Ask readers to subscribe after they've read most of a post
A sign-up box on arrival interrupts people who haven't read a word yet. Show it to readers who scrolled most of the way, when they're convinced.
A newsletter box that appears the moment someone lands asks them to sign up before they've read a word. Readers who scroll most of the way through a post have shown they like what you write, which makes that the moment to ask. A slide-in panel at the side asks politely, and the reader can keep reading.
Pick the moment
| Signal | Means | Use it for |
|---|
| Scroll Depth (%) greater than 60 | They read most of the page | Asking for a sign-up |
| Time on Page (sec) greater than 90 | They're spending real time on it | Long posts that people read slowly |
| Pages This Session greater than 2 | They're browsing more than one post | A "get the next one" offer |
Scroll Depth and Time on Page start at zero on every page and are checked as the visitor reads, so the panel appears the moment they cross the line (Behavior conditions).
A Slide-in Panel comes in from the side and leaves the post readable. A popup stops the reader until they close it: save it for something worth interrupting for (Choosing between similar actions). On phones, the panel is never wider than the screen.
Build it
- Create a rule. Under When visitor matches, add Page URL/Path starts with
/blog/, and Scroll Depth (%) greater than 60.
- Choose Slide-in Panel. Write a short title, such as Enjoyed this guide? Get the next one by email., and link its button to your sign-up form.
- Set Display Frequency to Once Every X Days, so readers aren't asked on every post (Display frequency).
- Switch on Stop after the main button is clicked, so someone who went to sign up isn't asked again.
- Choose Save & Publish.
Try this rule in the GeoEngage rule builder, no account needed.
Don't ask people who already said yes
If your newsletter tool sets a cookie when someone subscribes, a Cookie Value condition can leave subscribers out. If your site knows who's subscribed, your code can say so with setAttributes, and a Visitor Attribute condition does the same more reliably (Customer data conditions).
Check that it helped
Make the sign-up a goal: a Page visit goal on your "thanks for subscribing" page, or a Form submit goal on the sign-up form (Goals and conversions). Then test the panel with A/B Testing, one version against nothing (A/B tests). Compare the number of sign-ups, and watch that people still read to the end.
Common questions
What about asking at the end of the post?
A sign-up block written into the post's last paragraph is worth having too. The panel adds a second chance for readers who stop just before the end.
Will it annoy readers?
Less than a popup on arrival. Keep it to engaged readers, show it rarely, and make it easy to close.