Growing an engaged email subscriber list is critical for business success online. But getting website visitors to join your list can be an uphill battle.
That‘s why over 1.5 million WordPress sites rely on OptinMonster to convert abandoning visitors into loyal email subscribers.
As the leading conversion optimization and lead generation plugin for WordPress, OptinMonster makes it easy to capture more email addresses using popups, slide-ins, forms, and other high-converting lead generation technology.
And with expertly-designed templates and an intuitive drag and drop builder, you don‘t need any coding or design skills to create email opt-ins tailored for conversions.
According to OptinMonster:
On average, OptinMonster customers see a 536% increase in conversion rates. Plus higher email open rates thanks to more targeted, engaged subscribers.
So if you want to maximize subscriber growth in 2023, integrating OptinMonster into your WordPress site is a must.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore:
- The benefits of using OptinMonster for list building
- Step-by-step instructions for setup and campaign creation
- Tips to optimize your opt-ins for more email subscribers
- How to connect your email service provider
- Easy split testing for continual optimization
Let‘s dive in…
Why OptinMonster is the Best Choice for Building Your Email List
Collecting email addresses is an integral part of running a successful online business.
But not all list building plugins are created equal.
Here‘s why OptinMonster stands out from the pack when it comes to capturing more quality email subscribers:
1. Time-Tested and Optimized for Conversions
With over eight years in the industry, the OptinMonster team has refined their technology for maximizing email optin conversions through comprehensive testing and optimization.
Over 35 million conversion tests completed across thousands of websites have provided unparalleled insights into the specific optin strategies that deliver results.
These learnings are baked into the 400+ high-performing templates and advanced targeting features – giving you an instant head start for subscriber growth.
2. Intuitive Drag and Drop Builder
While some plugins still require custom coding skills for customization, OptinMonster provides an easy drag and drop builder for creating tailored email optins.
With flexible editing directly within the live preview, anyone can quickly customize campaigns with zero coding or design experience required.
You have full control over:
- Visual Styling: colors, fonts, spacing, sizing
- Content: headlines, paragraphs, lists, images
- Layout: single/multi column, components
Saving endless trial and error trying to hand-code opt-in forms from scratch.
3. Advanced Targeting and Personalization
Who you target and engage directly impacts conversion rates.
With granular targeting controls, you can hyper-personalize messaging based on:
- Location
- Pages visited
- Referrer
- Technology used
- And more…
Further increasing relevancy for each visitor to improve email sign up rates.
4. Premium Templates Optimized for Conversions
Well-designed email optins backed by conversion research can 2-3x subscriber rates.
That‘s why OptinMonster offers 400+ beautifully-crafted templates designed specifically for high conversion performance.
Covering various styles, campaigns, and niches – you‘re guaranteed to find the perfect starting point to maximize email captures.
5. Real-Time Split Testing
Guesswork kills conversions.
OptinMonster‘s proprietary Visual Editor allows you to experiment with variations by making live changes. Then uses advanced analytics to determine the better performing option.
Allowing you to make data-driven optimizations like:
- Headline A vs Headline B
- Long form vs short form content
- Image vs video
- Popup style A vs style B
With each iteration further refining your optins for better email conversion rates.
6. Integrates With All Major Email Services
Seamlessly connect your opt-in forms to all the popular email marketing platforms including:
- Mailchimp
- AWeber
- Constant Contact
- ConvertKit
- Active Campaign
And many more…
Ensuring new subscribers are automatically sent to your email list as soon as they signup.
As you can see, a WordPress site integrated with OptinMonster has immense advantages when it comes to maximizing email list growth.
Next, let‘s explore how to setup and start creating high converting email optin campaigns…
Getting Started: Installing and Setting Up OptinMonster
Ready to jump in?
Here‘s how to get OptinMonster installed on your WordPress site in just 5 quick steps:
Step 1: Create Your OptinMonster Account
First, you‘ll want to head over to OptinMonster.com and create a free account.
