How to Create a Squeeze Page in WordPress That Converts

Are you looking for a way to collect email addresses from your visitors?

Adding a squeeze page is an easy way to narrow down your users’ attention and build an email list. It helps convert your audience by offering incentives in exchange for their email address.

In this article, we will show you how to create a squeeze page in WordPress.

How to create a squeeze page in WordPress

What Is a Squeeze Page?

A squeeze page (also known as a lead page) is a type of landing page that’s designed to collect or squeeze your visitor’s email address and name. In return, you can offer a valuable resource, ebook, exclusive learning material, or free products.

Unlike a standard landing page, where you could have multiple goals, a squeeze page’s purpose is to get users to give up their email addresses.

For example, here’s a squeeze page by a Digital Marketer that encourages users to sign up for their Insider Newsletter.

Digital Marketer squeeze page example

It has a clear call to action button, and the page includes a clear copy of what users will get in return. Plus, the headline is eye-catching, and there are images on the page that help capture users’ attention.

Creating a squeeze page is a proven way of building an email list, which you can use to promote your products or services in the future. Collecting emails also lets you start a newsletter and inform subscribers of new products, deals, and campaigns.

That said, let’s see how to create a squeeze page in WordPress.

Creating a Squeeze Page in WordPress

The easiest way of setting up a squeeze page in WordPress is by using SeedProd. It is the best and easiest WordPress website and landing page builder.

To get started, you can choose from different high-converting templates and customize the page using the drag-and-drop builder. The plugin also integrates with popular email marketing tools.

Aside from a squeeze page, SeedProd lets you create a coming soon page, 404 error page, custom login page, and more. Its theme builder also allows you to create a custom theme without editing code.

Please note that we’ll use SeedProd Pro for this tutorial because it includes more templates and customization options. However, there is also a SeedProd Lite version you can use for free.

Setting Up SeedProd in WordPress

First, you’ll need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will see a welcome page in your WordPress dashboard. On this page, you can enter the license key and click the ‘Verify key’ button. If you’re unsure where the key is, then you can easily find it in the SeedProd account area.

Adding the SeedProd license key to your WordPress website

After that, you’ll need to go to SeedProd Landing Pages from the admin panel.

From here, simply click the ‘+ Add New Landing Page’ button.

Add new landing page

Next, SeedProd will offer different templates to choose from.

You can click the ‘Lead Squeeze’ filter at the top to view squeeze page templates.

Select lead squeeze option and template

To choose a template, simply hover it and click the orange tick button.

Next, a popup window will open where you can enter a name and URL for your squeeze page. Once that’s done, click the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button.

Enter a name for squeeze page

After that, you’ll see the SeedProd drag-and-drop landing page builder.

Customizing Your Squeeze Page Using SeedProd

In the page builder, you can edit different elements on the template. For instance, there are different blocks to choose from.

Customize squeeze page

You can add standard blocks like headlines, text, lists, buttons, and more. Or select advanced blocks such as social sharing, countdown, video popup, testimonials, and more.

SeedProd also lets you customize each element or block further. For example, selecting the headline block will let you edit the text and change its font, color, and style.

Edit elements on squeeze page

With SeedProd, you can also use the power of artificial intelligence to automatically create images and text for your page. However, do note that the AI Text and Image Generation tool is a paid addon.

If you switch to the ‘Sections’ tab, then you’ll find entire sections to add to your squeeze page. For example, you can add custom headers, footers, call to action buttons, and more to your page.

Edit page sections

Connecting Email Marketing Tool with SeedProd

After you’ve customized the squeeze page, you’ll need to connect an email marketing tool with SeedProd.

To do that, switch to the ‘Connect’ tab, and you’ll see different services. For instance, SeedProd easily integrates with ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Drip, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and more.

Connecting email marketing services to SeedProd

Simply follow the onscreen instructions to connect your desired email marketing service with SeedProd.

Finalize Your Squeeze Page Settings

Next, you’ll need to head to the ‘Page Settings’ tab in SeedProd.

Here, you can change different settings and publish your page. For instance, SeedProd lets you change the page title, edit the meta description, add Google Analytics, and more.

Once you’ve made the changes, it’s time to make your squeeze page live. Simply change the ‘Page Status’ from Draft to Publish.

Publish squeeze page

You can now click the ‘Save’ button at the top and exit the landing page builder.

From here, simply visit the squeeze page URL and see it in action.

Squeeze page preview

Bonus: Tips to Boost Conversions on Your Squeeze Page

Now that you know how to create a squeeze page on a WordPress site, you can take it to the next level by following these tips for boosting conversions.

1. Converting Exiting Visitors into Subscribers

Did you know that 70% of visitors will abandon your website and never return? What if you could change that and boost conversions on your squeeze page?

With the help of OptinMonster, you can show personalized messages to users at precise times and convert them into subscribers.

It is the best conversion optimization and lead generation software in the market that offers an Exit-Intent technology. OptinMonster will automatically detect users’ behavior and show a popup message just as a user is about to leave your squeeze page.

Exit intent example case study

You can learn more by following our guide on how we increased email subscribers by 600% using OptinMonster.

2. Get Users to Subscribe to Push Notifications

You can add a click-to-subscribe button on your squeeze page and encourage users to sign up for push notifications.

Push notifications are custom messages with links that you can send to your subscribers. They are great for bringing people back to your site, prompting your content, and boosting sales.

Push notification preview on desktop

One of the best ways to set up push notifications to WordPress is by using PushEngage. It is the best push notification software and is very easy to use.

For more details, please see our guide on how to add web push notifications to a WordPress site.

3. Leverage the Power of Social Proof to Boost Conversions

You can also use social proof to increase the number of people who submit their email addresses on a squeeze page.

For instance, you can show other users who subscribed to your email list. This makes other visitors more comfortable and helps build trust.

Use Social Proof

You can go through our guide on how to use FOMO on your WordPress site to increase conversions to learn more.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a squeeze page in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on proven ways to make money online and how to increase blog traffic.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Create a Squeeze Page in WordPress That Converts first appeared on WPBeginner.

13 Best HubSpot Alternatives for 2024 (Free + Paid)

Are you looking for alternatives to HubSpot?

HubSpot is a popular customer relationship management (CRM) software that offers popular solutions for all your marketing and sales needs. However, it can be very expensive to use as your business grows.

In this article, we will share some of the best HubSpot alternatives for your website.

Best HubSpot alternatives

Why Do You Need a HubSpot Alternative?

HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM software that offers powerful tools for your marketing, sales, customer service, and content management needs.

However, one of the biggest drawbacks of using HubSpot is its price. The premium plans can get very expensive very fast.

Plus, there are multiple packages, which can be overwhelming and confusing for many users. For instance, there are separate prices for their marketing and sales tools, content management system (CMS), operations features, and others.

HubSpot pricing plans

While HubSpot offers free versions of its tools and the Starter plan for individuals and small teams starts from $20 per month, most of its powerful features are locked away in the higher-priced plans.

For example, you’ll need at least a Professional plan if you want to use omnichannel marketing automation, custom reporting, A/B testing, dynamic personalization, and blog creation.

This will set you back $890 per month (billed annually). Not to mention, there is also a one-time Professional Onboarding fee of $3,000 that you’ll have to pay if you subscribe to the Professional plan.

HubSpot is great for large organizations, but higher pricing rules out smaller businesses. That said, let’s look at some of the best HubSpot alternatives that are cheaper and more reliable.

1. Constant Contact (Email Marketing + CRM)

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is one of the best all-in-one digital and email marketing services. It is a perfect HubSpot alternative because it offers a wide range of tools at lower prices.

For instance, Constant Contact offers a drag-and-drop email builder, marketing CRM, social media marketing tool, marketing automation, landing page builder, A/B testing, SMS marketing, and more.

