How to Set Up Your First Email Sign-Up Pop-Up in Mailchimp (for Shopify Users Who Want to Look Pro)
You’ve got your Mailchimp account. You’ve got your Shopify store. Now it’s time to do what all great online stores do—start collecting those golden little things called email addresses.
Enter the pop-up form: that friendly little box that says, “Hey, don’t leave without joining the club!” Love it or hate it, it’s one of the easiest ways to grow your customer list—and Mailchimp makes it surprisingly simple to add one to Shopify.
Let’s walk through it step-by-step.
Step 1: Head to the Audience Section in Mailchimp
Log in to your Mailchimp account and click Audience from the left menu. Choose the audience you want new subscribers added to (you probably only have one—no shame in that).
Then click Signup forms and select Pop-up form.
This is your control center for designing the pop-up your Shopify visitors will see.
Step 2: Pick Your Pop-Up Style
Mailchimp gives you a few style options:
- A slide-in that casually says “hey” from the corner,
- A modal that shows up in the middle like “excuse me, I have something important,”
- Or the full-screen takeover, which basically yells “STOP—JOIN THE LIST!”
If you’re new to this, the slide-in is a safe bet. It gets attention without scaring people away mid-scroll.
Step 3: Design It Like You Mean It
This is where you make your pop-up match your brand’s vibe.
Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop builder makes it easy:
- Write a short, friendly headline (no essays, please).
- Add a quick message, like:
“Join our list and get 10% off your first order—because saving money feels good.”
- Keep your form simple—just name and email is perfect.
- Match your colors and fonts to your Shopify theme so it feels like part of the site, not a random ad from space.
And if you’ve got a product photo or logo you love, toss it in there for extra polish.
Step 4: Set When It Shows Up
Next, decide when your pop-up appears. You can have it trigger after:
- A few seconds on your site,
- When someone scrolls halfway down the page, or
- When they’re about to leave (the classic “Wait! Don’t go!” move).
Timing is everything. You don’t want to bombard shoppers the second your page loads. Give them a few beats to browse before making your pitch.
Step 5: Connect It to Shopify (The Fun Part)
Once you’re happy with your design, hit Continue and Mailchimp will generate a little code snippet.
Here’s what to do with it:
- Copy the code Mailchimp gives you.
- Go to your Shopify Admin Dashboard → Online Store → Themes.
- Click Actions → Edit Code.
- Find your theme.liquid file and paste the Mailchimp code right before the closing
</body>tag. - Save your changes.
(If that sounds intimidating—don’t worry. It’s literally a copy-paste job. Two minutes tops.)
Step 6: Test and Publish
Now preview your site! The pop-up should appear according to the settings you chose. Check it on both desktop and mobile—because if it looks great on your laptop but covers half the screen on a phone, your customers will not be thrilled.
Once it looks perfect, hit Publish in Mailchimp, and you’re officially live.
Bonus Tip: Give Shoppers a Reason to Sign Up
People love a deal—or at least the idea of getting something special. Offering 10% off, early access, or “VIP email-only offers” works wonders.
Something like:
“Join the list for discounts, early drops, and zero spam. Pinky promise.”
It feels casual, human, and actually inviting.
