How to Add an Email Subscription to WordPress: 6 Easy Steps

If you're serious about growing your business, building an email list isn't optional — it's a game-changer. Email is one of the most cost-effective digital marketing channels, helping you convert traffic into leads, nurture customer relationships, and drive repeat sales with precision.

In fact, our data shows that websites using popups for email subscriptions often see conversion rates soar by up to 9% or more, significantly boosting their reach and engagement. This approach can contribute to the impressive average return on investment (ROI) of $42 for every dollar spent on email marketing and stable month-over-month growth.

However, we know that figuring out how to set up email subscription on WordPress can feel overwhelming, especially for business owners, marketers, and content creators who aren’t developers. So, if you're looking to grow your email list with a free email list builder but aren’t sure how to add signup forms to your site, you're in the right place. 

We’ve made a guide that provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to create an email subscription form in WordPress that captures leads and grows your email list. Whether you're aiming to increase conversions, reduce bounce rates, or generate leads, this setup will help you hit your marketing goals faster.

How to Set Up An Email Subscription in WordPress: 6 Steps

To help you get started, we’ll show you how to create an email subscription form in WordPress using the Claspo drag-and-drop form builder. Create your free account, and let’s get the ball rolling.

1. Select an Email Subscription Form Template for Your WordPress Site  

Claspo comes with an impressive library of over 1000 customizable templates thoughtfully organized by use case, industry, and theme. This expansive collection means you can find the perfect template and add a newsletter signup to WordPress in minutes without relying on designers or developers.

Our email sign-up form templates are available in several layouts:

• Pop-up: captures user attention by appearing over a webpage.
• Built-in widget: seamlessly integrated into the website layout.
• Floating bar: sticks to the top or bottom of the browser window as users scroll.
• Floating box: stays fixed in a specific position on the screen as the user scrolls through a webpage.

For example, built-in newsletter subscription widgets, also known as inline forms, are often added to blog posts. These widgets are designed to blend seamlessly with the page’s content, ensuring they don’t distract readers from the main message. At the same time, interested users can easily spot them and leave their emails without interrupting their browsing experience.

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Floating bars and boxes are other excellent options that don't disrupt users' interaction with the site. You pick the place for the opt-in pop-up form, and it stays there as users scroll through the page.

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These widgets are designed to stay out of the way of the main content, allowing visitors to engage with the site freely while still being subtly aware of the email subscription forms. 

You can switch between layouts of the selected template in the form maker to decide which one you’d like to use:

Claspo makes it easy to create customizable, high-converting web page widgets that integrate seamlessly with your WordPress site.

2. Customize a Widget, Making It Yours

Claspo's drag-and-drop editor lets you easily personalize every aspect of your WP newsletter signup form. 

Colors & Styles

Match your website's design for a seamless user experience. Easily adjust the color and style of various elements, including:

• Call-to-action buttons: Make your buttons stand out and encourage clicks.
• Headings: Craft clear and visually appealing headlines.
• Body text: Ensure your message is easy to read and understand.
• Close icon: Provide a clear way for visitors to dismiss the pop-up.
• Background: Set the overall tone and aesthetic of your popup.

The list is just the tip of the iceberg. With a simple drag-and-drop interface, you can easily add any available components from the panel into your widget. 

For example, you can include the “data processing and terms of use” component in your WordPress sign up for newsletter form. According to Salesforce, 71% of consumers are more likely to trust companies with their personal data, including email addresses, when its use is clearly explained.

Engaging Content

Add eye-catching images (supports PNG, JPEG, SVG, GIF, WebP, and AVIF formats). Make your WordPress newsletter signup box stand out with a background image or visual accent. If you don’t have a picture of your own, feel free to use our built-in free image library. Simply enter a keyword in the search field to find the image that best suits your needs.

Multilingual Support 

How to add newsletter subscription to WordPress in multiple languages, you may ask? It's easy! You can add additional languages directly in the editor, ensuring a seamless and personalized experience for every user. You don’t need to translate the text; AI will do it for you.

Claspo will display the WordPress email signup form in the visitor’s preferred language based on their browser settings or your website’s default language. 

Widget States

Every email newsletter subscription form in WordPress has three states: “success,” “already subscribed,” and “error.” They help show a confirmation message or communicate an error after form submission. You can adjust each by changing the text, button action, or adding additional elements, like promo codes.

