Adding a Newsletter Signup Form or Popup to Your Website

Written by Colleen Riordan

Updated 2 years ago

To build your email list, you need a signup form visitors can use without contacting you directly. When scrolling through your website, they can then fill in their name and email address to receive email from you about new releases, book sales, your latest events, and more.

1. Choose an email service provider.

A free plan will typically handle everything needed for most authors just starting to build their subscriber lists.

The top email service providers we recommend are MailerLite, ConvertKit, and Moosesend. If you are looking for a free plan, please verify that their plan covers everything you need by checking their pricing page.

2. Create your newsletter signup form.

In most email service providers, you have the ability to create signup forms in 3 different styles: popup, embedded, and landing page. Which form you use is based on how the form interacts with where it is shared.

Embedded forms appear directly in your webpage.
Popups forms appear to float over your website when a visitor first views your home page. These forms have frequency settings so they only appear a limited number of times to a visitor over a period of time. e.g. Once every 3 months.
Landing Page forms are basically a standalone webpage that only hosts a newsletter signup form. This is useful when you just want to send someone a link directly to your newsletter signup as opposed to going to your website.

Example: Embedded Form

Example: Popup Form

Example: Landing Page Form

Setting up a Popup form? We recommend you also have an embedded form. Popups can be blocked if someone has changed the settings on their browser to block popups. Also, your email service provider may have popup settings to only show a visitor your popup X times over a period of time. e.g. A visitor may get it the first time they visit, but not see it again until 3 months later. Having an embedded form as well acts as a backup.

Not sure how to create your form? Use your email service provider's knowledgebase to find step-by-step walkthroughs. E.g. MailerLite's How to create your Embedded Form or How to create your Popup Form.

3. Copy the code you need added to your website.

Once your form is created, your email service provider will give you the code that needs to be added to your website. This code is what makes your newsletter signup form appear on your website.

4. Send the code to us to be added to your website.

Copy the code and paste it into an email to support@wildinkmarketing.com.

In your email, please include your name and which page(s) you want the form to appear.

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