Pros:

  • Use drag-and-drop email campaign builder
  • Choose from hundreds of email templates
  • Set up marketing automation
  • Conduct A/B testing
  • Get detailed analytics and reports
  • Seamless integration with 300+ apps

Cons:

  • There is no free version

Why We Choose Constant Contact: It is ideal for startups, small businesses, and individual marketers who want all the features of HubSpot but at affordable prices.

Pricing: Constant Contact prices start from $12 per month, and you get a 14-day free trial.

2. Brevo (CRM Suite)

Is Brevo the right email marketing platform for you?

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the next HubSpot alternative on our list. It is a CRM suite that offers basic features that you’ll also find in HubSpot. You get a marketing platform that helps set up email marketing, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, marketing automation, and more.

Besides that, Brevo comes with a sales platform that comes with automated deal tracking, call recordings, pipeline management, and sales reporting. With Brevo, you can also improve custom support. It lets you add live chat, chatbot, phone calls, and more using its platform.

Pros:

  • Beginner-friendly CRM and marketing platform
  • Set up email marketing and marketing automation
  • Create SMS and WhatsApp campaigns
  • Add live chat, phone calls, and chatbots
  • Create landing pages and run Facebook ads

Cons:

  • The marketing automation feature is not as powerful as HubSpot
  • Lacks a CMS solution that’s available in HubSpot

Why We Choose Brevo: If you’re looking for a HubSpot alternative that’s easy to use, offers basic CRM and marketing automation features, and isn’t expensive, then Brevo is for you.

Pricing: Brevo offers a free version that lets you send 300 emails per day. Its premium plans start from $25 per month.

3. Omnisend (Email Marketing for eCommerce)

Omnisend

Omnisend is a great HubSpot alternative for eCommerce store owners. It lets you create engaging newsletters, automate emails, create landing pages and popups, set up SMS marketing, segment your customers, and more.

What sets Omnisend apart from HubSpot is the email marketing features it offers. With solutions built with eCommerce businesses in mind, it makes it very easy to promote your products.

Pros:

  • User-friendly omnichannel marketing platform
  • Use drag and drop email editor and landing page builder
  • Set up marketing automation
  • Sort customers with advanced segmentation
  • Send push notifications, SMS, and personalized messages
  • View campaign and automation reports

Cons:

  • Limited social media marketing features compared to HubSpot
  • HubSpot offers more CRM capabilities

Why We Choose Omnisend: In our experience, there are not many beginner-friendly email marketing services focused on eCommerce users. Omnisend is the best HubSpot alternative if you have an online store and send transactional messages.

Pricing: Omnisend offers a free plan that lets you send 500 emails per month and store 250 contacts. However, if you want more features and higher email and contact limits, then there are premium plans that start from $16 per month.

4. OptinMonster (Lead Generation)

OptinMonster – The best WordPress popup plugin

OptinMonster is the best lead generation and conversion optimization software in the world. It helps you grow your email list, get more leads, and boost sales.

You can use OptinMonster as a HubSpot alternative for creating personalized messages and targeting the right audience. OptinMonster comes with a drag-and-drop builder for creating stunning optin forms. Plus, it offers powerful display rules that display your campaigns based on user behavior.

Pros:

  • Drag and drop campaign builder
  • Choose from pre-built templates and campaign types
  • Powerful display rules
  • Seamless integration with email marketing tools and plugins
  • Get detailed analytics
  • A/B test your optin forms

Cons:

  • Focuses on creating popups and optin forms

Why We Choose OptinMonster: We highly recommend OptinMonster to anyone looking to create personalized campaigns for their audience. It is super easy to use and helps increase conversions.

Pricing: OptinMonster pricing plans start from $9 per month (billed annually). There is also a free version of OptinMonster that you can use to get started.

5. Zoho (Complete CRM Tool)

Zoho

Zoho is a powerful marketing platform, just like HubSpot. It offers all the popular features for marketing, sales, customer service, emails, and project management.

Zoho goes a step further than HubSpot and even offers tools for finance and accounting, human resource, legal, security and IT management, and more. With all these features, what makes Zoho a great alternative to HubSpot is its price.

Pros:

  • Complete marketing platform
  • Easily integrates with third-party apps, plugins, and tools
  • More affordable pricing plans compared to HubSpot
  • Powerful filters to segment users, tasks, and other activities
  • Generate different reports and custom dashboards

Cons:

  • Limited customer support options (no live chat support)

Why We Choose Zoho: If you’re looking for a like-for-like replacement or HubSpot alternative, then Zoho is the closest option in the market. It offers a complete CRM and lots of features for every department at affordable prices.

Pricing: Zoho prices each tool differently. For instance, its CRM prices start from $14 per user per month. Plus, there is also a free trial you can use to try the software.

6. ActiveCampaign (Email Marketing + CRM)

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is another HubSpot alternative that offers powerful features. Just like HubSpot, you get marketing automation, email marketing, eCommerce marketing, and CRM tools. Plus, it easily integrates with over 900 apps, WordPress plugins, and other platforms.

Pros:

  • Easily automate email and marketing tasks
  • Create forms, landing pages, popups, and more
  • AI-powered predictive sending feature
  • Set up split automation
  • Conduct A/B testing
  • 24/7 chat and email support
  • Custom reporting option

Cons:

  • There is no free version
  • It can be difficult for beginners to navigate and use ActiveCampaign

Why We Choose ActiveCampaign: What makes ActiveCampaign different from others is its AI-power predictive sending feature and superior reporting features. It uses AI to send emails when users are most likely to engage. Besides that, most of the features it offers are cheaper than HubSpot.

Pricing: ActiveCampaign premium plans start from $29 per month (billed annually). If you want the Predictive Sending feature and advanced reporting options, then you can upgrade to higher pricing plans.

7. Drip (Email Marketing + Automation)

Drip

Drip is a popular email marketing platform that allows you to create automated email sequences and release them based on users’ actions. It offers pre-built templates and a visual builder. Plus, it integrates with over 200 tools. Plus, you can create different segments in your contact list.

Pros:

  • Easy-to-use email automation tool
  • Use pre-built templates and visual builder to customize emails
  • Set up automated email campaigns
  • A/B test your emails
  • Easily segment audience
  • Get detailed analytics and reports of your email performance

Cons:

  • It doesn’t offer a free version
  • Lacks other features offered by HubSpot like a CRM, marketing and sales platform, and more

Why We Choose Drip: If you’re looking for a HubSpot alternative that’s great for email marketing automation, then Drip is the best option. It’s very easy to use, and you can create automated workflows with ease. Plus, there are different email templates and customization options to choose from.

Pricing: Drip will cost you $39 per month, and you get a 14-day free trial.

8. GrooveHQ (Customer Support Solution)

Groove review: Is it the right help desk for your WordPress website?

GrooveHQ is the best help desk plugin for WordPress and small businesses. It is a great HubSpot alternative for customer service and offers features like shared inboxes, live chat, knowledge base, and more. GrooveHQ also integrates with popular CRMs, apps, and payment platforms.

Pros:

  • Complete customer support solution
  • Add live chat and email support to your site
  • Receive support requests in shared inboxes
  • Manage your customers from a beginner-friendly dashboard

Cons:

  • Lacks other CRM and marketing automation features
  • There is no free version

Why We Choose GrooveHQ: If you’re looking for a HubSpot alternative just for your customer support tasks, then GrooveHQ is for you. It streamlines your support workflow and offers robust features at affordable prices.

Pricing: GrooveHQ pricing plans start from $4.80 per user per month.

9. Freshsales CRM (Sales-Focused CRM)

Freshsales CRM

Freshsales by Freshworks is a sales-focused CRM that is another HubSpot alternative you can consider. It is beginner-friendly to use and offers features like live chat, email, phone, social media management, marketing and email automation, custom reports, and multiple AI-powered tools.

