Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Are you looking to increase your opt-in email subscribers list? After hearing so many positive comments about lightboxes or pop-ups we decided that we would test one.
We chose PopUp Domination since it came highly recommended to us. It has great features and supports most mailing list services – including AWeber, iContact, GetResponse, MailChimp, and Constant Contact. We plugged ours into ExactTarget.
This is what our original subscription box looks like:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
We added a lightbox to display on all pages 10 seconds after a visitor lands on the site. It looks like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The lightbox provided by PopUp Domination is very customizable, with template choices to design your own look and feel. Great scheduling features allow you to select the timing, frequency and category locations that best suit your preferences.
Once installed, you can see there was a significant increase in newsletter sign-ups.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Prior to adding the lightbox, we were getting 80-100 new subscribers per month on our home page subscription sign-up form. With the lightbox added, this number immediately grew remarkably:
- 388 in August
- 478 in September (a 482% increase)
- 413 in October
We then removed our subscription form from the home page. Here are the sign-ups that followed:
- 250 in November
- 162 in December
- 174 in January
In retrospect, the two items together – lightbox plus home page opt-in form – were the most effective. Nonetheless, our numbers six months after adding the lightbox are still very strong when compared with previous sign-up patterns. Next, we’ll test what happens when we add back the home page opt-in form.
The impetus to write this post was from a series of questions we received from DJ Waldow @djwaldow, asking about the use of lightboxes. One question was, “Have you received any complaints?” and we’re happy to report that no one has complained yet. I think any anger usually associated with pop-ups has been curbed since we have set this one to only show once every 7 days.
The benefits of having the lightbox far outweigh those of not having one. As with all technology, your own mileage may vary. We suggest testing it yourself to see if ‘the proof is in the pudding’.
Takeaway: Adding a lightbox to your subscription process could increase your email list sign-ups. It has grown ours by as much as 400% or more each month.