How to Collect Emails on Your WordPress Website

So you've got a WordPress site and you want to start collecting emails aka “building your list” but how exactly do you do it? You're a blogger after all and not a technical genius. Fear not because in this post I'm going to show you how to do this without any custom programming or complicated technical procedures. In this blog post, I'm going to show you exactly how to collect emails on your site with just a few WordPress plugins.

The Email Capture Process Explained

I wanted to briefly explain what happens when you collect emails on a website. When somebody submits their email address on a form it adds that email to a list. That list name could be whatever you want so it could be something like a free eBook, video course, or product trial. Here are some of my own email lists.

getresponse email subscribers

As you can see I have many different lists and I have a naming convention for my lists that helps me keep track of who signed up for what content so I can send them relevant emails. You don't have to follow my naming conventions but you need to come up with your own so you can keep your lists organized. Once somebody signs up then I have campaigns that send them content based on what they signed up for automatically. That's right it's all automated so I don't have to do it. Don't worry I'm going to show you exactly how you can do the same thing for your website.

 

Email Marketing Software

There are many different email marketing software programs available online. I would recommend going with a professional email service like GetResponse as opposed to other ones that are hosted on your WordPress website. These free WordPress email subscription plugins have problems you might not know about.

Potential problems with self-hosted WordPress solutions

  • They can crash your website
  • Your emails won't even get delivered
  • Zero support (you are on your own)
  • Less features compared to email marketing services

For these reasons and many many others I would never use a email marketing solution that ran on my web server. The whole point of capturing emails is to then send emails to those subscribers.

You need a professional service like GetResponse that will let you send emails quickly and easily. Here's a video that explains everything that you get with the service.

[responsive_video type='youtube' hide_related='1′ hide_logo='1′ hide_controls='0′ hide_title='1′ hide_fullscreen='0′ autoplay='0′]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_cAh-hMKsc[/responsive_video]

 

[thrive_link color='green' link='https://secure.getresponse.com/create_trial/en?a=Preston_Miller&c=free_trial' target='_blank' size='medium' align='aligncenter']Get 30 Days of GetResponse FREE >[/thrive_link]

The Ultimate WordPress Mailing List Plugin

Now that you have an email marketing provider it's time to start building that list. You can install basic forms with those services but you can't do cutting edge stuff like popups, slide-ins, ribbons, or content upgrades. That's where Thrive Leads comes in. This one powerful plugin that I love and use on all my site but other marketers love it too including Neil Patel and John Lee Dumas.

Thrive Leads is great because it integrates with popular email marketing platforms like GetResponse, Aweber, Mailchimp, and many more. It also integrates with popular webinar platforms like WebinarJam and GoToWebinar. Check out the video below for a quick demo.

 

[responsive_video type='youtube' hide_related='1′ hide_logo='1′ hide_controls='1′ hide_title='1′ hide_fullscreen='0′ autoplay='0′]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOuiMB8BrQQ[/responsive_video]

 

[thrive_link color='green' link='https://thrivethemes.com/affiliates/ref.php?id=1651_14_3_15′ target='_blank' size='medium' align='aligncenter']Check Out Thrive Leads Today >[/thrive_link]

How to Sync Everything

Now that you have GetResponse and Thrive Leads it's time to sync them together via the API. Here's where you need to go

Thrive Dashboard -> API Connections

thrive leads add new connection

 

Go ahead and select your program and then you should see this screen.

 

thrive_getresponse_api

 

Now you need to get your API key. For GetResponse you can log into your account then hit this URL

https://app.getresponse.com/manage_api.html

 

getresponse_api_token

Now you should see your Default API key. Just copy and paste that key into Thrive Leads and hit CONNECT. BAM you have completed the hardest part. Now, it's time to start dialing up your opt in forms.

 

Setting Up Your Forms in Thrive Leads

Go into Thrive Leads and create a new lead group.

 

add new opt-in form

 

You have so many different options to capture emails.

The 9 options include

  1. In content
  2. Lightbox
  3. Post Footer
  4. Ribbon
  5. Screen Filler
  6. Scroll Mat
  7. Slide In
  8. Widget
  9. PHP Insert

thrive_lead_types

 

Create your opt in form for your offer and then sync it with your mailing list. Now you can capture emails on your WordPress website!

 

Conclusion

Now you know how to capture emails and sync them to email marketing software without coding. Just to summarize these are the steps in order.

  1. Sign up for an email marketing service (GetResponse)
  2. Install the Thrive Leads WordPress plugin on your site
  3. Sync your lists with Thrive Leads
  4. Start building your own email list forms

I hope this blog post was helpful and if you have any questions or comment please leave them below and I will personally respond.

 

 

Picture of Preston Miller

Preston Miller

Preston is an entrepreneur, internet marketer, and blogger. He wants to share his knowledge to help you make an online income. In his free time Preston likes to work out, play guitar, and drink coffee.

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