Pros:

  • Easily manage and organize contacts
  • Send personalized messages across multiple channels
  • Use built-in chat, email, and phone to connect with customers
  • Create custom reports and dashboards
  • AI-powered contact scoring
  • Get insights and the next best action through AI
  • AI-powered forecasting

Cons:

  • The free version doesn’t offer reporting features
  • You get more features with HubSpot’s CRM, even in the free plan

Why We Choose Freshsales CRM: After going through multiple HubSpot alternatives, Freshsales is great for sales teams. It offers affordable pricing plans and basic features.

Pricing: Freshsales CRM is available for free. There are premium plans starting from $15 per user per month that offer more features.

10. FunnelKit Automations (Marketing Automation for WooCommerce)

Is FunnelKit Automations the right marketing automation plugin for you?

FunnelKit Automations is one of the best marketing automation plugins for WooCommerce stores. It helps you create automated workflows, launch email and SMS campaigns, create drip sequences, and more. You can use it to reduce abandoned carts, nurture leads, send automated coupons, and more.

Pros:

  • Use drag and drop builder to create campaigns
  • Set up automated email workflows
  • Send personalized emails and SMS messages to your audience
  • Segment customers into different lists or categories
  • Conduct A/B tests with different variants
  • View detailed analytics and improve campaign performance

Cons:

  • Limited customer support options
  • The free plugin offers basic features compared to HubSpot
  • Premium plans can be expensive for small businesses

Why We Choose FunnelKit Automations: It is the best marketing and email automation solution for WooCommerce store owners. All its features are designed specifically for WooCommerce, which makes it easy to increase retention and boost sales.

Pricing: FunnelKit prices start from $99.50 per year. There is also a free FunnelKit WordPress plugin you can use to get started.

11. Pipedrive CRM (Affordable CRM for Sales Team)

Pipedrive CRM

Pipedrive CRM is the next HubSpot alternative on our list, and one of the most affordable. It is a sales-driven CRM solution that helps manage your sales pipeline, set up sales reporting, track activity, sales forecasting, and more. Pipedrive also easily integrates with email marketing services and other WordPress plugins.

Pros:

  • Simple and easy-to-use interface
  • Easily monitor your sales activities and communications
  • Set up marketing automation
  • Get metrics customized for your business
  • 400+ integrations with tools, plugins, and apps
  • Affordable pricing plans

Cons:

  • There is no free version
  • Lacks advanced reporting and automation features

Why We Choose Pipedrive CRM: If you’re looking for an affordable CRM for your sales needs, then Pipedrive CRM is the best HubSpot alternative.

Pricing: Pipedrive offers 5 different pricing plans that start from $9 per user per month.

12. FluentCRM (Email Automation for WordPress)

FluentCRM

FluentCRM is a self-hosted CRM and email automation plugin for WordPress. What makes it different from HubSpot is that all the data is stored in your WordPress database instead of a cloud service. Plus, it offers features like email campaign management, email sequencing, and more.

Pros:

  • Beginner friendly interface
  • Store your data in the WordPress database
  • Set up email automation
  • Create email drip campaigns
  • Get in-depth reports
  • Easily integrates with eCommerce WordPress plugins

Cons:

  • The free plugin offers limited features compared to HubSpot
  • Lacks social media and CMS features

Why We Choose FluentCRM: It is a great HubSpot alternative if you have a WordPress site and want to manage customers, email campaigns, and automated workflows from your WordPress dashboard. Plus, it keeps your data secure and doesn’t rely on a third-party cloud service.

Pricing: FluentCRM pricing plans start from $90 per year. There is also a FluentCRM free WordPress plugin.

13. EngageBay (All-in-One Marketing Platform)

EngageBay

EngageBay is a powerful all-in-one platform for your marketing, sales, and customer support needs. It is a great replacement for HubSpot, as you get almost similar features even in the free version. For instance, you can create email broadcasts, access CRM, helpdesk, live chat, and more.

Pros:

  • Store and manage contacts in CRM
  • Set up marketing automation
  • Use email builder and choose pre-built email templates
  • Manage support tickets with the help desk
  • Add live chat to your site

Cons:

  • Free version only allows 250 contacts
  • Limited integration options compared to HubSpot

Why We Choose EngageBay: EngageBay is a like-for-like alternative to HubSpot. The free version offers similar features, and even its paid plans are more affordable than HubSpot.

Pricing: You can get started with EngageBay for free. Its paid pricing plans start from $12.74 per user per month.

Which HubSpot Alternative Should You Use?

After testing multiple software and plugins, we believe that Constant Contact is the best HubSpot alternative.

It is a complete marketing and email automation solution that offers powerful features at affordable prices compared to HubSpot. You can easily create email campaigns, conduct A/B tests, get a marketing CRM, manage social media, set up SMS marketing, build landing pages, and more.

On the other hand, you may also want to check out Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Omnisend. Both of them offer similar features as HubSpot, but in lower prices.

We hope this article helped you learn about the best HubSpot alternatives. You may also want to see our ultimate guide to WordPress SEO and the best WooCommerce plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 13 Best HubSpot Alternatives for 2024 (Free + Paid) first appeared on WPBeginner.

6 Proven Methods We Use at WPBeginner to Grow Our Email List

Many of our users often ask about the methods we use at WPBeginner for marketing channels like email, social media, and SEO.

We regularly share the tools and techniques we use not only just on WPBeginner but also on our other portfolio companies.

However, the one area we get asked the most about is ‘growing an email list’ and which tools and techniques we use.

This article will walk you through the proven and tested methods we currently use at WPBeginner to grow our email list. We will also share the tools we use and show you how you can apply each tip on your website.

Note: This article is part of our WPBeginner Insider series, where we introduce you to the products we use at WPBeginner. We publish WPBeginner Insider every other Thursday.

Methods we use at WPBeginner to grow our email list

1. Convert Abandoning Users Into Subscribers with Exit Intent

Love it or hate it, but the reality is popup works.

We use a few popups on WPBeginner. And we try to use them to enrich the user experience (UX) instead of ruining it. This strategy has proven to work very well with our audience.

Example: Exit Intent Popup

Instead of just nagging our users to fill in their email addresses and sign up for our email list, we offer our newsletter as a training resource for beginners. The high value of the free resource balances out the trade-off for our users.

To summarize, we have learned that the best approach is offering users something valuable and useful in exchange for their contact information.

This is our value proposition, which we show in our email list sign-up popups.

wpbeginner popup

No one wants to be bombarded by annoying popups when they visit a website. Helping users get the information they need in the shortest time is essential to the user experience.

This is why we show our popups just when a user is about to leave our website. These kinds of popups are called exit intent popups, and they are helpful in reducing the bounce rate on a website.

At WPBeginner, we currently use a full-screen exit intent popup. In the recent past, we have also used regular-sized exit intent popups, which also worked well.

Why Does It Work?

At WPBeginner, popups work very well for two main reasons.

First, they offer value to our users, which they might not have noticed by simply scrolling through our website.

Secondly, they appear without disrupting the user experience and just when visitors are about to leave. That way, we avoid annoying our readers.

How to Implement It

We use OptinMonster to create popups on WPBeginner. It is the best WordPress popup plugin on the market that allows you to easily create popups and show them to the right users at the right time.

OptinMonster website

Note: There is also a free version of OptinMonster available with limited campaigns and features. However, we recommend upgrading to the paid plan to unlock its full potential.

First, you will need to sign up for an OptinMonster plan. After that, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin will ask you to connect WordPress with your OptinMonster account. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Afterward, go to the OptinMonster » Campaigns page and click the ‘Add New’ button.

Create new OptinMonster campaign

Next, you will be asked to choose a template or Playbook.

Click on ‘Templates’ to continue.

Choose a template or playbook

Next, you will be asked to choose a campaign type.

Click to select Popup campaign, and then choose a template down below.

