WordPress Email Marketing: From Opt-in to Automation in 2025

# WordPress Email Marketing: From Opt-in to Automation in 2025 Email marketing has an average ROI of €38 for every euro spent. That makes it one of the most effective marketing channels. With WordPress you can easily build an email list and send automated campaigns. In this guide we compare the best email marketing tools, teach you how to create opt-in forms and how to set up automations. We also discuss GDPR compliance - because privacy is important. ## Why Email Marketing is Essential for Your WordPress Site Social media algorithms constantly change and your reach drops. With email marketing you have direct access to your target audience. Benefits: - **Higher conversion**: email converts 3x better than social media - **Own list**: you're not dependent on platforms - **Personalization**: segment and send relevant content - **Automation**: send emails on autopilot - **Measurable results**: open rates, click rates, conversions For bloggers, webshops and businesses, email marketing is the most profitable investment. ## Choose Email Marketing Platform: Mailchimp vs Brevo vs ActiveCampaign There are dozens of email marketing tools. We compare the three most popular options for WordPress users. ### Mailchimp: Best for Beginners Mailchimp is the most famous name in email marketing. The platform is user-friendly and has strong WordPress integration. **Pricing:** - Free: up to 500 contacts, 1,000 emails per month - Essentials: from €11.48/month for 500 contacts - Standard: from €17.22/month with automations - Premium: from €343.99/month for advanced features **Advantages:** - Intuitive interface, ideal for beginners - Drag-and-drop email builder - Free plan available - Strong reporting and analytics - Many integrations (WooCommerce, Contact Form 7) **Disadvantages:** - Expensive with larger lists (5,000+ contacts) - Automations only from Standard plan - Support limited on cheaper plans - Less flexible segmentation **For whom:** Beginners and small businesses seeking simplicity and not immediately needing advanced automations. ### Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Best Price-Quality Brevo is a French email marketing tool with competitive prices and powerful features. **Pricing:** - Free: unlimited contacts, 300 emails per day - Starter: from €9.00/month for 5,000 emails - Business: from €18.00/month with marketing automation - Enterprise: custom, from €999.00/month **Advantages:** - Unlimited contacts on all plans - SMS marketing included - Transactional emails (order confirmations) - Landing pages and signup forms - WhatsApp Business integration **Disadvantages:** - Interface less polished than Mailchimp - Limited templates in free version - Automations from Business plan - Less known name (can affect trust) **For whom:** Budget-conscious entrepreneurs with many contacts who want to combine SMS marketing with email. ### ActiveCampaign: Best for Advanced Automation ActiveCampaign is the powerhouse for marketing automation and CRM functionality. **Pricing:** - Lite: from €15.00/month for 500 contacts - Plus: from €70.00/month with CRM and lead scoring - Professional: from €187.00/month with split testing - Enterprise: custom, from €315.00/month **Advantages:** - Most advanced automations - Built-in CRM - Predictive sending (AI-powered timing) - Lead scoring and tagging - Attribution tracking - SMS and site messaging **Disadvantages:** - More expensive than alternatives - Learning curve for beginners - Overwhelming number of features - Support response time could be better **For whom:** Serious marketers and businesses wanting to automate complex funnels and intelligently score leads. ### Other Options **ConvertKit** (from €15.00/month): ideal for creators and bloggers, simple but powerful. **MailerLite** (free up to 1,000 contacts): excellent free tier with good features. **GetResponse** (from €13.30/month): all-in-one with webinars and landing pages. ### Which to Choose? - **Beginners with small budget**: Brevo free or MailerLite - **Easy and user-friendly**: Mailchimp - **Best price-quality**: Brevo Business - **Advanced automation**: ActiveCampaign - **Bloggers and creators**: ConvertKit Also check our list of [best WordPress plugins](/nl/wordpress/plugins) for more marketing tools. ## Create Converting Opt-in Forms Your email list only grows with good signup forms. Here's how to make forms that work. ### Form Types **Popup (lightbox)** - Appears over content - Highest conversion (average 3-5%) - Can be annoying if poorly timed - Good for exit-intent popups **Inline form** - In the content itself (after article, in sidebar) - Less intrusive - Lower conversion (1-2%) - Works well in the middle of blog posts **Sticky bar** - Stays visible at top or bottom - Subtle but always visible - Good conversion without annoyance - Ideal for blog sites **Slide-in** - Slides in from right or left - Less intrusive than popup - Good balance between conversion and UX - Works on mobile and desktop ### Form Plugins for WordPress **OptinMonster** (from €9.00/month) - Most advanced targeting - Exit-intent technology - A/B testing - Integration with all major ESPs - Page-level targeting **Bloom by Elegant Themes** (€89.00/year) - Part of Divi membership - 6 form types - 100+ templates - Good analytics - Elegant design **Mailchimp for WordPress** (free + pro) - Specific for Mailchimp - Simple and lightweight - Free version very usable - Pro from €59.00/year **Thrive Leads** (€299.00 lifetime or €19.00/month) - Advanced targeting - SmartLinks (show content based on list) - Multi-step optin - Extensive A/B testing For more form options check our [WordPress form plugins comparison](/nl/beste-wordpress-formulier-plugins). ### 7 Elements of a Converting Opt-in 1. **Catchy headline**: communicate value directly - BAD: "Subscribe to our newsletter" - GOOD: "Receive 3 WordPress tips weekly in your inbox" 2. **Clear value proposition**: what does the subscriber get? - Concrete benefits - Mention frequency (weekly, monthly) - No spam promise 3. **Minimal fields**: only ask what's needed - Email is enough for most purposes - Name can come later via segmentation - More fields = lower conversion 4. **Compelling CTA**: action-oriented button text - BAD: "Submit", "Click here" - GOOD: "Give me the tips", "Yes, I want to grow" 5. **Social proof**: show others subscribed - "Join 5,000+ readers" - Testimonials from subscribers - Trust badges (GDPR compliant, no spam) 6. **Lead magnet**: give something in exchange for email - Checklist, e-book, template - Video training or mini-course - Discount code (for webshops) 7. **Privacy statement**: be transparent - Link to privacy policy - "We hate spam as much as you" - Unsubscribe always possible ### Where to Place Forms **High-performing locations:** - End of blog posts (highest conversion) - Exit-intent popup when leaving page - Homepage as primary CTA - Sidebar (especially on blog posts) - Footer of every page - 404 page (you have their attention) **Always A/B test** different positions and designs to see what works for your audience. ## Set Up Email Automations Automations send emails at the right time without manual work. These are the most important flows. ### Welcome Series (Onboarding) New subscribers receive a series of emails welcoming them: **Email 1** (immediately after signup): - Confirm subscription - Deliver lead magnet (if you promised one) - Introduce yourself/your brand - Set expectations (what will they receive?) **Email 2** (1-2 days later): - Your best content (top 3 articles) - Social media follow - Personal story **Email 3** (3-4 days later): - Case study or success story - Soft CTA to product/service - Ask for feedback **Email 4-6** (spread over 1-2 weeks): - Educational content - Product introduction - Social proof - Special offer A good welcome series increases engagement by 50% and lifetime value of subscribers. ### Abandoned Cart Recovery (for WooCommerce) **Email 1** (1 hour after cart abandonment): - Reminder of items in cart - Direct link to checkout - Show product photos **Email 2** (24 hours later): - Add urgency (limited stock) - Social proof (reviews) - Short FAQ **Email 3** (72 hours later): - Last chance - Discount code (5-10%) - Alternative products Abandoned cart emails recover 15-30% of lost sales. That's pure profit. ### Re-engagement Campaign For inactive subscribers (not opened in 90+ days): **Email 1**: "Do you miss us?" - Casual tone - Ask why they're not opening anymore - Link to update preferences **Email 2**: "Last chance" - Offer value (best content from recent months) - Exclusive offer - Respect unsubscribe **Email 3**: Automatic unsubscribe - Clean your list of uninterested people - Improves deliverability - Lower costs (fewer contacts) ### Post-Purchase Flow (After Purchase) **Email 1**: Order confirmation - Confirm purchase - Track & trace info - Expected delivery time **Email 2**: Product received? - Ask for review - Instructions or