Power to the popup!

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Despite the general opinion that popups are (really) annoying, they’re still in fact very good at what they do.

They draw temporary attention to something by interrupting a ‘normal’ flow of events, and cause an action/reaction, which generates results.
In the last year or two, Pop ups have even jumped off the page and into our local shopping malls/centres where temporary spaces are successfully interrupting our shopping experience by grabbing our attention, and alerting us to something we may not have known about otherwise. Read this interesting article about one of Britain’s shopping streets where the line between the role of the pop up online and offline has blurred.

So how can the popup help your business?

By growing your email list with contacts and potential customers. A snippet from this Kissmetrics article tells you how:

Whether you hate them or love them, there’s one undeniable fact about popups – they work. Case study after case study proves that if you want to grow your email list, put a popup on your blog.
Here are 10 popups that will help you collect emails.
1. PopUp Domination: One of the most popular popups on the web. It is both a WordPress plugin and standalone software that enables you to place it on any website platform you choose.
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2. OptinMonster: Lets you place opt-in forms in a variety of places on your blog, including floating footer bars, slide in sidebars, and full page covers.
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3. Hybrid-Connect: Gives you the power of traditional popups, includes regular opt-in forms and squeeze pages, and integrates with Facebook.
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4. Bounce Exchange: A popup that appears only when your readers intend to leave your site. For instance, when your readers hover over the back button, the popup appears, prompting them to enter their email address.
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5. Pippity: A WordPress plugin that allows you to make beautiful popups in minutes.
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6. Ninja Popups: An inexpensive WordPress plugin that allows you to create a professionally designed popup to get readers to sign up for your newsletter, get coupons, and increase social media visibility by locking content until your readers share your blog.
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7. Viral Optins: As its name suggests, this popup contains a viral component. After a reader enters their email address, they will get your freebie when they invite more friends to join your email list.
8. List Builder: A free popup WordPress plugin from the folks over at AppSumo. List builder enables you to capture your reader’s email address when you have their attention, and it currently integrates with MailChimp and AWeber.
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9. Pop Over Plugin: A WordPress plugin that allows you to create professional-looking popups.
10. WordPress Popup: A WordPress plugin that allows you to create professional-looking popups.

Unobtrusive Popups

Let’s say you’re still completely against popups. You’re not alone. There is an entire segment of tools that bill themselves as “anti-popups.” These are tools that appear in front of your readers without obstructing their view of your content.
11. Unpop: A WordPress plugin that pops up in a place on your blog that grabs the attention of your readers without blocking their view of your content. (Disclaimer: I helped launch Unpop last year, though I am no longer affiliated with the product.)
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12. Drip: One of the new kids on the block. Not only can you create an email opt-in form that will be placed out of the way, but Drip is an entire email auto-responder service.
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13. Slide In: An easy marketing tool that allows you to create messages that slide in and show themselves to your users at the exact moment you pick.
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14. Interrupt: Another tool from the folks over at AppSumo. This free WordPress plugin enables you to place an email form at the top of your website. However, once your reader scrolls down, they won’t see it again.
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15. Optin Footer: This beautiful plugin makes it easy to create a popup that appears across the entire footer of your blog or website.
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16. Hello Bar: A free optimization tool that allows you to show a message to your visitors. It appears at the top of your blog or website. You can send your readers to a landing page where you can capture their email addresses.
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17. Viper Bar: Similar to Hello Bar, Viper Bar appears at the top of your blog or website and allows your reader to enter their email address within the bar.
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18. Foobar: Similar to Viper Bar and Hello Bar, but it has more of a billboard feel to it. You can create scrolling text, insert multiple messages, and link to various landing pages.
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19. Dreamgrow Scroll Triggered Box: As your reader scrolls down the page, this plugin will appear to grab their attention, but it won’t conceal your content. You can customize the look, feel, and message of the plugin.
20. Welcome Gate App: A cross between a popup and a squeeze page (and not as aggressive as either). A welcome gate redirects readers to the plugin when they visit your blog’s home page. Readers can choose to enter their email address, or skip it altogether.
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21. Feature Box Plugin: Made famous by Derek Halpern of Social Triggers. It is a form you insert at the top of your blog. Generally, the Feature Box allows you to add more information than you can put into the Hello Bar or Viper Bar.
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EP.
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