You won‘t need to enter any payment details to try it out.
Once registered, you can immediately start building email optin campaigns with full functionality outside of premium templates. Upgrades unlock additional features and templates for maximizing conversions.
Step 2: Install the OptinMonster Plugin
Next, install and activate the OptinMonster WordPress plugin on your site.
You can find it by searching "OptinMonster" directly within your WordPress dashboard under Plugins > Add New.
Or use this direct link to install:
https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/optinmonster.1.9.3.zip
Activation only takes a few seconds.
Step 3: Connect Your OptinMonster Account
With the plugin installed, you now need to connect your OptinMonster account to your WordPress site.
- In your WP dashboard, go to OptinMonster > Settings
- Click the blue Connect an Existing Account button
- Enter the email address associated with your OptinMonster account
- Click Connect to WordPress
You‘ll see confirmation that your account has been successfully connected.
Step 4: Select Your Plan
Next, on this same Settings page – make sure you have the desired features plan selected.
I recommend starting with the Growth plan which unlocks all core features needed for maximizing email conversions including:
✅ Exit Intent® Technology
✅ A/B Testing
✅ Advanced Targeting Conditions
✅ Access to all Email Optin Templates
✅ Detailed Analytics
However you can always upgrade as needed later on.
Step 5: Build Your First Optin Campaign
The final step is to build your first high converting email optin campaign.
In the next section, we‘ll cover how to use the intuitive drag and drop editor to quickly create popup, slide in, and embedded form optins.
But first, let‘s discuss some critical design strategies for capturing more email subscribers.
Crafting Email Optins That Convert
With the foundations in place, it‘s time to create email optins optimized to convert your visitors into loyal subscribers.
But not all optin forms are equally effective at capturing emails.
Let‘s explore some science-backed strategies for dramatically improving conversions.
Use Scarcity and Urgency Strategically
Traffic studies reveal less than 2% of visitors sign up from passive optin placement alone.
While extremely effective, popups and slide-ins should be used ethically and strategically.
That means avoiding intrusive overlays and instead triggering forms only when engagement indicates the visitor is likely abandoning (exit intent).
Urgency and scarcity communicate value and prompt action from interested visitors before they leave.
Reinforce this closing tactic with timers, limited quantity claims, and action-focused buttons.
Personalize Messaging Based on the Visitor
No two website visitors are exactly alike.
That‘s why the ability to target messaging based on location, visited pages, technology, and other factors is invaluable for connecting with each prospect uniquely.
Personalized outreach that demonstrates an understanding of individual contexts see up to 40% higher conversion rates on optins and email signups.
Promote Relevant Lead Magnets
An educational or entertainment incentive in exchange for an email address, typically in the form of:
- eBook
- Cheatsheet
- Checklist
- Video course
- Coupons
- Discounts
- And more…
is proven to 2-5x conversion rates on optins.
But it must provide genuine value relevant to their interests.
For example, an avid hiker would appreciate a hiking safety checklist over generic fitness content.
Build Trust with Social Proof
Did you know content with social shares receives up to 20x more conversions?
Visually promoting the number of current subscribers, folllowers, readers, or customers helps establish authority and validity.
Social indicators demonstrate others have benefitted from your content and recommendations in the past.
Always Follow Up with Delivered Value
While clever copy and design dramatically impacts email sign up rates – long term success requires consistently delivering on the promised value.
Use compelling incentives and onboarding sequences to nurture new subscribers by demonstrating how joining was beneficial for them.
Soon that initial meager conversion rate becomes an avalanche of referral traffic and returning visitors.
Now let‘s shift our attention to building eye-catching and effective email optin forms guaranteed to maximize your subscriber growth…
Creating High Converting Email Optins Step-By-Step
- In your WP dashboard, navigate to OptinMonster > Campaigns
- Click the large orange Create Your First Campaign button
- You‘ll be met with the New Campaign wizard…
This intuitive flow will guide you through each step needed to build, target, and launch email subscriber campaigns.
