Signup Forms

Forms Overview

Forms are the primary way to grow your subscriber list organically. MailPilot offers several form types to fit different use cases, all with an easy-to-use form builder and customizable styling.

Form Types

Choose the form type that best suits your website and conversion goals:

Embedded Forms

Traditional signup forms that live directly on your webpage:

• Perfect for dedicated signup pages or sidebars
• Seamlessly integrates with your page design
• Can be placed anywhere in your page content
• Most common form type

Popup Forms

Modal overlays that appear on top of your content:

• High visibility and conversion rates
• Can be triggered by time delay, scroll depth, or exit intent
• Includes close button and optional backdrop click to dismiss
• Great for capturing visitors before they leave

Slide-In Forms

Small forms that slide in from the corner of the screen:

• Less intrusive than popups
• Slides in from bottom-left or bottom-right
• Stays visible while user continues browsing
• Good balance between visibility and user experience

Banner Forms

Horizontal bars at the top or bottom of your page:

• Non-intrusive, always visible
• Typically used for announcements with signup CTA
• Sticky positioning keeps it in view while scrolling
• Can be dismissed with a close button

Creating a Form

Follow these steps to create your first signup form:

1. Navigate to Forms in the sidebar
2. Click Create Form
3. Choose your form type (embedded, popup, slide-in, or banner)
4. Give your form a name (internal only)
5. Click Continue to Builder

Form Builder

The form builder lets you customize every aspect of your signup form:

Adding Fields

Click Add Field to include form fields. Available field types:

• Email: Required for all forms, validated automatically
• First Name: Optional personal field
• Last Name: Optional personal field
• Phone: Optional contact field
• Custom Fields: Any custom fields you've created (text, number, date, dropdown)

Field Settings

For each field, you can configure:

• Label: The text above the input
• Placeholder: Hint text inside the input
• Required: Whether the field must be filled
• Default Value: Pre-fill with a value
• Help Text: Additional instructions below the field

Form Content

Customize your form's messaging:

• Heading: Main form title
• Description: Explain what subscribers will get
• Submit Button Text: Default is "Subscribe" but customize to fit your brand
• Consent Checkbox: Optional GDPR compliance checkbox

Form Styling

Make your form match your website's design:

Colors

• Background Color: Form container background
• Text Color: Heading and description text
• Button Color: Submit button background
• Button Text Color: Submit button text
• Input Border Color: Border color for form fields

Typography

• Font Family: Choose from web-safe fonts
• Heading Size: Size of the main heading
• Text Size: Size of body text and fields

Layout

• Width: Form container width (pixels or percentage)
• Padding: Internal spacing
• Border Radius: Rounded corners
• Shadow: Drop shadow for depth

Double Opt-In

Double opt-in requires subscribers to confirm their email address by clicking a link sent to their inbox.

Enabling Double Opt-In

1. In the form settings, toggle Enable Double Opt-In
2. Customize the confirmation email:
   • Subject line
   • Email content
   • Confirmation button text
3. Set the confirmation page (where subscribers land after confirming)

Benefits of Double Opt-In

• Higher Quality List: Only engaged subscribers who want your emails
• Reduced Spam Complaints: Subscribers explicitly confirmed
• GDPR Compliance: Required in many jurisdictions
• Better Deliverability: ISPs favor confirmed opt-ins

Downsides

• Lower conversion rate (not everyone confirms)
• Extra step in the signup process
• Confirmation emails can end up in spam

Thank You Pages

After someone submits your form, they'll see a thank you page or message.

Inline Thank You

Replaces the form with a thank you message on the same page:

• Customize the heading and message
• Optionally add a CTA button
• No page reload, seamless experience

Redirect to URL

Redirect subscribers to a dedicated thank you page:

• Better for tracking conversions
• Can upsell or offer a lead magnet download
• Provide additional instructions or resources

Form Triggers

For popup, slide-in, and banner forms, choose when the form appears:

Time Delay

Show form after X seconds on the page:

• Give visitors time to read your content first
• Recommended: 5-10 seconds
• Not annoying if timed well

Scroll Depth

Show form after visitor scrolls X% down the page:

• Indicates engagement with your content
• Recommended: 50-70% scroll depth
• Great for blog posts

Exit Intent

Show form when visitor is about to leave the page:

• Last chance to capture their email
• Detects mouse moving toward browser close/back button
• High conversion on exit popups
• Only works on desktop

Immediate

Show form as soon as the page loads:

• Maximum visibility
• Can be annoying if overused
• Best for dedicated landing pages

Embedding Forms on Your Website

Once your form is ready, you'll need to embed it on your website.

Embed Code

MailPilot generates an embed code for your form:

1. Open your form and click Publish
2. Copy the provided embed code
3. Paste it into your website's HTML where you want the form to appear

The embed code looks like this:

WordPress Plugin

If you're using WordPress, use the MailPilot WordPress plugin:

1. Install the MailPilot plugin from WordPress repository
2. Connect your MailPilot account
3. Use the shortcode [mailpilot_form id="123"]
4. Or use the Gutenberg block "MailPilot Form"

Shopify Integration

For Shopify stores:

1. Install the MailPilot Shopify app
2. Select your form from the app dashboard
3. Choose where to display it (homepage, product pages, etc.)
4. Enable and save

Auto-Tagging

Automatically tag subscribers based on which form they submit:

1. In form settings, find Auto-Tag New Subscribers
2. Add one or more tags to apply
3. These tags are added immediately upon form submission
4. Use tags to segment subscribers later or trigger workflows

For example:

• Blog sidebar form → Tag: "Blog Subscriber"
• E-book download form → Tag: "E-book Download"
• Product page form → Tag: "Product Interest"

Form Analytics

Track form performance in the Forms dashboard:

• Views: How many times the form was displayed
• Submissions: How many people submitted the form
• Conversion Rate: Submissions divided by views
• Confirmed: For double opt-in, how many confirmed their email

Improving Form Performance

• Test different headlines and descriptions
• Reduce number of required fields
• Improve your incentive (what do they get for subscribing?)
• Test different form types and triggers
• Make your form visually appealing and on-brand

Form Best Practices

Copy and Messaging

• Clearly state what subscribers will receive (weekly newsletter, exclusive deals, etc.)
• Use benefit-focused language ("Get weekly tips" vs. "Subscribe")
• Include social proof if possible ("Join 10,000+ subscribers")
• Be transparent about email frequency

User Experience

• Don't show popups on every page load (use cookies to show once per session)
• Make close buttons obvious and easy to click
• Test forms on mobile devices
• Provide clear error messages for invalid inputs
• Show a loading state while submitting

Compliance

• Link to your privacy policy near the form
• For GDPR, include consent checkbox: "I agree to receive emails"
• Make it clear they can unsubscribe anytime
• Never add people to your list without permission