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Sign-up Popups: Creative Examples & How to Create One

Is your website getting plenty of visitors but they aren’t sticking around or taking action? I understand how frustrating it is to watch potential leads leave without engaging. The good news? Sign-up popup can change that. A well-timed, thoughtfully designed popup grabs attention, highlights your value, and nudges visitors toward signing up.

The opt-in options in these popups can increase customer opt-ins by 2x. Once you have captured leads, you can directly connect with your audience over email or messaging, nurture them, build trust, and drive sales in the future.

To help you create popups that work, I have included creative sign-up popup examples and actionable tips. I’ll also walk you through how to create a sign-up popup.

What is a Sign-up Popup?

A sign-up popup is a small window that appears on a website, encouraging visitors to share their email or contact information. It’s like extending a friendly invitation to your visitors to stay connected in exchange for value like discounts, exclusive content, or updates.

For example, imagine visiting an online store, exploring a bit, and seeing this: “Sign up and get 20% off on your first purchase!” You’re more likely to subscribe, right? That’s the magic of a well-designed sign-up popup. It grabs attention, highlights an irresistible offer, and makes sharing contact information natural for visitors.

Sign-up popups are perfect for building and connecting with your audience. The trick is to show a relevant offer at the right time without being intrusive.

Best Sign-up Popup Examples

Here are the best sign-up popup examples to take inspirations from if your goal is to capture visitor attention and generate leads effortlessly:

1. Discount First Popup

Discount First Popup
Discount First Popup

Image Source: Hydrant

A discount first sign-up popup instantly grabs attention by offering a special discount in exchange for an email sign-up. It’s perfect for converting first-time visitors into customers, growing your email list, and boosting immediate sales. You can use this to reduce bounce rates and encourage visitors to act quickly.

The discount popup example here does a great job: the bold “15% off” headline immediately highlights the benefit and catches the eye. Simple email input and the “LET’S GO” button make the popup clear and actionable. Plus, the playful “I’ll pay full price” option adds a clever touch, nudging visitors toward the discount.

2. Lead Magnet Popup

Lead Magnet Popup
Lead Magnet Popup

Image Source: Sunbasket

lead magnet sign-up popup offers valuable incentives—like discounts, free shipping, or resources—in exchange for a visitor’s contact information, such as name, number, or email. It’s a powerful tool for growing your email list, connecting with your audience, nurturing leads, and driving future conversions.

Sunbasket instantly lures visitors with a $90 savings and free shipping offer. Also, the clean design and “CONTINUE” CTA compel users to sign up as it involves no hassle. The vibrant food imagery appeals visually, attracting visitors to engage and convert.

3. Gamified Popup

Gamified Popup
Gamified Popup

Image Source: Picreel

Gamified sign-up popups add a playful twist to traditional popups, making the sign-up process more fun and engaging. They’re perfect for eCommerce sites during promotions or product launches to increase engagement and conversions. You can use these popups to grow your email list while entertaining visitors with rewards like discounts or freebies.

You can then connect with your email subscribers to build lasting relationships and drive sales. The “Spin the Wheel” popup immediately pulls visitors towards its interactive spinning wheel. The 25% off headline and the form fields for name and email go well together. Why? Because visitors would provide their information without thinking twice to grab such big discounts on their purchases.

4. Exit-Intent Popup

Gamified Popup
Gamified Popup

Image Source: Kiss My Keto

An exit-intent sign-up popup appears when visitors are about to leave your site, giving you one last chance to engage them and add them to your email list. This method is perfect for reducing bounce rates, recovering abandoned visitors, and capturing leads. Offering discounts or tailored offers can turn a visitor who is about to leave into a subscriber and buyer.

Keto’s exit intent popup re-engages visitors with “Never Give Up Your Cravings Again” and a 15% discount incentive right when they’re about to leave. The checkboxes help the brand understand its audience and show personalized recommendations. Lastly, the bold red CTA—“Unlock 15% Off”—is impossible to ignore.

5. Social Proof Popup

Social Proof Popup
Social Proof Popup

Image Source: Picreel

social proof popup builds trust by showcasing how others have already joined a community or benefited from a brand. It’s perfect for gaining credibility, especially when you’re targeting hesitant visitors. Displaying stats, testimonials, or community size convinces your users that they’re making the right choice.

In the attached image, the popup highlights ’People Like Us’ and backs it up with the statement, “Join the biggest community of 20,00,000 members”. This statement is social proof that makes visitors trust the brand instantly. The “Join Now!” CTA stands out in green, encouraging immediate action. This popup makes signing up feel like joining a trusted, thriving community.

6. Urgency-Driven Popup

Urgency-Driven Popup
Urgency-Driven Popup

Image Source: Picreel

An urgency-driven sign-up popup creates a sense of urgency and encourages users to take immediate action by setting a deadline. Using giveaways or limited-time offers to drive sign-ups. You can use this lead information to further connect with your audience, send personalized content, and drive conversions.

