- First, which kind of WordPress are you on?
- Setting up the List Subscribe plugin
- What you can change on the form, and what Mailchimp receives
- Embedded forms and popups instead of the plugin
- The WordPress.com limitation people miss
- Disconnecting later
- Other email tools with WordPress plugins
- My advice for a first signup form
- Frequently asked questions
To connect WordPress to Mailchimp on a self-hosted WordPress.org site, install Mailchimp's List Subscribe plugin, log in to Mailchimp from the plugin, pick your audience, then drag the Mailchimp Widget into a widget area. Subscribers who sign up pass straight to your audience. WordPress.com sites use a Mailchimp block or an embedded form instead.
First, which kind of WordPress are you on?
Before you install anything, work out which WordPress you've got, because it decides your route. A self-hosted WordPress.org site, the kind you run on your own hosting, can use Mailchimp's plugin. A site hosted by WordPress.com works differently, and the plugin's form widget won't work there.
| Your site | Route | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted WordPress.org | List Subscribe for WordPress plugin | A signup form widget that syncs to your Mailchimp audience |
| Self-hosted WordPress.org | Embedded form, form URL or form plugin | Mailchimp's own form code pasted into your site |
| WordPress.com, not on Business or eCommerce | Mailchimp block | A block added with the + Block Inserter, connected to the audience you pick |
| Either | Subscriber popup | A popup designed in Mailchimp and added by code |
Setting up the List Subscribe plugin
Mailchimp describes connecting as a three-part process: add the plugin, customise the signup form, and drag the form widget onto your site. Here are the steps as its help page lays them out.
- In your WordPress Admin Panel, go to Plugins, choose Add New Plugin, find Mailchimp List Subscribe Form and click Install Now, then Activate. The zip download from the Get Started route on Mailchimp's integration page is the alternative.
- In the left sidebar of the WordPress admin, select Mailchimp, then click Log in. This links the plugin to your account.
- Enter your Mailchimp username and password in the pop-up, click Log in, review the connection details and click Allow.
- Use the List drop-down to choose your Mailchimp audience, then click Update List. This decides where new subscribers land.
- Customise the form on the Setup page (content, styling, list options, merge fields and groups) and click Update Subscribe Form Settings.
- Go to Appearance, click Widgets, drag the Mailchimp Widget into a widget area such as the sidebar or footer, and click Save.
The form only appears once the widget is placed, and you only do that once. Screens in a current WordPress install may look slightly different from the help page, so go by the labels rather than the layout.
What you can change on the form, and what Mailchimp receives
The Setup page gives you more control than most people use. You can change the header, subheader and submit button text, switch on Remove CSS, set custom styling for the border, colour and text, add a referral program, turn on JavaScript support and choose double or single opt-in.
When someone signs up, Mailchimp receives their email address, name and any other list field or group info you've chosen to collect. Keep the fields short. Every extra box is a reason for someone to give up halfway.
If your theme has a custom-coded sidebar or something else that disables widgets, Mailchimp points you to the plugin's shortcode instead, which you can drop into a page or post.
Embedded forms and popups instead of the plugin
On a WordPress.org site you don't have to use the plugin at all. Mailchimp creates an embeddable form for each audience, and you paste its code into your site's HTML. You can also use form URLs or a form plugin you already run. Mailchimp says most WordPress sites work best with JavaScript disabled in the embedded form code, or with the Unstyled form.
Mailchimp's subscriber popup is designed in Mailchimp itself. If the site's connected through the Integrations page, the code is pushed to the site when you publish. Otherwise you choose Manually connect site under Connected sites and paste the snippet. Its WordPress integration page also says forms can sit anywhere on the site, including several forms on different pages feeding different lists.
If you're tidying up your plugin stack while you're at it, my list of WordPress plugins worth installing is a good place to check what else earns its place.
The WordPress.com limitation people miss
This catches out a lot of small business owners. According to Mailchimp Help, the official List Subscribe widget only works on self-hosted WordPress.org sites. On WordPress.com, Mailchimp signup forms need a Business or eCommerce plan, and otherwise you're limited to the Mailchimp block. The block still connects to the audience you select, so it's a perfectly good starting point.
Disconnecting later
If you change your mind, disconnecting removes any Mailchimp form widgets from your site but doesn't affect your Mailchimp audience or subscriber data. Your list and its contacts stay safe in Mailchimp.
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Other email tools with WordPress plugins
Brevo's WordPress plugin offers a drag-and-drop form builder with direct HTML and CSS editing, and works with form plugins such as Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms and WPForms. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) has a plugin that appends forms to posts and pages, or shows them through a Gutenberg block, shortcode options or the Form Builder block, and can display Kit landing pages on a WordPress page.
If you're weighing Mailchimp against other email tools, my comparisons of MailerLite and Mailchimp and Constant Contact versus Mailchimp are worth a look.
My advice for a first signup form
Check which WordPress you're on first, then pick the simplest route that works: the plugin on a self-hosted site, the block on WordPress.com. Put one short form in the footer or sidebar, ask for an email and a first name, and choose double opt-in if you want a cleaner list. You can add popups and page-specific forms once the first one's bringing people in.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Mailchimp have a WordPress plugin?
Yes. The List Subscribe for WordPress plugin adds a Mailchimp signup form widget that syncs to your Mailchimp audience.
Does it work on WordPress.com?
The widget works with wordpress.org sites only. WordPress.com sites can use a Mailchimp block, and forms need a Business or eCommerce plan.
What data reaches Mailchimp from the form?
The email address, name and any other list field or group info you choose to collect.
What if my theme has no widget areas?
Mailchimp says to use the plugin's shortcode where a custom-coded sidebar or other feature disables widgets.
Does disconnecting delete my subscribers?
No. Disconnecting removes the form widgets from your site but doesn't affect your Mailchimp audience or subscriber data.
