Most tour operators don’t spend much time thinking about their email sign-up form. I get it. You add a little box in the footer, maybe a checkbox on the contact page, and that’s that.

But here’s the problem: just because the form is there doesn’t mean it’s doing anything.

One of our clients found that out the hard way. They insisted on a clean, professional embedded form on their site for months. The average conversion rate? Just 0.17%. That means for every 600 people who visited the site, one signed up.

When we added a pop-up form using the exact same offer, the average jumped to 6.7%. During a peak week? Over 12%.

Same traffic. Same offer. Totally different outcome.

You can use both—but pop-ups pull more weight

At TourAdvantage, we support both pop-up and embedded forms. So you don’t have to choose one forever.

That said… if you’re actually trying to grow your booking opportunities (and not just say you want to), the pop-up is the one doing all the heavy lifting.

Embedded forms are more like a seatbelt you should use. A pop-up is the airbag—it shows up when it matters most.

“But aren’t pop-ups annoying?”

Only if they’re done wrong.

A good pop-up isn’t some shouting match or spammy surprise. It’s about timing, behavior, and relevance. We recommend they don’t show up the second someone lands on the page. In fact, we recommend waiting 8 seconds—based on Drip’s review of over a billion pop-ups, that’s the best-performing delay.

And we encourage a teaser bar at the bottom of the screen. So even if someone closes the pop-up or just isn’t ready yet, they can come back to it when they are.

We also make sure:

  • You don’t show it every time to the same person
  • You change the message depending on whether it’s their first visit, a return trip, or they’ve already booked with you

Oh—and if you’re wondering about SEO: no worries there. Our pop-ups follow all the Google guidelines. They’re mobile-friendly, user-controlled, and not the kind that get penalized.

Embedded forms still have a job to do

You’ll still want to keep your embedded form. It’s a quiet backup.

It won’t drive the most sign-ups, but it gives people a non-interruptive way to opt in when they’re looking for it.

Lead magnets matter—and not all are created equal

Whatever form you use, what you offer is just as important.

Most tour operators default to a coupon. I get the temptation. It feels easy, and everyone else does it. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best move.

Instead, try something more specific and more valuable:

  • A downloadable trail guide
  • A “locals-only” food or drink map
  • A first-timer’s checklist for your city or activity
  • Insider tips only your guides know

If you do want to offer a discount, there is a better way. And it results in more tour-buying subscribers (not just people collecting coupons) and it saves you money in the long-run.

Schedule a call with us; we’d love to show you how to make that happen.

Lesli Peterson