How I Built an Email Signup Form Directly in My Medium Posts Using Google Forms

As a full-stack developer and content creator, one of the most valuable assets I‘ve built is my email list. Email allows me to connect directly with my most engaged readers and drive traffic back to my latest Medium posts, products, and offerings.

But getting people to leave Medium and go to a separate signup page caused major friction. I knew I needed a way to seamlessly capture emails within my Medium posts. That‘s where Google Forms came in.

In this in-depth guide, I‘ll break down exactly how I used Google Forms to create an embedded Medium signup form that helped me grow from zero to over 10k email subscribers.

Why Build an Email List as a Content Creator?

Before we dive into tactics, let‘s talk about why email is such a powerful channel for content creators and digital marketers:

• Email has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent (DMA, 2019)
• 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI (Emma, 2018)
• 95% of marketers say email is an important channel for content distribution (SEMrush, 2020)

Translation: if you‘re not leveraging email to grow your audience, you‘re missing out on a major opportunity. An engaged email list gives you a direct line to your readers‘ inboxes and allows you to drive actions like returning to your blog, buying your products, or sharing your content.

And for solopreneurs and indie hackers, an email list is one of the few marketing assets you fully own and control, unlike social media followings or search engine rankings.

Creating Your Email Signup Form in Google Forms

The beauty of using Google Forms for your Medium signup is that it‘s completely free and doesn‘t require any coding skills. Plus, you can have a fully functional form up and running in minutes.

Here‘s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Go to forms.google.com and click the "+" button to create a blank form
2. Add a clear, concise title that conveys the benefit of signing up (e.g. "Get Weekly Tips to 10X Your Coding Skills")
3. Click the default "Untitled Question" and update the field type from "Multiple choice" to "Short answer"
4. Enter a field label prompting users to input their email, like "Enter your email address"
5. Add a "Response validation" under the three-dot menu to verify email format using this RegEx pattern:

^[a-zA-Z0-9.!#$%&‘*+/=?^_`{|}~-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9-]+(?:\.[a-zA-Z0-9-]+)*$

Here‘s what those RegEx symbols mean:

• ^ asserts position at start of the string
• [a-zA-Z0-9.!#$%&‘*+/=?^_{|}~-] matches a single character in the listed ranges and symbols
• + matches the previous token between one and unlimited times
• @ matches the character @ literally
• (?:) matches a non-capturing group
• \. matches the character . literally
• $ asserts position at the end of the string

You can customize the error message users see if they enter an invalid email format. For example: "Please enter a valid email address."

6. Configure your form settings to allow responses from outside your organization, collect email addresses, and limit to one response per user

7. Customize your form theme with your brand colors, images, and personality

Now you‘ve got a sleek, user-friendly signup form ready to be embedded and shared!

Embedding Your Google Form in Medium Posts

Once your form is built, embedding it in your Medium posts is a breeze:

1. Click the "Send" button and grab the shareable public link to your live form
2. Open your Medium draft and simply paste the form URL into your post
3. Hit Enter/Return and Medium will automatically render a functional embedded signup widget

I recommend placing your signup form in the intro section of your post to capture readers while you have their attention. You can also experiment with embedding it in the middle or end of your posts to catch readers after they‘ve gotten value from your content and are primed to subscribe.

Here‘s an example of how I typically format my signup CTAs in Medium:

---

Want to Become a Better Developer? Join 10,000+ Subscribers Learning With Me Every Week

Get practical coding tutorials, career tips, and motivation to help you level up as a dev. Subscribers get:

• Exclusive tips to write cleaner, faster, more maintainable code
• Proven strategies to ace coding interviews and negotiate higher salaries
• First access to my in-depth web development guides and cheatsheets
• Occasional cat GIFs

[EMBED GOOGLE FORM]

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Just pure coding value in your inbox every week.

---

Notice how this CTA:

• Has an attention-grabbing headline focused on a clear benefit
• Includes social proof with the current number of subscribers
• Specifically lists what content subscribers will get and how it will help them
• Uses an informal, conversational tone that sounds like it‘s coming from a friend
• Addresses common hesitations around spam and unsubscribing

Feel free to use this as a template for your own signup forms and tweak it to fit your unique brand voice and audience.

