The List-building Dilemma: The Pros & Cons of the Best WordPress Plugins

Well, before we even start talking about list-building and opt-in solutions, you have to map out a plan of action.

It doesn’t seem like something you haven’t done already, but most people including those that we refer to as tech-savvy, overlook a simple phenomenon known as “Lead Magnet. Whatever your cool offer might be, it’s time to put up time and effort in order to make it appealing to the eye.

The same logic applies when you merely want people to sign up for your newsletter.

With that said, plenty of tech giants try to compete and earn their fair share of the market. WordPress being the instigator of this struggle, it truly displays a wide variety of plugins that can quench the appetite of the pickiest CRO, Tech, Growth-Hacking and Startup enthusiasts.

Numerous studies indicate that email marketing is still one of the best digital channels for ROI that you must exploit. It stands to reason, why most marketers believe that the email channel will continue to grow with regards to usage and conversions.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Pros and Cons of using these plugins.

1. MailChimp Plugin

There’s hardly a person who does email marketing and hasn’t heard of MailChimp. As a marketing automation platform, it offers a valuable set of tools you can use to scale up your business and raise awareness of your brand.

Before we go any further, it is vital to understand why installing a MailChimp plugin on your WordPress Site could be of particular use to your list-building campaign.

Apart from being one of the most reliable marketing automation software that allows you to:

• Creating Opt-in Forms
• Mobile Optimization and Customization
• User-Friendly Sign Up Forms
• Embed Pop-Up or Sign Up Forms
• Availability of One-Click Sign-up Mechanism
• And Much More

… it also unveils plans starting at 0$.

As you might have guessed, there’s a lot of freedom when it comes to building a list with the help of MailChimp.

Cons:

• Some users complain about the lack of support from the MailChimp Team
• Not always easy to integrate with other software

2. Sumo Plugin

It is pretty easy to install and work out the necessary details in order to run the Sumo Plugin on WordPress. If you decide to give it a shot, you’ll get access to a set of tools such as A Smart Bar, Scroll Box, List-Builder Pro, Share Pro, and others which are incorporated into both the Free and Premium Offer.

Pros:

• Customization of Email Opt-in Forms
• Social Media Exposure
• Heat Maps
• Flexibility in Selecting Pop-up Triggers
• Great User Interface
• Freemium WordPress Plugin (Availability to test the premium offer without having to make a purchase)
• Perfect for CRO Specialists
• Pretty Okay Free Version (Basic Sumo Support, Email Integration, Basic Templates, Autoresponder Email…)

Cons:

• The Premium Version doesn’t come at a low price; plans starting at 29$ a month
• Many features including the Pro-Integration are confined within the Premium Offer

3. Thrive Leads

Well, you can’t be serious about your list-building campaign, if you haven’t heard of Thrive Leads. It contains a valuable set of tools that can turn you into a CRO pro, without much technical expertise to back you up. Apart from generating leads, you’ll also be able to track your metrics and explode your growth hacking skills in next to no time.

Pros:

• Drag and Drop Mechanism
• Flexibility to Create and Customize Opt-in Forms
• A/B Testing
• Straightforward Integration with Any Software
• Relevant Targeting (By Page, Post, Category, Tag)
• Great Emphasis on Reporting & Implementation
• Time-Frame Comparison
• One-Click Sign Ups
• 2-Step; Slide-in; Content Lock; Yes/No Opt-in Forms
• Advanced Exit Intent Trigger

Cons:

• Plans start at 67$ (one-time)
• They can improve their customer support, but it’s fairly decent
• Some users voice concern about experiencing minor bugs and crashes, but it’s all on a case-to-case basis

4. Bloom Plugin

Same as its counterparts, Bloom places emphasis on the concept of earning more subscribers in the shortest amount of time possible. Among other things, it also helps you target the right visitors, which is a fairly difficult thing to do, especially if they are first-time visitors.

Furthermore, their motto is – Transform Visitors into Loyal Followers!

Is it something they can do? Let’s take a look!

Pros:

• Smooth Integration with Your Email Marketing System (15+)
• Variety of Display Options (Pop-Ups, Fly-ins, Inline Opt-in, Content Opt-in Forms, Widget Opt-in, Opt-in Unlock Content Form)
• Easy to Set Up
• Flexibility to Set Up the Triggers
• Custom-made 100+ Templates and CTAs
• Image and Border Customization
• Color Flexibility and Adjustment
• Specific Targeting
• Conversion Rates Optimization Through A/B Testing
• Dashboard to Check on The Progress

Cons:

• Starts at 89$ (Yearly License) which could be quite expensive for some list-building enthusiasts
• Lack of Visual Editing (Lesser variations with regards to Opt-in forms)
• Not Having an Exit Intent Trigger (An attempt to make someone wanting to bounce off your Website, to stick a bit longer or take a desired action)

5. OptinMonster Plugin

Opt-in Forms powered by OptinMonster are designed to boost leads and improve the conversion rates, above all else. It seems like, OptinMonster sheds light on the process to monetize the traffic your website generates.

They also like to point out the non-complexity when setting up the system, and why you should most definitely give it a go.

From our perspective, we want to make things easier by laying out the positive and negative aspects of using the OptinMonster Plugin!

Pros:

• Unique and Tempting Form Designs
• Advanced Reporting and Metrics-Analyzing
• Exit-Intent Mechanism
• Accessibility to do A/B and Split Testing
• Diversity in Opt-in Forms (Pop-Ups, Slide-Ins, Content Locking, Full-Screen Overlay, Mobile Only Forms)
• Basic & CSS Customization
• Targeted Display of Sign-up and Inline Forms
• Extract Data and Monitoring
• Easy Integration with Email Software (MailChimp, Aweber, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor…)
• Monthly Price starts at 19$

Cons:

• Limitation on the Basic Plan compared to the Plus and Pro
• Editing Restrictions Compared to Its Competition (Implies that there are fewer options in regard to the design and creation of Opt-in Forms)

Final Thoughts

Bear in mind that the top plugins outlined here, are not arranged according to their value of service. The layout is merely random, as we believe that all of the plugins should be put to the test prior to making any judgments.

In the aftermath, you can choose the one that fits your criteria and satisfies your demands.