New! Horizontal opt-in test 40% boost
Posted on by Ryan Deiss in Conversion Optimization, Trends & Testing
This is one of the reasons that Internet Marketing still gets my juices flowing. When it comes to online marketing, even the craziest ideas are worth testing because some times those crazy ideas wind up converting.
Here’s one such example…
Some dude out there thought it would be a good idea to use a ‘Mad Libs’ style optin form, and he was really, really right. The optin form asked the same questions that most optin forms do (name, email, phone, etc), but he switched the format to read like a narrative. It even operated the same way as a standard optin form. You can click each field and tab through. It just looked different, and honestly, it’s way more fun to fill out.
I haven’t tested this form style (I plan to), but someone else did. They put the ‘Mad Libs’ form head to head with against a standard opt-in form. Guess who won… Yep, the ‘Mad Libs’ form supposedly increased conversion across the board by 25-40%.
This is living proof of why we should all be split-testing everything we do, because you never know until you put it to test.
So here is my call to action.
Don’t settle for the predictable results you’ve been getting for the last 2 years. Turn on your idea factory and start split-testing, because chances are you’re not at full potential.
If this doesn’t get you excited, then you might want to split-test some career options 
-Ryan
P.S. What have you tested lately? Comment below and tell me about it…
Learn More:
Want an insider’s look at all my extensive split testing? CLICK HERE to access 43 Split Test where I uncover all the test results, revealing the best ways to increase your conversions. NOTE: “43 Split-Tests” is currently off the market in preparation for the release of “43 Split-Tests 2.0″ on May 26, 2010.
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Dallas Website Designer Rhonda
13. Oct, 2011
I never thought about using a form creatively on the site except for the placement of it. I learned that copy affected your conversion rate. I am wondering with the horizontal opt-in form, does well-written sales copy matter as much.
Mark
18. Aug, 2011
Do you have a programmer who can program the “horizontal opt-in” form into my blog or can you tell me how to do it?
Really want to increase my opt-ins,
Mark Edward Brown
asaf
15. Jun, 2010
i am inspired
thanks !
Abdul Adewale Taiwo
30. May, 2010
keep the good job going i will give you my reports later.
Daivd Gonzalez
30. May, 2010
This is a great idea, The curiosity alone will make a bunch of people opt-in. Does anyone know where or how to make the form to use in a aweber? They don’t have any code on the book.
Brandon
29. May, 2010
Man thats a cool idea. Love the look of the blog, and I’m excited about the new 43 split test.
I have the original and its really helped me with my business.
THanks
Brandon
Thomas
27. May, 2010
Who woulda thought? I wonder why.
Cedric Aubry
27. May, 2010
Great One Ryan,
Will definitely test this one on my new campaign.
Thanks for sharing.
Kathi
26. May, 2010
Ryan thanks little tidbits like that are so valuable!!
Affiliate Marketing Training
26. May, 2010
Nice news there Ryan, test test test eh, always moving forward … I Like it. I would be nice to see if aweber pick up on little tricks like this
Connor
26. May, 2010
Hey Ryan,
It certainly makes a lot of sense to test the water with different marketing methods, simply to see what works best. This seems like an innovative new idea, but people should be aware of the fact that it’ll soon become saturated unless you put your own twist on things.
By the way, your new blog design is absolutely awful.
Bronson
26. May, 2010
Wow, this is quite a cool idea and it seems to work like a charm. I think most opt-in form type things are just flat, this method of using a narrative is a LOT more natural for non-technical users.
Nice idea, I’m definitely going to give this a bash.
KeithDShrock
26. May, 2010
Ryan –
what is a great new idea worth?
thanks for the inspiration!
I hope your “43 split test” partner is enjoying retirement–Twitter or not.
Michael Anderson
26. May, 2010
Great post Ryan, Just goes to show the power of being a bit different.
Michael Anderson
sergi
26. May, 2010
Thanks for that. It makes a lot of sense. People need to fill in the story…
Angeline
26. May, 2010
Sounds interesting. I will try this on the German market. Thanks!
A,l Ferretti
26. May, 2010
You hit the ball out of the park again Ryan with providing value. Thank you . Much Appreciation.
-Al
Nelson Tan
26. May, 2010
I’m having the impression that a visitor who bothers to read through the Mad Libs statement is less likely to put in a dummy address and will be a more dedicated subscriber to your website and content. This is great and thanks, Ryan!
Ronald Redito
25. May, 2010
Creativity could lead to more opt-ins! Site users are tired of seeing the same opt-in forms and they know that the main purpose is just to get their email info.
This technique would yield better results.
Elisabeth Kuhn
25. May, 2010
What a cool idea! How do you make that work with a regular opt-in form though?
It will probably need some technie intervention…
As far as my own experiements go…
I’m comparing really fancy forms and very plain ones, and they both seem to be doing well.
Haven’t kept close tabs on the actual numbers yet to really do the official comparison, but I’ll start doing that now…
Hector Cuevas
25. May, 2010
Great stuff Ryan..
Was just planning to do some split-testing myself so this would be a great variable..
Hector
Brian Owens
25. May, 2010
I recently have been split testing the ultimate footer ad vs aweber light boxes…Light boxes look like they’ll win for sure thus far but will need more time to verify.
Damian Walker
25. May, 2010
Hey Ryan – that is brilliant – is there a way to use this through aWeber?
Thanks
Damian
camp-activities.com
25. May, 2010
Very interesting. Can we set up a form like this using Aweber’s form maker?
walter daniels
25. May, 2010
What a remarkable idea. Thinking outside the box, can really pay off.
Amanda van der Gulik
25. May, 2010
WAY COOL RYAN! thanks for sharing that. I’ll be putting that to the test straight away for sure!