Select campaign type

This will lead you to OptinMonster’s campaign builder.

It is a drag-and-drop design tool where you will see a live preview of your popup with blocks on the left. You can add those blocks to your popup or click anywhere to edit it.

OptinMonster campaign designer

Once you are finished, don’t forget to save your changes and publish your popup.

For more details, you can see our tutorial on how to add a fullscreen popup in WordPress.

2. Offer a Lead Magnet in a Campaign

We also use lead magnets to grow the WPBeginner email list.

A lead magnet (sometimes called an optin bribe) is an incentive that you offer users in exchange for their email address or other contact information.

Example: Our UIltimate WordPress Toolkit Offer

Found at the end of each article, our ultimate WordPress toolkit is a resource with all the essential WordPress tools we use and recommend for all websites.

It appears as a large rectangle with text explaining the offer and a prominent Download button. When clicked, the button opens a popup where we ask for the user’s email address.

Lead magnet example from WPBeginner

The same offer is also in the sidebar and appears across the WPBeginner website.

Why Does It Work?

It works mainly because of the value it offers to the users. For beginners, getting quick access to a ready-to-use toolkit hand-picked by experts is a tempting offer.

Secondly, it does not ask for an email address until users click a button. A psychological principle in UX design says that users are more likely to complete an interaction they started themselves. In this case, the action is clicking the button.

How to Implement It on Your Site

We use OptinMonster’s MonsterLink technology for this lead magnet. It opens a popup when a user clicks on a link.

If you have installed and connected OptinMonster on your WordPress website, you can go to the OptinMonster » Campaigns page and click the ‘Add New’ button.

Create new OptinMonster campaign

Next, you will be asked to choose a template or a playbook.

Select ‘Templates’ and continue.

Choose a template or playbook

Next, you will be asked to choose a campaign type.

Click to select Popup campaign, and then choose a template. All these templates are editable, so you can make them your own in the next steps.

Select campaign type

You will be asked to provide a name for your campaign.

After that, you will be redirected to OptinMonster’s campaign builder interface. This is where you can design your campaign.

OptinMonster popup builder

Simply drag and drop items from the left column onto your campaign. You can also point and click on any item on the preview screen to edit it.

Then, you need to switch to the ‘Display Rules’ tab once you are satisfied with the design and click on the ‘Add a New’ Rule.

OptinMonster Display Rules

OptinMonster has powerful display rules that let you configure your campaigns to appear exactly when you want them.

Under the conditions menu, click on the ‘When (Triggers)’ option and then click ‘MonsterLink (On Click)’.

MonsterLink on Click trigger

OptinMonster will now display your campaign when users click on a specific link.

You can now click on the ‘Copy MonsterLink Code’ to copy the link code, which you can add anywhere on your WordPress website.

Copy MonsterLink code

For more details, just see our tutorial on how to open a WordPress popup by clicking a link or an image.

3. Run a Timely Viral Giveaway

Giveaways are a popular technique used by all types of businesses across different channels. Giveaways can be very effective, whether they are used for growing a YouTube channel, getting new Instagram followers, or growing an email list.

However, the trick is not to overuse them or offer extravagant prizes. You don’t want to appear desperate to your audience.

Example: WPBeginner’s Birthday Giveaway

We organize a yearly giveaway on WPBeginner’s birthday and use it to grow our email list and social media followers.

Users get entries into the giveaway if they follow us on social media, join our email newsletter, and more.

WPBeginner giveaway

Why Does It Work?

Our giveaway is just a yearly event, which makes it a rare chance to participate and can create some hype around the event itself.

Plus, the prizes are related to our website’s industry, which is WordPress. Last year, the prizes were premium WordPress plugins and a 1-on-1 mentorship call with WPBeginner’s CEO, Syed Balkhi.

Participating in the giveaway requires minimum effort, and users can increase their chances of winning by using multiple ways to join in.

How to Implement It

We use RafflePress to run giveaways on WPBeginner. It is the best WordPress giveaway plugin that allows you to easily create viral giveaways on your website.

RafflePress

RafflePress connects with all the top email marketing services and social media websites. It also allows entrants to refer a friend, making it easier for users to share your giveaway to increase their chances of winning.

Plus, it comes with fraud protection, analytics, and retargeting features.

Note: There is also a free version of RafflePress that you can try. However, we recommend upgrading to a paid plan to unlock the full potential of the plugin.

First, you need to install and activate the RafflePress plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to the RafflePress » Add New page to create your first giveaway.

RafflePress add new giveaway

From here, you need to provide a name for your campaign and choose the template that you want to use. There is even a ready-made template for growing your email list.

Next, you can add your prize and select the giveaway and start and end times.

Giveaway setup

Next, switch to the ‘Actions’ tab and click on an action that users must take to get an entry into the contest.

Here, you will find options to add an email optin form, plus a bunch of social media platforms and WordPress actions.

Giveaway actions

After adding an action, you can select it and then click on the ‘Entry Options’ tab to configure that particular action’s settings.

For instance, for the Email Newsletter action, you can add an integration to your email marketing or CRM software.

Email marketing entry options

Once you are finished building your giveaway campaign, you can add it to your WordPress post or page.

Simply add the RafflePress block to your post or page and select your giveaway campaign from the dropdown menu.

RafflePress block

For more details, see our tutorial on how to run a giveaway/contest in WordPress.

4. Improve Engagement With Quizzes

Like giveaways, using quizzes is another highly engaging way to capture more email subscribers.

An online quiz could be a helpful questionnaire, a fun exercise, or a serious survey. In the end, users are given a result in exchange for their email address, which could be a score based on their answers.

Buzzfeed, a popular online entertainment and news website, is well-known for their clever use of viral quizzes to grow a massive user following.

Example: WPBeginner Hosting Quiz

We use a quiz at WPBeginner to help users find the right WordPress hosting plan for their website. This quiz is displayed on our home page, making it easy for visitors to see.

WPBeginner hosting quiz

It can also be found in our ultimate WordPress hosting guide.

This is where we test the top WordPress hosting companies for performance and help users find the right hosting provider for their needs.

WordPress hosting recommendation engine

After users have answered the questions, they are asked to provide their email address.

However, users can skip this step and see their results.

Email capture form after the quiz

Why Does It Work?

Quizzes work very well if they are used intelligently. In this example, our quiz actually helps users narrow down their hosting options based on the answers to the questions.

Another reason for the success of online quizzes is the simple user behavior psychology. Users are more likely to complete an action that they started.

Plus, we give users the option to skip providing their email addresses. While this means they may not sign up for our email list, we can win their trust by providing them with helpful information anyway.

How to Implement it?

At WPBeginner, we use Interact for our hosting recommendation quiz. However, this tool could be a bit expensive for small businesses and bloggers.

A good alternative is Thrive Quizzes. It is one of the best online quiz builders that allows you to create highly engaging and interactive quizzes for your website.

It is highly flexible and supports all types of quizzes, including ones showing results in numbers, percentages, categories (like a personality quiz), right/wrong quizzes, surveys with no result scores, and more.

Select quiz type

It has an interactive quiz builder to add your questions.

You can choose from different types of questions, such as multiple choice with buttons, multiple choice with images, and open-ended questions.

Question types

Lastly, you can add an opt-in-gate to display your email sign-up form at the end of the quiz.

This will show users your email form with the option to skip it.

Add an optin-gate to your quiz

For more details, see our tutorial on how to create a quiz in WordPress, which has step-by-step instructions.

Alternative Options: Formidable Forms, WPForms

5. Free Video Courses

Another popular method to collect email subscribers is to offer users premium members-only content when they sign up for your list.

This could be repurposed content curated into bundles. It could also be unique content made specifically for subscribers.

Example: We use this method with our free WordPress video courses.

WPBeginner video courses

WPBeginner offers free WordPress video training courses for beginners. These courses are designed to help users quickly familiarize themselves with WordPress.

