67 Tools That Will Help You Grow Your Email List Your email list is the heart of your marketing strategy. To grow it, consider this expansive list of helpful tools.
By Greg Digneo
This story originally appeared on KISSmetrics
Your email list is the heart of your marketing strategy. When you write a blog post, the people on your email list will be the first to read it. When you have a webinar, the people on your list will be the first to sign up. And, when you offer a new product, the people on your list will be the first to try it.
This article will show you 67 tools you can use to start growing your email list today.
Popups
Whether you hate them or love them, there's one undeniable fact about popups – they work. Case study after case study proves that if you want to grow your email list, put a popup on your blog.
Here are 10 popups that will help you collect emails.
1. PopUp Domination: One of the most popular popups on the web. It is both a WordPress plugin and standalone software that enables you to place it on any website platform you choose.
2. OptinMonster: Lets you place opt-in forms in a variety of places on your blog, including floating footer bars, slide in sidebars, and full page covers.
3. Hybrid-Connect: Gives you the power of traditional popups, includes regular opt-in forms and squeeze pages, and integrates with Facebook.
4. Bounce Exchange: A popup that appears only when your readers intend to leave your site. For instance, when your readers hover over the back button, the popup appears, prompting them to enter their email address.
5. Pippity: A WordPress plugin that allows you to make beautiful popups in minutes.
6. Ninja Popups: An inexpensive WordPress plugin that allows you to create a professionally designed popup to get readers to sign up for your newsletter, get coupons, and increase social media visibility by locking content until your readers share your blog.
7. Viral Optins: As its name suggests, this popup contains a viral component. After a reader enters their email address, they will get your freebie when they invite more friends to join your email list.
8. List Builder: A free popup WordPress plugin from the folks over at AppSumo. List builder enables you to capture your reader's email address when you have their attention, and it currently integrates with MailChimp and AWeber.
9. Pop Over Plugin: A WordPress plugin that allows you to create professional-looking popups.
10. WordPress Popup: A WordPress plugin that allows you to create professional-looking popups.
Unobtrusive Popups
Let's say you're still completely against popups. You're not alone. There is an entire segment of tools that bill themselves as "anti-popups." These are tools that appear in front of your readers without obstructing their view of your content.
11. Unpop: A WordPress plugin that pops up in a place on your blog that grabs the attention of your readers without blocking their view of your content. (Disclaimer: I helped launch Unpop last year, though I am no longer affiliated with the product.)
12. Drip: One of the new kids on the block. Not only can you create an email opt-in form that will be placed out of the way, but Drip is an entire email auto-responder service.
13. Slide In: An easy marketing tool that allows you to create messages that slide in and show themselves to your users at the exact moment you pick.
14. Interrupt: Another tool from the folks over at AppSumo. This free WordPress plugin enables you to place an email form at the top of your website. However, once your reader scrolls down, they won't see it again.
15. Optin Footer: This beautiful plugin makes it easy to create a popup that appears across the entire footer of your blog or website.
16. Hello Bar: A free optimization tool that allows you to show a message to your visitors. It appears at the top of your blog or website. You can send your readers to a landing page where you can capture their email addresses.
17. Viper Bar: Similar to Hello Bar, Viper Bar appears at the top of your blog or website and allows your reader to enter their email address within the bar.
18. Foobar: Similar to Viper Bar and Hello Bar, but it has more of a billboard feel to it. You can create scrolling text, insert multiple messages, and link to various landing pages.
19. Dreamgrow Scroll Triggered Box: As your reader scrolls down the page, this plugin will appear to grab their attention, but it won't conceal your content. You can customize the look, feel, and message of the plugin.
20. Welcome Gate App: A cross between a popup and a squeeze page (and not as aggressive as either). A welcome gate redirects readers to the plugin when they visit your blog's home page. Readers can choose to enter their email address, or skip it altogether.
