I recently started getting serious about building my email list, but the process of gaining new email subscribers really worried me at first. I use AWeber for my email marketing, so I need to be able to make money with my list in order to help pay for the $20 a month price tag. It takes a bit of work to build up a list you can start making money from, but once you get 100 subscribers or so, getting people to purchase affiliate products from you is a piece of cake – assuming you are recommending good products.
When I first started using AWeber, I was using their built-in form creator because it was convenient and functioned properly without any editing. Even though they have some nicely-themed forms, I was not happy with them. They didn’t integrate into WordPress very well, customization was lacking, and they were not converting very well. In fact, after one week I only had 5 subscribers and I consider my blog fairly popular, so these free forms from AWeber were obviously not working. I needed something that would capture readers’ attention and make them want to enter their email address into the opt-in spot.
I know a lot of bloggers that use the wildly popular plugin called Popup Domination. Basically, Popup Domination includes options to create the basic popup boxes (like the one shown in the image above) to integrate with almost any mail autoresponder such as MailChimp or AWeber. I was about to purchase Popup Domination, but I came to my senses and decided that $77 for a popup box is too expensive. I began to do some research and found WP Subscribers, another WordPress plugin that creates popups almost identical to Popup Domination. In addition to just having popups, however, WP Subscribers includes opt-in forms that can be placed within posts, in the blog header, in the blog footer, or when the reader tries to exit. They also have a referral system where you can reward your readers for getting other people to sign up for your list, Facebook integration for easier signup, WordPress integration to add your users to your list, and integration with the WordPress commenting system. The biggest advantage is that WP Subscribers has all of these features for only $47.
The Basic Popup
The whole reason I was searching for this plugin was to find a decent popup plugin. Most of the free ones have terrible designs and annoy blog readers. The thing I originally liked about Popup Domination was that the popups were so elegantly designed that anyone who visited the website would just have to look at it for a second or two. What really astounded me was that the popup designs included with WP Subscribers are equally as elegant. WP Subscribers includes 12 different popup designs that you can customize with 8 different colors.
I chose to use template #5 (shown in image above) with the red color and I was able to customize it to fit my needs easily. The content area allows you to include anything from simple text to an embedded YouTube video. You can also upload images and choose where it will appear on the popup with the click of a button. It’s really simple – I had my popup up and running within 10 to 15 minutes.
The Footer Bar
One of the main things that sold me on WP Subscribers is the footer opt-in form. I tried a free plugin that claimed to offer similar results, but I wasn’t able to even get the free plugin to appear on the page properly. With WP Subscribers, it was once again very simple and I had it running in 10 minutes or so. The footer bar is a widget that slides in from the bottom of the page and stays there even if the reader scrolls down the page. I was able to upload an image, enter some text, customize the color of both the box and the submit button, and choose the animation the footer box has when it slides into the screen.
I feel that this footer opt-in form will be incredibly successful because you can’t really ignore it. People have conditioned themselves to automatically close out the basic popup boxes, but when this footer box appears on the screen, they will most likely take notice of it without automatically heading for the close button to hide it.
Advanced Settings To Prevent Annoyance
Whenever I visit a website that has a popup to join their email list on my first visit, I always close it out without paying any attention. The popup had appeared before I even read the content, so why would I want to subscribe to the blog’s newsletter? It just doesn’t make sense. The thing I like about WP Subscribers is the fact that they let you control these factors. For example, my footer opt-in box does not appear unless you have viewed 2 pages on my blog and the popup box doesn’t appear unless you’ve gone to 5 pages. This ensures that I will not be annoying first-time readers and I am only targeting people who will actually be interested in signing up to receive the newsletter.
In addition to having options for when the popups will display, they have options for when it will go away. Once you subscribe to the list, the popups should never reappear unless you clear the cookies from your web browser. Also, the footer box will only appear 3 times a week and the popup box will only show up 2 times a week. This is another measure I am taking to prevent reader annoyance.
Referral System, Facebook Integration, and More
I was really excited to see that WP Subscribers included a referral system. Simply put, your subscribers can earn points by referring others to join your list. For example, if you have an eBook that you wrote, you can offer it on your blog to subscribers who have earned 50 points. You can then set it so each subscriber will earn 10 points for each new subscriber they refer. So if Jimmy signs up for your list and wants the eBook, he will have to share the link to your opt-in page on social media to try and get 5 people to sign up via his referral link. Once he earns the 50 points, the download link will be available to him and he will get his eBook. This is a simple way to turn 1 subscriber into 6.
