In the spring of 2024 I held an article on Ehandel Day about how online shops can collect maximum value from e-mail marketing. I went through five main elements:
- A pop-up that converts
- A high-yield welcome flow
- Promotions Retiring to the Website
- Automated flows based on behaviour
- Get first purchase
- Rebuy
When I came to the part about pop-ups, I chose to leave it lying. The founder of Sleepnote"Mogens Møller, had just spent 30 minutes on stage talking about the same thing. I simply said, “Listen to Mogens.”
But a few days later I saw an article from David Wardanga at LinkedIn. He wrote:
"Do you want my pop-up strategy that gives over 10% opt-in rate? Comment 'pop-up'.
I commented. He sent. I tested – and the results came immediately.
Results after one week
Customer 1 cosmetics
- Opt in rate: 17%
- KD per consignee: 90 SEK
Customer 2 cosmetics
- Opt in rate: 13%
- KD per consignee: SEK 80
Customer 3
- Opt in rate: 8%
- C. per consignee: SEK 110
What is a 3-step pop-up?
Before I go into why it works, here's the structure:
1. Tease:Build curiosity and say you have a discount code and parts.
2. Mail forms:Ask for e-mail and ask where to send the discount code
Three. Compare value:Provide access to the promised offer or content.
Why this Strategy Works
The main reason is psychological: when the user first clicks on the teaser, they have already made a small commitment. This is known as commitment and consistency principle, described by: Robert Cildini in the book InfluenzaSo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
The principle says that people have a strong desire to act in line with previous choices. If they have once clicked, the chances are much greater that they also leave mail.
Implementation - step by step
Step 1: Tease
The purpose here is to arouse curiosity. You don't say what the offer is, you just hint. Example: “We have a discount code for you”
You lower the interaction threshold and get the user into a process they are more likely to complete.
Step 2: Request e-mail
Now you're introducing the value proposal. Example: “What email should we send the discount code to?”
Timing and clarity are essential. The user must feel that they are getting something concrete and relevant again.
Step 3: Get a Sales
You're holding what you promised. These may be:
- A time-limited offer
- Early access to a campaign
- A free gift for the purchase
Important trigger and view settings
- Trigger: Exit-Intent (when user is leaving the web page)
- Frequency: Max once per five days
- Exclude: Do not refer to existing subscribers or those who have already submitted forms
- Display: Avoid showing more than once per session
Summary
This 3-step pop-up is easy to implement and delivers results quickly. When you build it properly – using psychological principles for your benefit – you don't only get more addresses, you get addresses with high purchase restriction.
Next step? Connect the pop-up to a welcome series that converts.