Why and when creators should use email popup forms (with 8 real-life examples)

Many creators avoid using email popup forms because they don’t want to annoy their readers.

And while there’s no doubt that popups on websites can be irritating, there’s a way to add them to your site that won’t turn away users. In fact, when done right, email popups add value to your content and increase subscribers in the process.

By understanding your audience and brushing up on basic user experience, you, too, can create irresistible popup forms.

What is an email popup?

An email popup is a message box on a website that asks visitors to sign up for an email list.

Often, email popups ask visitors to enter their email in exchange for a freebie, like a downloadable or a coupon.

Do email popups work?

Yes, email popups on websites work and oftentimes convert higher than static opt-in forms, like those in your content or sidebar.

Sumo analyzed 2 billion popups and found that popups convert between 3.09% to 10% of users. Compare that to a static opt-in form, which converts around 2% of users. Using email popups can be a simple way to supercharge your email list growth.

The pros and cons of email subscription popups

Beyond conversion rates, there are a few other factors to consider if you want to add an email popup to your website.

Email popup pros

Faster list growth

We already mentioned it above, but adding popup email forms helps increase your list growth rate, an important email marketing KPI for creators.

Increased ROI

Because email popups are relatively cheap to implement—and sometimes even free—they won’t eat into your bottom line. You can grow your list, sell more products, and keep your expenses low, which puts you on the path to scaling your business.

Better first-party data

First-party data—like an email list—helps creators run profitable paid ads, especially as Google works to eliminate third-party cookies. Even if you don’t plan to run paid ads right now, it’s worthwhile to prep your business for the future.

Email popup cons

Popup blockers are gaining popularity

It’s estimated that 37% of people worldwide use ad blocks, which in turn, block popup email forms. If more people choose to adopt ad blockers in the future, your email popups could be seen by fewer people.

However, you can combat this by including static opt-in forms throughout your content rather than relying on a single popup form to collect all leads.

They cover essential content

When misused, email popups cover essential content. Take this popup from Static Nails, for example.

When triggered, the popup covers the entire screen. This popup went off as I was leaving, so luckily, it didn’t interfere with my browsing experience. But imagine if I was in the process of filling out an order form—that might’ve caused me to ditch my order!

Be mindful of the types of email popups you use, what content they cover, and when they appear. If you have content on a page your readers need to see (like a checkout page or a sales page), consider using non-intrusive popups like sticky bars or slide-ins, or disabling them altogether.

They can be annoying

It’s no secret that popups can be annoying. In G2’s survey, 82% of people claimed to hate popups—yikes. We’ve all browsed sites where popups cause us to hit the back button, but the good news is you can easily create popups that aren’t annoying. These best practices ensure your email popups always deliver a fantastic user experience:

Popup email forms best practices

Offer a tempting incentive

Offer readers an irresistible lead magnet (like a discount or downloadable) on your popup. Instead of feeling annoyed, they’ll be delighted at the chance to receive something they want.

Don’t show the popup right away

When G2 surveyed 400 people asking why they hate popups, 28.6% said they appear too soon. Give web visitors room to breathe and set popups to appear after people have had time to ingest your content and get a feel for who you are.

Alex Levil is a founding partner for L+R, an international design studio that works with brands like Louis Vuitton and Estée Lauder. He knows a thing or two about designing great popup experiences and tells me:

Think critically about what a visitor wants to see when visiting a website and be mindful of the context in which the popup is presented to the visitor. It should not be used to interrupt an experience but be presented as a way for a visitor to extend their interest and exchange further value between them and [you]. – Alex Levil

Relate the popup to the content on your site

Believe it or not, tweaking the message on your forms can have a significant impact on your conversion rates. Michał Sadowski, owner of media monitoring tool Brand24, tells me his conversion rates shot up nearly 20% when he tailored his email forms to reflect the content on the page they appeared on.

Here’s how that could work for you: If you’re a food blogger, you may have a variety of recipes ranging from gluten-free to vegan. If your lead magnet is an ebook teaching people how to organize their kitchens, tailor the copy ever so slightly to reflect these different types of diets. Then, place each popup on its related page(s).

Both forms ultimately lead to the same freebie, but like Brand24, the tailored copy can give you a healthy bump in conversions.

Make it accessible

Popups shouldn’t get in the way of folks trying to navigate your site. In fact, Google may lower your search rankings if your popups block too much content and result in a poor user experience.

Here are some dos and don’ts to ensure your popups add value:

• Don’t block essential content
• Disable popups on mobile or use non-intrusive popups for smaller screens, like sticky bars
• Make popups easy to close

Web designer and UX expert Kate Smoothly tells me that “nothing will turn someone off from your website quicker than a poor user experience.” She recommends testing your popups on all screen sizes to make sure they’re easy to close, read, and navigate.

Keep it simple

Cognitive load—the amount of memory we need to complete a task—plays a major role in form design.

Popups littered with copy, images, and input boxes give visitors too many things to process and think about. As their cognitive load increases, they get overwhelmed and may ditch your site without opting in.

Keep your popup forms as simple as possible by:

• Limiting the input fields to one or two fields (like first name and email address)
• Making the CTA easy to find by using contrasting colors
• Limiting the amount of copy you use

The 5 types of email popups (with stunning examples)

Let’s take a look at some great examples of email popup forms to inspire your next design.

