8 Lead Magnet Popup Examples to Grow Your Email List

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Ever feel like your website visitors slip away before you can capture their email addresses

You’ve got great content and fantastic products, but those email signups? They’re just not happening. 

If that sounds like you, lead magnet popups could be the answer.

In this article, we’ll break down eight real-world lead capture popup examples that are super effective for growing email lists.

Let’s jump in!

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is something valuable you offer to website visitors in exchange for their contact information, usually to collect email addresses. Think of it as a “freebie” that convinces someone to give up their precious email in return for something of value.

The key is that the lead magnet must be relevant, useful, and enticing enough for someone to think, “Yes, I need this in my inbox!”

Popular types of lead magnets include:

  • Ebooks or guides: A deep dive into a topic your audience cares about.
  • Discount codes: Perfect for ecommerce stores, who often offer a percentage off a customer’s first purchase.
  • Checklists or cheat sheets: A quick resource that delivers instant value.
  • Webinars or free courses: Engage people with in-depth training on a relevant topic.
  • Templates: Ready-to-use resources that save people time.

The options are endless, but the goal is always the same: generating leads and delivering something that solves a pain point for your audience.

Why do popups work for lead magnets?

Website popups grab attention, and when used strategically, they’re incredibly effective at converting visitors.

A well-timed popup, whether it appears when someone is about to leave your site or after they’ve scrolled partway down a page, can be impossible to ignore.

Plus, popups take advantage of FOMO (fear of missing out) by adding urgency through limited-time offers or countdown timers. This taps into a visitor’s emotions, making them more likely to act quickly.

8 lead capture popups to inspire you

Ready to see some magic in action? Here are 8 creative lead capture popup examples that take email capture to pro level.

1. The Turmeric Co.’s recipe book popup

The Turmeric Co.'s recipe book lead capture popup

The Turmeric Co. nails it with a visually appealing lead capture popup offering a free recipe book. 

The bold, eye-catching button pops out from the screen to invite visitors with a clear CTA: “Get the recipe book.”

The design is clean, and the imagery focuses on their product, while the promise of free recipes seals the deal, making for a great lead magnet popup overall.

2. Omnipemf’s free ebook popup

Omnipemf's free ebook lead capture popup

Omnipemf’s lead capture popup offers site visitors a free ebook with a unique value proposition: helping subscribers sleep better and reduce stress.

Who wouldn’t want that? The exclusivity of this offer—“available only to subscribers”—makes it even more enticing.

3. Earth Harbor’s free gift popup

Earth Harbor's free gift lead capture popup: Lead capture form popup offering free stuff, with "Limited time only" to capture email addresses and increase urgency for website visitors.

Offering a free gift is a classic and effective lead generation strategy, and Earth Harbor does it right. 

Their lead capture popup creates urgency by labeling the gift as a “limited time only” offer. It’s a sure way to get visitors excited to sign up.

4. Ecommerce Influence’s newsletter popup

Ecommerce Influence's newsletter lead capture popup: A lead generation popup example offering two free ebooks as a lead magnet for first-time visitors and opt-ins to capture more leads.

Ecommerce Influence keeps this exit-intent popup simple yet effective with a newsletter signup that offers more than just updates.

Subscribers get exclusive access to an ebook, “33 Killer Tools for Fast-Growing Brands,” and a series of podcasts that help businesses scale to eight figures.

That’s real value packed into one popup, making it one of the most effective lead magnet examples on our list.

5. DigitalMarketer’s swipe file popup

DigitalMarketer's swipe file popup example: A persuasive lead capture popup offering 72 social media headline swipe files, designed to boost conversions and capture email addresses.

This one is a great example for marketers. 

DigitalMarketer’s popup tempts visitors with a swipe file packed with 72 headline examples that boost clicks from social media. For anyone looking to sharpen their marketing skills, this offer is hard to pass up.

6. Gardens of the Sun’s giveaway popup

Gardens of the Sun's giveaway lead capture popup: A lead capture popup form offering a chance to win $200 worth of jewelry, designed to capture leads and attract potential customers.

Giveaways are always a crowd-pleaser. Gardens of the Sun captures leads by offering a chance to win $200 worth of jewelry in exchange for an email address.

Even better, their CTA button reads “Fingers crossed,” which makes the whole process feel exciting and fun.

7. CeCe’s Home & Gifts’ discount popup

CeCe's Home & Gifts' discount code popup example: Lead capture popup offering a 10% discount code for first-time visitors to generate leads and capture contact details.

CeCe’s Home & Gifts wins over first-time visitors with one of the classic popup best practices: a simple but effective 10% discount code.

Discounts are a proven strategy for growing email lists, especially for ecommerce brands. The value immediately captures visitors’ attention, and they can use it right away.

8. Cherieswood’s free shipping popup

Cherieswood's free shipping lead capture popup: An exit intent popup offering free shipping in exchange for newsletter signups, designed to capture leads and increase conversion rates for ecommerce businesses.

The last of our lead capture popup examples comes from Cherieswood. They tap into one of the biggest drivers of online shopping decisions: free shipping.

They offer this incentive in exchange for a newsletter signup, turning this popup into a list-building machine.

How to create a lead capture popup?

Building a lead magnet popup isn’t as technical as it might seem. With a popup tool like OptiMonk, you can create one in minutes. 

Here’s how:

Step 1: Craft an irresistible offer

Your lead magnet should solve a specific problem for your audience. Consider various lead magnet ideas such as free trials, webinars, or discount offers to attract potential customers.

Whether it’s a 10% discount, a free guide, or access to exclusive content, make sure it’s something your customers truly want.

Step 2: Choose a popup template

Most pop-up tools offer a variety of templates. OptiMonk, for example, has over 300 templates that you can customize to fit your needs.

Step 3: Customize your popup

No design experience? No problem. Use the drag-and-drop editor to tweak the design, colors, and copy to match your brand’s look.

Customize your own lead capture popup in OptiMonk's drag and drop editor.

Step 4: Set triggering and targeting rules

Decide when and how the pop-ups will appear. Will they show up when a visitor is about to leave? Or maybe after they’ve scrolled down 50% of the page?

At this point you’ll also define your audience—first-time visitors, returning visitors, or specific segments.

Step 5: Launch

Once your popup is live, monitor your conversion rate and make adjustments as needed.

Sometimes, a small tweak—like changing the CTA button color—can make a big difference.

Wrapping up

Lead capture forms are essential tools for converting website visitors into leads, and they play a crucial role in expanding your email subscriber list.

By offering something valuable to your target audience and using smart timing and design, you can turn casual visitors into loyal subscribers.

Check out these lead capture popup examples, craft your own compelling offer, and watch your subscriber count soar!

Ready to take the next step? Create a free OptiMonk account and start growing your list today!