21. Feature Box Plugin: Made famous by Derek Halpern of Social Triggers. It is a form you insert at the top of your blog. Generally, the Feature Box allows you to add more information than you can put into the Hello Bar or Viper Bar.
Additional Apps and Plugins
Besides popups, there are several additional apps and plugins you can use to collect emails from your visitors and grow your list.
22. upPrev: As your reader scrolls through your article, this plugin creates a slider that appears in the lower right or left corner of your blog. This concept was made famous by The New York Times.
23. Subscribe to Download for WordPress: A WordPress plugin that allows you to create subscription forms, deliver your freebie, and manage your subscribers directly in your WordPress admin panel.
24. Subscribe by Email: A wordPress plugin that allows your audience to easily subscribe to configurable, personalized, clean, regular HTML digest emails without having to purchase a third party email provider.
25. Thesis Theme Feature Box: If you have the thesis theme, then you can create a feature box using this code.
26. LeadBoxes: Allows you to create an opt-in box anywhere simply by adding a link.
Once you click "click here," the opt-in box in the picture below appears.
27. Scrolling Side Bar: If you have a blog with a side bar, chances are you probably have an ad leading to a landing page. One way to get more attention to the ad is to have it scroll down the page as your reader continues to read your content. (Note: I couldn't find a widget or plugin, so I've linked to some code that will enable you to create the sidebar.)
28. Subscribers Magnet: A wordPress plugin that allows you to create beautiful subscription boxes that you can place anywhere on your blog or website.
29. Gravity Forms: You can create advanced forms for WordPress sites that integrate with your email service provider.
30. Comment Redirect: When commenters make their first comment, redirect them to a page of your choice. After they leave a comment, you can ask them to subscribe to your email list in order to receive future updates.
31. WP-Leads: This plugin seamlessly integrates the WordPress registration and commenting processes with the web's most popular lead management tools, such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, and SalesForce.com.
32. AWeber Webform Widget: Allows you to install an AWeber web form on your WordPress blog and lets visitors subscribe to your list when commenting or registering on your blog.
33. OptinSkin: Create professional-looking sign-up forms and social media buttons. OptinSkin comes complete with an analytics package that includes split testing so you can optimize your conversions.
Online Contests and Giveaways
Due to their viral nature, having a contest or give away is one of the fastest ways to grow your list and your brand. Here are 4 tools that will allow you to quickly set one up.
34. Rafflecopter: Allows you to create contests and giveaways you can host on your blog and on your social media platforms. Rafflecopter has a viral component where contestants can get their friends to join the contest.
35. Splurgy: For those businesses deeply concerned with design, Splurgy allows you to create contests and promotions that enhance the experience for your fans.
36. PromoSimple: For those just getting started with contests and giveaways, PromoSimple might be for you. They focus on getting you up and running as easily as possible.
37. Giveaway Tools: This giveaway tool is free to use.
Your blog and website aren't the only places where you can grow your email list. Email and Facebook go together like peanut butter and chocolate. They're the perfect match.
Below are a few Facebook tools that will help you grow your email list right from your fan page.
38. ShortStack: A custom iFrame tab-designing tool that allows users to create custom Facebook tabs by using widgets for elements such as blogs, videos, newsletters, Twitter, and more.
39. Heyo: A drag and drop Facebook contest platform where you can drive engagement, capture emails, get likes, and convert sales.
40. PageModo: A do-it-yourself solution for customizing Facebook business pages. Users can create a professional, custom business Facebook Page for free without design, graphic, or coding skills. Because it is free, there are limitations to its customization.
41. Thunderpenny: Allows you to create a static HTML custom app for free in no time.
42. WooBox: Stands out with its a la carte pricing. You can create a free static HTML tab to collect emails. You get full customization of the app and only pay for what you use, such as contests, coupons, and deals.
43. Vocus (Formerly NorthSocial): The landing pages and apps from Vocus are integrated with their entire marketing suite.