Let‘s break it down…
Choose Campaign Type
First, you must decide which email optin style is best for your goals and audience.
You have full flexibility to test a wide variety including:
- Popup – Pops up over page content
- Fullscreen – Covers entire screen
- Slide In – Slides in from edge
- Sidebar – Fixed on side
- Embedded – Seamlessly inline
- And more…
For this example, we‘ll stick with the highest converting Popup style:
Once selected, continue to templates.
Select High Converting Template
Why build from scratch when you can start with proven templates designed to maximize conversions?
Browse the template showcase filtering by:
- Optin type
- Design style
- Niche
- Content format
Find an email optin template that aligns closest to your needs.
For example, here‘s a beautifully designed ebook popup I selected:
The templates seem very polished but are in fact fully customizable as we‘ll soon see…
When you find one you like, click Use Template.
Customize Optin Design and Messaging
One of the biggest advantages of OptinMonster is the intuitive drag and drop editor allowing full optin customization without touching code.
The right shows a live preview where you can click any element to style or edit content directly. CSS selectors and naming conventions are even beginner friendly!
Some key areas to tailor for your brand and offer:
✏️ Headline & sub-headline
✏️ Body content
✏️ Lead magnet visuals
✏️ Form fields
✏️ CTAs and buttons
And the styling panel on left provides complete design control:
Tweak and refine until you have an email optin guaranteed to stop your audience in their tracks!
Set Display Rules and Targeting Logic
Now it‘s time to define exactly when and who will see this email optin.
With intelligent targeting, your message wil reach visitors most likely to convert based on their journey and preferences.
Common triggers include:
- Exiting website
- Scrolling past critical points
- Spent X seconds browsing
- Visited specific pages
- And endless combinations
But don‘t bombard visitors or you‘ll trigger ad blindness resulting in optin avoidance.
Be selective and relevant.
Continue tweaking until your display logic shows the optin only when interest aligned with your offer is clear.
Connect to Your Email Service and Launch
Last, connect an email marketing integration like Mailchimp to capture new subscriber details automatically with each signup.
In Integrations:
- Click Add New Integration
- Select desired platform
- Authorize and sync accounts
New email list members will now be automatically sent to your connected CRM or email service when they complete your optin form.
Finally publish the campaign and monitor performance over the coming days to gauge email list growth. Consider running split tests of variations to further optimize conversions.
And repeat this process testing various styles, placements, incentices and creatives until you unlock a strategy that reliably grows your subscriber base!
Maximizing Conversions with Built-In A/B Split Testing
Guesswork kills email optin performance.
That‘s why OptinMonster makes conversion optimization easy through their proprietary Visual Editor allowing you to experiment with variations.
The software automatically tests each against real visitors to determine the better converting version based on hard data – not opinions.
To create an A/B test for your own email optins:
- Edit existing campaign
- Click Save Draft to lock changes
- Make tweaks to copy, design, offer etc
- Save Draft again to create variant
- Enter test name
- Launch test
- Check reports for winning variation!
You might test:
- Long vs short copy
- Different headings
- Video vs image
- Color variations
- Page targeting
- Offer variations
Let the software crunch the numbers while you brainstorm new ideas for increasing email sign up rates. This eliminates guesswork for continually improving conversions.
Soon you’ll unlock email optin forms perfectly aligned to your audience for subscription growth on complete autopilot!
Final Thoughts
As you can see, OptinMonster makes growing your mailing list easy with beautiful, high-converting email optins built to convert abandoning visitors into loyal subscribers.
Follow this 2023 updated guide and you‘ll have the software, targeting, and creative strategies needed to maximize email captures.
So be relentless about testing new ideas while optimizing and iterating on what works through built-in A/B testing.
Soon you’ll join the thousands of businesses relying on OptinMonster popups, slide-ins, and embedded forms to gain an unfair advantage for email list growth and revenue.
Here‘s to your success online! Let me know if you have any other questions.
