Throughout the years, we have explored numerous email marketing platforms and assisted WordPress users in creating effective subscription forms for their websites. Recently, one of our readers inquired about the best method to integrate a Mailchimp subscribe form into their WordPress site.
Mailchimp is a widely-used email marketing platform that features a form builder. However, this builder comes with limited capabilities and customization options. By implementing a custom subscribe form, you gain greater flexibility and enhance your ability to grow your email list.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a Mailchimp subscribe form in WordPress, complete with custom fields.
What Are the Benefits of Adding a Custom Mailchimp Subscribe Form in WordPress?
Incorporating a subscription form into your WordPress website is an excellent way to engage with your audience.
You can share newsletters, announce new product launches, provide updates, and more, all while fostering a direct connection with your audience.
Mailchimp stands out as one of the leading email marketing services. It enables you to build an email list, send out emails, and create automated email campaigns. Additionally, it provides a form builder that allows you to create a subscription form and seamlessly embed it on your website.
Mailchimp’s form builder is quite basic and lacks extensive customization features. Users have a limited selection of form fields, and there are no options to modify colors, fonts, or other design elements. Additionally, Mailchimp branding appears at the bottom of the forms.
By creating a custom Mailchimp subscribe form, you gain enhanced flexibility and control. You can include various types of form fields, customize their appearance, implement conditional logic to display fields based on user responses, and much more.
Due to Mailchimp’s constraints, you might also want to check out our guide explaining why CanadaCreate transitioned from Mailchimp to Drip.
Now, let’s explore how to create a Mailchimp subscription form with custom fields.
How to Create a Mailchimp Subscribe Form in WordPress
The simplest method to add a Mailchimp subscribe form to your WordPress site is by using WPForms. This is the leading contact form plugin for WordPress, trusted by over 6 million professionals.
WPForms is a user-friendly plugin featuring a drag-and-drop form builder, over 1300 pre-designed templates, and numerous customization options. The best part is that it seamlessly integrates with Mailchimp.
Note: In this tutorial, we will use the WPForms Pro version, which includes the Mailchimp add-on and allows for custom form fields. While there is a free WPForms Lite version available, it does not support Mailchimp integration.
Step 1: Connect Mailchimp to WPForms
First, install and activate the WPForms plugin. If you need assistance, please refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
After activation, navigate toWPForms » Settingsand enter your license key, which you can find in your WPForms account area.
Once you have entered the license key, click the ‘Verify Key’ button.
Next, you need to install the Mailchimp add-on.
You can do this by going toWPForms » Addonsin the WordPress admin panel. Locate the Mailchimp add-on and click the ‘Install Addon’ button.
The add-on should now be successfully installed and activated.
Once that is complete, go toWPForms » Settingsfrom your WordPress dashboard and select the ‘Integrations’ tab.
Then, expand the Mailchimp settings and click the ‘+ Add New Account’ button under Mailchimp.
After completing this step, additional options will appear. To integrate Mailchimp, you need to input your API key and account nickname, enabling WPForms to connect with your Mailchimp account.
How to Generate Mailchimp API Keys for WPForms Integration
To create an API key for connecting WPForms, start by logging into your Mailchimp account.
Once logged in, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner and select the ‘Account & Billing’ option.
On the following page, you will find various account settings.
Click on the ‘Extras’ dropdown menu and select the ‘API Keys’ option.
You can either copy an existing API key for your WPForms integration or create a new one.
If you haven’t created a key before, click the ‘Create A Key’ button.
Next, enter a name for your new API key.
Once you’ve named it, click the ‘Generate Key’ button.
You will now see your new API key displayed.
Copy the key and then click the ‘Done’ button.
Return to the browser tab or window where your WPForms integration settings are open.
Here, paste the API key into the ‘API Key’ field. You can also add a nickname for your Mailchimp account to help you remember which account is connected.
After entering the key, click the ‘Connect to Mailchimp’ button to proceed.
You should now see a green ‘Connected’ button next to the Mailchimp settings, indicating that the email marketing tool is successfully integrated with WPForms.
Step 2: Create a Mailchimp Subscription Form with Custom Fields
With Mailchimp integrated into WPForms, the next step is to design a subscription form featuring custom fields.
First, navigate to WPForms » Add New in the WordPress dashboard. Enter a name at the top and choose a form template.
WPForms provides a variety of prebuilt form templates, allowing you to quickly select one and customize it to your needs.
It even includes templates specifically for Mailchimp. For example, you can create a signup contact form, a newsletter signup form, or an email marketing form.
For this tutorial, we will select the Mailchimp Newsletter Signup Form template.
On the next screen, you will access the WPForms drag-and-drop form builder, where you can customize the form and add custom fields from the left menu.
The default form template includes fields for Name and Email.
You can easily drag and drop any form field onto your template. Available fields include text inputs, dropdown menus, multiple-choice questions, phone numbers, addresses, date and time pickers, website URLs, password fields, and more.
If you use a business phone service, you can include a Phone field. This feature enables you to send SMS messages or contact subscribers by phone.
By adding a checkbox field, you can allow users to select their interests. This helps you categorize your subscribers and send them personalized emails.
Next, you can customize each form field in the template. Simply select a field, and additional options will appear in the left panel.
For instance, we modified the options in the Checkboxes form field.
You can also change the label of the form field, mark it as required, add images to the checkbox options, and more.
After adding your custom form fields, navigate to the ‘Settings’ tab in the left menu. In the General settings, you can update the form’s name and description, add tags, modify the submit button text, and more.
Then, switch to the ‘Confirmations’ tab to select what subscribers will see after they submit the form.
WPForms allows you to display a message, redirect users to a specific page like a thank you page, or send them to a URL.
Next, navigate to the ‘Marketing’ tab in the left panel and select Mailchimp.
Here, click the ‘Add New Connection’ button.
A popup will appear where you need to enter a nickname for your Mailchimp connection.
After entering the nickname, click the ‘OK’ button.
Then, choose the Mailchimp account you connected earlier.
Click the ‘Select Account’ dropdown menu and select your account.
More options will now be available.
Select the audience from the dropdown menu where new subscribers will be added.
You can choose from various actions, but for this tutorial, we will select the ‘Subscribe’ option, which adds the user as a new contact in your Mailchimp account.
Scroll down to find additional settings, including an option to select the WPForms field where users can input their email addresses.
You can also add tags for new subscribers and include notes on the user’s profile.
Scroll down to find additional optional settings. Here, you can enable double opt-in, designate a subscriber as VIP, update their profile if they are already in your audience, and more.
You are now prepared to add your Mailchimp subscription form to your WordPress blog or website.
In the WPForms form builder, locate the ‘Embed’ option at the top. Click the ‘Save’ button to save your changes, then click the ‘Embed’ button.
A popup will appear, prompting you to select an existing page or create a new one.
For this tutorial, we will choose the ‘Create New Page’ option.
Next, you will need to provide a name for your new page.
Once you’ve done that, simply click the ‘Let’s Go!’ button.
You will then see a preview of your form in the WordPress content editor.
Click the ‘Publish’ button at the top to make your Mailchimp subscription form live.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a Mailchimp subscription form with custom fields.
Visit your website to see the form in action.
There are many more possibilities with Mailchimp and WordPress. For example, you can integrate it with OptinMonster to display your subscription forms in popup campaigns.
Explore our comprehensive guide to effectively using Mailchimp with WordPress.
We trust this article has assisted you in creating a Mailchimp subscription form in WordPress with personalized fields. Additionally, check out our guide on quick strategies to enhance your email list growth and our expert recommendations for essential WordPress plugins to elevate your website.
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