Email Capture: 45 high-converting examples & what makes them great

Email has been around for more than 50 years. Even with the boom in social media & texting and messaging apps, email marketing continues to be one of the preferred communication modes for modern customers.

In fact, research found that email users grew to approximately 4 billion in 2020. It is also predicted that this will continue to grow at an annual growth rate of 3%, increasing user numbers to nearly 4.5 billion in 2024.

That’s a big market right there — and what’s interesting is that not only do people use email for formal communication but also for shopping, logging on to social media and subscription service sites, and more.

As a result, email marketing forms one of the most crucial elements of lead generation. If you want to do that well, the first step is to create an effective sign-up form that compels people to sign-up for your newsletter or marketing emails. 

Sign-up forms should also make a vital part of your customer acquisition and retention strategy since they can be used across all major marketing channels like social platforms, blogs and website landing pages. But — of course — the goals a sign-up form serves may vary from business to business.

All said, they’re important and it pays off when you nail them. To get started, here are 45 sign-up form examples that’ll set you up for success. From simply getting subscribers to installs, sign-ups and more, tailor them to match the action you need your website visitors to take!

45 customizable email capture form examples for better conversions

1. Make them fun

The incentive in such an email capture form is a discount or a prize in exchange for the visitor's email address, of course. The motivation to stick around intensifies because of the offers you provide the visitor for sharing their email address. They will browse your products and use the offer by purchasing from you. 

You can also choose to place the interactive wheel in such a way that it benefits your visitors the most. This can be done by placing it on a particular product page or when the visitor is about to exit the website.

2. Offer them value

A lead magnet form is an excellent way to offer something of value to your audience in exchange for their contact information. It's a powerful marketing tool that generates leads by offering long-form resources like free ebooks, whitepapers, templates, and useful downloadable assets. 

A lead generation sign-up form is crafted in such a way that it commands the attention of the visitor. In the above pictorial representation by BOOM, the bold headline tells the reader that they will get 10 makeup & beauty tips if they fill the form. 

3. Make it simple

When you’re using an email capture form to acquire more users or be able to drive them towards becoming a customer, you need more information. But no one likes to fill long forms and that’s something we’ve known for years!

But Sephora tackles this well by identifying the essential fields they need a visitor to fill up before joining their Insider Program. 

4. Use captivating content

Copyhackers is a popular blog about copywriting. Now, given their forte with writing, they played to their strengths with their newsletter sign-up page having a well-written and captivating copy.

5. Attract with content they’d like to consume

This example from The Skimm is a popular type of email capture form used by companies to build an email list. By signing up on this form a visitor is aware that they will receive a weekly email.

Moreover, since the input fields include only the email (and sometimes even the name), it doesn't require a lot of personal details to get signed up.

6. Provide incentives

Who doesn't love discounts? Receiving promo codes and coupons, for filling out the email capture form is an excellent way to generate leads.

This form is great to target visitors who've visited your websites in the past or those who are ready to make a purchase but need a little push.

7. Ease out getting in touch

This type of email capture form is simple. It prompts the visitor to give away only one piece of information i.e., their email address before they can ask a question.

There's no beating around the bush, the form clearly states that once they sign up, they get a chance to ask the experts a question.

And that is why it works. 

8. Offer something for free

One way to drive up the sign-up conversions is by offering free stuff to the website visitor.

In this example. it's clear that once the form is filled out, the user will receive a free ravioli.

These types of forms work brilliantly through the year when you need to convince skeptical internet users to engage with your business. 

9. Get to know them better

This form by SurfStitch not only asks the visitor to fill the name and email address field but also comes with an extra input field: Choosing the gender.

This lets you get one step closer to identifying your store visitor and the demographics they fall under. 

10. Personalized email capture form

Frank Body is a company that sells coffee body scrubs and skin exfoliators.

They have a simple subscription pop-up form in the bottom right-hand corner a few seconds after you land on their site. 

11. The good ol’ way

A simple, straightforward email capture form is a great way to increase conversions. A brand that has achieved success on this front is Madewell.

