Call them whatever you like: email popups, email capture popups or opt-in popup forms.
They work wonders.
But creating your first email popup can be a little daunting.
Not to worry. We’ve compiled these 40 email popup examples to inspire and guide you. Taken from the most respected brands, they will help you overcome your writer’s block.
Let’s start with popups displayed by online retailers.
This lightbox popup appears as soon as visitors land on Varley.
Its design might look simple but it’s highly original: 100% black and white.
The 15% off coupon should convince even some of the most reluctant visitors.
This popup from D&G contains four input fields (!). Yet its stripped-down design makes it look as if it is only asking for your email address.
Let’s switch to grey and black.
This popup’s subtle design and position make it visible but not intrusive. I can tell you from experience that this balance is difficult to reach.
This lightbox’s variant includes a glow which makes it more impactful. Simple and efficient.
This popup is a delight for the eye.
It’s also very smart to invite visitors to “join the club.” You’re not just sharing your email address, you’re entering a private group and unlocking exclusive benefits.
A lovely visual, excellent choice of colors and concise ecommerce copywriting that says just enough about the reward for new subscribers. 10/10!
Tigerlily Swimwear’s website is colorful. Picking a black and white visual is a good choice: the stark contrast draws the visitor’s attention to the form and offer.
Yes, this opt-in popup includes a lot of fields. But its cheerful visual and clean structure convinced us to include it in this selection of email popups.
This unusual shape catches visitors’ attention instantly and aligns with the brand’s visual aesthetic. The classic “Stay in the know” is powerful as well: nothing works better than suggesting that your visitors might be missing out on something.
Until now, we’ve focused on popups centered on the user’s screen. But some marketers are experimenting with alternative popup positions.
Pipcorn, for example, is positioning their popup on the right. They’re probably assuming that users tend to scan their page in a Z shape. Proponents of this UX theory consider that the bottom right corner of the screen is most likely to drive action.
This one from Over The Rainbow follows the F pattern theory. According to research by Instapage, placing your call-to-action at the bottom left of the page is the best way to drive conversions.
After lightbox popups and side popups, it’s time to check out some email bars!
This one from Ulta ranks high on my personal list. Bright colors, eye-catching call-to-action, excellent position — you can’t beat it!
The reward is clearly stated (who could miss the $5 OFF offer on this form?) and the position is ideal for users; they can browse and easily access the different menus and call-to-actions on the page. Using a gradient helps attract attention and aligns with the brand’s mission (Colourpop is one of the top Shopify stores, by the way).
This elegant email popup is perfectly in line with the brand’s visual style. An interesting feature here is the birthday month request, which Gwen Beloni uses to share extra perks (and encourage more people to sign up).
This email popup is a nice example of using contrasting colors to attract attention. The color red generates a sense of urgency, which is a perfect technique to encourage visitors to sign up for a timed promotion and win a gift card.
This newsletter popup gets the message across quickly, which is a must to engage potential subscribers. The use of playful fonts makes the popup even more visually appealing.
A large, striking visual is the most prominent feature of this email popup. We’re visual creatures, so many visitors of Restated Vintage will be drawn to this aspirational image. A 10% discount and first access to deals will seal the deal.
Sure, e-commerce popups are interesting. But it’s worth reviewing some B2B examples as well!
Let’s start with a classic lead magnet. Sitepoint offers new subscribers a free book. Of course, it’s an e-book, but the content is highly valuable to Sitepoint visitors.
Its book looks very professional (it follows the best practices for this kind of media). And the traditional book shape makes it more valuable (yes, readers prefer paper books). Besides, the topic appeals to the target visitors.
This email capture form is simple. But the copy is very strong.
Gong’s team relied on two versions of the same marketing technique: social proof.
In the headline, they suggest that a lot of users have already joined the list (Wisdom of the crowd effect) while the body relies on Expert social proof. Who wouldn’t like to join employees from Linkedin and SalesLoft?
There’s a lot to say about this email popup.
The choice of colors is clever. Red is used to highlight two key elements: the number of trends (suggesting that the document is valuable) and the final call-to-action. The other secondary elements are in grey and black.