The most popular among them is our WordPress 101 course, which is a series of 30+ videos aimed at beginners. Users can also access WooCommerce, blogging, SEO, and WordPress plugin courses.

Why Does It Work?

WPBeginner’s WordPress video courses are an immensely valuable free resource. Professional Udemy and LinkedIn trainers charge hundreds of dollars for similar courses.

Our courses also provide structured learning, making it easier for users to track their progress and move on to the next step. This makes the courses more engaging and helpful.

How to Implement It

We use MemberPress for video courses. It is the best WordPress membership plugin that allows you to create any kind of membership website easily.

MemberPress makes it super easy to restrict access control to members-only content. You can create different subscription levels and membership plans and then accept online payments for those subscriptions.

MemberPress to sell online courses and subscriptions

Plus, MemberPress has a Courses addon for WordPress. It enables you to create and sell online courses (or offer them for free).

You can also set up drip content to allow users to move on to the next course only after finishing the current one.

MemberPress courses

For more details, see our tutorial on how to create and sell online courses in WordPress.

6. Free Tools

You may have seen many popular websites offering free online tools to do various things. These range from file type conversion tools to speed testing tools and anything in between.

Example: WPBeginner Email Signature Tool

At WPBeginner, we offer a bunch of free online tools. Most don’t require signing up for the newsletter or providing an email address except for our Email Signature Tool.

The free email signature tool allows users to design an email signature. They can choose a template and provide information to fill it in.

WPBeginner email signature designer

After that, they can click ‘Continue’ to save their progress.

Lastly, users are asked to provide an email address to download their email signature.

Email optin gate

Why Does It Work?

This strategy provides a free tool to do something quickly online. Many beginners would otherwise struggle to do this independently and spend more unnecessary time doing the same thing.

This means that signing up for our email address is a small price to pay for a high-quality email signature.

How to Implement It

Some online tools require programming and coding skills and some server resources. For instance, image conversion tools require server resources and storage, which can be off-putting for beginners.

Fortunately, there are also no code solutions like WPForms. It is the best form builder on the market, enabling you to build custom forms without writing code.

For instance, you could offer a loan repayment calculator as a free tool on your website. Users will be asked to fill in their email addresses to get the results from the tool.

Example of a loan calculator tool created with WPForms

WPForms’ Pro plan comes with a Calculations addon, allowing you to perform simple and advanced calculations in your forms.

It even comes with ready-to-use templates that let you quickly add these forms to your website.

WPForms calculator templates

Depending on your website’s niche, you can find a calculator template that you can add as a lead capture tool on your site, including budgeting forms, mortgage calculators, and credit card repayment calculators.

WPForms connects with all top email marketing services and supports multi-step forms, which allows you to easily capture email leads at the end of your forms.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to create a custom calculator in WordPress.

Alternative Option: Formidable Forms

Conclusion: Lessons Learned While Growing the WPBeginner Email List

Over the years of growing the WPBeginner email list, we have learned the following lessons, which we now use as part of our email marketing playbook.

1. Offer Value in Return

WPBeginner users are smart and won’t just sign up for no reason until they are confident they will get something in return. We believe this to be true for all users.

We try to offer something valuable to our users in exchange for signing up for our email list.

2. Start Now

One rookie mistake we have learned is not putting enough importance on growing our email list from the very beginning. The best time to start your email list is now, and you can try all the above methods right away.

3. User Experience Comes First

There are email-capturing techniques that would allow us to do email marketing even more aggressively. However, doing so would require compromising the user experience.

Annoyed users are much less likely to join an email list or make a purchase. An average user spends less than 3 seconds looking at a website before they decide whether they want to stay or not. Make those 3 seconds count.

4. Choose the Right Email Platform

At WPBeginner, we started out with Mailchimp, which was one of the best email marketing platforms at the time.

However, as our website grew, we needed email marketing automation tools, better customization and personalization tools, and flexibility. Mailchimp didn’t fit our needs, so we switched to Drip. See our case study explaining why we switched from Mailchimp to Drip.

Some of our sister companies started with Drip and had the advantage of those features from early on.

If you’re on a budget and need a platform that meets your needs, you might want to use Constant Contact.

For more details, take a look at our pick of the best email marketing services and find out which would be best for your needs.

We hope this article helped you learn about the techniques we use at WPBeginner to grow your email list. For more tips, you can see our guide on how to grow your email list quickly and our expert picks for the best email capture tools.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 6 Proven Methods We Use at WPBeginner to Grow Our Email List first appeared on WPBeginner.

Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Email Marketing Automation

Do you want to learn about WordPress email marketing automation?

Email marketing automation in WordPress allows you to save time by automating tasks, creating drip emails, and using tools to grow your email list.

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll walk you through WordPress email marketing automation with tips, tricks, and tools that you can use.

WordPress email marketing automation guide for beginners

What is Email Marketing Automation in WordPress?

Email marketing automation is a marketing technique that allows businesses to send pre-written emails automatically when user activity matches a trigger.

For instance, you can send an automated email when a new user registers on your website or signs up for your email list.

Instead of manually writing emails, you only write them once and set up triggers. After that, when a trigger is matched, the email goes to the user automatically without you taking any action.

80% of businesses that utilize email marketing use automated emails.

Not only does it save time, but it also improves the effectiveness of your emails. You can use automation to send personalized emails based on user activity, which is proven to be 320% more effective.

Here are some more examples of when you can use automated emails to boost your business.

  • Send an email when a user completes a purchase.
  • Send notification emails when a new post is published.
  • When a user abandons a shopping cart, send a reminder.
  • Sending drip email campaigns to specific users.

We will be going over a lot of topics in this guide, so you can jump to any of them by clicking one of the links below.

Why Automate WordPress Email Marketing?

Automating your WordPress email marketing allows you to be more efficient and effective. Following are some of the top reasons that make email automation compulsory for your marketing strategy.

Automation Saves Time by Reducing Repetitive Tasks

By applying email automation, you can reduce the repetitive manual tasks, saving you time that you can spend on growing your business.

Instead of writing emails and manually sending them, you can write your emails once and then set up triggers to automatically send to your users.

Makes Your Emails More Personalized

Email marketing automation also lets you make your emails more personalized for each user.

Instead of sending the same email to each user, you can send them more relevant messages based on their activity on your WordPress website.

Personalized automated emails have a much higher open rate of 70.2% and have 152% higher click-through rate than manually sent and non-personalized emails.

Email providers like Constant Contact use merge tags so that you customize emails to use the person’s first name, for example. This can make them more likely to open the email than if it were addressed to the overall list.

Convert Leads into Customers and Boost Sales

Don’t let customers and potential leads wait for a reply to hit their inbox. You can set up automated emails to let customers know that you got their information and will get back to them.

For instance, you can send an automated email to users who fill out the contact form on your website. By setting up a simple automation to send a confirmation message, you can build trust with your visitors.

Similarly, you can set up automated emails for users who sign up or fill out a form on specific landing pages on your website.

You can reach out to customers who abandoned carts on your online store and convert them into customers.

Offer discounts to customers on special occasions like holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, and more.

Using automation, you can set up email drip campaigns to stay in touch with users and create personalized email marketing funnels that drive more sales.

Let’s look at how to apply email marketing automation on your WordPress website and what tools you’ll need to do that.

How to Set up Email Marketing Automation in WordPress

There are multiple ways to set up email marketing automation in WordPress.

You can combine different tools and platforms to maximize the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

Let’s look at the best ways to set up automated emails on your WordPress website.

Make Sure Your WordPress Emails Can be Delivered

First, you would want to ensure that the emails sent from your WordPress website aren’t in the spam folder.

You need to use SMTP to send out your emails to ensure that.

SMTP (Secure Mail Transfer Protocol) is the industry standard for sending emails. It uses proper authentication (username and password) to ensure that an authorized sender sends emails.

