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Mailchimp Subscribe app: capture new subscribers
Mailchimp Subscribe app: capture new subscribers

Capture new subscribers in the Messenger and during Intercom conversations — sync with any Mailchimp mailing list.

Beth-Ann Sher avatar
Written by Beth-Ann Sher
Updated over a week ago

With the Mailchimp Subscribe app, you can capture new email subscribers in the Messenger home and sync them with your Mailchimp mailing lists. 

If your visitors or users aren’t ready to create an account or make a purchase, they can leave their email address. And you can offer rewards like valuable content, discount codes or just follow up with a simple thank you message. 

Note: To use the Mailchimp subscribe app you’ll need a Mailchimp account and any paid Intercom plan.

Install the Mailchimp Subscribe app 

You can install the Mailchimp Subscribe app from the Customize Home with apps section of your Messenger settings or from the App store. Here we’re going to install it from the App store (but both methods work the same). 

First, head to the App store and search for the Mailchimp Subscribe app, then select it. 

Next, click ‘Install now':

Then, click ‘Connect.’ If you haven’t logged into your Mailchimp account you’ll be prompted to do so.

You’ll also need to ‘Allow access’ to accept permissions. 

Choose which content to display  

Now, you’ll need to fill out the content that will appear in the Messenger card for your visitors or users. 

First, select the Mailchimp mail list you’d like to sync to Intercom, like your newsletter subscriber list:

Then, add a clear, enticing title to attract users to subscribe via the Messenger:

This is your call to action - it should incentivize people to give you their email address. We recommend telling people what they’ll gain by subscribing - for example, that could be weekly tips.

Next, add a description. This gives you a little more room to explain your call to action. For example, you can tell your customers that they should subscribe to your newsletter in exchange for tips, a discount code or a piece of content you’re offering:

Then, add a friendly confirmation message. It’s a good idea to let your customers know you’re grateful they signed up:

Next, we recommend adding a reward for customers to receive after leaving their email address. You can offer: 

  • A discount code

  • A link to a piece of content they can download (like an ebook, a whitepaper or a cheatsheet)

  • Or useful additional text (for example, you could let customers know that they’ll receive your newsletter every Monday):

Troubleshooting the Mailchimp Subscribe app

You may see the following error when saving your Mailchimp settings:

"This list has required merge fields. Please update the list settings in Mailchimp and try again."

This means your Mailchimp list has one or more required merge fields which cannot be captured by the Mailchimp Subscribe app. To use this list, update the list settings in Mailchimp, so there are no required fields.

Capture new subscribers in the Messenger: 

Once you set up the Mailchimp Subscribe app, there are two ways you can capture new subscribers: 

  • You can add the app to your Messenger home and let people discover it themselves.

  • Or you can share it in conversations with individual users/visitors. 

Add the app to your Messenger home 

It’s easy to add the Mailchimp Subscribe app to your Messenger home. 

Just go to Settings > Channels > Messenger > Customize Home with apps and click Add an app then choose the Mailchimp Subscribe app:

If you want to show the app to both your visitors and users you’ll need to add it to 'For users' and 'For visitors'.

Once you save and set the app live, it will appear in your Messenger home.

Once your customers open the Messenger on your product/site they’ll be able to easily subscribe to your Mailchimp list.

As soon as they enter their email address, they’ll receive their reward if you've created one, and a confirmation that they’ve subscribed. 

Capture subscribers while you chat

When chatting to customers, you can easily check their subscription status, and subscribe them to your mailing list.

To add the Mailchimp Subscribe app to your Help Desk, click 'Edit apps':

Then, click the pin icon to select ‘Mailchimp Subscribe’:

Now you’ll see the Mailchimp Subscribe app in your Help Desk. If a visitor or user asks to subscribe to your mailing list, you can easily send them a subscription form:

Once sent, they’ll be able to subscribe directly in the conversation:

If a user has already subscribed to your mailing list, the app will show their:

  • Subscription status (pending/subscribed/unsubscribed).

  • The Mailchimp audience they’re in.

  • Star rating in Mailchimp.

  • Open rate.

  • Click rate.

  • When they subscribed to your mailing list.

  • Mailchimp tags.

You can also unsubscribe users directly from the app if they no longer want to receive your emails.

Open and click rates are for emails sent through Mailchimp only, not Intercom Proactive Support Messages.


Tips to capture more quality Mailchimp subscribers

Test and optimize your subscription form

You should test a few different ways to engage your customers and capture their email addresses. For example, try different types of rewards, titles and descriptions, to see what kind of content and offers your customers engage with the most. 

Create different types of engaging content to share  

  • Send your customers a message asking what they’d like to read. It’s the fastest and most efficient way to gauge appetite for a particular topic or medium. 

  • Analyze your Google Analytics data to see the types of content your customers are reading and sharing most. Once you spot the most popular topics you can create more content around this 🙌 

  • Here’s some inspiration for writing ebooks worth reading 😁 


What’s next?  


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