My own split testing has shown me little things like:
-people seem to like getting ‘software’as an opt-in gift over ‘ebooks’
-people seem to opt-in better when I use words that sound as if they have already opted in (Frank Kern style)
-people seem to opt-in more when I have arrows pointing to the opt-in box
Those are some of my own findings so far, still testing! ;o)
Cheers…Amanda van der Gulik…Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
walter daniels
25. May, 2010
This is truly a remarkable idea. Thinking outside the box can really pay off. I’ll have to try it.
Tim Atkinson
25. May, 2010
Thats bad Ass Ryan! I’m so split testing this.. haha split test your career, your hilarious my friend. Thanks for the tip
Tim
Hans Gale
25. May, 2010
Great to hear about this! And thanks to others sharing their info too!! To add to the mix, I recently tested having an opt in form that reversed the usual sequence: first I asked for e-mail address THEN I asked for their name. I was astounded that this little switch actually increased sign-ups by 13%. Ryan you are really right that you don’t know until you test!!
Andrew Baird
25. May, 2010
Been testing a new traffic source and so far it’s produced leads and sales and I haven’t even optimised it yet.
Glen Hopkins
25. May, 2010
That’s awesome Ryan. Thanks for sharing this. I’ll set up my own test and let ya know how it goes!
…one this I can share now is my short form squeeze page get more opt-ins than my long form squeeze HOWEVER my long for squeeze consistently leads to more sales on the thank you page
Farmville Secrets
25. May, 2010
Nice article Ryan…I agree that people are over exposed to traditional marketing methods..
Alex Makarski
25. May, 2010
Awesome post, Ryan.
Well, answering your questions, here’s what I tested today…
I tested video optin vs video fakeout for a product launch in the personal development niche. Some traffic came from Internet Marketing lists, most from other personal development lists. On the IM traffic the fakeout won by a landslide. But in the end the gool ol’ video page was able to get ahead.
Alex
Scott Murdaugh
25. May, 2010
Nice. I’m testing and tweaking all the time…
This begs the question, where can we get an easy way to build that kind of form?
brian fanale
25. May, 2010
this is awesome!
haha, love it… will be split testing this for sure,
and then will be helping thousands of networkers
out if this pulls 40%+ better!
great Ryan, keep bringing the pain bro!
Brian Fanale
http://BrianFanale.com
Brian T. Edmondson
25. May, 2010
Ryan,
Really interesting post.
I could see that increasing conversion in the usual suspects markets (like IM / biz opp) where the typical forms are so common.
At first glance, I’d think that something not as straight forward would decrease response, even though the narrative style is cool, but that’s why everything is worth a test!
Brian
Mike Worrell
25. May, 2010
Here you go, teaching an old dog new tricks! Good job Ryan!
Wayne Sharer
25. May, 2010
That’s just the kinda thing you think, “hmmm… why didn’t I try that. Making a simple change like that is something most overlook because they are looking for something more complicated.
Once again, the answer was found in the basics.
Thanks for the great post Ryan.
Graeme
25. May, 2010
Hi Ryan
I am mid changing my BetterLeadsMoreSales.com optin page (need to move optin box to the right side, above the fold etc) when your email arrived in my inbox.
Talk about great timing – not to mention a fascinating post. I’m with you on split testing. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
I’m off to play around with the page to see if I can add this idea in as well!
Thanks again
Graeme
jared
25. May, 2010
This is really cool.
Its this creativity that excites me. Great innovation.
Thanks for sharing Ryan
PEACE 
Jared
jim yaghi
25. May, 2010
madlibs are cool and unique…been using them for years to make it easier for people to fill out long forms and surveys.
i didnt test them on straight 1 or 2 field optin because i know the type of traffic affects that more than anything. wonder if anyone notices a significant increase with it
hey, i didn’t know they were called madlibs tho. interesting to learn!
Jonathan Boettcher
25. May, 2010
I recently tested having an opt in form BELOW the text on the LP, as well as to the side of it… saw a nice little gain from doing that.
Brian Horn
25. May, 2010
Tested using a rap on an optin page. Got near 60% optin rate for it.
Christian Fioravanti
25. May, 2010
Hey great share Ryan! Love it!
I’ll have to give it a go here soon and try it out for myself.
All the Best,
Christian
Rick
25. May, 2010
Proof once again that testing makes the world a better place. And much less boring!
Thanks for reporting on this one.
Rick
Paul Klein
25. May, 2010
Very interesting test, especially in that something that actually takes a wee bit longer to work through to opt in, will engage many subscribers due to the novelty. (Until the next new test comes out…)
I’ll have to try it out. I mention that it is interesting in that many people surfing through are typically wanting lightning fast results, so to slow them down enough to read through a different opt in format may end up engaging them better.
Time will tell.
Paul Klein
Cullen Powell
25. May, 2010
This is pretty cool in-line opt-ins are one of the best ways to build a list with a blog.
It’s best to put them in an iframe so visitors aren’t distracted / taken away from the page after they submit the form.
That way, only the small section of page containing the form will change after they click submit, thanking them for registering and letting them know they’ll receive an email “in the next 12 hours” or something so they continue reading & don’t go checking their email right away.
Another thing that’s working really well for me is a call to action in the upper right (I put mine near the top of the right-hand sidebar) and that out-performs my call to action below each blog post something like 2 to 1.
Marshall Wayne
25. May, 2010
I’m definitely going to be putting this to a test. Thanks Ryan!
Darren Crawford
25. May, 2010
This is brilliant! I am going to test that on my new campaign that I am launching.
Thanks for the idea.
Stephen Dean
25. May, 2010
That is awesome, and very worthy of a test. I’ll report my results here later, thanks for sharing.