Your Pop-Up Forms Are Broken (Here’s How to Fix Them)

Hey, it's Jordan from the Email Intel Newsletter.

You’ve probably noticed that most brands use the same old pop up form strategy:

"Sign up for 10% off."

And guess what?

It’s not working as well as it used to.

Why? Because everyone’s doing it.

People see these pop-ups and automatically move their cursor or thumb to close them.

Here’s the hard truth: If your pop-ups aren’t converting, you’re wasting your ad spend and leaving serious revenue on the table.

But there’s good news.

You can fix it with just a few tweaks.

Let’s dive into it.

1. Low Commitment, High Reward

Instead of asking for an email address right away, start with something small.

Ask a quick question first, like:

“Want to take 15% off your order?”

It feels low-commitment and takes just a second to answer.

Once they’ve answered, then ask for their email.

This technique plays on commitment bias—once someone completes one action, they’re much more likely to take the next step.

2. Create an Interactive Experience

Most pop-ups feel like a hurdle, but what if yours was fun?

Consider turning your pop-up into a mini-quiz or interactive experience.

It could be as simple as asking:

“Which product is right for you? Take this 1 minute quiz to find out!”

This not only engages your visitors but also makes them more invested in your brand.

Plus, you get valuable zero-party data—information that customers voluntarily provide, which you can use for better segmentation and marketing.

3. Urgency That’s Real

If you’re running a sale, give it an authentic sense of urgency.

Instead of saying, “Sign up for 10% off,” you can try something like:

“Get 10% off—but only for the next 24 hours.”

But be honest—don’t create fake deadlines or scarcity. People can tell when it’s not real, and that can damage trust.

4. Test & Optimize

Your first pop-up won’t be perfect.

So, A/B test different variations:

• Try changing the question in your pop-up.

• Experiment with different wording for your CTA.

• Test how quickly the pop-up appears (don’t make it too aggressive).

This testing will help you find the sweet spot for your target audience.

Let me know how it goes for your brand!

Cheers,

Jordan

PS - If you run a DTC brand and want to have a 15 minute strategy session with me, book a call here »