Pop ups can be a hugely effective tool for your blog - as long as they don't irritate, patronise or insult your readers! Here are 5 tips to help you create pop ups that work.

1. HOW TO CREATE
BLOG POP UPS
YOUR READERS WON'T
HATE
Quuu.co

2. We've all been there.
You see a post that looks interesting, and decide to
click on it. The page loads, but before you can get past
the introduction, bam! A massive pop up comes up,
totally blocking the content you wanted to read.
Irritated, you find the intentionally obscure ‘skip’ button
(or worse, the ‘No, I hate my life’ button) and get back to
the post.

3. Pop ups can be hugely effective tools,
which many businesses rely on.
However, they can also be jarring and
can completely ruin the reading
experience.
So what is it that's going wrong?

4. Whatmarketersthink
Answers from our 'Do the yes/no pop ups really work?' Inbound discussion.

5. Blog pop ups that aren't a buzzkill
For a tactic that is so popular, opt-in pop ups don’t seem that
beloved.
However, as Rob Marsh @brandstory pointed out, there is
evidence they work – when they’re done right.
So, what’s the difference between a pop up that works, and a
pop up that perturbs? Here are some key tips for crafting your
blog’s opt-in form.

6. 1.
Don't provoke, insult
or shame your
readers

7. Many opt-in pop ups leave the reader feeling patronised, or
worse, like they're being manipulated.
This typically comes in the form of ‘no’ buttons that are
designed to induce the ‘Fear of Missing Out’. ‘No, I like
losing money’ or ‘No, I have enough traffic’ are common
examples.
This often forces readers to click on a statement they don't
agree with at all. And when it comes to things like money,
business, success, health or family, nobody wants to be
told they don’t care enough.

9. The alternative
Check out this post by Copyhackers, which shows how
focusing on consequences (with zero passive aggression!)
boosted the results of their pop ups dramatically:
https://copyhackers.com/2015/05/choices-consequences-opt-in-
boxes/

10. 2.
Build a relationship

11. Website pop ups are often the first port of call when building
a sales funnel.
Add an opt-out form to your blog post and the sales will roll
in, or so conventional wisdom says. However, it isn’t quite
that simple.
Asking brand new readers to read your book, download
your course or buy your product straight away is sort of like
asking someone to marry you on the first date. They don’t
know you, they probably don’t trust you, and quite frankly,
why would they? You’re coming on a bit strong, which tends
to make people suspicious.

12. The alternative
Offering something smaller, like a discount or a free worksheet,
is more like asking them for coffee.
They can size you up, see if they like you. And, once you’ve
made a good impression (which, of course, you will), they’ll be
much more likely to commit.

13. ...though perhaps not as much as Homer.

14. 3.
Timing is everything

15. Many capture forms come up as soon as you click on a
blog post. This works well if you’re already an established
brand or authority. People will recognise the name and
think ‘cool, free resources from someone I trust!’
However, flashing a big pop-up onto the screen when
they have no idea who you are is just going to annoy
them; it’s one of the main reasons for a high bounce rate.

17. The alternative
It’s important to conduct testing to see what works for your business – play
around with different options.
If you’re still a fairly small outfit, you might be better off using a different ‘trigger’
for your capture form, like a short time lapse.
This has several crucial advantages. Firstly, your potential customer gets to
read your content. This is important; if someone has clicked on your blog post,
it’s because they actually want to read your blog post.
Secondly, it means that again, people get a chance to get to know you. Impress
them with a great blog post, and they could be more likely to sign up.

18. 4.
Think about user
experience

19. ‘User experience’ is an approach used for designing websites,
interfaces and apps. However, it’s also important when designing
content, and accompanying capture forms. In the world of UX, capture
forms are a type of ‘dialog box’, and mastering dialog design is
essential to making them successful.
People often focus on timing as the biggest factor for a pop up, but
small elements can also make a huge difference.
If your pop up looks like one of those ‘you have a virus’ ads from the
early noughties, your readers probably won’t trust it.
And if a dialog box simply has too many fields, or is too confusing, that
will easily put people off engaging with it.

21. The alternative
In general, it's a good idea to include:
A minimal amount of information (a good CTA should
suffice).
A limited number of ways users can interact with the box.
Clearly labelled buttons, including any yes/no options.
An accessible exit button.

22. 5.
Help, don't sell

23. If you’ve ever tried to cold calling, you’ll know that
people can spot a pitch from a mile off. As soon as that
happens, they get defensive.
And, to be honest, that’s understandable. Buying
something from a stranger takes trust, and trusting
people is risky. You have to have faith that they aren’t
out to scam you.
Pop ups and capture forms have to overcome the
same barrier.

24. The alternative
Pop ups have to look trustworthy and, just like any good
salesperson, help the potential customer.
This means focusing on whatever it is your offering does
for the reader. It could inspire them, solve a problem,
give them support, help them towards a goal…the list is
endless.

25. HELLO
Hopefully, these tips will
help you make your
capture form as effective
as it can be. Do you have
any other tips you’d add
to the list? Let us know in
the comments!

26. You can check out the full
blog post here:
http://blog.quuu.co/blog-pop-ups/