usage tips - Cross-sell related products **Email 3**: Loyalty program - Introduce rewards - Referral program - VIP benefits ### Content Drip Campaign Send a series of educational emails spread over time: - Course divided into 7 lessons (1 per day) - Weekly tips about a topic - Monthly case studies This positions you as an expert and builds trust. ## GDPR Compliance: Email Marketing by the Rules GDPR has strict rules for email marketing in the EU. Here's how to stay compliant. ### Double Opt-in Required Single opt-in (directly sending emails after signup) is not GDPR-proof. Use double opt-in: 1. User fills in form 2. Receives confirmation email 3. Clicks confirmation link 4. Only then is email added to list All serious email marketing tools support this. ### What Must Be in Every Marketing Email **Required:** - Clear sender name and email - Physical address of your business - Unsubscribe link (prominent and working) - Reason why they receive this email **Optional but strongly recommended:** - Link to privacy policy - Preference management link - Transparency about data use ### Consent Must Be Specific You can't automatically send emails because someone: - Made a purchase - Filled contact form - Created account They must explicitly agree to marketing emails. Use a checkbox with clear text: "Yes, I want to receive weekly tips and offers from [Company]" Pre-checked boxes are not allowed under GDPR. ### Data Storage and Security - Don't store unnecessary data - Use encryption for storage - Give subscribers insight into their data - Delete data on request within 30 days - Document your processing (privacy policy) Large email platforms like Mailchimp and Brevo are GDPR compliant by default in terms of infrastructure. You are responsible for correct consent and data handling. ### Right to Be Forgotten Subscribers can request complete deletion. You must: - Delete all data within 30 days - Also from backups (or anonymize) - Confirm data has been deleted Good email tools have automatic workflows for this. ## Frequently Asked Questions **How often should I send emails?** There's no perfect answer - it depends on your audience and content. General guidelines: weekly for blogs, 2-3x per week for e-commerce, daily can work for news/deals sites. Test and watch unsubscribe rates. Are they rising? Send less. More important than frequency: consistency. If you say "weekly", send every week. **What's a good open rate?** Average open rates are between 15-25%. This depends on your industry. B2B often has higher rates (25-30%) than B2C (15-20%). Don't focus too much on open rates - Apple's privacy changes make them less reliable. Look at click rates and conversions. **Should I segment my list?** Yes, segmentation increases relevance and conversion. Basic segments: new subscribers vs existing, interested in product A vs B, active vs inactive. More advanced: based on behavior, purchase history, engagement level. Start simple and build out. **How do I prevent my emails from landing in spam?** Tips for good deliverability: use double opt-in, keep your list clean (remove bounces), avoid spam trigger words (FREE!!!, BUY NOW), balance text/image ratio, ensure correct DKIM/SPF setup, warm up new IP addresses, ask subscribers to add you to contacts. **Can I use a purchased email list?** Absolutely not. This is illegal under GDPR and destroys your sender reputation. Your emails land in spam, your account gets blocked by your ESP, and you can get heavy fines. Build your list organically. Quality over quantity. **What does email marketing cost on average?** For small lists (< 1,000 contacts) you can start for free. With growth: €10-50/month for 1,000-5,000 contacts, €50-200/month for 5,000-25,000 contacts. Enterprise lists (100k+) can cost €500-2,000/month. Calculate ROI: if you pay €50/month and make 5 extra sales of €100, you earn €450 net. **Does email marketing work for blogs without products?** Yes! Bloggers use email for: generating traffic to new posts, affiliate marketing, selling own products (e-books, courses), increasing ad revenue, building community. An engaged email list of 1,000 subscribers is more valuable than 10,000 social media followers. **Should I send HTML or plain text emails?** HTML emails look more professional and have higher conversion for e-commerce. Plain text feels more personal and works well for relationship-building and B2B. Test both! Some audiences prefer simple text emails. Modern email tools let you send both formats simultaneously.