44. Clickappy: You can start running contests and sweepstakes, and collect email addresses for just $2.99 a month.
45. OfferPop: This tool has over 19 Facebook and Twitter apps built to engage and grow your fan base interaction. OfferPop's apps are designed to build your brand whether you're a B2B or B2C company.
46. TabSite: Allows you to create custom welcome pages and tabs with deep levels of content right within Facebook. You don't need coding experience to create and customize your pages. TabSite provides you access to a simple content editor to add content, images, coupons, links, and more.
47. Social App Tool: Allows anyone, no matter what their skill level, to create and build viral Facebook applications.
48. ActionSprout: Rather than relying on like, share, and comment, ActionSprout allows you to connect with people around 25 unique actions, including endorse, congratulate, suggest, and volunteer.
Landing Pages and Coming Soon Pages
Landing pages are the backbone of any email marketing effort. The tools listed below will help you create professional-looking landing pages without having to write code.
49. OptimizePress: More than a landing page, OptimizePress is a WordPress theme that enables you to create entire websites focused on collecting email addresses. OptimizePress is extremely helpful for those who wish to create membership sites.
50. LeadPages: If you're looking for an easy way to create and manage multiple landing pages, sales pages, and webinar registration pages, then LeadPages is the tool.
51. Unbounce: This is a popular software that gives you the power to create, publish, and optimize landing pages without doing development. Unbounce has a heavy emphasis on customization.
52. Instapage: Allows you to get started with a professional-looking landing page without breaking the bank.
53. Launchrock: You can create a "coming soon" page with a viral component. It has the social widgets, and you can create viral loops through referential links.
54. Clickthroo: Clickthroo is a little more expensive than the other tools; however, they differentiate themselves with their unparalleled level of service. They provide software and consulting services.
55. PageWiz: An all-in-one landing page tool that allows you to get professional landing pages up and running in no time. As with the other tools, no design or programming experience is needed to get started.
56. KickoffLabs: KickoffLabs positions itself as the lead generation solution. It offers both landing pages and a built-in email marketing solution so you don't have to purchase another service provider, and it offers sign-up widgets and viral contest features designed to grow your audience.
WordPress Landing Page and Coming Soon Plugins
Many of the WordPress plugins mentioned below are free. However, they offer fewer customization options than their stand-alone software cousins.
57. Launcher Theme: This free theme is responsive and comes with a countdown clock. You can make the rocket ship move by hovering your mouse over it.
58. My Blue Construction: If blue is prominent in your brand's color palette, then this free under construction theme is for you.
59. WPLauncher: A free premium WordPress theme that is simple and has a single purpose: to provide an attractive, customizable domain parking theme for WordPress users.
60. Felice Theme: A free responsive theme that comes complete with a progress bar so your visitors can follow the progress of your website construction.
61. Under Construction: This theme from Themes Kingdom is fully responsive, allows customization, and comes with a countdown clock.
62. WPChimp Countdown: A responsive theme that provides a coming soon landing page and allows visitors to subscribe to a mailing list.
63. Launchpad: A WordPress plugin that allows you to set up a beautiful pre-launch landing page to let users know what you're launching and when you're launching it.
64. Ultimate Coming Soon Page: Simple and flexible, the Ultimate Coming Soon Page plugin works with any WordPress theme you have installed on your site.
65. ThemeFuse: The ThemeFuse Maintenance Mode is a coming soon plugin that enables you to inform your users when your new website is going to be live while you are working on building it.
66. WordPress Landing Pages: This landing page plugin gives site owners the ability to monitor and track conversion rates and to run a/b or multivariate split tests on landing pages to increase lead flow.
And Finally…
67. Newsletter Signup : This plugin allows you to add various ways for your visitors to subscribe to your email list. Newsletter Sign-Up is most known for its "Sign-up to our newsletter" checkbox at the WordPress comment form where your commenters can easily join your email list.
