How to create your first popup from a Nudgesmart template
Pick a template from the gallery, customize the text and image, and publish your first popup in under five minutes.
Templates are the fastest path from install to a live popup. Start with the goal you want to hit, swap in your copy and image, hit publish.
TL;DR
Open the Templates page in the Nudgesmart admin, pick a template that matches your goal (recover lost cart, grow email list, drive sales, build trust), and click to use it. Nudgesmart creates a draft campaign for you. Customize the headline, body text, and image to match your brand, then click Publish. The popup is live on your storefront within seconds.
Step 1 · Open the template gallery
In the Nudgesmart admin, click Templates in the left navigation. The gallery shows every template grouped by goal.
Templates page in admin showing the gallery grid with templates grouped by goal (email capture, exit intent, spin wheel)
Screenshot coming soon
You'll also see template cards on the welcome screen under Choose Your Campaign Template if you haven't shipped a campaign yet. Either entry point works — the gallery on the Templates page has more filtering and search.
Step 2 · Pick a template that matches your goal
Decide what outcome you want from the popup, then pick the template designed for that outcome — not the one that looks prettiest.
The most common goals and the template categories that hit them:
- Recover an abandoning shopper → Exit-intent popup
- Grow your email list → Email capture popup
- Drive sales conversions → Spin-the-wheel or countdown timer
- Build trust on product pages → Social proof notification
Template detail card showing the template name, preview image, recommended use case, and Use this template button
Screenshot coming soon
Click into a template to see its full preview. When you're ready, use the action that creates a draft campaign from it (often labeled Use this template or similar). Nudgesmart creates a new draft campaign and drops you into the visual editor.
Step 3 · Customize copy and image
In the visual editor, click any element to edit it — the headline, body text, button label, image, and discount code all change in place.
Visual editor on first open with the popup canvas in the center, the property panel on the right, and an element selected
Screenshot coming soon
Recommended customizations before publishing:
- Replace the placeholder image with your own product photography or brand artwork. The default templates ship with stock imagery for preview; merchants who don't replace it look generic.
- Rewrite the headline in your brand voice. Stock template headlines convert worse than your own — even a small rewrite ("Save 10% on your first order" → "Welcome — here's 10% off your first order") matters.
- Match your brand colors. Open the property panel for the popup container and set the accent color to your brand color. Keeps the popup feeling native to your store.
The visual editor previews mobile and desktop side-by-side. Toggle between them with the device switch in the top toolbar before you publish.
Step 4 · Publish
When the customization looks right, set the campaign status to Active (or click the Publish button — both flip the campaign live).
Publish toggle showing the campaign status changing from Draft to Active
Screenshot coming soon
The popup is live on your storefront within seconds. Open your store in a new tab to see it. If you want to sanity-check before going live, preview and test the popup without publishing first — particularly if you have any custom theme styling that might conflict.
Common pitfalls
- The popup doesn't appear when you visit your storefront. Check the Enable Theme Extension step in the setup guide first — the embed must be on for any campaign to render. See Enable the Nudgesmart app embed block.
- The popup appears once but never again. Most templates ship with sensible frequency caps (e.g., once per session, once per day) so the same shopper isn't bothered repeatedly. To re-test, open your store in an incognito window or on a different device.
- Your storefront isn't the right environment to test. If you have other Nudgesmart campaigns already running on the same page, the new one might be queued behind them. To test in isolation, pause the others first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the template type after publishing?
Yes — the visual editor lets you change layout and design freely. To switch entirely to a different campaign type (e.g., from email capture to spin-the-wheel), it's faster to start from a new template.
Do my customizations survive if I update the template later?
Yes. Each campaign is its own copy of the template at creation time. Future template updates from Nudgesmart don't override your customizations.
Can I duplicate a campaign to A/B test variations?
Yes. From the Campaigns list, duplicate the campaign and edit the copy on the duplicate to compare. Run both at the same time and compare conversion rates in Analytics.
What to read next
How to enable the Nudgesmart app embed block in your theme
Turn on the Nudgesmart app embed inside your Shopify theme so popups can render on your storefront.
How to preview and test a Nudgesmart popup before publishing
Use the built-in preview and the unpublished-test mode to safely verify your popup before it goes live to shoppers.