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The migration most creators get wrong: dump the CSV, send a 'Hey, we moved' email, watch open rate drop 40%, lose months of segmentation work. Here's how to actually do it — including the warmup period most guides skip.
Who this is forNewsletter operators on Mailchimp committed to moving to Kit (usually because they outgrew Mailchimp's creator features, hit pricing thresholds, or want sequences + automations Mailchimp can't match). This is a project, not a task — block a full week.
What you'll need
Step 1
Before migrating, write down everything you're recreating: audiences, segments, automations, signup forms, integrations.
Mailchimp → Audience → All contacts → note total contacts (Subscribed count only).
Mailchimp → Audience → Audiences → list each one. Most accounts have 1-2; some have 3-5.
Mailchimp → Audience → Segments → screenshot each segment definition. Kit segments work differently — you need the LOGIC, not just the segment name.
Mailchimp → Automations → list each active automation. Screenshot trigger, delay, and email content for each.
Mailchimp → Audience → Signup forms → note all signup sources (website embed, popup, landing page, integrations).
Save screenshots in a shared folder. Reference for 1-2 weeks during the migration.
Step 2
Mailchimp → Audience → Export → choose Subscribed contacts only → CSV.
Mailchimp → Audience → All contacts.
Filter to "Subscribed" contacts only. Skip "Unsubscribed," "Cleaned," "Non-subscribed."
Click Export Audience.
Download the CSV when ready. Mailchimp emails it (5-30 min for completion).
Open the CSV. Confirm columns: Email Address, First Name, Last Name, plus any custom fields (tags, MERGE fields).
If you have multiple audiences, export each separately and label CSVs.
Step 3
Domain authentication and tag taxonomy must be ready before any subscribers land in Kit. Importing into a half-set-up account is the most common migration disaster.
Verify Kit → Settings → Email → Sending Domain shows "Verified" with SPF + DKIM (see tutorial #1).
Verify From name, from email, reply-to are all configured on the authenticated domain.
Build your tag taxonomy in Kit (see tutorial #5): source, interest, lifecycle, behavior tags. 15-30 active tags.
Build your foundational segments: Engaged 30-day, Cold 90-day, All active.
Pre-build your welcome sequence in DRAFT mode (see tutorial #3). Don't activate yet — you don't want it firing to migrated subscribers.
If any of these are skipped, STOP. Migrating to a half-set-up Kit account wastes 2-3 weeks of recovery work.
Step 4
Kit → Subscribers → Import. Upload CSV. Apply `source:migrated-from-mailchimp` tag to everyone. Map first name + email columns.
Kit → Subscribers → Import → Upload CSV.
Map columns: Email Address → Email (required), First Name → First Name, Last Name → custom field.
For Mailchimp tags: map each Mailchimp tag column to a Kit custom field called "Mailchimp Tag X." You can convert these to real Kit tags later.
Apply universal tag: every imported subscriber gets `source:migrated-from-mailchimp` AND a date tag (`migrated:2026-05`). This lets you isolate the migration cohort if anything goes wrong.
Marketing consent: select 'These contacts opted in to receive email marketing.' Only do this if your Mailchimp opt-in was explicit.
Submit. Kit completes the import in 5-30 minutes depending on list size.
Verify: count in Kit should match the Subscribed count from Mailchimp. Spot-check 5-10 random profiles.
Step 5
Kit segments are dynamic; Mailchimp segments often static. Translate the LOGIC, not the literal definitions.
Open your Mailchimp segment screenshots from step 1.
For each segment, build a Kit equivalent: Subscribers → Segments → + New Segment.
Common translations:
Mailchimp 'opened any campaign in last 30 days' → Kit segment: 'has opened any email in last 30 days'
Mailchimp 'has tag VIP' → Kit segment: 'has tag VIP' (if you converted tags) or 'custom field Mailchimp Tag = VIP'
Mailchimp 'subscribed in last 90 days' → Kit segment: 'subscribed within last 90 days'
Test each segment by checking its subscriber count vs. the Mailchimp equivalent. Should match within 5-10%.
Step 6
Kit treats your imported list as cold. Send only to engaged segments for 14 days before any campaign to preserve sender reputation.
Create a segment: 'in tag source:migrated-from-mailchimp' AND 'custom field Mailchimp Tag contains engaged'. Or proxy via opened-Mailchimp-campaign-recently tags if you have them.
Send Kit broadcasts ONLY to this engaged segment for the first 14 days. PAUSE everything to the rest.
Volume: start 1K-5K sends/day, scale to 10K/day, then 25K/day over 14 days. Don't blast 50K on day 1.
Monitor open rate. Target 25%+ on the engaged segment. If it drops below 20%, your DKIM/SPF/DMARC may not be set up correctly — pause and verify before continuing.
After 14 days of clean engaged-only sending, expand to "opened in last 60 days," then 90 days, then full list. This protects reputation.
Step 7
Each Mailchimp automation maps to a Kit sequence or Visual Automation. Translate intent, not implementation.
Open Mailchimp automation screenshots.
Common translations:
Mailchimp 'New subscriber' welcome → Kit sequence triggered by tag (your new source tag from the migrated form).
