Popup forms are an effective way to capture leads, boost conversions, and engage visitors on your website. By displaying popups when users click on a link or image, you can enhance their experience.
This method is a proven strategy for expanding your email list. It tends to be more effective because it begins with a user-initiated action. Many popular websites utilize this approach to provide an opt-in incentive, attracting even more subscribers.
At CanadaCreate, we implement this strategy to gather email addresses. For example, when you click the envelope icon on the right panel, a popup form appears, allowing you to subscribe to our newsletter.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a WordPress popup that opens upon clicking a link or an image, with detailed step-by-step instructions.
What Is an ‘On Click’ Popup Form?
On-click popup forms are lightbox popups that activate when a user clicks on a link, button, or image on your WordPress site.
Typically, popups appear on websites when a user first arrives or is about to leave. However, on-click popup forms are specifically triggered by user interactions.
We also utilize on-click popups at CanadaCreate to enhance our email list. For example, a popup will show up when a user clicks the email icon located in the sidebar next to the social media icons.
What Makes On-Click Popup Forms So Effective?
An on-click popup form is highly effective due to the Zeigarnik effect, a psychological principle suggesting that users who initiate an action are more inclined to complete it.
When a user clicks a link or button to open your popup, they have already expressed interest. This increases the likelihood that they will engage with the popup form.
For instance, you can use an on-click popup to present a lead magnet, such as a free downloadable resource like an ebook or PDF, which users can access in exchange for their email address.
Additionally, on-click popups can serve various purposes on your website, such as offering coupon codes, providing product information, or collecting survey responses.
To discover more, check out our guide on leveraging popup psychology to increase signups by 250%.
Now, let’s explore how to easily create an on-click lightbox popup for your website.
Creating an On-Click Popup in WordPress
The simplest method to create an on-click popup is by utilizing OptinMonster, the top-rated popup plugin for WordPress and lead generation.
For further details, refer to our comprehensive OptinMonster review.
To get started, create an OptinMonster account. Make sure to choose the Pro plan or a higher tier, as it includes the MonsterLinks™ feature for creating clickable popups.
Visit the OptinMonster website and click the ‘Get OptinMonster Now’ button to begin your journey.
Next, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin on your WordPress site. For detailed instructions, refer to our step-by-step guide on installing WordPress plugins.
This step allows you to link your OptinMonster account with your WordPress website.
After activating the plugin, you will need to connect your account. You should be redirected to the Welcome page in your WordPress dashboard automatically.
Click on the ‘Connect Your Existing Account’ button to proceed.
A new window will pop up after you click the button.
To link your site to OptinMonster, click the ‘Connect to WordPress’ button.
Once your OptinMonster account is connected to your WordPress site, you can start creating your clickable popup.
Navigate to OptinMonster » Campaigns in your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Create Your First Campaign’ button.
OptinMonster will then prompt you to choose from various templates or playbooks.
You can select the ‘Templates’ option to pick a pre-designed campaign template for customization. Alternatively, the ‘Playbooks’ option allows you to choose from ready-to-use campaigns inspired by top brands.
In this tutorial, we will focus on using the ‘Templates’ option.
Next, you need to choose a campaign type and select a template.
The Campaign Type should already be set to Popup. If it’s not, simply click on Popup to select it. Then, choose a campaign template.
You will have the opportunity to modify the template later. For this tutorial, we will use the ‘Basic’ template.
Hover over the template and click the ‘Use Template’ button to proceed.
You will be asked to enter a name for your campaign. This name is for your reference only and will not be visible to users.
Enter a name and click ‘Start Building’ to create your popup.
OptinMonster will automatically open the template in the drag-and-drop campaign builder.
You can edit the default text and add or remove elements from your template. Simply drag blocks from the menu on the left and drop them onto the template.
To remove any element from the form, click on it and use the menu options on the left. For example, we will remove the ‘Name’ field from the form.
Begin by clicking on the ‘Optin’ tab located at the bottom of the screen. Then, select the field, and you will see the available options in the left column, including the option to remove it.
After designing your popup, the next step is to create the Success view, which users will see after submitting the form.
Easily switch to the ‘Success’ view at the top of the screen.
You can modify the success view in the same way you edited the optin view. For example, you might want to update the text or add a link to download a lead magnet.
Linking Your Popup to Your Email List
Once you are satisfied with your popup, click on the Integrations tab at the top of the screen. You will need to connect OptinMonster to your email marketing service to add subscribers to your email list.
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Next, click the ‘+ Add New Integration’ button on the left side of the screen.
Then, select your email provider from the dropdown menu.
Finally, follow the instructions provided to connect it to OptinMonster.
Configuring Your Popup to Trigger on Click
Now, set up your popup to show when a user clicks a specific link.
Simply click on the Display Rules tab located at the top of the screen.
By default, OptinMonster’s display rule is set to ‘time on page,’ meaning the popup will appear after the user has spent a certain amount of time on that page.
You can change this by selecting the ‘MonsterLink™ (On Click)’ option from the dropdown menu.
After making this selection, your MonsterLink™ should appear in the display rules.
You can click the link to copy your MonsterLink™ Code, which you will need shortly.
Activating Your On-Click Popup
Next, navigate to the ‘Published’ tab at the top of the page and change your campaign status from ‘Draft’ to ‘Publish.’
Once you have done this, click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen and exit the campaign builder.
Next, you will see the ‘WordPress Output Settings’ for your campaign. Change the ‘Status’ dropdown from ‘Pending’ to ‘Published.’ After that, click the ‘Save Changes’ button.
Integrating Your MonsterLink into Your WordPress Site
To integrate the special MonsterLink™ into your website, revisit the ‘Display Rules’ section of your campaign if you haven’t copied it yet.
Begin by creating a new post or page, or edit an existing one where you wish to insert your link.
The MonsterLink™ is in HTML format, so you will need to insert it into a custom HTML block.
In the WordPress content editor, click the (+) icon to add a Custom HTML block.
Next, paste your MonsterLink™ into that block. It should resemble the following:
Feel free to customize the text ‘Subscribe Now!’ to any phrase you prefer for your link.
After placing the link, preview your page or post to confirm it’s functioning correctly.
Here’s how our link appears in action. We’ve styled the text to create a prominent box with larger text to effectively showcase the lead magnet:
Tip:With MonsterLinks™, you are not restricted to text links. You can also utilize MonsterLink with call-to-action buttons, images, banners, or navigation menus on your site.
We trust this tutorial has assisted you in learning how to activate a WordPress popup form with a click. You might also be interested in our guide on creating a WooCommerce popup to boost sales, as well as our recommendations for the best WordPress banner plugins.