Mobile Adaptivity

All our widget templates are mobile-friendly. So, when customizing them to your needs, you can be confident that your WordPress subscription email form will display correctly on all types of screens. If you're creating a widget from scratch, use a column component that automatically positions the form content vertically on a mobile screen. 

3. Set Up User-Friendly Targeting

We’ve made sure that your widgets appear in a way that enhances, rather than disrupts, the user experience. So, if you’re wondering how to add an email subscription in WordPress without annoying your users, don’t worry! Claspo offers smart features that keep your popups visible but non-intrusive, ensuring a smooth interaction with your site.

Overlap protection. The system automatically prevents pop-ups from overlapping, even if you have set conflicting display rules. Claspo always looks out for you, eliminating the threat of visual clutter and providing a cleaner browsing experience for your visitors. 

Silence intervals. When setting up email subscription in WordPress, this feature allows you to set a buffer time between the moment a visitor sees a popup and the next time one appears. The default setting is 3 minutes, but you can easily customize it based on your website's traffic and visitor behavior.

Additionally, the rules for displaying widgets have pre-configured conditions:

While adding newsletter signup to WordPress site, you can customize the behavioral targeting conditions yourself in a couple of clicks.

For more advanced targeting, you can set the widget to be shown only to new visitors or users of a selected device type. You can also target distinct audiences, such as visitors from specific locations or those who arrive at your website through UTM-tagged campaigns.

4. Connect ESP in Minutes

When you add email subscriptions to WordPress, integrating with your marketing tools is key to bringing potential leads into your funnel. Claspo simplifies this by allowing quick connections to your preferred marketing software. It seamlessly integrates with popular email marketing services, customer data platforms (CDPs), and CRM systems, making email automation and subscriber management easy and hassle-free.

Also, to bridge any gaps and offer maximum flexibility, Claspo integrates seamlessly with Zapier.

5. Install the Claspo WordPress Plugin

To add email subscriptions to WordPress, you can either download our plugin from the marketplace or install it from your Claspo account. We did our best to make it work seamlessly with any WordPress website version and other plugins, without slowing down your website. The script is automatically added to all your website pages; no extra steps are needed.

6. Test, Publish, and Watch Your Conversions Rise!

Testing is essential when learning how to create an email subscription form in WordPress. Before going live, test your widget’s functionality and user experience in our secure testing environment. This lets you fine-tune your design and ensure everything is running smoothly before showing it to your visitors. Once your custom newsletter form WordPress design is complete and tested, go ahead and launch it!

To achieve better conversion rates, you should continuously run split tests. Experiment with copy, create a sense of urgency, use button colors, and so on to see what brings more email subscribers. You can do all of this in Claspo for free. Just remember to test one variable at a time. 

Why a Well-Placed Newsletter Form in WordPress Drives More Conversions

Email marketing kind of has a reputation as a thing of the past, but it is alive and thriving. In fact, email consistently ranks among the most effective marketing channels, with 41% of marketers identifying it as their top direct marketing method. And when paired with the right design and strategy, a well-placed subscribe form in WordPress can significantly improve conversion rates, customer engagement, and long-term retention.

You’re Reaching Each Contact Directly

Once you’ve captured emails, segmentation helps you boost conversions further by personalizing your campaigns.

By using email subscription for WordPress, you can segment your audience based on interests, demographics, or behaviors. Research from Mailchimp shows that segmented email campaigns can result in 14.31% higher open rates and 100.95% higher click rates compared to non-segmented campaigns. 

Segmentation also improves email deliverability — relevant content is less likely to be flagged as spam and more likely to reach the inbox. So, if you’re planning to build an email list that truly converts, consider using a powerful email list builder to pair smart segmentation with high-converting widgets.

Opt-In Subscribers Are More Likely To Convert

When users opt in through your WordPress newsletter signup form, they are more likely to engage with your content and respond to your offers, making this a powerful strategy for nurturing leads. In fact, 75.4% of consumers prefer to receive promotional content via email, while 74% prefer to receive transactional email notifications this way. This demonstrates that, far from being outdated, email marketing remains a powerful tool for engaging audiences.

If you want to add value for your visitors and increase engagement, consider how to add a newsletter signup to WordPress in a way that feels intuitive. While these forms are commonly embedded in pop-ups, they can also be effectively placed in inline forms or sticky bars. The primary goal of email subscription forms is to build a list of subscribers genuinely interested in your products or services.

Think about it: when someone submits their email address, they signal their interest in your brand and give you permission to engage them directly. This permission-based marketing is highly effective because it ensures you are communicating with people who want to hear from you.

