Continuing our tutorials on the new version of Mailrelay, today we’ll see how to add the forms you create on the platform to some of the most popular WordPress subscription plugins: Bloom, SumoMe and Thrive Leads.
These plugins let you create different types of forms on your website and decide when they appear based on the type of page, how users behave on the site and many other options. These vary a little from one plugin to another, but in general they’re similar and very powerful.
In this tutorial we already saw how to create forms and get their HTML code, so today we’ll pick up from there.
Once your form is created, you can get its HTML code and copy it to add it to your favorite plugin.
1- Add your Mailrelay form to Bloom
Bloom has been one of the most popular plugins for creating subscription forms on your website for several years now.
It lets you create inline forms, pop-ups, fly-ins, below-content forms or forms to place in any widget area of your theme.
It also lets you choose which type of page or post the form should appear on, and when (after a few seconds, on scroll, after a purchase, etc.).
Bloom also comes with predefined templates, although what will be really handy here is the option to add your own HTML, which is what we’ll look at next.
Once the plugin is installed, you’ll see the Bloom > Optin Forms option in the left-hand menu of your WordPress dashboard. This is where you can create new forms and view the ones you already have:
If you choose to create a new one (NEW OPTIN), the first thing to select is the type of form you want:
Depending on the type you select, you’ll see different options for the configuration, but creating the form itself works the same way in every case.
First, it will ask you for a name for your form (for internal use only, it doesn’t appear anywhere) and your email marketing provider.
Here you need to choose Custom HTML Form, which will show the field where you can paste the full HTML you got from Mailrelay.
Once it’s pasted, click NEXT: DESIGN YOUR OPTIN and you’ll be able to choose a template for the form.
Since this is HTML code, the design you choose won’t always fit the number of fields and options in your form, so I recommend picking a simple one that will be easier to adjust. Either way, you can adjust colors and formatting later, whichever template you choose.
On the next screen you can add a title and subtitle, customize fonts and colors, upload an image and set other design details for your form.
At any time you can open the preview to check how it’s looking.
Some of the color or formatting options may not save correctly, in which case you may need to make small edits to the HTML or add a little CSS on Bloom’s design customization screen.
Finally, the Display Settings tab lets you set when and where you want the form to appear. These options vary depending on the type of form.
You can create as many forms as you like, of different types, and you’ll get view and conversion data for each one.
Bloom is a paid plugin from the Elegant Themes team. It works with an annual membership or a lifetime license and includes other plugins and themes.
2- Add your Mailrelay form to SumoMe
SumoMe is another classic plugin for showing subscription forms, among other things, and it has the advantage of offering a free plan that’s enough for what we’ll cover today.
The plugin is available in the WordPress plugin directory. Once it’s installed, you’ll need to create an account, which will be linked to your website, and then you’ll access its external dashboard, where you can create and set up your forms. SumoMe has quite a few more options, but some of them require a paid account.
Once you’re on the platform, the Forms tab has the button to create a new form, which opens the wizard to set it up.
In the options on the left, under 1. My Goal, you need to select the third option so you can use your form’s HTML code.
In the other tabs you can choose the rest of the form’s options, such as the type of form, when it should be shown and the redirect URL.
In step 6. Connect to Email Service, don’t choose any option, since your HTML already connects to Mailrelay.
Once it’s set up and published, you’ll see the form on your website according to the options you selected, and you’ll have access to its view and conversion analytics.
SumoMe is a very complete option, and the free version is more than enough to show your Mailrelay subscription forms on your WordPress site.
3- Add Mailrelay to Thrive Leads
Thrive Leads is another very powerful plugin with a huge range of options for creating subscription forms on your website.
It’s a paid plugin with no free option, so you’ll need to buy it and download it from its website. It has a one-time price, with several options depending on how many licenses you need.
Once the plugin is installed, go to the Thrive Dashboard > Thrive Leads menu to create and set up your forms.
The first thing to do is create a Lead Group, which is simply a set of forms that share the same display options (which types of pages or posts it should appear on, whether it’s active only on desktop or on mobile too, etc.).
Once you’ve created the group, with a descriptive name to help you organize your groups and forms, you can create a new form type: In Content, Lightbox, Post footer, Ribbon, etc.
Then click Next Step: Add a form to finally add a new form of the selected type.
In other words, the structure of forms in Thrive Leads is:
Form group > Form types > Forms
Within the same group you can have different form types (pop-up, in-content, widget, etc.), and for each type you can have different forms.
Although this structure may seem a bit confusing at first, it actually lets you create different combinations of groups and form types for different campaigns or goals, and lets you run A/B tests to compare the conversion rates of different forms.
Once the form is created, you can edit its design to add the HTML code you got from Mailrelay.
To do this, select the Blank template when prompted, and you’ll open the Thrive Leads design wizard:
Now all that’s left is to click the settings cog in the right-hand sidebar and select the Advanced Settings option, and within it “View Page Source (HTML)”, which opens a window with HTML code that you need to delete entirely and replace with your own.
Advanced Settings
Code screen where you replace everything with your HTML
Confirm the changes with the checkmark icon at the top right and save them to exit the wizard and return to the Thrive Leads dashboard. All that’s left there is to activate the form and choose the display options you want, and your Mailrelay form will be live with all the power of Thrive Leads.
If you’d rather use an official option, you can also create your subscription form directly in WordPress, a great way to capture new subscribers with a good lead magnet.
