How to send subscribers to MailChimp

The Leaky Paywall - Mailchimp extension integrates Leaky Paywall with the popular email marketing platform Mailchimp.

The Mailchimp add-on will do the following:

1. Automatically add new subscribers to your desired Mailchimp lists
2. Tag each new subscriber by level of subscription (free, paid, etc)
3. Add opt-in Mailchimp Groups to your subscription levels
4. Support a paid newsletter option by automatically removing the assigned tag for the subscription level when a payment cancels

Configuring the Leaky Paywall MailChimp Addon

1. After installing the plugin, go to Leaky Paywall > Settings > MailChimp in your WordPress admin.

2. Enter your MailChimp API key and click “Save Settings”. If you need help finding your API key, click here.

3. Default Mailchimp List - After entering a valid MailChimp API key, the Default MailChimp List setting will populate with all the lists in your MailChimp account. Select the list you would like to add new subscribers to. You have the option to override this default list on a per level basis.

4. Paid Level Subscribe - To automatically add new paid level subscribers to MailChimp, check the box next to Paid Level Subscribe. This will also allow you to set a different MailChimp list on a per level basis. (see step #7)

5. Free Level Subscribe - To automatically add new free level subscribers to MailChimp, select "Automatically add new free level subscribers to Mailchimp".  To show an opt-in checkbox on the register form instead, select "Display opt-in checkbox on the free registration form".

6. Important: Make sure you don't have any required merge fields set up on your audience in Mailchimp or emails won't be added (see below for instructions)

7. Double Opt-In - You can enable Double Opt-In for all MailChimp subscriptions by checking the box for Double Opt-in. A double opt-in signup helps verify that you have permission to send mail to a subscriber. The user will receive an email that confirms their MailChimp subscription before they are added to the list.

8. Per Level Settings - To add new subscribers to a different list depending on what level they subscribe to, go to Leaky Paywall > Settings. In the 'Restrictions and Levels' tab Scroll to the Subscription Levels section and edit the MailChimp List setting for each level to select a different list than the default list. You also have the option to select "Do not add subscriber to a list" if you do not want the level to add a subscriber to Mailchimp.

Creating and Assigning Tags

You can set tags on a per-level basis. When a subscriber registers for that level, those tags will get applied to their subscriber info in Mailchimp. This lets you filter and create campaigns in Mailchimp based on those tags. 

To add more than one tag, enter a comma-separated list of tags. (i.e. monthly, likes cats, enjoys mountains)

Handling Subscriber Events Like Payment Failures and Cancellations

You can choose what happens to a subscriber in Mailchimp after 3 different events: when they cancel, when a payment fails, and when they change levels. 

If a subscriber cancels, you can select one of the following things to happen:

• Do nothing
• Unsubscribe them from the list
• Keep their existing tags and add a "cancelled" tag
• Remove existing tags and add a "cancelled" tag

If a subscriber's payment fails, you can select one of the following things to happen:

• Do nothing
• Unsubscribe them from the list
• Keep their existing tags and add a "failed payment" tag
• Remove existing tags and add a "failed payment" tag

Note: This event is also triggered if a Leaky Paywall subscriber's payment status is manually changed to "deactivated" in the subscriber management area.

If a subscribers changes levels, such as going from free to paid, you can select one of the following things to happen:

• Do nothing
• Unsubscribe them from their current list
• Keep their existing tags and add their new level tag(s)
• Remove existing tags and add a their new level tag(s)

With these options you have powerful control over how your subscribers behave in Mailchimp.  This allows you to easily create different newsletters for free and paid subscribers and automatically keep members synced to the correct newsletter.

Working with Mailchimp Groups

If you want users to self-categorize when they subscribe, you can use Mailchimp Groups. 

1. First, create your groups in Mailchimp. Once you create your groups in Mailchimp they will be available to select on each Leaky Paywall level based on the list selected for that level.

2. Go to Leaky Paywall > Settings > Subscriptions and scroll down to the subscription levels.  Under the Mailchimp Groups setting, you can select which interest groups to display on the registration form and profile page.  

3.  The Group category you selected will show up on the registration form.  The user will also be able to update their email preferences any time they like from their Leaky Paywall Profile page.

Adding new Group Account members to Mailchimp

In your Leaky Paywall - Mailchimp settings, you can choose to automatically send new group members that are activated to your Mailchimp account.  It will also tag them with the name of the Group.

New Subscribers Are Not Getting Added to Mailchimp

A. Make sure double opt-in is not selected in Leaky Paywall > Settings > Mailchimp

B. Make sure you don't have any required merge fields set up on your audience in Mailchimp.

1. In your Mailchimp dashboard, go the audience (list) you want the new subscriber to be added to.

2. Click on Manage Audience > Settings

3. Click on Audience Fields and *|MERGE|* tags

4. Make sure that "required" isn't checked on any of the fields.