Setting Up an API Connection with Kit (Formerly known as ConvertKit)

Connecting your Kit account (formerly ConvertKit/Seva) to your Thrive Themes products allows you to send new leads directly to your email marketing system.

In this guide, you will learn how to connect Thrive Themes with your Kit account, including how to enable tag functionality by adding both an API Key and an API Secret.

Finding Your Kit API Credentials

To connect your Kit account to the Thrive Dashboard, you will need an API Key, which is required for the basic integration. If you want to use Kit’s tag functionality to organize your subscribers, you will also need an API Secret.

Getting Your API Key

To obtain your API Key, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Kit account.
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select Settings.
   
3. On the Settings page, look at the left column and click Developer.
   
4. On the Developer page, you will find two API keys listed. As of October 2025, API V4 is still in beta, so make sure to copy the API V3 key to proceed with the integration with Thrive Themes.
   

Getting Your API Secret (Optional)

If you plan to use tags with Kit in Thrive, then you’ll also need your API Secret. To find it, follow these steps:

1. On the Developer page, go to the API Keys section and find the V3 Key area.
   
2. Copy the API Secret and store it securely alongside your API Key.
   

Adding Your Kit Connection to the Thrive Dashboard

1. To create a Kit connection in your Thrive API Connection Dashboard, follow these steps:
   Navigate to the Thrive Dashboard.
   
2. Scroll down to the API Connections card and click the Manage Connections button.
   
3. On the API Connections page, click the Add New Connection button.
   
4. In the Select an app dropdown, search for ConvertKit/Seva and select it.
   
5. Paste the API Key and the API Secret (Optional) into the corresponding fields, then click Connect.
   
6. When the connection is successful, you will see a success message indicating that the connection has been established.
   

You can always return to this dashboard and Test (1), Edit (2), or Remove (3) the connection.

Connecting Kit to a Lead Generation Element

If you are creating a new page or editing an existing one, you can connect Kit to your form by following these steps:

1. Open your page in Thrive Architect.
2. In the editor, click on the plus (+) sign in the right sidebar to access the list of available Thrive Architect elements.
   
3. Locate the Lead Generation element and drag it onto your page where you want the form to appear.
   
4. Click on the Lead Generation element to open its options in the left-hand sidebar.
   
5. Under the Main Options section, locate the Connection setting and select API as the connection type.
   
6. Next, click Add Connection and choose Kit from the dropdown list of available integrations.
   

Selecting a Mailing List

After selecting your connection, choose the mailing list you want to use from your Kit account.

Note: If your mailing list isn’t showing up in the dropdown, make sure to click the Refresh button to reload the data. If your list is newly created, it may take a moment to appear.

Adding Tags to Your Form

Tags allow you to categorize and segment subscribers based on the form they used to sign up, making it easier to send targeted campaigns later.

To add tags to your form, follow these steps:

1. In the Tags field, start typing the name of the tag you want to assign. Existing tags in your Kit account will appear in the dropdown for you to select.
   
2. To create a new tag, type its name and press Enter.
   
3. The tag will now appear in the list below the field. You can add as many tags as needed.
   
4. To remove a tag, click the (x) icon next to it.
   
5. Once you have selected your list and added your tags, click Apply to save your connection settings.
   

Setting Up the Form Fields

To set up the form fields that will be sent to Kit, follow these steps:

1. With the Lead Generation element still selected, navigate to the Form Fields section.
   
2. To add a new field, click + Add new.
   
3. To remove a field, click the trash bin icon next to the field.
   
4. To change the order of fields, click and hold the drag handle and move it to your preferred position.
   
5. You can also create custom fields. For each field, make sure the field mapping points to the correct Kit field. To learn more about setting up and mapping form fields, please refer to this guide.
   
6. After adding and mapping the field, click Apply to save the custom field.
   
7. Once done, click Save Work to save your changes.
   

Connecting Kit to Thrive Leads Forms

If you are working with forms in Thrive Leads rather than on a standalone page, the process is quite similar. To connect Kit to a Thrive Leads form, follow these steps:

1. In the WordPress Admin area, go to your Thrive Leads dashboard.
   
2. Locate the opt-in form you want to connect to Kit and click the pen icon to edit it.
   
3. This will open the form in the Thrive Architect editor. From there, click the Lead Generation element in the editor to select it. The element’s options will appear in the left sidebar.
   

From this point, the setup process is identical to what has been described above.