12. Highlight benefits

When you fill your sign-up page with information on the benefits the subscriber will receive, it gives a boost to your rate of conversion. Especially if you’re offering something at a cost. One such brand that's good at this is Netflix.

13. Build trust

Mint, a personal finance app, offers financial services. Given the nature of its business, it ensures that its users feel comfortable sharing their personal information while signing up.

The form does a great job of reassuring users by adding a padlock icon to their CTA buttons. This gives a sense of security and reassurance to the user.

There's even a point where Mint stresses that the phone is the most secure method to verify your identity in the color orange to emphasize the importance of the statement.

We recommend you to check out: Email Security Best Practices For eCommerce Stores (For 2024)

14. Appeal to emotion

This email capture form can be used to get volunteers, event invites, and product launches.

The copy can be created in a way to instill a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) and inspire visitors to sign up. 

Do read: 25 Product Launch Email Examples That Drove Massive Sales (+Templates)

15. Direct them

This email capture form is from a website of a family-owned business Moscot, who’ve made their CTA sound a bit more personal as they invite website visitors to 'Join the family.'

16. Game with them

Gamifying your sign-up forms can make them fun to engage with — and Brooklinen certainly gets it right. A wheel of fortune email capture form introduces an exciting way to get customers to subscribe.

Your visitors get to spin a wheel and get prizes in exchange for their email addresses. These prizes can range from discount coupons, free shipping, or anything you’d like to offer. 

17. Hype ‘em up

Urban Southern keeps it simple: they please the customer.

They first open with a lovely little message and then ensure that all of the benefits of signing up are clearly visible.

Moreover, the form is a single column and is limited to two fields and a CTA which makes it easier to sign up.

Simple but suave, no?

18. Stay on-brand

Speaking the brand language, as Shinesty does here, is a great technique to attract new prospects and get them to engage with your website.

Why? Because they learn about your brand personality. It creates a sense of excitement and anticipation of community when a user relates to it.

19. Say it like it is

This email capture form from MeUndies leverages a simple, straightforward call-to-action giving a personal touch to the visitor.

An email capture form must have a strong call to action. To craft an effective CTA, write keeping in mind the reader’s point of view.

Words amplifying benefits that the subscriber will get should be used like explore, join, save, upgrade, and even something as simple and exciting as ‘sign me up’.

20. Give first

More than 50% of consumers like to gather as much information as possible around a product or a service before making a purchase decision.

In fact, they like to analyze whether or not a business has the capacity to serve them in an authoritative way even before engaging them. 

This ‘give-first’ approach is a great way to win their trust — and Birchbox certainly builds on that with this quick and fun pop-quiz that gives the audience a view into what they can expect when they sign up.

21. Humour’s always a good thing

It is not surprising that such forms have higher conversion rates than usual — and when they’re as funny as this example from Death Wish Coffee, it works out even better.

Quick tip? Any promotional offer you include must be the focus of the form. To get the potential lead’s attention, the content announcing the 30% promo code offer is in a different color from the rest of the text, but the same color as the call-to-action (CTA) box.

This signals to the visitor that to avail of the promo offer, they should first fill out the form. A quite clever way to build your mailing list.

22. Tell them what it’s worth

This email-capture form from KitchenAid is simple: it gives you all the information, tells you exactly what you can expect, and reassures your privacy.

That instills trust and promotes benefits as a means to increase conversions.

In addition to this, the brand has a captivating image in the background to give a sneak peek to entice the visitor.

23. Fun & functional

Who doesn’t like to have some fun?

This example from Bando playfully uses clever copy and great visuals to paint a picture. 

By simply asking ‘like fun emails?’, they’re letting their readers know that they’re fun, they’re urban, and their newsletter is one customers would look forward to.

24. Ask for the important stuff

Custom fields, like in this example from Mansur Gavriel, work great if you have a large target audience, spread across different demographics in terms of age, gender, or even location.

Considering the importance of personalization in email communication, this type of email capture form also helps you implement segmentation.

But for this to be able to work, you need to have a broader categorization of your audience in place to be able to ask the right question. 