Mailchimp 'birthday' or 'date-based' → Kit Visual Automation triggered by custom field date logic.
Mailchimp 'abandoned cart' → Kit doesn't natively do cart; use Zapier or Kit Commerce integration.
Build all sequences/automations in DRAFT first. Don't activate.
Test each with your own profile by applying the trigger tag manually. Verify all emails arrive on the right cadence.
Activate one at a time over a week — not all at once. Easier to debug if anything misfires.
Step 8
Replace Mailchimp signup forms with Kit on your site. Run both in parallel for 30 days. Disable Mailchimp at Day 60.
On your site (WordPress, Webflow, etc.), replace Mailchimp embed with Kit equivalent (see tutorial #2).
Update third-party integrations (landing pages, lead-gen tools) to push new subscribers to Kit.
Run both platforms in parallel for 30 days. Kit handles new signups; Mailchimp finishes in-flight automations.
At Day 30: pause all Mailchimp automations. Confirm no signups are still routing to Mailchimp.
At Day 60: cancel or downgrade Mailchimp. Archive the account for historical reference.
Common mistakes
Blasting the migrated list with a "We moved!" campaign on Day 1
What goes wrong: Cold list + new platform + 50K sends in one day = guaranteed deliverability damage. Open rate drops from 28% to 12%. Recovery takes 60-90 days. This is the most expensive migration mistake.
How to avoid: Warm up the list through the engaged segment only for 14 days. No mass-list campaign for at least 30 days post-migration.
Importing Cleaned + Unsubscribed contacts
What goes wrong: Re-introducing hard-bounced emails spikes Kit's bounce rate immediately. Sender reputation tanks before you've sent a single broadcast.
How to avoid: On Mailchimp export, filter to Subscribed ONLY. On Kit import, confirm count matches Mailchimp's Subscribed total exactly.
Not setting up DKIM/SPF/DMARC on Kit before importing
What goes wrong: Auth records still point at Mailchimp. Kit emails fail DKIM, land in spam at scale. Open rate drops to 5-10%.
How to avoid: Domain auth (tutorial #1) is the FIRST step. Add DKIM, SPF, DMARC records BEFORE importing anything. Use mxtoolbox.com to verify.
Skipping segment + tag taxonomy recreation
What goes wrong: Loses the segmentation work behind every Mailchimp campaign. Drops campaign revenue 20-40% versus segmented sends.
How to avoid: Rebuild every meaningful segment in Kit before launching campaigns. See tutorial #5 for the taxonomy framework.
Pulling the Mailchimp plug too early
What goes wrong: In-flight Mailchimp automations break mid-flow. Customers receive partial sequences. Brand looks broken.
How to avoid: Run both platforms in parallel for 30 days. Mailchimp finishes existing automations; Kit handles all new sign-ups. Cut over only after 30 clean days.
Migrating without re-permission for GDPR/CAN-SPAM
What goes wrong: If Mailchimp opt-in was implied or stale, importing with explicit-consent flag is a compliance risk. EU subscribers can file complaints.
How to avoid: For EU/UK/Canada subscribers, send a one-time re-permission email before migration. Suppress anyone who doesn't re-confirm. You lose 30-50% of the list — that's the cost of clean consent.
Recap
Done — what's next
How to set up a ConvertKit (Kit) account from scratch
Read the next tutorial
Hand it off
Mailchimp-to-Kit migrations are the engagement most likely to cause permanent revenue damage if done wrong. A specialist who's done 20+ migrations will do this in 1-2 weeks, typically $800-1,500 at $14-16/hr. The alternative is a 60-90 day deliverability recovery and losing 20-40% of email revenue during the dip.
See specialist rates
1-2 weeks for the build (export, import, recreate segments, recreate automations) plus 30 days of parallel running before fully cutting Mailchimp off. Total elapsed: 6-8 weeks. Active work: 6-10 hours.
Some — but not from the migration itself. You'll lose 20-30% during the 'engaged-only warmup' (because cold segments don't see your initial Kit sends). And another 5-10% if you do a re-permission email for GDPR. After 90 days, your active list is usually 60-75% of the original Mailchimp list — healthier than 100% with 50% disengagement.
Yes — import them as custom fields first, then run a one-time automation to convert custom field values into Kit tags. Or use the Mailchimp-to-Kit migration tool (community-built scripts on GitHub). Don't lose the tags by skipping this step.
Kit is built for creators (newsletters, courses, paid tiers); Mailchimp is built for SMB e-commerce. Kit's tagging + sequences + Visual Automations are more flexible for content creators. Mailchimp's e-com features are stronger for product stores. Pick based on use case, not familiarity.
No. Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill) has had delivery issues over the years. Kit handles transactional well if you set up the right templates, OR use a dedicated provider like Postmark/Resend for high-volume transactional needs.
Yes — larger lists need more careful warmup. Plan 30 days of engagement-only sending instead of 14. Volume scaling takes 30 days, not 14. Total migration timeline extends to 8-12 weeks. Strongly recommend hiring a specialist for 50K+ migrations — the deliverability risk is real.
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