How to add MailChimp subscribers from WordPress

You can add subscribers directly to a MailChimp mailing list from WordPress. This article describes two methods to do this:

• Use a WordPress plugin.
• Add HTML form code to a WordPress widget.

This article assumes that you have already signed up for and configured a MailChimp account. For information about how to do this.Table of Contents

• Method #1: Use a plugin
  • Installing the plugin
  • Configuring the plugin
• Method #2: Add HTML form code to a widget

Method #1: Use a plugin

There are numerous plugins that enable you to integrate WordPress with MailChimp mailing lists. This method describes how to install and configure the popular MailChimp for WordPress plugin.

To view a complete list of MailChimp plugins on the official WordPress site, please visit http://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=mailchimp.

Installing the plugin

To install the MailChimp for WordPress plugin, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the WordPress site as the administrator.
2. In the left pane, click Plugins.
3. Click Add New.
4. In the Search Plugins text box, type mailchimp for wordpress, and then press Enter.
5. Locate MailChimp for WordPress in the list of search results, and then click Install Now.
6. After WordPress finishes installing the plugin, click Activate Plugin.
7. In the left pane, click MailChimp for WP, and then click MailChimp. The MailChimp for WordPress: MailChimp Settings page appears.
8. Under MailChimp API Settings, the Status field is set to NOT CONNECTED. To connect your WordPress site to your MailChimp account, in the API Key text box, paste your MailChimp API key.If you do not know your MailChimp API key, or have not generated an API key yet, follow these steps:
   • Log in to your MailChimp account.
   • On the top menu bar, click your name, and then click Account.
   • Click Extras, and then click API keys:
     • If you have already generated an API key, in the API key column, copy the entire alphanumeric string.
     • If you have not generated an API key yet, click Create a Key. In the API key column, copy the entire alphanumeric string.
9. Click Save Changes. The Status field should now be set to CONNECTED. If it is not, review the API key you provided in step 8, and then try again.

Configuring the plugin

After you install the MailChimp for WordPress plugin, you’re ready to integrate subscription options with your site. There are two ways to do this:

• Check boxes: You can add subscription check boxes to comment and registration forms. For example, the comment section of your posts can have a check box that says “Sign me up for your newsletter!”.
• Forms: You can add a subscription form to pages and posts. For example, readers can submit their e-mail address and then click “Sign up”.

For detailed information about how to configure these options, please visit https://mc4wp.com/kb.

Method #2: Add HTML form code to a widget

If you don’t want the extra overhead of a plugin on your WordPress site, you can manually add HTML form code to a widget. The HTML code contains all you need to add a subscription form to your WordPress site’s sidebar.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your MailChimp account.
2. On the top menu bar, click Lists.
3. Locate the list for which you want to add a signup form, and then click the  icon.
4. Click Signup forms. A list of available forms appears.
5. Next to Embedded forms, click Select.
6. Under Embedded forms, select the tab for the overall style you want for the form, such as Classic or Super Slim.
7. Under Form options, select the options and fields you want to appear in the form.As you make changes, the Preview area dynamically updates what the form will look like.
8. When you are done making changes to the form, in the Copy/paste onto your site text box, copy the entire block of HTML code.
9. Log in to WordPress as the administrator.
10. In the left pane, click Appearance, and then click Widgets. The Widgets page appears.
11. Drag a Text widget from the Available Widgets section over to the Widget Area section.You can rearrange the order of widgets in the sidebar. To do this, drag and drop a widget within the Widget Area section to its new position.
12. In the Title text box, you can add a title to the form, or leave it blank.
13. In the Content text box, paste the HTML code that you copied in step 8.
14. Click Save. The signup form appears in your site’s sidebar immediately.

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