I received a request to do a quick tutorial on how to enable double opt-in for MailChimp using Thrive Leads, so here we go!
The process for enabling double opt-in for Thrive Leads and MailChimp is quite simple thanks for the API integration Thrive has with MailChimp.
If you want to watch this tutorial, I have a video available at the end of this post.
Obtain an API key from MailChimp
You'll first need to obtain an API key from MailChimp. Their API documentation is decent if you need advanced help, or simply follow these steps:
- Click this link to navigate to the API Keys section of your Mailchimp account: Your API Keys
- Copy an existing API key or click the Create A Key button.
- Name your key descriptively, so you know what application uses that key.
Enable Double Opt-in for your MailChimp Audience
Next you'll want to make sure that double opt-in is enabled for your MailChimp audience. You'll find that setting under Audience > Settings > Audience name and defaults > Form Settings - check the box for enable double opt-in.
Enable Thrive Leads MailChimp API Integration
Now we need to enable the API connection between Thrive Leads and MailChimp.
You'll find the API connections under Thrive Dashboard > Thrive Features > API Manage Connections. Click App New Connection, find MailChimp, paste in the API key, and you're all set.
Connect Your Specific Thrive Leads Form to MailChimp
Now that we have enabled the API connection, we need to select this specific integration for our Thrive Leads form.
Select your Lead Generation element and on the left side, under Mail Options, choose "API" as the Connection. Then select MailChimp from the dropdown. You can also select which list/audience and which group and tags you want to add to your lead.
Enable Double Opt-in for Your Thrive Leads Form
Within the same area we just opened up to enable MailChimp you'll find a drop down for the type of opt-in you would like for the MailChimp integration. From this dropdown you'll want to choose 'double opt-in'.
Decide What Happens When the Lead Form is Submitted
Technically that's all you had to do to enable double opt-in, but I want you to consider what happens after the lead-gen form is submitted. Since this is double opt-in, you may want to redirect the person to a "thank you page" so that you can explain to them that they need to check their email to confirm their address. The alternative to to just display a message, but I do not recommend this setting when using double opt-in.
MailChimp will automatically send them an email (that you can customize within your MailChimp settings) and when they click on that confirmation you can also choose to redirect the lead back to your website.
That's it! You can now connect all of your forms to your MailChimp account and require double opt-in for your lists.