How to Create a Freebie Opt-in Form Using Flodesk

So, you’ve got an awesome freebie and you’re ready to share it with your audience! In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create a freebie opt-in form using Flodesk. You can link to this form on your website, and when people fill it out, they’ll be subscribed to your email list and automatically receive the freebie. If you’re worried that this sounds complicated, don’t worry, it’s pretty simple.

Don’t have a freebie yet? No worries, see part 1 of this tutorial series: How to Create a Checklist Freebie Using Canva.

(Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I only share about companies that I truly believe in!)

Step 1: Select a Form Template in Flodesk

1. Sign in to Flodesk. If you don’t have an account yet, use my referral link for 50% off!
2. Click the Flodesk logo in the top left, and then it’ll take you to your Emails page.
3. From there, select Forms at the top. To create a new form, click the “create new” button.
4. Flodesk has a template that’s pretty much for sending freebies (it’s called Lead Magnet Delivery). I’ll use that form template and click “customize.”

Step 2: Choose/Create Your Segment

Now, here’s an important part to listen to: When your subscriber enters their information, to get the freebie, you’re going to want to tag them with a certain segment so that your email marketing platform knows, “Okay, this person just signed up for this particular freebie, and now we need to send it to them.”

So you’ll see that it says, “Subscribers who opt into this form will automatically be added to the segment…” and you can select multiple.

My Example: Since they’re signing up for my Brand + Website Clarity Checklist, I want to add a new segment that says “Brand + Website Clarity Checklist.”

The reason this segment is important is because in my How to Create an Automatic Freebie Delivery Email tutorial, I’m going to show you how to set up the automated email to send the freebie as soon as they fill out a particular form.

You’ll want to have a different segment for each freebie that you have so that each segment can correspond to a particular form and email.

When someone fills out a form, they automatically be sent the freebie email that is in the same segment as the opt-in form. Once you select your segment, click save.

Step 3: Customize Your Opt-in Form

Opt-in Form Design Tips:

• Use a title that relates to your freebie (I just used the name of my freebie, Brand + Website Clarity Checklist.
• Keep this form simple because you want your audience to focus on signing up for the freebie. You don’t want too many distractions on the page.
• Include a short description (2-3 sentences) of the what the freebie is & how it will help your audience. (see below)
• Change colors and fonts to match your branding
• Use the image placeholder in the template to add a preview of what the freebie looks like, or a related (on-brand) image that will catch the eye.
• Don’t forget to customize your confirmation message! (see below)

Here’s the structure I used for my description:

1. Identify the problem that your audience is facing (my example: that their branding and website doesn’t match their vision)
2. State why that’s a problem, and hint at what could be better – the solution you offer (my example: a brand and website that would help them accomplish their goals)
3. Position your freebie as a first step towards getting to that solution. (my example: Take the first step toward making your vision a reality by clarifying your audience, mission and goals with this Brand + Website Checklist)

The only two fields that I included in my form are for their first name and email address. That’s all I need to send them the freebie. My button says, “send me the checklist!” because once they subscribe and they’re tagged in that specific segment, they’ll automatically receive an email with the checklist.

Flodesk automatically had this statement under the form: “Your information is 100% secure and will never be shared with anyone you can unsubscribe at any time.” I’m going to leave that there.

How to Customize Your Message:

The message option is for the confirmation message that will display when someone submits your form. Choose a pre-written one, or Here’s how to write a custom one:

1. Click “message.”
2. Choose the “custom” option at the bottom of the list.
3. Write your custom message. (my example: “Thanks for subscribing to my email list. Your freebie is on its way to your inbox. Enjoy!”)

Step 4: Choose Form Settings & Publish

We’re done building our opt-in forms! Now, click next. Here are the form settings that Flodesk will ask you. about:

1. “Should we enable double opt-in for this form?” Double opt-in is when someone subscribes, and then they have to respond to an email to confirm that they want to subscribe. I don’t want to have people going through that extra step, so I choose “No, do not require a confirmation.”
2. Once you click continue, it asks, “Should we notify you when a new subscriber opts-in?” I want to be notified, so I chose “Yes,” and continue.
3. Lastly, it asks, “What should happen after this form is submitted?” It wants to know if I want to display a success message or redirect subscribers to a URL. I want to display the custom success message I wrote earlier.

Now, click Publish. Flodesk will give you the form URL. You can test it by opening a new tab and pasting in the URL. Your new freebie opt-in page should come up!

How to Go Back and Make Changes to Your Form

Let’s say that you made a mistake or just want to change something in your form. Don’t Sweat! To go back into Flodesk and edit your form:

1. On the form URL page, click the “back to customize” button.
2. Then, click “back to design.”
3. After you’re done editing, you’ll have to click the “Next” button and be asked all of the form settings questions again before being brought back to your URL page.

Step 5: Decide Where to Put Your Form URL

Your form URL will allow people to opt-in for your freebie. Place it wherever you are promoting your freebie. Here’s a few ideas for where to put it:

• Add it to a button on your website so visitors can click & go sign up for the freebie.
• Put it as a link in your Instagram bio.
• How I’m using my opt-in form: I have a quiz that I’ll be adding to my website, and I’m going to suggest a different freebie depending on what quiz result someone gets. Once they get their result, they’ll be able to click a button to go opt-in for the freebie.

Next Step: Create an Automatic Freebie Delivery Email

So, that’s how you create a freebie opt-in page using Flodesk! Once you have your opt-in page ready, you’ll need to set up an automated email to deliver the freebie. Make sure to tag the email with the same segment as the opt-in form. If you need help setting up your automated email and attaching your freebie, see my tutorial How to Automatically Send Opt-in Freebies Using Flodesk.