How To Use OptinMonster – A Step-By-Step Tutorial!

OptinMonster provides some of the most comprehensive features offered by any conversion optimization tool in the world! And in this step-by-step tutorial, we show you how to use OptinMonster and get the most out of this snazzy software!

Quick question.

Are you interested in conversion optimization?

Then you need OptinMonster.

Perhaps, you’ve even heard that it is one of the best lead capture software. Ever!

You may even be hoping to buy soon but you’re worried you might not know how to use OptinMonster? Worried you might not be able to figure it out?

That it might be too complicated for someone who’s strapped for time as it is.

Well, you need not worry!

OptinMonster is a cinch to use as long as you have a guide by your side, a loyal Sherpa that’ll take you by the hand and lead you every step of the way.

And wouldn’t you know it, my guide here is primed and ready to serve you.

So let’s go, those Himalayas won’t conquer themselves.

How to Use OptinMonster (Step by Step Tutorial)

Ok, let’s get started. 

Remember that OptinMonster seems more intimidating than it really is. As long as you keep following this tutorial step by step you have nothing to worry about.

You’ll have your first campaign up and running in no time.

Step #1. Buy the Plan You Need

Note: PLease skip this step if you’ve already purchased an OptinMonster plan.

The first step is to buy the plan you need.

When buying OptinMonster you have to take into account your budget (obviously), but also how many sites you want to use OptinMonster on, or which OptinMonster features you really need.

I say it because OptinMonster plans differ in features that you can get with them.

For example, the Basic plan lets you run OptinMonster on just one website, and you don’t get access to exciting features like exit-intent popups, Yes/No forms or On-Site retargeting.

So if you want to have exit intent-triggered popups on your site ( which is a super powerful feature btw), you’ll need to buy the Pro plan which has that feature in its arsenal, can hook up with 3 sites, and costs $29/mo, significantly higher of $9/mo for Basic plan.

Keep this in mind so you don’t make a mistake of buying a plan that can’t do what you have planned for it.

Step #2. Log in and Add Your Website

OptinMonster can’t work its magic unless you first add a property to it.

So, log in to your OptinMonster dashboard and click on “Create a new Site”

Step #3. Create Your First Campaign

Let’s quickly make a new campaign.

First, click on the big “Create New Campaign” button in the upper right corner.

Second, let’s pick the type of campaign we want to create.

On my current OptinMonster plan I have access to:

• Popup;
• Floating bar;
• Fullscreen;
• Inline;
• Slide-in;

I’ll go with the  Fullscreen optin as I lack one of those on my site and I think they can be super effective when done right.

Third, I need to pick a template to use as a base for my future optin. 

Yes, it’s possible to start from a blank canvas, but using templates makes it easier, faster, and OptinMonster CRO pros have already super optimized them to attract clicks and subscriptions.

Ok, this is how my fullscreen template looks.

Immediately you can see that the screen is divided in two and a half parts.

On the right there’s the fullscreen optin which you can modify simply by clicking on an element and typing.

On the left there’s a whole series of tabs where you can set up your campaign to be exactly as you want it. 

More on that in a moment.

And in the header area you have the option to publish, connect with analytics, tinker with display rules etc.

OptinMonster let’s you play with their pre-made templates any way you want.

To change the look click on “Optin Settings”

Here are the options:

1. Optin Settings

• Optin View Styles– change the way your optin looks. Background image, colors and everything else.
• Close Button- decide here whether to have a close button, where to put it, and what shape should it be in. (Note: making it obscure and in an unfamiliar position might slightly increase conversion rates).
• Fullscreen Background- change the background of the fullscreen optin.
• Custom CSS- add custom CSS (not a requirement).
• Custom JavaScript- add custom JavaScript (not a requirement).

b) Blocks

Here you can add additional blocks to make your optin more elaborate.

I’ll skip it for now because I believe that simplicity is key for high conversions.

The basic rule in CRO is to not make them think. And to serve them optins where they can grasp your offer in one second, fill in your form in two seconds, and by the time the third second  is gone, so have they, but their best email remained.

c) Display Settings

• Show Campaign Again After X Days– if the user didn’t convert right away, show them the same campaign after a set number of days.
• Show Campaign to Converted Visitor After X Days– when will those who converted come face-to-face with the same popup that converted them? You can disable this feature completely too.
• User Browser Memory Duration- how long will the user’s browser remember they’ve seen this campaign (cookie duration).
• Display Powered by Link- you can turn it off, but if you don’t that OptinMonster link is actually going to be your affiliate link, so you may earn passive income through your lead generation.

d) Fullscreen Settings

• Display a page slider- enable this so the campaign slides down instead of fading in.
• Close on background click- enable this so the user can get out of fullscreen mode offer by clicking anywhere around the optin. (Note: keep this enabled as it’s considered spam to make it impossible for them to get out without handing in their email. Also, Google has a penalty in store for those shady marketers. 

e) Custom Colors

According to OptinMonster:

“Custom colors allow you to define a set of custom colors swatch that are available in all color pickers for this campaign”.

Personally, I see no use for this feature. Maybe if you’re a pro designer you can see the value I’m failing to notice?

Uff, all of that was step #3.

Now let’s move onto…

#4. Connect With Your ESP

ESP stands for Email Service Provider and it’s basically your email marketing provider you need to hook up with OptionMonster so that leads captured by OptinMonster get assigned to your email list.

To connect OptinMonster with your chosen ESP click the “Integrations” tab in the header menu.