The wording is especially creative. “Unlock” and “I’m not interested” are strong choices. Note that they also confirm that the book is free to encourage sign ups.
Trust me, when preparing this selection, we reviewed thousands of newsletter popups. But we haven’t found any with a stronger headline than this one. So true and engaging!
CoSchedule has an excellent reputation in the content marketing community.
Turns out content is not their only asset. This interactive email popup displayed when visitors are exiting the page is cleverly crafted and striking.
This email capture campaign from Chanty is simply stunning.
Using animation in a popup is a great idea. But using a Matrix-inspired animation—that’s just awesome. One of the most creative email popup examples we’ve seen, hands down.
When you don’t want to interrupt your visitors during their navigation, your best option is a smaller popup displayed on the side or at the bottom of the page. Most B2B blogs use this format and position to capture emails while letting visitors browse the blog uninterrupted.
This example from Iterable’s blog demonstrates this approach.
This one comes from Mailgun’s blog. Again, the setup is subtle: the popup appears as you scroll and remains in the corner—in other words, you can still read the article comfortably.
We see the same approach with this email popup from WebPageFX. But its border and colorful call-to-action make it catchier. They also listed some very convincing benefits for subscribers (note how they play on the exclusivity).
I stumbled upon this example on close.io’s blog. As they use an email bar, the content is still accessible, and yet the invitation to subscribe is very visible. Nicely done.
Taken from Wix’s blog, this campaign is also an email bar. But it goes a step further with contrasting colors that make the bar unmissable. Built using a three-column layout, it’s also easier to read.
After reviewing B2B and e-commerce popups, I wanted to include some examples taken from media websites. Why? Because most media rely heavily on newsletters to drive traffic. They desperately need to collect emails to survive. As a result, campaigns in this industry are often very creative.
Let’s start with one of the most respected newspapers—the New Yorker.
Their email popup design is straight-to-the-point: no visual, no fancy illustration. The only colored element is the call-to-action, to drive users to subscribe. The dismiss button is much less enticing.
This targeting strategy is very interesting: the popup varies, depending on the page you’re reading. I saw this one when I was about to leave an article about food.
The full-screen design is also visually appealing (and a bit impressive) and eye-catching
Yet another black and white popup. The headline is catchy and simple. Yet the call-to-actions, especially “I’m not interested,” make visitors think twice before they close the modal.
The brand also features their logo to clarify that the popup is not an ad.
Three elements of this subscription popup form caught my attention:
Here we have the combination of an unusual round shape, bright colors that catch the eye, and a cool headline. Again, the popup features the media’s logo to distinguish the popup from an ad.
If you take FastCompany’s email form and add a lead magnet, you get this popup from Practical Ecommerce. The lead magnet looks very relevant to their audience’s area of interest.
Why did this email bar make it to our selection of email popups? First, because of its catchy colors. Also, because the brand chose to place it at the top of the screen, which is quite original.
Really Good Email’s headline is honest and fun. And it shows they know their audience.. If the headline is funny, the sub-heading is more classic and states the benefits of signing up.
The call-to-action is in the same fun tone as the headline and invites visitors to subscribe.
Now, let’s finish this list with mobile popups.
If you want to create your own, we recommend you check the best practices for mobile popups.
But first, let’s get you inspired.
Thinx’s campaign is funny and displays super well on mobile phones.
The best part? It’s responsive. If you visit their desktop website, you’ll get the same popup. Well done!
I love Beyond Yoga’s popup for a few reasons:
This email popup from Christy Dawn makes the most of the limited space that’s available. See how they listed all the benefits?
The colors are also great: subtle and on-brand.
Finally, they took into account the users who might want to close this email popup: the campaign features two closing options that are easy to click.
This selection would be incomplete without a call-to-action popup. This one comes from Timberland Australia. They display a tempting “Win” call-to-action. When the user clicks, the full message is displayed—a smart way to play on visitors’ curiosity.
Are you ready to create your own popups now? Hopefully we have given you some good ideas and inspired you to get building.
If you’re interested in learning more about email popups, I recommend checking out these other articles we have published:
