Weak analytics

Another downside is analytics. Flodesk shows you how each email performed, which is fine for simple campaigns.

But it lacks the deeper insights you get on other platforms. If you want to know which link drives the most bookings or where your audience drops off, Flodesk won’t tell you much.

For doulas who just want to stay in touch with their mailing list, that may be fine. For doulas building scalable offers or digital products, you may want deeper insight.

E-commerce limitations

If you sell courses, digital downloads, or physical products, this part matters.

Flodesk does not offer native deep e-commerce integrations, such as abandoned-cart emails or purchase-based segments, with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce. You can connect through third-party tools, but it is not seamless, and these cost money on top of what you’re already paying for Flodesk.

If your business model includes more advanced e-commerce flows, you may outgrow Flodesk.

So should doulas use Flodesk?

If you are a new doula who wants simple, beautiful emails and basic automations, Flodesk can work well. It is user-friendly. It feels very aligned with the wellness space. It definitely removes some tech fear if you’re just starting out in email marketing.

But … you need to be proactive about deliverability, smart about how you format emails, and realistic about its limits.

If you have a more established doula practice or agency, email marketing can be a powerful tool to grow your business AND make your life as a business owner simpler. You will benefit from advanced audience segmentation, in-depth analytics, and complex automations. You will do best with an email marketing platform built for that level of strategy as your business grows.

What are the best email marketing platforms to consider instead of Flodesk?

If you are feeling the limits of Flodesk for your growing doula practice, here are three strong alternatives I recommend.

Kit

Kit (formerly known as ConvertKit) is built for creators. It is simple, clean, and focused on email strategy over design.

Why it works well for doulas:

First, deliverability is strong due to its solid reputation with inbox providers. That alone makes it worth considering.

Second, its tagging and automation system is flexible without being overwhelming. You can segment by actions, clicks, and purchases more easily than in Flodesk. For example, if someone downloads your birth plan guide and later clicks on a postpartum resource, you can automate follow-up based on that behavior.

Kit also makes plain-text emails easy to create, and simple emails often convert better. And yes, I mean PLAIN text – not even your logo!

While not as visually flashy as Flodesk, that is kind of the point. It keeps you focused on messaging that builds connection and trust.

If you are a doula who writes well and wants your words to do the heavy lifting, Kit is a strong choice. Start your free 14-day trial here.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a more advanced email marketing tool with powerful automation options. I do not recommend it for those of you who are new to email marketing for your doula or wellness business.

I’ve used ActiveCampaign myself for many years. Here’s what I love about it:

The ActiveCampaign automation builder is excellent. You can create detailed workflows based on tags, behavior, site visits, purchases, and more. You can build very specific audiences without hacks or workarounds. If you have multiple offers, online courses, or layered funnels, this helps ensure all your systems run smoothly together.

It also integrates well with e-commerce platforms. For example, if you are selling digital programs for expecting parents on ThriveCart, you can trigger abandoned-cart emails or segment by purchase history.

Sign up for your free 14-day trial here.

MailerLite

MailerLite is the optimal choice for those of you just starting out in email marketing who want to keep it simple. It is more powerful than Flodesk in automation and segmentation, but more approachable than ActiveCampaign.

Why doulas like Mailerlite:

Email deliverability is solid. The automation builder is visual and easier to grasp than more complex platforms. You can build meaningful automated sequences without feeling buried in tech.

It offers better analytics than Flodesk, so you can see what content is actually getting attention.

MailerLite also integrates better with e-commerce tools than Flodesk does.

Design-wise, it is not as styled out of the box as Flodesk. But you can still create clean, on-brand emails. Plus, the editing tools tend to be more consistent and easier to use.

If you want a balance of beauty, functionality, and affordability, MailerLite is a very solid option for your doula or wellness business.

Sign up for your free 14-day trial on Mailerlite!

Choosing the Best Email Platform for Your Business

How do I choose the best email marketing platform for my business?

Start with your business model, not the design.

Ask yourself:

• Do I need simple newsletters or advanced automations?
• Am I selling services, digital products, or ecommerce items?
• Do I need detailed analytics and revenue tracking?

If you only need basic sequences and broadcasts, a simpler platform like Flodesk may work. If email is a core sales channel, choose a tool that supports advanced segmentation and automation.

Feature	Flodesk	Kit	MailerLite	ActiveCampaign
Ease of Use	Very beginner-friendly	Simple and clean	User-friendly with more depth	Moderate learning curve
Template Design	Highly visual, design-forward	Minimal, content-focused	Clean and customizable	Functional, less design-focused
Deliverability Control	Shared IP, less control	Strong reputation	Strong reputation	Strong reputation, advanced controls
Automation Power	Basic to moderate	Flexible tagging and automations	Solid automation builder	Advanced, highly customizable workflows
Segmentation	Limited flexibility	Strong tagging system	Good segmentation tools	Deep segmentation and behavior tracking
Analytics	Basic metrics only	Includes click tracking and reporting	Includes click maps and performance reports	Advanced analytics and revenue attribution
Ecommerce Integration	Limited native integrations	Good for creators	Stronger ecommerce tools	Robust ecommerce and sales tracking
Best For	New doulas who want simplicity and design	Service providers and creators who want strategy without overwhelm	Growing businesses that want balance	Established businesses scaling offers and funnels

FAQ about choosing an email platform

Tips if you are going to use Flodesk for your doula business email marketing

If you choose Flodesk, here is how to use it wisely.

Always use a custom domain when sending your emails. Never send from a free email address like Gmail or Yahoo. That is a high spam risk. You want to send from something like hello@yourdoulabusiness.com. Don’t have one yet? Check out Google Workspace!

To do so, you’ll need to set up SPF and DKIM. These are DNS records that authenticate your domain. They tell inbox providers that your emails are legitimate. This step is not optional if you care about deliverability. Need help? Reach out to me at info@thewebsitedoula.com!

Avoid overdesigning your emails. Aim for about 60 percent text and 40 percent image. Do not rely on giant graphics with text baked in. Write real words. Tell real stories.

Clean your list. Do not import cold or unverified leads. High bounce rates will quickly hurt your business’s sender reputation. Only email people who have clearly opted in.

Warm up your list. If you are new to Flodesk, send consistent, value-packed emails with way more text than images to people on your list who already know and love you first. Let your sender reputation build gradually.

Keep it human. The more your emails sound like you writing to one person, the better they will perform.

Final thoughts

Flodesk is not bad. It is not magic either.

It is a design-forward tool with real limitations. For doulas who value aesthetics and simplicity, it can feel like a breath of fresh air. For doulas whose businesses have growth goals and need more complex marketing automation, it will feel restrictive – maybe not at first, but a year or two from now, you’ll likely find yourself needing to switch platforms.

Pretty helps. But clear, authentic, well-delivered emails that actually reach your audience help more!

Before you commit to Flodesk, ask yourself one question.

Do I want my email tool to be my design assistant, or a marketing tool?

Your answer will guide you.