Adding a countdown timer taps into the fear of missing out (FOMO) and can further push visitors to act fast. In this example, the popup hooks users with a limited-time giveaway of a free gift. The bold countdown timer creates real-time urgency, while clear input fields for name, email, and phone simplify participation. The “Enter Now” button stands out, making it easy for users to act instantly.

How to Create a Sign-up Popup

After seeing those irresistible sign-up popup examples, you may want to create one for your website and start building direct connections with your visitors. To create an attractive sign-up popup for your website quickly, you need a popup builder that’s feature-rich and easy to use, like Picreel.

Its built-in sign-up popup templates and smart trigger options make creating and implementing sign-up popups easier.

Now, let’s quickly see how to create a sign-up popup in minutes:

Step 1: Sign in to your Picreel account. If you don’t have one yet, create your forever-free Picreel account.

create your forever-free Picreel account
create your forever-free Picreel account

Step 2: Head to the “Campaigns” tab and click the “New Campaign” button at the top right corner.

New Campaign
New Campaign

Step 3: Next, select one of the ready-made ‘Lightbox’ templates or create a sign-up popup yourself from scratch.

Lightbox templates
Lightbox templates

Step 4: Once you have opened your favorite Lightbox popup template, customize its ‘Layout and Design’ according to your sign-up needs.

  • Start by setting the height and position of your sign-up popup on the screen. The changes will be visible in real-time on the right side of the screen.
Layout and Design
Layout and Design
  • Now, choose your sign-up popup’s background color, border width, and animation based on your liking. Keep it clean and attractive.
choose your sign-up popup’s background color
choose your sign-up popup’s background color
  • Next, you may add an extra button, countdown timer, image, or text to capture visitors’ attention better.
add an extra button
add an extra button
  • Lastly, you may adjust the wheel discount labels and codes according to your needs.
discount labels and codes
discount labels and codes

Step 5: Set up your targeting and trigger options to decide when and where the sign-up popup will be displayed.

targeting and trigger options
targeting and trigger options

Step 6: Once you’re happy with your sign-up popup, click “Save” to finalize it.

Congratulations! You have finally created your own popup in minutes using Picreel sign-up popup templates. Now, it’s time to make it live on your website to capture visitors’ attention and information.

Once you have visitor information, you can build a relationship by sending personalized updates on their emails and phone numbers. This will enhance their experience and drive more sales.

Best Practices for Sign-up Popups

Here are some of the best practices to ensure your popups grab attention, engage visitors, and drive conversions effectively:

1. Clear and Compelling Headline

Your headline is the first thing visitors notice when a popup shows up, so make it clear, concise, and irresistible. It should instantly communicate the benefit of signing up. For example, “Get 20% Off On Your First Order!” is short, direct, and highlights value. A strong email popup headline captures attention and makes visitors want to act without thinking twice!

2. Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)

A strong Call-to-Action (CTA) tells visitors the next step. Ideally, you must use clear, action-oriented words like “Claim Your Discount” or “Join Now for Free!” to motivate action. Plus, make sure that your CTA highlights the benefit of signing up. For example, “Unlock 15% Off” works perfectly, as it’s direct and highlights the reward.

3. Enticing Offer or Value Proposition

An enticing offer or value proposition gives your visitors a reason to sign up. You must make it something they can’t refuse—like discounts, freebies, or exclusive content. For example, “Sign up within 3 hours and get a free gift!” This adds value and nudges your visitors to take action by triggering FOMO (fear of missing out). Always highlight the benefit clearly and upfront!

4. Timing and Triggers

Timing and triggers can make or break your sign-up popup form. Show it at the right moment—like when a user spends time on your site or is about to leave. For example, an exit-intent popup with “Wait! Grab 10% off before you go!” can stop your visitors and turn them into subscribers. Perfect timing creates higher conversions!

5. Mobile Optimization

Mobile optimization is a must for sign-up popups. With most users browsing on their phones, popups need to be clean, responsive, and easy to close. For instance, a popup with “Join now for 15% off!” and a big, tappable CTA ensures smooth interaction. If your popup isn’t mobile-friendly, you risk losing valuable leads.

Turn Browsers Into Leads With Sign-up Popups

Sign-up popups are an effortless way to capture visitors’ contact information and connect with them directly. It also helps you grow your email list and drive sales. You can turn casual browsers into loyal customers by presenting irresistible offers and making it easy for visitors to sign up.

If you want to make your first sign-up popup form for your website, consider taking inspiration from sign-up popup examples and following the best practices listed in this blog. Doing so will help you design popups that capture attention and deliver results from day one.

For a hassle-free creation process, you must opt for easy-to-use popup builders like Picreel. With ready-to-use templates, advanced triggers, and seamless integration options, creating high-converting popups is simple. And the best part? It offers a forever-free plan, so you can start building your popups today without any upfront cost.

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About the author

Picreel Editorial Team is a passionate group of CRO and eCommerce experts dedicated to delivering top-notch content. We stay ahead of the curve on trends, tackle technical hurdles, and provide practical tips to boost your business. With our commitment to quality and integrity, you can be confident you're getting the most reliable resources to enhance your customer engagement and lead generation initiatives.