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How to Create a ConvertKit Popup That Grows Your List Like a Pro

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Not getting the results you expected from your Kit (formerly ConvertKit) popup? Many others are facing the same challenge.

The great news is that you’re in the right place to learn how to fine-tune your popup strategy and grow your email list effectively.

If you’re ready to level up with a powerful tool like OptiMonk, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s explore how you can improve your results and take your list-building game to the next level!

ConvertKit modal form vs. OptiMonk popup form: What’s the difference?

Let’s start by looking at the main differences between ConvertKit and OptiMonk when it comes to creating popups.

ConvertKit is primarily an email marketing software, so its popup forms are designed with simplicity in mind.

You can choose between landing pages and basic forms, but the customization options are somewhat limited.

Choose forms if you want to create your ConvertKit popup.

For forms, you have four options: an inline form, a modal form, a slide-in, or a sticky bar.

While ConvertKit does offer templates, your options are pretty basic. You won’t find fancy features like gamification or highly customized designs here.

While ConvertKit does offer templates, your options are pretty basic. You won’t find fancy features like gamification or highly customized designs here.

To create a new form, and choose your template first.

After selecting your popup form, you can easily customize it using a simple drag-and-drop editor.

Start building your converkit popup, design background or button text.

Once you’re satisfied with the design, you can set your display options, such as scroll percentage, exit intent, or time spent on the page.

You can choose from modal form, inline, slide in or sticky bar.

With limited template options and no gamification features, it’s clear that ConvertKit is primarily an email marketing tool.

OptiMonk, on the other hand, is a dedicated popup tool that allows for much more flexibility and customization.

With over 300 templates and 40+ use cases, OptiMonk provides tons of options, from classic popups to more interactive designs.

You can choose from sticky bars, sidemessages, fullscreen popups, embedded content, and even gamified popups like “Spin the Wheel” or “Scratchcard.”

Chose your pop up form for your website, whether you want to offer lead magnet or discount popup.

The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to customize your popup—no coding skills required.

You can add elements like countdown timers, custom coupon codes, and product recommendations, allowing you to create a visually engaging popup that’s completely tailored to your needs.

Edit your template that fits to your website's landing pages and brand.

Plus, OptiMonk’s popups are fully optimized for mobile devices, ensuring a seamless experience for visitors on any screen size.

You dont need to embed code, in our drag and drop editor.

And with OptiMonk, you can do more than just grow your email list… 

You can reduce cart abandonment, boost your average order value, and drive more sales by delivering targeted offers, personalized recommendations, and timely incentives—right when they matter most.

OptiMonk also offers advanced targeting options, allowing you to segment your audience based on factors like new visitors, returning users, or non-subscribers.

Target the right audience, for your lead magnet popup.

You can set triggers for your popups, like exit intent, clicks on specific areas, or after a certain amount of time spent on the page.

Trigger your pop up on exit intent, on click or after x seconds, or if the visitor clicks.

Another major advantage is OptiMonk’s A/B testing feature. This lets you run experiments to see which version of your popup performs best.

To achieve the best results A/B testing is key.

Check your results using our detailed analytics and fine-tune your strategy to boost conversions.

Check your results in our advanced campaign analytics.

What’s the difference between creating a ConvertKit form and OptiMonk popup?

While ConvertKit is great for email marketing, it’s not built specifically for popups.

With OptiMonk—which is a dedicated popup maker—you get access to advanced features that help you build more personalized and effective popup campaigns.

OptiMonk gives you the ability to create a wide variety of popup types, use advanced targeting, and incorporate gamification, making it a powerful tool for growing your email list.

If you want more control over how your popups look, who sees them, and when they see them, OptiMonk is the way to go.

How to use your ConvertKit account and your OptiMonk account together?

To get the most out of both ConvertKit and OptiMonk, you can integrate the two platforms. This will allow you to create advanced popups with OptiMonk and automatically sync new subscribers with your ConvertKit account. 

Here’s how to do it:

Step 0: Create an OptiMonk account

If you don’t already have an OptiMonk account, create one here. It’s quick and easy to get started.

Step 1. Log in to your OptiMonk account

Once you have your account, log in to your OptiMonk dashboard and go to your campaign settings.

Step 2. Choose a popup form

It’s time to create your popup! 

Choose a template that aligns with your business goals: do you want a simple email opt-in? Or perhaps a gamified popup that offers a discount for signing up?

Step 3. Customize your popup

OptiMonk’s drag-and-drop editor makes customization a breeze. You can adjust fonts, colors, and layout to match your brand.

Add interactive elements like countdown timers or product recommendations to make your popup more engaging.

Make sure your popup fits to your landing pages, whether you want to side bar or a full screen popup for your entire screen.

Step 4. Set up targeting and triggers

For optimal conversion rates, ensure you’re reaching the right audience and that your popup appears at the most effective times.

Trigger your popup based on factors like exit intent, specific page interactions, or the duration a visitor spends on the page.

Trigger your popup form on exit intent, certain percentage or on click.

To boost conversion rates, make sure your popup is shown to the right audience at the most effective moment. You can use predefined audience segments, save custom segments for later, or replicate targeting from past campaigns.

Make sure you optimize your pop up for the right audience, based on user behavior.

OptiMonk gives you lots of flexibility here, which means you can really fine-tune your targeting strategy.

Step 5. Find your ConvertKit integration

In OptiMonk’s campaign settings, look for the integrations section. Click the dropdown menu next to “Where would you like to keep the list of subscribers?”

By default, OptiMonk stores subscribers in its own database, but you can change this to store them directly in ConvertKit.

ConverKit integration

Step 6. Copy your API key

Now, head over to your ConvertKit account. Go to Account Settings > API Key to find your API key.

Copy it and paste it into the appropriate field in your OptiMonk settings.

Copy your API key

Want detailed step-by-step instructions? Check out this guide. 

Step 7. Launch your popup

Once your popup is ready, hit the launch button! After it’s live, keep an eye on your campaign’s performance using OptiMonk’s detailed analytics.

Track conversion rates, A/B test different popups, and optimize based on the data.

FAQ

Do I need to use JavaScript code to integrate OptiMonk with ConvertKit?

Nope! You don’t need to write any JavaScript to integrate these two tools. The process is straightforward and requires just a few simple steps.

Can I use OptiMonk popups on mobile devices?

Absolutely. OptiMonk’s popups are fully optimized for mobile devices, so they’ll look great and function smoothly on smartphones and tablets.

What is a good popup conversion rate?

According to our results, the average popup conversion rate is 11.09%.

With OptiMonk’s advanced targeting, customization, and A/B testing features, you can continually optimize your popups to push your conversion rates even higher, driving better results for your business.

Recap

If you want to enhance your popup strategy, combining OptiMonk with ConvertKit is a smart choice. While ConvertKit is great for email marketing, OptiMonk provides the advanced customization and targeting features you need to create high-converting popups.

Get started now—create your OptiMonk account and design a popup that will grow your subscriber list and elevate your email marketing efforts!

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What should you do next?

Thanks for reading till the end. Here are 4 ways we can help you grow your business:

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Written by
Picture of Barbara Bartucz

Barbara Bartucz

Barbara is a Content Marketer at OptiMonk. She takes pride in creating different forms of content, whether it’s an article, a video, or an e-book.
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