How to add a newsletter signup to a website

Before you build: what are you promising?

A signup box that says only "Subscribe to our newsletter" asks people to give an address for nothing in particular. Write one sentence that answers what, how often and why: "A short email on the first Monday of each month with new prints and studio dates." That sentence is your consent wording too: it tells people what they're agreeing to receive.

Design the form

One field: email. Every extra field costs sign-ups. Ask for a first name only if you'll really use it in every email.
A visible label, not just placeholder text that disappears when someone starts typing.
A button that says what happens: "Get the monthly email" beats "Submit".
A line under the button saying they can unsubscribe at any time, and a link to your privacy policy.
No pre-ticked boxes for other lists or offers.
A clear thank-you, telling them to check their inbox if you send a confirmation.

Where to put it

Put it where someone has just been given a reason to want more: at the end of an article, under a product they can't buy yet, beside an events list. A footer signup on every page catches the rest. A pop-up that interrupts a first visit tends to annoy more people than it converts; if you use one at all, delay it and make it easy to dismiss.

Connect it to your email platform

Create the list or form in your email tool (an audience in Mailchimp, a form in Kit, and so on).
Turn on double opt-in if the tool offers it. Mailchimp's double opt-in sends a confirmation email, and only people who click it join the list. It keeps typos, fake addresses and other people's addresses off your list.
Connect your website form to that list, through a built-in integration, the tool's own embedded form, or a webhook.
Write the confirmation and welcome emails in the platform. The welcome email is a good place to repeat what they signed up for.
Check the platform's sending domain. Authenticate it with your domain so emails don't land in spam; see SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Keeping it lawful

In the UK, the ICO's guidance on electronic mail marketing says you generally need specific consent before sending marketing emails to individuals, with a narrow "soft opt-in" for existing customers about similar products if you offered an opt-out when you collected their details. Every message needs a working unsubscribe, and you must say who you are. EU rules are similar. In practice: don't add enquirers or customers to the newsletter unless they chose it, keep a record of when and how each person signed up, and act on unsubscribes promptly. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.

Test it end to end

Sign up with an address you control that has never been on the list.
Check the thank-you message appears on the site.
Find the confirmation email (check spam) and click it.
Confirm the address appears in the platform as subscribed, with the right source.
Send yourself a test campaign and unsubscribe from it. Confirm the status changes.

Common mistakes

Importing every contact form enquirer into the newsletter.
A signup that saves addresses somewhere nobody exports from, so they never reach the email tool.
No welcome email, so the first message arrives weeks later from a name people don't recognise.
Testing with an address already on the list, which hides problems with new sign-ups.

Newsletter signups on Anticode sites

Anticode's built-in newsletter form asks for an email address only, which matches the advice above. Sign-ups are saved and sealed at rest in your project, can email you, and can go to your email platform through a connector. The Mailchimp connector adds new sign-ups as pending, so Mailchimp sends its own confirmation email (double opt-in). The Kit connector adds them to the Kit form you choose. Both receive newsletter sign-ups only, never contact or booking submissions, so enquirers aren't added to your list by accident.

Limits: the form has one fixed field, so you can't add a name, interest tick boxes or a consent checkbox to it; put your consent wording in the text around it. Each sign-up is sent to the connector once, without retries, and remains in your project if delivery fails. The contact form fields guide covers the other built-in forms.

Questions people ask

Do I need double opt-in?

It isn't always a legal requirement, but it's the simplest way to prove each person asked to join and to keep bad addresses off your list.

Should I ask for a first name?

Only if you'll use it in every email. A second field reduces sign-ups, and a personalised greeting rarely makes up for it.

Can I add my customers to the newsletter?

In the UK, existing customers can sometimes be emailed about similar products under the soft opt-in, if they were offered an opt-out when you collected their details. Otherwise, ask them to sign up.

Sources

Mailchimp: About double opt-in, checked 24 October 2026
ICO: Electronic mail marketing, checked 24 October 2026