The Facebook integration that WP Subscribers has included makes it easier for people to opt-in. Instead of having to enter their name and email, their Facebook data (assuming that they are logged in) will automatically will these boxes in, so all they have to do is click “Subscribe” because their information is already entered. This saves your readers time and can encourage more subscribers because they don’t actually have to type anything.
WP Subscribers also includes integration with the WordPress comments system. If you choose to display it, an additional checkbox will appear in the comments area that you can make say “Subscribe to our newsletter” or something of that nature. If that box is checked when they submit the comment, it will take the email address and name they used to write the comment with and add it to your list. It’s just one more way to suck people in.
Overview
Overall, I’m really happy with my purchase of WP Subscribers. I’m using it with AWeber, but it also works with MailChimp, iContact, GetResponse, FeedBurner, and tons of other services. I have a feeling that the amount of subscribers I will gain from this plugin will quickly pay off the $47 I spent on it. Everything is so simple, nicely designed, and it is truly the only popup plugin that doesn’t annoy readers. I recommend this plugin to anyone with an email list that needs some growth.
This Is my first visit to this site and i loved your site thanks for sharing this
Nice job! I use my wp with target box forms (see http://www.targetbox.com.br).
Best Regards,
Brian
I am going to consider this Ian. I will research it more on their site. If I like it, I will come back and buy through your link!
I hope you do! It should really improve your list.
Ok Ian, Get ready for a commission. My wife is going to buy this for me for Christmas! Yay!
Awesome! I’ll be looking! Thanks a lot – enjoy the plugin.
With referral system and Facebook integration; this plugin rocks! Thanks for sharing.
Agreed! Thanks for stopping by.
I have yet to really try email marketing since I have never actually thought that it would work. I know that at least for me when I get product offers in my email I normally don’t even click them, but if you are saying that it works for you maybe I will think about trying it out.
Email marketing is great if you know how to properly utilize it. Feel free to sign up with my AWeber affiliate link and try it out for just $1! https://www.omegaweb.com/uses-aweber/
Currently using it, and don’t have words! It’s indeed amazing! WP Subscribers is indeed a marvelous plugin to have!!
Would you recommend it over Popup Domination?
Hmmm well, It can convert a lot I guess but right now I’m using the scroll triggered box. In my personal opinion, unless these pop ups and footer bars are very appealing with their designs, they can be a big turn off. Your pop up box design is really good and I hopped in the moment I scanned it. Great work.
The scroll triggered box too converts pretty well, my email subscriber count shot up as soon as I started using it, plus it doesn’t occupy a major proportion of the screen, just sticks to one corner.
Both seem fantastic. I must try this as well. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Aditya
What is the plugin for the scroll triggered box?
Scroll triggered box.. LOL 😛
Great stuff Robert! I tried Pop Up Domination, and I saw a huge spike in subscribers, however as of recent I’ve been searching for an alternative since PUD is no longer compatible with the current WP version I’m using (hence why my site crashed after the last update).
I’ve just found Scroll Triggered Box and I like the look and placement of it, however I can figure out how to integrate Aweber with it. Any suggestions or solutions would be really appreciated. 😀
Thanks again,
Keith
Nicely written review, Ian.
I have already purchased WP Subscribers just recently, though, I haven’t got it up and running due to some issues with the Mail(newsletter) program I am using….
Can’t wait to get it working and play around with the many great features it has!
As mentioned in your review, the main thing that stands out with WP Subscribers is it’s versatility, as it has so many options….That’s what sold me!
The option to “lower the annoyance factor” by controlling “when, where, how often and for how long the popups are shown….is a big plus…
The referrer points system is another great feature….
There are many other great features, which I am itching to try out….once I sort out my mail(Newsletter ) and get everything up and running!
Which newsletter service are you using?
Great article Ian. Do you know any plugin which I can use for my blogger blog ? I also need to
to improve my e-mail subscribers.
I really don’t know… I would honestly suggest moving to WordPress, but that’s just me. Popup Domination may work with Blogger. They have a “standalone version”.
I used popup before in my blog. They are very annoying and irritating. I was hoping that there would be at least one plugin for blogger. Anyway, I will keep looking..
I noticed you signed up with my popup that appears at the bottom of the page. Did you find that one annoying?
That one was okay. But the ones that appear right in the middle of the page blanking everything out are not good for user experience. That’s just my opinion.
Finally we have a solution to all the trouble with e-mail lists. It sounds nice. Thanks for sharing your experience and this detailed review
You’re welcome. Which autoresponder do you use?