Newsletter flyout that stays reachable via a tab: more sign-ups
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsKeeping a newsletter flyout reachable through a small tab, instead of letting it vanish when ignored, won on newsletter sign-ups, though no lift figure was shared.
Noble Studios ran this A/B test for Travel Nevada, the state tourism site, and it was published as a VWO case study. Other engagement metrics were not hurt.
- Newsletter sign-ups: the variant got more than the control and was declared the winner. The size of the lift was not shared.
- Other engagement metrics: no negative effect reported, so the tab did not seem to annoy visitors.
- Sample size, duration and confidence level were not shared.
The change
The ignored flyout collapses into a tab instead of disappearing.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A newsletter flyout slid out once a visitor had scrolled 75% of the page. If the visitor did nothing, it disappeared and could not be brought back.
Variant
The same flyout appeared at 75% scroll. If ignored, it collapsed into a tab at the edge of the screen, so visitors could open it again later.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- a visitor who is not ready at 75% scroll may want to sign up a minute later. The tab gives them a way back.
- A small tab is a low-pressure reminder. It keeps the offer visible without interrupting reading again.
- In the control, one missed moment meant the offer was gone for the whole visit.
Caveats: No lift figure, sample size or duration was published. The result is reported by the agency in a vendor case study.
Who ran it
Noble Studios ran this test and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Noble Studios →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we keep our sign-up flyout reachable through a tab after it is dismissed or ignored, then more visitors will sign up because they can return to the offer when they are ready.
- Primary metric
- Newsletter or lead-form sign-ups
- Guardrails
- Pages per session
- Bounce rate
- Time on page
- Who should test it
- Content-heavy sites that grow an email list, such as tourism boards, publishers and B2B blogs, especially if the current flyout shows once and disappears. It matters less if the sign-up form is already visible on every page.
Questions
Should a newsletter pop-up disappear if visitors ignore it?
Not necessarily. In this test, leaving a small tab to re-open the flyout won on sign-ups without hurting engagement.
When should a newsletter flyout appear?
Travel Nevada showed it at 75% scroll depth, after visitors had read most of the page.
The team planned to test other triggers, such as pages viewed or time on site.