25. Get their FOMO

This form attempts to grasp the visitors' attention by appealing to their emotional side. It uses content that echoes the sentiment of the brand and how it forms a community.

This makes the visitor who is filling it out feel like they can be part of the movement and have a collective purpose.

See how this email capture form from Salt does that?

26. Keep them engaged

No matter the age, everyone enjoys spinning the wheel. Even though website visitors might've stumbled on a lot of these, anything fun and interesting will let them remember your brand. 

27. Freebies for the win

A well-designed lead generation can make up for website content that doesn’t click and give you a chance to retain website visitors who may otherwise drop off from your webpage.

Moreover, these forms promise a certain value to the reader and have the power to convert a first-time visitor into a loyal customer (based on the quality of the resource offered).

And for a parent, this resource from HatchBaby clearly does. See the appeal?

28. Keep things real

First thing you’ll notice here is not the 15% discount, but the copy that talks about how pop-ups are annoying. After all, aren’t they?

Doesn’t mean they can’t be used well, just like Frank & Oak has done here. This not only breaks the ice with the customer but also gives the visitors an idea of what they have in store when they subscribe. 

29. Remind them again (& again)

People aren’t exactly blessed with the best memories. We mean, there is a reason why the average attention span is 8 seconds.

But that’s no reason to fret. Take a note from Tahari and keep reminding your visitors again (and again) exactly why they should sign up with you.

30. Prioritize brand talk

Brand talk is important — even more so when you’re getting visitors to sign up. So, stress on it, jazz it up, and make each visitor feel like they belong.

See how Gwen Beloti successfully creates an entire experience in this example?

31. List out the benefits

Freebies and discounts, like the one featured in this example from Tommy Hilfiger, are a great way to build initial engagement with a visitor.

Your conversion rates could go up by 15% when you offer an incentive in an email capture form.

These are great for top-of-funnel website visitors who typically need a trial or a little motivation to engage with your business. 

32. Join the club

Fun fact: everyone wants to belong — and RayBan certainly knows that.

With copy that cleverly creates a niche, they’re putting forth their benefits with as many as 15 words.

Pretty neat trick, no?

33. Play with your words

Even though the email capture form is pretty simple without fancy verbiage, the copy around it can attract the user.

Madewell is clearly communicating the value its email newsletters would bring to its subscribers.

Along with this information, the brand lists out the benefits that subscribers will get, which includes special sales, new arrivals, and exclusive finds. 

34. Back to the basics

The striking CTA, clear visual hierarchy and the basic requirement of an email address make this email capture form from Zara a perfect example for lead magnets and newsletter sign-ups.

35. Use the right words

An interesting CTA button and a great bonus such as the ones mentioned in the example from The Alison Show can also get the lead thrilled to sign up.

The tone of voice reflected will give the subscriber an idea of what to expect from the emails. With the help of straightforward copy, this type of email capture form will easily help build your email list.

Recommended reading: eCommerce Product Categorization: 10 Scientific Approaches

36. Understand your audience

Sign-up forms, like this one from Ralph Lauren, are perfect for visitors who have heard about your brand and are keen to know more. Such people could also have questions about your product or service that they are still not sure on whether to buy or not.

Pro tip: Always keep these email capture forms crisp as you’d want a visitor to sign up and contact you as quickly as possible.

Hey, have you seen this? 10-point checklist for writing amazing welcome emails

37. Bring in social

Bringing in social media is an incredible idea as it is a great way to connect with younger audiences.

Plus, the hardgraft sign-up form asks for a minimum number of input fields (email address, phone no, and city), thus making it very easy and quick to get started.

38. Stick to the basics

Now while IKEA’s email capture form definitely looks a little lengthier, it still converts. The reason being that they use this email capture form on a page where they are getting a visitor who most likely has already bought from them, to join their loyalty program.

The page reinstates the benefits they get to avail from the program, making it a little more enticing for them to spend time signing up for it. 

39. Discounts galore

JCrew ensures the discount is clear and prominent so you know exactly what you get when you sign up. Plus, they sport a ton of apparel that gives viewers an insight into all the brand has to offer.