This is where you’ll need WP Mail SMTP.

The WP Mail SMTP WordPress plugin

It is the best WordPress SMTP plugin on the market and enables you to easily send WordPress emails using SMTP.

Note: There is also a free version of WP Mail SMTP, which is fully functional and works with any SMTP or email service provider.

For details, see our article on how to set up WP Mail SMTP with any host or SMTP service.

Choose an SMTP Email Service Provider for Transactional Emails

Transactional emails are messages sent to users as part of their interaction with your website, such as registration confirmation or online store receipts.

Remember, transactional emails are not handled by an email marketing service MailChimp, as they are not part of marketing campaigns, promos, or newsletters.

For example, when new users make an account on your website, they are sent an email to verify their email address and set a password. This is a transactional email.

Similarly, a WooCommerce store may send users their order details and shipping notifications.

PRO TIP: You can use a business email address to send these emails to avoid being sorted into your customers’ junk mail or spam folders.

However, some business email service providers don’t allow you to send many emails and may flag your account for misusing the service.

For that reason, you need to sign up for a transactional email service provider to ensure email deliverability for those essential email messages.

We recommend using SendLayer. It is the best SMTP service provider for WordPress and WooCommerce users.

SendLayer

SendLayer specializes in sending transactional emails at scale with high deliverability.

You can connect to SendLayer API using the WP Mail SMTP plugin, which comes with built-in integration so the two can work together seamlessly.

SendLayer integration in WP Mail SMTP

Once connected, all your WordPress emails will be sent using SendLayer API, ensuring higher delivery and scalability for your transactional email messages.

Now that you have ensured that your WordPress emails are delivered to the user’s inbox. Let’s look at the best email marketing automation tools you can use with WordPress.

1. Sending Automated Emails via Constant Contact

An email marketing platform allows you to send your users promotional and marketing email messages.

There are a ton of email marketing services out there, but not all of them have email marketing automation features.

We recommend using Constant Contact. It is one of the best email marketing services for small businesses.

It comes with professionally made email templates, email list growth tools, customer segmentation, and powerful marketing automation tools.

You can also set up drip campaigns to automatically send out emails to your users with a pre-scheduled frequency.

This allows you to onboard new customers and drive them to conversions without doing any manual work.

To get started, visit the Constant Contact website to sign up.

Constant Contact

Once you have signed up, follow the instructions in our article on how to create an email newsletter to set up your first email list.

After creating your email list, you can set up your automation campaigns by visiting the Campaigns page and clicking on the ‘Create’ button.

Create campaign

This will bring up a popup where you can select from different campaign types.

Click on Email Automation to continue.

Create email automation campaign

From here, you can select single-step automation or multi-step automation.

Single-step automation sends just a single email, such as a welcome email.

Multi-step automation lets you create a series of emails that are automatically sent to your subscribers. This way, you can let them know about your products and services, send special offers, and more.

In this tutorial, you’ll create a multi-step automation for when new subscribers join your email list. Go ahead and select the ‘A contact joins a list’ option.

Email automation type

Next, you will have to enter a name for your campaign.

Make sure you click the ‘Save’ button.

Welcome email campaign

Constant Contact will then ask you what activity will trigger the email.

For instance, the drip series is automatically triggered when a user joins your email list, opens an email, clicks a link, or buys a product.

You can use the default ‘Contact joins a list’ option as the trigger type. Then you can choose the email list you created earlier.

Campaign trigger

Go ahead and click the ‘Save’ button when you’re done.

Creating Emails for Your Drip Campaign

Now that you have set up the campaign, you can start adding emails you want to send.

Simply click on the Create New Email button to write your first email.

Create new email

This will bring up the email wizard where you can select a template, write your email, and save it.

Follow the on-screen instructions to write your email. After that, you can select the time delay between emails by clicking on the Edit link above the saved email.

Set interval

Repeat the process to create more emails by clicking on the Add to Series button at the bottom.

For more details, see our complete tutorial on how to send automated drip notifications in WordPress.

You can also learn how to send automated emails in WordPress.

2. Automate WooCommerce Emails Using FunnelKit Automations

Automation is the easiest way to boost sales on your eCommerce store.

If you run a WooCommerce store, your customers will receive different transactional emails.

These help them get order confirmations, track their order status, get invoices, and find more information about your online store.

You can customize and automate these emails or create new campaigns using FunnelKit Automations, a popular WooCommerce plugin for marketing automation. It is a sister product to FunnelKit (formerly WooFunnels), a powerful sales funnel builder for WooCommerce.

FunnelKit Automations

FunnelKit Automations is the must-have toolkit for any WooCommerce store, membership website, or other businesses.

It allows you to automate lead generation, manage contacts, and recover abandoned carts. This helps you boost productivity and sales for your business.

First, you need to install and activate the FunnelKit Automations plugin. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once you have activated the plugin, go to the FunnelKit Automations » Automations (Next Gen) page and click on the Add New Automation button.

FunnelKit new automation

Next, the plugin will ask you to choose a template.

These templates are pre-made automation for the most popular campaigns. You can also start from scratch if you want.

FunnelKit new automations

For the sake of this tutorial, we will be using the ‘Post-Purchase sequence’ template.

Click on the template to open and preview it.

FunnelKit template preview

You’ll see this automation’s trigger, delay, and action on the preview screen.

It may not be exactly what you have in mind. For instance, you may want to run this automation for purchases above a certain amount.

Don’t worry. You’ll be able to edit it as much as you like later.

For now, click on the Import button at the top right corner of the screen to start using this template.

Give your automation a name

You will be asked to provide a name for this automation. You can enter anything that helps you easily identify it and click the Create button.

FunnelKit will now import the template and open it in the automation editor.

FunnelKit automation editor

You’ll see the trigger that will launch this automation at the top. Followed by the delay and the action it will perform.

You can click the Add (+) button between these steps to add a condition, delay, goal, action, jump, or exit the automation.

Add automation step

Don’t forget to edit the Action step. For this campaign, the action is to send an email to the user.

Click on the ‘Action,’ and it will open up. From here, you can edit the email you’ll send to the user.

Edit autoamtion action

You can use Merge Tags to add dynamic elements to your email message.

Once you are finished editing, click on the Save and Close button to exit the action editor.

Finally, click on the toggle at the top to switch from Inactive to Active. This will activate the automation on your website.

Activate automation

Feel free to create as many automations as you need.

FunnelKit works with all essential WordPress plugins. Plus, you can connect it to Zapier and perform actions on more than 5000+ other web apps.

3. Automate WordPress / WooCommerce Emails Using Uncanny Automator

Research shows that users are more likely to engage with a marketing email when it is personalized and timely.

You can automate this by sending users targeted messages based on their activity on your WordPress website.

For instance, you can recommend products to customers who have ordered a specific product.

Now, what if you also wanted to create a one-time coupon for that customer, send customer data to your CRM, or remind a sales staff to give them a call?

This is where Uncanny Automator comes in.

Uncanny Automator

It is one of the best WordPress automation plugins, allowing you to create automated workflows for your WordPress website.

It works with popular email marketing platforms, WordPress contact form plugins, eCommerce platforms, and more.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the free Uncanny Automator plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, head over to the Automator » Add New page to create your first recipe.

In this tutorial, we’ll send an automated email to WooCommerce customers who have placed an order, asking them to leave a review.

You’ll be asked to select which type of recipe you want to create. You should choose ‘Logged-in users’ and then click the ‘Confirm’ button.

Choose recipe type

This will bring you to the Edit recipe page.

First, provide a title for your recipe. It could be anything that helps you identify this recipe.

Next, you need to choose an integration where your trigger will run. Depending on the plugins installed on your website, this list may change.

Choose trigger integration

Select WooCommerce to continue.

