How to Create an Email Opt-In Form in aWeber – Part 1

Today, let’s talk about the mechanics of  creating an opt-in form in aWeber.

(If you are just getting started with email marketing, an opt-in form is simply the form where your visitors fill in their contact information in order to join your list. See the sidebar to the right for an example).

Once you log into your aWeber account, the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure the form you create is attached to the correct list. (If you only have one list, you can ignore this step).

However, if you have multiple lists set up within your account, you’ll need to see what list is displayed under “Current List” (top left side of page). If it isn’t showing the list you want to work on, just use the drop down menu to the right to select the right one.

Once that is done, click on the tab that says “Web Forms” in the top menu:

Then, click on the green “+ Create Web Form” button. This will take you to the web form generator page.

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is which template to use. When you find one that works with the theme of your site – just click on it and hit “load template.”

Your next decision will be to choose which of the 4 types of web forms you want to use:

1. in-line - an in-line form appears in the current web page – like the one in the sidebar to the right and at the bottom of this post
2. pop-over - hovers within a web page
   
3. lightbox - identical to a pop-over, but it also darkens the page
   
4. pop-up – opens in a new window (and the most likely to be blocked by most browsers) According to surveys conducted by aWeber, more than 70% of respondents don’t like this option – something worth considering when making your choice!

Since I’ve already got an in-line form on this site, I think I’ll use a ‘lightbox’ for this demonstration.

This screenshot shows I’ve increased the width to 410 px and after clicking on the “Advanced” option – I set up my new form to ‘slide in from the left’ (you can choose from top, bottom, left, right or a gradual fade in). I also set it to appear in 45 seconds. This just means it doesn’t just pop up the second someone lands on the page, but will instead appear after a period of time.

(After I took this screenshot, I adjusted it down to 15 seconds and also tweaked it to gradually fade in).

Tomorrow, I’ll walk you through how to further customize your web form. We’ll add a call-to-action in the header and tie in an incentive to entice new subscribers to join your list.

Plus, we’ll look at how to install your new form to your site.

Til Next Time,

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