Then click “Add new integration” and just follow the prompts OptinMonster gives you. It’s a 2m job.

Note: don’t worry if you are not subscribed to any ESP at the moment.

You can still start collecting leads with OptinMonster as they’ll be stored within Monster Leads from where you’ll easily be able to easily manage your list and later export  once you’re ready to buy a proper ESP.

Step #5. Connect With Google Analytics

This is entirely optional and I’m not sure it’s even necessary for someone who’s just starting with their first OptinMonster campaigns (that’s you).

But, you can hook up OptinMonster and Google Analytic so that data from GA populates your OptinMonster dashboard.

I don’t have room for it here but check out this official tutorial over at OptinMonster.

Note: if you decide to forgo connecting OptinMonster and Google Analytics, you can always rely on the inbuilt OptinMonster analytics to give you valuable insights on how your campaigns are performing.

Here’s what they look like in my Semrush free 30-day trial.

#6. Publish

Your first optinMonster  campaign is done and now you’re ready to publish it.

Head on over to the “Publish” section and click the button (or you can schedule it for later).

Then copy the global embed code you’ll see below and paste it into your website’s homepage, within the <body> section.

More instructions here.

You only have to do this once and it will automate all OptinMonster campaigns you create in the future

Step #7. How To Use OptinMonster – Managing Your Campaigns

Head on over to your Campaigns dashboard and find your new campaign.

Because it’s new there won’t be any analytics data to speak of (except a bunch of zeros) but here’s what you can do with this campaign.

• Edit campaigns- return to the drawing board and change your campaign here;
• View analytics- view detailed analytics;
• Get embed code– use the code to start displaying your optin on your site;
• Create split test- build an A/B campaign;
• Create duplicate- duplicate your campaign;
• Add to site- add campaign to one or more websites;
• Add to folder- separate your campaigns in folders for easier management.
• Archive campaigns- suspend your campaign (but don’t delete it);
• Trash campaign- delete your campaign.

How To Use OptinMonster FAQ- All Your Questions Answered!

If you go to Quora and search for OptinMonster, you’ll see people asking around about their plans, pricing and functionalities.

But most of all, they want to know how they should start using the tool, and what’s the first thing they need to do.

Savvy marketer as I am :), it tells me folks want to learn more about how to use OptinMonster.

So I scooped up the best questions and answered them here.

Enjoy!

#1- How Do You Use OptinMonster? 

Once you buy OptinMonster and you see all the abundant functionalities it has, it gets really tempting to start using them all at once and to build some really elaborate and complicated campaigns.

Don’t!

As a novice to the tool I strongly advise you to start slow, maybe with a simple popup optin campaign, and then move on from there.

If you do too much at the beginning , your campaign will be crappy and you’ll lose faith in it quickly.

And you might even give up on OptinMonster which would be a BIG mistake on your part.

#2- Is There a Free Version of OptinMonster?

There is no free version of OptinMonster. There isn’t even a free trial.

However, there is a solid 14-day money back guarantee.

#3- What is the OptinMonster WordPress Pugin? How Do I Use it?

OptinMonster WP plugin is the easiest way to connect your WordPress site with your OptinMonster account.

It’s very easy to use. SImply install the plugin from your WordPress dashboard, go to OptinMonster and get your product key.

Add it into the designated field and activate the plugin.

More information in the video below.

#4- Do I Really Need OptinMonster?

That’s for you to decide. If you monetize with ads, and don’t care about having an email list, then there’s no need to use OptinMonster. Save your money there.

But, if you’ run an affiliate website like me, and you want to convert as many visitors as you possibly can; 

And you understand that some people need to come 3-4 times to your site before they convert; 

Then you do need OptinMonster as it will help expedite your list building process + and you will make more money in the medium to long run.

#5- How Do I Use OptinMonster Embed Code?

For the full tutorial please click this link and visit OptinMonster 

But here’s the basic overview:

1. Create a campaign as normal, but don’t publish it.
2. Go to Publish> Platform and find the embed code. Pick the Global Embed
3. Go to your site and delve into its source code (pr you can use the Insert Header and Footer plugin) paste your code just above the closing <body> tag.
4. Go back to OptinMonster and publish your campaign.

That’s it!

#6- Does OptinMonster Integrate With MailChimp?

Yes. OptinMonser integrates with Mailchimp, 60 other ESP’s and also with Zapier (and through Zapier with every other app on the market).

#7- Is There an OptinMonster Free Trial Available? What About Money Back Guarantee?

No 🙂

There is no OptinMonster free trial, and the option never existed.

There is a 14-day refund guarantee available on every plan and from what I’ve gathered when researching online, OptinMonster honor their guarantee to the tee, and everyone who canceled in the first 14 days has had their money returned to them.

Also, for a limited you can get any of the OptinMonster price plans at a great discount.

How to Use OptinMonster – Your Turn

Let me guess.

You came to this post thinking that OptinMonster might just be too complicated a tool to learn, too cumbersome to master on a tight schedule.

I hope now that you’ve read this Guide, you realize that getting started with OptinMonster is a cinch, and that the tool is totally worth the initial 5 – 10 minute of hassle.

Here’s the bottom line.

The learning curve is flatter than it seems at first glance, and you can use OptinMonster successfully.

And if you’re still having problems even after having read this guide, leave me a comment below and tell me what’s wrong and what’s confusing you.

I’ll be glad to assist you.