You Can Be More Targeted With Your Campaigns

Many companies face a common hurdle: while they attract significant traffic, converting visitors into subscribers or customers proves challenging. If you’re among them and need an email marketing solution that actually works, targeted signup forms may be the answer.

Learning how to add email signup to WordPress strategically, such as with scroll-triggered or exit-intent popups, can help you reach the right people at the right time. These strategies enhance engagement without disrupting the user experience. 

Here’s an example of an effective strategy: using timed and scroll-triggered popups, which appear after users have spent 10 seconds on the site or scrolled 15% of the page. By offering enticing incentives, such as discounts for email signups, they encourage visitor engagement. Additionally, exit-intent popups activate just as users are about to leave, providing a final opportunity to capture leads with personalized offers that can make all the difference.

Here are the results:

• Timed pop-ups achieved a 6.02% conversion rate, generating over 3,000 new subscribers each month.
• Exit-intent pop-ups delivered an 8.48% conversion rate, highlighting the power of last-chance engagement.

To achieve results like these, you need the right tools. Thankfully, there are many free WordPress plugins designed to simplify email capture and campaign automation. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to upgrade, the right email subscription plugins will help you build an email list that performs.

By combining strong opt-in forms, created with the help of special opt-in form templates, with targeted campaigns and segmentation, your WordPress email subscription setup won’t just collect leads, it will convert them.

How to Choose a WordPress Plugin to Add a Sign-Up for Newsletter Form

If you're wondering how to make email subscription on WordPress successful, the right plugin makes all the difference. Not sure which email subscription plugin for WordPress is best for your newsletter needs? Here's a simple checklist to help you pick the one that fits your audience, goals, and content strategy. 

1. Ease of Use

If you're new to email marketing, choose a plugin with a user-friendly interface and a drag-and-drop builder to make form creation easier. Look for simple installation, clear setup instructions, and customization options that match your WordPress theme. 

Claspo is a great choice for beginners: it offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and a library of over 1,000 templates that help you learn how to create a WordPress newsletter signup form that’s both functional and visually appealing.

2. Features and Functionality

Look for a plugin that offers a wide range of form types to suit your site’s layout, such as pop-ups, embedded forms, floating bars, and overlays. Advanced customization options help match forms to your brand’s look and feel.

Effective plugins also include behavior-based display triggers (like scroll depth or exit intent), anti-spam protection (e.g., CAPTCHA), and list management tools for segmentation and subscriber control.

Bonus features like automation, analytics, and A/B testing allow you to refine campaigns and improve overall performance.

3. Integration with Email Marketing Services

Some plugins focus only on form creation, but if you're figuring out how to add email subscription to WordPress blog, seamless integration with platforms like Mailchimp, Brevo, or Klaviyo is essential.

Look for direct integrations that automatically sync subscriber data to your email service, or ensure the plugin supports API-based connections if you’re comfortable working through the WordPress admin manually. 

4. Pricing and Scalability

First, check what the free version offers — some plugins include all the basic features for free. Make sure the plugin can grow with your needs, offers easy upgrade options, and integrates well with other marketing tools in your WordPress dashboard. Avoid plugins with hidden fees or limits that could hinder your growth.

Claspo’s free lifetime plan gives you full access to all features from the start. For faster results, try the paid plan for free for a month and see your conversions and sales grow.

5. Other Important Factors

When selecting a plugin, pay close attention to user reviews and ratings on the WordPress directory or trusted third-party sites. Consistently high ratings and positive feedback about support and ease of use are good signs. Also, consider the number of active installations as a measure of reliability and community trust.

It’s important to choose a plugin that is actively maintained and offers timely support, especially if it will play a key role in your lead generation strategy.

Ultimately, the right plugin depends on your needs, technical skills, and budget. Whether you're learning how to add email subscription to WordPress, optimizing a WordPress newsletter signup form, or exploring how to create engaging lead capture popups, testing free versions or demos can help you find the best fit for your strategy.

10 Best Practices and Tips to Get More Email Signups from your Subscribe Form in WordPress

The first step to boost email signups is to add an email subscription feature to your WordPress site. The second step to help you grow your email list effectively is to consider these best practices and tips:

1. Keep it simple, but valuable

When designing your WordPress form, simplicity is key. People are more likely to sign up when the process is quick and easy. Here’s how to achieve this:

• Limit the number of fields: Only ask for the essentials — typically a name and email address. The fewer form fields you have, the less time it takes for someone to fill out the form. If you want to collect more personal information, consider using a multi-step form builder to create stepped forms.
• Clear call-to-action (CTA): Your form’s CTA should clearly explain what the user will gain by signing up. Avoid vague terms like “Submit” and opt for more descriptive phrases like “Get My Free Guide” or “Join the Insider’s List.”