The Automator will now show you a bunch of WooCommerce triggers that you can use to launch your recipe.

For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll be using ‘A user completes, pays for, lands on a thank you page for an order with a product.’

Choose trigger

After choosing a trigger, you can click on the highlighted conditions to change them if needed.

For instance, instead of all products, you can click on ‘a product’ to choose a specific product

Trigger conditions

Once you are finished, click on the Add Trigger button.

Next, you will create an action. This is the task that you want to perform as the result of the trigger you set above.

Clicking on Action will show you a bunch of integrations that you can use. For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll be using the ‘Emails’ integration.

Choose action integration

Next, it will show you the actions you can perform for your selected Integration.

Since we selected Emails, there is only one action available which is to send an email.

Send email action

This will bring up the email editor.

From here, you can fill out all the fields like the ‘from’ address, recipient email address, subject, and more.

Create your email

Click on the star (*) next to a field to insert a dynamic value.

For instance, you can add the customer’s billing email for the ‘To’ field, use the product title in the subject, or use the customer’s name to greet them.

Dynamic values

Want to add a delay between the trigger and the action?

Click on the Delay button at the top of the action.

Set delay

After that, you can choose a delay time.

For the sake of this tutorial, we are setting the delay to 1 week (7 days).

Set delay time

Setting a delay makes your email more effective.

For instance, in this scenario, you would want to set enough delay to ship the product and give the customer a couple of days to try it out.

Once you are satisfied with your recipe, don’t forget to switch to the ‘Draft’ toggle to ‘Live.’

Set recipe to live

Your recipe is live and will run the next time a customer purchases.

To learn more about the Uncanny Automator and all the cool things you can do with it, see our tutorial on how to create automated workflows for your WordPress website.

Ideas for Email Marketing Automation with Examples

Wondering how best to use email marketing automation on your WordPress website? Following are some examples of automated emails that can give you ideas for your own emails.

1. Automated Welcome Email Example

You can send an automated welcome email to new customers or users who sign up for your mailing list.

Here is how MonsterInsights, a popular WordPress plugin, welcomes new users.

Not only does the email greet users, but it also points them to make the best out of their purchase with helpful links.

Welcome email example

2. Automated Abandoned Cart Email Example

Did you know that over 60-80% of the users who add products to their carts don’t complete the purchase?

This phenomenon is called abandoned cart sales. It shows that users are interested in the product, but something prevents them from placing the order.

Here is an example of an abandoned cart email from Pacsun. It uses urgency by mentioning that the products may run out of stock.

Abandoned cart email

According to OptinMonster, abandoned cart emails have about twice the open-rate of traditional marketing emails.

3. Automated Sale Email Based on User Interest

Another common type is the automated sale emails sent to the users based on their interests.

Here is an example from the Emirates informing users about more choices that they can avail.

Sale email based on user interest

4. Automatically Send Win Back Emails

You can schedule automated emails to users who haven’t logged in or made another purchase.

Here is an example from Buffer. Notice how they inform users what new features users are missing out on.

Automated win back emails

We hope this article helped you learn about WordPress email marketing automation and how to use it to grow your business.

You may also want to see our pick of the best WordPress coupon code plugins or see our guide on how to grow your business online with practical tips.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Email Marketing Automation first appeared on WPBeginner.

Getsitecontrol Evolves into Email Marketing Software

This post is originally published on Designmodo: Getsitecontrol Evolves into Email Marketing Software

Getsitecontrol Evolves into Email Marketing Software

Getsitecontrol, the app we’re using to collect emails and promote special deals on the Designmodo website, has recently undergone a significant transformation. In 2023, it expanded its offerings to include a comprehensive email marketing suite, targeting a broader audience. The …

For more information please contact Designmodo

What is Email Hosting and How to Find Best Email Hosting Service

Are you looking to get an email hosting service for your business?

Creating a custom email address for your website or organization with your brand helps build trust and credibility. With the right hosting service, you can easily manage and secure your emails.

In this article, we will show you what email hosting is and how to find the best email hosting service.

What is email hosting and how to find best email hosting service

What is Email Hosting?

Email hosting is a service you can use to have your own domain names as for email addresses, with storage for email content and attachments. You can create business email addresses by subscribing to an email hosting provider.

The difference between using email hosting vs. free email providers like Gmail or Yahoo is that you get to use your brand name in the email address.

For instance, a free email service will use its own domain name in the email address. It will look like this: john.doe@gmail.com.

On the other hand, you can create branded email addresses using an email hosting service. Your emails will look like this: john.doe@example.com

Why Use an Email Hosting Service?

Using an email hosting service makes your emails look more professional. It helps build credibility and trust with your audience. A branded email address also leaves a lasting impression on your users and creates brand awareness.

Besides that, you get enhanced security with email hosting. Many providers offer 2-factor authentication (2FA), spam protection, anti-phishing and anti-spoofing features, end-to-end encryption, and more.

Another advantage of using an email hosting provider is that you get increased storage capacity. Standard email service would offer limited storage space, which can quickly run out. However, email hosting services can offer extended storage options.

Let’s see what factors you should consider when finding the best email hosting service.

How to Choose the Best Email Hosting Service?

When it comes to choosing the best email hosting provider, you should consider the following things:

  • Email Storage – Each email hosting service will allot a specific storage space for your mailbox. You should choose a service that offers flexible storage options to store attachments and other email content.
  • Email Protocols – There are different email protocols like IMAP, SMTP, and POP3. They help with email deliverability and accessing emails on different devices. When you’re selecting an email hosting service, see how the provider supports these protocols.
  • Email Security Features – One of the advantages of email hosting is the advanced security features it offers. The best services should offer end-to-end encryption, spam protection, scan attachments for viruses and malware, 2-factor authentication (2FA), and anti-phishing features.
  • Email Aliases – You can create additional email addresses or aliases without creating a new account. This allows you to forward emails addressed to the alias to your main account. When picking email hosting, check if the provider lets you create email aliases.
  • Pricing – An email hosting service will cost you money, so when deciding on a provider, you should take prices into consideration. Some services offer multiple pricing plans with different features and storage limits. We recommend choosing a host that fits your budget.

Now, let’s look at some of the best email hosting services you can choose.

Finding the Best Email Hosting Service

There are many email hosting providers in the market. Here are some of the best services you can choose from.

1. Google Workspace

Google Workspace

Google Workspace, previously known as G Suite, is an email hosting service that offers a lot of value. It offers flexible plans that are great for all types of businesses and enterprises.

The best part about Google Workspace is that you can use Gmail for your custom-branded emails. You won’t have to map Gmail to other email hosting providers, which saves a lot of time and complexity.

At WPBeginner, we use Google Workspace and can honestly say it is the best email hosting provider.

Another benefit of using Google Workspace is that you get to use multiple Google products along with setting up a professional email address in Gmail. For instance, you get Google Drive storage, Google Docs and Sheets access, Google Teams, and more.

With Google Workspace, you get storage space from 30GB going all the way to 5TB. Plus, it offers up to 1000 participants in video meetings. Besides that, you’ll get tons of security features like 2 step verification, phishing and spam protection, an ad-free email experience, and more.

That said, Google Workspace can be expensive for startups or small businesses. It’s more suitable for organizations that don’t have budget limitations and can explore custom plans as well.

Pros:

  • Use a branded email address with Gmail
  • Get 30GB to 5TB of storage
  • Phishing and spam protection
  • Multiple security features
  • Access to different Google products

Cons:

  • Expensive pricing plans, especially for small businesses
  • It doesn’t offer an unlimited storage option

Pricing: Google Workspace prices start from $6 per user per month, and you get 30GB of storage. There are other plans that offer more storage, security options, and other features.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger website

Hostinger is one of the fastest WordPress hosting services in the market. If you’re just starting a new WordPress website and selecting a web hosting provider, then Hostinger offers free email addresses with each pricing plan.