40. Learn to personalize

Engaging CTAs like 'Get news and offers’ tend to work great for brands' The reason is simple: Consumers want instant gratification. 

Moreover, the personalization in this example from Nike is coupled with a great background visual that helps tempt the visitor into signing up.

41. Show off the incentives

Fun fact: Offering an incentive can boost your signup form conversion rate by up to 15%.

Subscriptions based on offers, as well as value adds such as in this example from Kate Spade, tend to work very well compared to those without.

That is especially during seasonal events or the festive season (Halloween, Christmas, New Year's) or product launches where the brand can even advertise limited product availability.

42. Offer enticing visuals

This pop-up email capture, with a beautiful visual, appears at the perfect location on the webpage, making it hard to miss. 

Additionally, it provides visitors an incentive to subscribe and gain an additional benefit of 10 percent off on their first purchase. It serves as a great motivator for visitors to sign up for MVMT’s newsletter and in turn shop for products. 

PS: Did you know that 43% of consumers in the United States are more likely to make a purchase from businesses that use personalization techniques? Read more about it here.

43. Sometimes, simplicity is key

Amazon nails simplicity with this email capture form. After you click the sign-up button on the homepage, a modal appears asking only for the most bare details. That makes the process easy and convenient.

44. Give them their space

Customers like their space — and that’s okay — as long as you use it well, as Sweaty Betty has done here.

By including a live chat option to the side of the screen, they’re letting customers know they’re available while also giving them a chance to continue their shopping.

45. Jazz up your copy

The best part about this one is that potential leads are ensured that their inbox will not become a “man made hellscape”. This brings them confidence that they will actually like their inbox with Shinesty.

Want to become a pro at writing? Check out 14 Rules to Write Highly Persuasive Product Descriptions

Sign-up forms not only help the business grow their mailing list in the quickest way possible, but it also helps visitors of the website to understand the brand better.

From motivating people to download a lead magnet to inviting them for a product launch, or even signing up for a Christmas special, the sign-up form can be customized according to your business needs.

To create an effective sign-up form, you can follow the below steps: 

Keep It Simple without the inclusion of unnecessary words and extra fields. 

Don't use two columns so that there's no room for misinterpretation. Make sure it is an end-to-end experience that can be achieved with a single-column form. 

Don’t ask for information twice as it could make the sign-up process frustrating. For example, when asking users to re-enter their passwords, you can offer a feature where they can unmask the password so they can double-check it before submitting the form.

Use a CTA button so that it makes it clear how a lead should submit the form they just completed. The CTA button should also be easy to see and use.

Remove distractions that include ads, photos, or videos. You can achieve better results, with a pop-up, a dedicated landing page so that visitors can complete the form without having to deal with much clutter.

Use Inline Form Validation so that incorrect information in the form fields gets an error message so they are unable to submit the form until they fix the  inline form validation. This ensures that only accurate information is submitted and, thereby, saves time for everyone.

Make the value of signing up clear so that your leads are motivated to complete the sign-up form quickly. You could be offering a free trial, first-time purchase discount, or weekly newsletter; it is important to state the value your lead will get on signing up.

Show social proof in the manner of testimonial quotes or product reviews. It's a common trait for an online shopper to check the product review before making a purchase decision. This is why marketers rely on the use of social proof to get their visitors to complete their sign-up forms. 

Tell your leads what happens after they sign-up. It can be an update regarding the weekly email, product launch announcements, quarterly company news, or an annual check-in. 

Don’t Use CAPTCHA as completing them is a cumbersome task. Their main purpose is to detect bots and decrease SPAM. So if it's a necessity add a reCAPTCHA which allows leads to simply check a box that says, 'I’m not a robot, to make it easier for them.

Test your sign-up forms before launching them on your website. This step is necessary so that your leads don't face any issues.

Sign-up forms continue to be the most affordable means to generate leads. They also give you an insight into the kind of people who want to know more about your brand, products, and services.

With the steps listed above, you will be able to create an attractive and easy-to-follow form that is sure to increase your conversions.