2. Craft a clear and compelling offer

Your visitors need a clear reason to share their email. Whether it’s a discount, exclusive content, or early access, make the value obvious. Keep your message concise and focused on benefits.

Your form’s copy should align with the interests and needs of your audience. If you’ve segmented your audience, you can tailor the pitch to different groups. For example, if your audience consists of small business owners, pitch how your emails will provide them with actionable tips for growth. Adjust the tone, style, and language to match their preferences and expectations.

Try this template

Most importantly, be specific about the value. Instead of saying “Sign up for updates,” say something like “Sign up and get the latest marketing strategies straight to your inbox every Monday.”

3. Use smart timing and behavioral triggers

To collect email addresses successfully, trigger your pop-up at the right moment: too early, and users may find it intrusive; too late, and they might leave before seeing it. Use triggers like time spent on page, scroll percentage, or exit intent to catch visitors when they’re most engaged or about to leave.

4. Target the right audience

Ensure your message reaches those who want to hear it and avoid generic popups shown to everyone. Use targeting rules to display your pop-up only to visitors who are most likely interested, based on their behavior, location, or the content they’re viewing. This increases relevance and reduces annoyance.

5. Design an attractive and user-friendly pop-up

Visual appeal matters. Use clean design, readable fonts, and a simple layout. Avoid clutter and ensure the CTA button stands out. A well-designed popup signup form encourages more clicks and signups.

Try this template

6. Place your form strategically

Where you place your signup form on your WordPress site can significantly impact its performance. Users might not always scroll down to find the form, so make it easily accessible. Wondering how to add a subscription form in WordPress that performs well? Start with these proven placements:

• Use popups wisely: Popups can be highly effective if used properly. Set them to trigger based on user behavior, like when someone has spent a certain amount of time on a page or is about to leave (exit-intent popups). 
• Above the fold: Place a signup form where users will see it immediately, without scrolling, such as in a sticky bar at the top of the page.
• In content: Embed the form in relevant blog posts or landing pages where it feels natural. For example, if you’re writing a text on email marketing tips, include a signup form offering an email marketing checklist.
• End of posts: Users who reach the end of a blog post have already shown interest in your content, making this a great place to add a form encouraging them to subscribe for more updates or resources.

7. Offer the right lead magnet

Think about what your audience struggles with most and offer a resource that solves part of that problem. Depending on your audience and content, you might offer an ebook, a whitepaper, a free trial, a discount code, or an exclusive report. 

Here are some ideas of lead magnets you’ll often see in different industries: 

If you’re unsure which lead magnet will perform best, test different options. You can rotate offers periodically or run A/B tests to see which one resonates most with your audience.

8. Ensure integration with your email marketing platform

Once a visitor submits their email, it’s important that their data flows directly into your email marketing tool without delays or manual input. Claspo instantly sends collected information to your chosen platform using direct integrations or webhooks, ensuring new subscribers are added to your email list for further engagement.

9. Automate your follow-up emails

After capturing leads, sending regular and targeted emails is crucial. Chances are, you already use an email marketing service. Integrate Claspo with it to automate email campaigns, whether you want to send email newsletters, promotions, or transactional emails. This integration ensures a smooth and efficient process from lead capture to email delivery.

10. Test and optimize regularly

Try different pop-up designs, offers, and triggers using A/B testing. Monitor which versions drive the most signups and adjust accordingly. Continuous optimization ensures your pop-up strategy stays effective and relevant.

These factors make the core of a WP subscribe form that drives email signups. By combining these strategies with the right tools, like Claspo’s flexible pop-up builder, you’ll maximize your email list growth while providing a positive user experience.

Enjoy Effortless and Affordable Growth

In conclusion, creating an email subscription form in WordPress doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. With Claspo, you can do this in just a few simple steps without technical expertise or worrying about compatibility issues. 

Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale as your website grows, Claspo's free-for-life plan ensures you have all the essential tools at your fingertips without any hidden fees or paywalls. Take the next step toward effortless and affordable growth by creating your free Claspo account today and start converting your visitors into loyal subscribers with ease.