More Tips for Optimizing Signup Forms and Growing Your List

Of course, simply embedding a Google Form in your posts isn‘t enough to skyrocket your list growth. Here are some of my top tips for optimizing your signup forms and driving more subscriptions:

1. Give readers a compelling reason to hand over their email

People are inundated with generic "sign up for updates" offers. To cut through the noise, you need to clearly communicate the specific value and benefits of joining your list.

Some ideas:

• Offer a free downloadable gift that complements your post content
• Tease upcoming content or events that are exclusively for subscribers
• Highlight the results or transformation subscribers will gain
• Share a relatable or entertaining story about how your list has helped you connect with readers

2. Reduce signup friction with smart design and UX

Think of your signup form as a critical call-to-action, not an afterthought. Small UX improvements can have a big impact on your signup conversion rates.

My best practices:

• Keep your form as short as possible (only ask for email)
• Make your CTA button specific and benefits-focused (vs. generic phrases like "Sign Up")
• Ensure your form is fully mobile responsive (check it on your phone!)
• Draw attention with subtle design touches like arrows, images, or icons
• Consider offering bonus content in exchange for an email to raise perceived value

3. Use social proof to build trust and credibility

Even with a friendly, benefits-focused form, many readers will still be hesitant to share their email—especially if they‘re not familiar with you and your content.

One of the most effective ways I‘ve found to overcome this hesitation is by leveraging social proof: showing that other people are already subscribed and benefiting from your emails.

Some ways to incorporate social proof:

• Mention your current number of subscribers (if it‘s an impressive figure)
• Embed screenshots of glowing subscriber reviews or testimonials
• Namedrop any well-known figures or brands who subscribe to your list

Just be sure to only share authentic proof points that you can back up. Using fake or inflated numbers will backfire and damage your credibility.

4. Promote your signup consistently and creatively

Growing an email list is a long game. Very few readers will subscribe the first time they encounter your signup form.

That‘s why I make a point to consistently promote my list across all my content channels. In addition to my Medium posts, I also:

• Link to my signup form in my Medium bio and About page
• Include signup CTAs in my Medium Profile and email signature
• Cross-promote my list on Twitter, LinkedIn, and indie hacker forums
• Directly ask readers to join in my post comment section

I also use my signup confirmation page and welcome email to ask new subscribers to share my list with like-minded friends and colleagues. Word-of-mouth referrals can be a powerful growth engine, especially when you‘re just starting out.

The key is to make your signup form a natural part of your content ecosystem, not a one-off campaign. The more you promote, the faster you‘ll grow.

Choosing an Email Marketing Platform as You Scale

While Google Forms is a great low-friction tool for capturing emails when you‘re starting out, you‘ll likely want to upgrade to a dedicated email service provider as your list grows.

ESPs like ConvertKit, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Campaign Monitor offer features like:

• Visual email editors to create branded templates
• List management and segmentation tools
• Marketing automation and welcome sequences
• A/B testing and optimization
• In-depth analytics and reporting
• Built-in GDPR compliance

I started with Mailchimp in the early days, but found their automations and deliverability lacking. I‘ve since migrated to ConvertKit and have been very happy with their focus on creators and ease of use. Their free plan supports up to 500 subscribers.

When evaluating ESPs, I recommend prioritizing:

• Deliverability rates (what % of emails actually reach the inbox)
• Ease of use and support
• Robust marketing automation
• Pricing that scales with your list size

You‘ll also want to consider the technical aspects of migrating your list and integrating your signup forms. Most ESPs provide step-by-step guides and support to make the transition as smooth as possible.

The good news is, by starting with a simple Google Form integration, you can validate your email strategy and start building your list without investing in a paid tool from day one. You can always level up your setup as you grow.

Start Building Your Email Community Today

Email is hands down one of the most impactful ways to build relationships with your audience, drive engagement with your content, and monetize your expertise.

But to reap the benefits, you have to make it dead simple for readers to opt in. Embedding a Google Form signup in your Medium posts is a quick, free, low-friction way to start capturing emails and building your list.

The key is to treat your form as a key conversion point, not an afterthought. Put in the effort to craft a compelling offer, write creative CTAs, and place your form strategically to maximize signups.

Then make a commitment to consistently deliver valuable content to your subscribers. Email is a two-way relationship. Honor the trust people place in you when they hand over their email by following through on your promises.

Do that, and you‘ll be well on your way to building an engaged email list that will support your creative and business goals for years to come.

Ready to turn your casual Medium readers into email besties? Follow the steps in this guide to get your Google Form signup live in minutes. Your future email-powered business will thank you!