The best part, you don’t have to pay extra for email hosting, and you get to create up to 100 email addresses. Each mailbox also gets 1GB of storage space.

The web hosting plans also include free domain names, WHOIS protection, free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, website backups, and more. This makes Hostinger great value for money.

That said, Hostinger also offers standalone email hosting plans, which are powered by Titan. This allows you to get more storage space, up to 50GB.

Other features include an inbuilt calendar and contacts, auto-reply, email templates, follow-up reminders, up to 10 email aliases, IMAP/POP3 support, spam and phishing protection, anti-virus and malware checker, and much more.

Pros:

  • Get free email hosting with web hosting plans
  • Fast performance and load times
  • Up to 50GB storage space
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Free domain name and SSL certificate
  • Advanced security features

Cons:

  • High renewal costs

Pricing: Hostinger offers an exclusive 80% discount to WPBeginner users on web hosting plans, with prices starting from $1.79 per month. If you want more email addresses, then consider getting the WordPress starter plan for $2.69 per month.

3. Bluehost

Bluehost

Bluehost is the largest WordPress hosting company in the world that lets you create professional email addresses. You can use your domain name to set up domain-specific emails.

Just like Hostinger, you get email hosting included in the web hosting plan with Bluehost. Not to mention, you also get a free domain name, SSL certificate, and much more.

Bluehost email hosting offers a custom inbox and calendar. You can also schedule tasks and automatically save contact information. Depending on the plan you get, Bluehost offers up to 80GB storage and 50 email aliases.

Besides that, you get different security features like spam filters, antivirus, safe unsubscribe service, real-time anti-phishing, file encryption, and more. Bluehost also supports different email protocols, including IMAP and POP.

Bluehost is the best solution if you’re looking to purchase a hosting plan or already using Bluehost for your WordPress website. Its email hosting plans are affordable and offer tons of features for businesses of all sizes.

Pros:

  • Free domain name, CDN, and SSL certificate
  • 3-month free trial for email hosting
  • Advanced email security options
  • Up to 80GB storage space & 50 email aliases
  • Quick and easy setup
  • Great customer support
  • Officially recommended by WordPress

Cons:

  • High domain renewal prices

Pricing: Bluehost offers an exclusive 73% off for WPBeginner users on hosting plans, with prices starting from $2.95 per month. You can use our Bluehost discount coupon to get started.

4. Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is another popular email hosting service that is similar to Google Workspace. You can easily set up a professional business email using Office 365 and get access to a bunch of tools offered by Microsoft.

Microsoft 365 offers up to 50GB of storage with each mailbox. Plus, you get advanced security features like spam and malware cloud-based email filtering, multifactor authentication, custom permissions, password policy creation, and more.

Aside from that, you can use other tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OnePoint, Publisher, SharePoint, and more. You also get up to 1TB of cloud storage and real-time monitoring of online threats for your mailboxes.

Microsoft Office 365 is a great solution for sites or organizations that are looking to use Microsoft Suite for their operations. If you’re confused about whether to pick Google vs Microsoft, then please see our comparison between Google Workspace and Office 365.

Pros:

  • Create branded emails using Outlook
  • Get 50GB of storage for mailboxes
  • Access powerful Microsoft tools with a professional email address
  • 1TB of cloud storage
  • Advanced security features

Cons:

  • Expensive pricing plans
  • It can be tricky to use, especially for beginners

Pricing: Mircosoft Office 365 prices start from $6 per user per month. There are higher pricing plans that include more features and advanced security options.

5. Namecheap

Namecheap

Namecheap is one of the cheapest email hosting providers on our list. It’s also a popular domain registrar and helps you find custom domain names for your business.

With Namecheap email hosting, you get up to 15GB of email storage and up to 30GB of file storage space. It also lets you create unlimited aliases in the highest pricing plan, along with mobile sync support.

Other than that, Namecheap supports SMPT, IMAP, and POP3 email protocols. It also offers decent security features like 2-factor authentication, anti-spam protection, and email storage security.

Namecheap is an excellent option for startups and new website owners who are looking for a cheap email hosting service.

Pros:

  • Affordable pricing plans
  • Unlimited aliases with the Ultimate plan
  • Offers document viewer, calendar, contacts, and other tools
  • Supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 protocols
  • Mobile sync support

Cons:

  • Basic security features
  • Limited storage size, even in the Ultimate plan

Pricing: Namecheap email hosting plans start from $1.24 per month for 1 mailbox. You also get a 60-day free trial to try the service.

6. Rackspace Email

Rackspace

Rackspace Email is the next email hosting service on our list. It offers a lot of solutions to SaaS companies, including an email hosting solution for small businesses.

The service offers a 100% uptime guarantee, which means it is highly reliable. It has data centers spread across the world and you get 24/7 support in case anything goes wrong.

Besides that, Rackspace offers 25GB mailbox storage space and up to 30GB file storage space. You also get unlimited aliases, group lists, and email forwarding rules. It even offers free email migration from another provider.

Pros:

  • A reliable email hosting solution
  • 24/7 customer support
  • 25GB mailbox storage
  • Easily integrates with Microsoft Office 365 tools
  • Spam and virus protection

Cons:

  • Requires a high learning curve to use the service
  • You’ll need to pay extra for email archiving
  • Limited additional features

Pricing: Rackspace email prices start from $2.99 per user per month. You also get a 14-day free trial to try the service.

7. Zoho Mail

Zoho mail

Zoho Mail is one of the most popular email hosting services in the market. It offers a secure platform to host emails and create a branded email address.

With Zoho, you get dedicated apps for desktop and mobile to manage and organize your emails. Other than that, it offers up to 50GB of mailbox storage, domain aliases, email forwarding, and offline access.

One of the standout features of Zoho Mail is its SecurePass email. This allows you to send confidential information over emails using a passcode.

Besides that, it supports IMAP and POP3 protocols, up to 1GB of email attachment options, anti-spam and malware protection, email encryption, and more.

Pros:

  • Easy-to-use email hosting platform
  • Dedicated apps for mobile devices
  • Strong security features
  • Send password-protected emails with SecurePass

Cons:

  • Pricing per user can be expensive for small businesses
  • Integration with third-party tools is tricky

Pricing: Zoho Email prices start from $1 per user per month and you get 5GB of mailbox storage.

Which Email Hosting Service Should You Choose?

After reviewing multiple email hosting services, we believe that Google Workspace is the best solution for your email needs.

For starters, it lets you use Gmail with your custom-branded email domain name. Plus, you get access to other powerful tools included in the Google Workspace suite.

At WPBeginner, we also use Google Workspace and highly recommend it.

That said, if you’re looking for a more affordable email hosting service, then you can give Hostinger and Bluehost a try. Both are perfect if you’re just starting a new website since they include email hosting in their web hosting plans.

We hope this article helped you learn what is email hosting and how to find the best email hosting service. You may also want to see our guide on the best email marketing tools and the ultimate guide to boost WordPress speed.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What is Email Hosting and How to Find Best Email Hosting Service first appeared on WPBeginner.

What is an Email Footer? The Ultimate Guide with Examples

This post is originally published on Designmodo: What is an Email Footer? The Ultimate Guide with Examples

What is Email Footer? The Ultimate Guide with Examples

What makes an email design transparent and intuitive for subscribers? What reinforces an overall impression with strong messaging? What allows companies to send regulation-compliant emails? The answer to these questions is the email footer. An email footer is often overlooked. …

For more information please contact Designmodo

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secure email providersIn recent years we've learned that hackers have been able to access some of the most secure online databases - even those of the cybersecurity capital of the world. That alone is reason enough not to keep your sensitive messages on standard email servers. You might, instead, want to invest in the best secure email providers. This guide will make that quest particularly easy. It offers a crash course on the best secure email providers, the top email encryption services, and the most secure free email services.