Let’s be honest: newsletter popups have overstayed their welcome. They’ve become one of the biggest frustrations for users browsing the web today. Sure, they’re easy to implement, and they might capture some emails, but at what cost? If you’re still using them, it may be time to rethink that strategy.
Here’s why:
We all know the Game
Users today are savvier about data.
They know what that email form is really for – marketing, and lots of it. We’re bombarded by marketing messages all day long, and adding your newsletter to the noise isn’t going to magically make people care.
A popup isn’t some unique opportunity; it’s an annoyance. Users are becoming ever-more selective about where they give their attention. If you disrupt their experience the moment they land on your site, you may even lose them for good.
The first few seconds are critical to communicating key orientation concepts – who you are and what you do. There’s not much realistic chance that they already have this information, let alone have enough context to subscribe.
Marketers are chasing numbers, not quality
Marketers love to track leads. The problem is that too many focus on quantity over quality, and popups are an easy way to inflate numbers. The more emails captured, the better, right?
Wrong.
What’s the point of filling your list with people who don’t care, who might just delete your emails the second they arrive? In fact, recent data shows that average email open rates for newsletters hover around 27.9%, meaning nearly three-quarters of recipients don’t engage with those emails at all.
The obsession with volume often compromises the User Experience (UX) of your site, making it harder for genuinely interested customers to engage.
If you want quality leads, you need to stop interrupting users and start giving them a reason to trust you.
Popups are just annoying
Let’s call it what it is – popups are disruptive. They interrupt a user’s flow at the worst possible time: right when they’re trying to learn about you or your product. And the worst offenders? Popups that reappear after a user has already dismissed them. It’s intrusive, it’s annoying, and frankly, it’s lazy.
Ask yourself: why should they sign up? What value are you offering in exchange for their information? If the answer isn’t immediate and clear, you need to ask yourself frankly why would users care?
Who are these people subscribing to newsletters anyway?
Have you ever stopped to think about who’s actually subscribing to these mailing lists? Because we’ve not met many of them.
Better yet, how often do you subscribe to a mailing list?
Are these people the kind of engaged, high-value users you want, or just someone who clicked out of habit or frustration? Research shows that average open rates for marketing emails range from 17% to 28% across industries.
This means the majority of recipients aren’t even engaging with the content they signed up for. So if you’re not getting qualified leads, what’s the point?
A better way to do it: Give first, ask later
If you’re going to ask someone to hand over their email, you need to give them something first. It’s about reciprocity – provide value before asking for anything in return. Here’s how you can do it:
- Add a signup at the end of useful content. If they’ve just read something valuable, they’re far more likely to want more. That’s the perfect time to invite them to sign up for more great content.
- Give them a reason. Instead of a generic “subscribe for updates,” tell them what they’ll get. “We’ll send you more tips, tricks, and insights,” works because it’s specific and relevant to what they just read.
- Be upfront about your cadence. Tell them how often you’ll email, and then stick to it. Consistency builds trust. No one wants to be bombarded with daily emails unless they asked for it.
- Offer users an out. If they don’t want to subscribe, they don’t want to subscribe. Don’t try clumsy tricks to convince them they have to when they know better.
Stop adding to the noise
In a world where users are constantly marketed to, adding a disruptive popup to your homepage doesn’t help—it makes you part of the problem. People don’t want to be interrupted. They want value, authenticity, and a reason to care about what you’re offering.
So instead of forcing newsletter signups with popups, think about how you can naturally earn your audience’s attention and trust. That’s how you build a relationship—and ultimately, a better website.