#1: Modal popups

Modal popups are windows inside your users’ screens. They don’t take up the full screen and are ideal for:

• Sales promotions and discounts
• Freebie incentives
• Cart abandonment messages

Sales promotion and discount popup examples

Saint Jane Beauty combines referrals and a discount in their modal popup.

And Knix offers customers a 10% coupon off their next order.

Next time you have a sale, consider adding a modal popup to your site. Make it clear when the sale ends by using Kit to add a countdown timer.

Freebie incentive popup example

Modal popups are the perfect way to put your freebies front and center. Wandering Bear Books cues their simple popup to load after the visitor has spent time browsing.

Cart abandonment email popup example

According to research by Kibo Commerce, the average cart abandonment rate hovers near 80%. Nudge more people to checkout with cart abandonment popups, like the one from Judy, that offers potential cart-abandonees an additional 20% off.

Using Kit, trigger your modal popup to show upon exit on your checkout pages and turn more people into paying customers.

#2: Fullscreen popups

Use fullscreen popups sparingly—they’re great for capturing attention but can quickly overwhelm your reader if used too often. For the best results, time fullscreen popups to show if the reader is about to exit. This way, you can be sure you aren’t interrupting their experience.

Exit-intent popup example

Loaded Landscapes offers a sweet deal for users who are about to leave. When creating your full-screen popup, make the offer something your user would be thrilled to receive.

#3: Slide-in popups

When you need to add complementary information to pages, use a slide-in popup. Slide-in popups are ideal for special offers and social proof.

Special offer popup example

BarkBox’s slide-in popup doesn’t take away from the page it’s on. It’s small enough that readers can digest the information on the page while simultaneously contemplating the popup’s offer.

Social proof email popup example

Placing slide-in popups with social proof alongside your content can encourage more people to sign up. Consider listing how many people are already on your list or including one-liner testimonials about how valuable your email list is.

#4: Sticky bars

Sticky bar popups work great for countdown timers or to promote your sales. And since they don’t cover any content, you can likely enable them on all devices and all pages on your site.

Countdown timer popup example

Despite being small, Brooklinen’s popup countdown timer stands out and makes it clear to visitors that their coupon expires soon.

Promotional popup-example

Your sticky bar can also announce special promotions you have. Visitors on Partake Food’s website know how much they need to spend to qualify for free shipping, thanks to their sticky bar.

5 steps to make your own email subscription popup form

Step 1: Select your lead magnet

We know popups can be disruptive, and to avoid irritating our readers, popups must be timely, relevant, and worth the interruption.

Flex your empathy muscles and get into the mind of your visitors to understand what would be worth the potential interruption. For example, a 5% off coupon might not have your visitor jumping up and down, but a free ebook could be something they’d be excited to receive.

Step 2: Write copy

When we encounter popups, it’s almost reflexive to exit out. Your best defense against someone with quick mouse skills is to write engaging copy that catches their attention before they close your popup. Let’s dive into the essential elements of an email popup form.

Elements of an email popup form

#1 Header

Your header is the part of your email popup form that reaches out to visitors and pulls them in. Spell out your offer in the header, otherwise, you risk visitors bouncing before they know what’s up for grabs.

#2 Body copy

Body copy isn’t necessary if your headline communicates everything you want your visitor to know. However, you may need a bit more space to tell visitors what you’re offering them.

#3 CTA

Bland CTAs like “subscribe here” or “download” give the visitor no concrete reason to subscribe. Instead, try a benefit-driven CTA that tells your subscriber what they get if they sign up.

For example, if you’re promoting an ebook that teaches subscribers how to ferment food, your CTA could be something like, “Make your first batch of Kimchi today.” See how that holds more power than a simple “Download the ebook”?

Step 3: Design your popup form

With Kit’s form builder, you can design modal, slide-in, and sticky bar popup forms in a snap!

First, choose your format, and on the next page, Kit will prompt you to choose a template.

Then, customize the template to match your brand. When customizing your popup form, take a page from the Z-Pattern. The Z-Pattern is a design hack that mimics how people scan content, specifically content with little text (like a newsletter popup).

Using the Z-pattern, identify areas of your form that people might scan over, and avoid putting any essential information in there.

After you’ve designed your form, click Settings to customize when your popup shows and what happens when users submit their emails.

Kit gives you laser-prevision for when your popups show. Choose between:

• An exit-intent popup that triggers when users hover their mouse to close out of the browser
• A popup that shows after users scroll down the page a certain percentage
• A popup that displays after users are on the page for a certain number of seconds

You also have options to choose which devices display your popup, and how often a visitor sees it (so you don’t bombard them with the same popup daily, which can lead to popup fatigue).

Step 4: Add your popup to applicable pages

You’re almost done! After creating your popup, copy the code and paste it to relevant pages on your site.

Step 5: Use automations to onboard new subscribers

Lastly, make a great first impression for anyone who signs up through your email popup forms. Set up automations to onboard new subscribers so they get to know who you are and how you can help them.

Use Kit’s welcome sequence automation template

Collect more leads with email sign-up popup forms

You’ve seen how valuable email popup forms are when done right, and now it’s your turn to give them a spin.

Design your next email popup with Kit— try it for free today!