A step-by-step guide to adding the Welcome Message block to your UniLink page so you can greet first-time visitors with a popup overlay — announce a launch, capture emails, or share urgent news before they dive into your content.
- The Welcome Message block shows a popup overlay when a visitor lands on your page. It can include a headline, body text, an image, a CTA button, and an optional email capture field.
- Frequency settings (every visit, once per session, once per day, once ever) control how often returning visitors see the popup — "once ever" uses a browser cookie and resets if the visitor clears cookies or switches devices.
- Triggering immediately on load is jarring — set a 1–2 second delay so the page has time to render before the popup appears.
- If you include an email capture field, state clearly what the visitor is subscribing to — a vague opt-in gets ignored, while a specific value offer ("Get my free weekly recipe PDF") converts.
Every page has a single moment that determines whether a visitor stays or leaves — the first three seconds after they land. Most link-in-bio pages waste that moment by showing the same static layout to every visitor regardless of context. A first-time visitor on launch day and a returning fan checking for new links see the exact same thing. The Welcome Message block breaks that pattern. It gives you a direct line to every visitor right at arrival: a popup overlay that appears as soon as they land, delivers your most important message, and disappears cleanly once they acknowledge it. No separate page, no redirects, no engineering — just a single block that turns a passive landing into an active greeting.
What the Welcome Message block does
The Welcome Message block renders a popup overlay on top of your page content when a visitor arrives. Unlike a dedicated splash page that replaces your content entirely, the Welcome Message sits on top of your existing page — the visitor can see (but not interact with) what is behind it, which creates context rather than blocking the experience completely. The popup can be closed by clicking the X button or pressing Escape, and it disappears without any page reload. After dismissal, your page is fully accessible and normal scrolling behavior resumes immediately.
The block supports a range of content options within the popup itself. At minimum you can configure a headline and body text. On top of that, you can add an optional image (useful for product photos, event flyers, or creator portraits), an optional CTA button with a custom label and destination URL, and an optional email capture input. The email capture mode changes how the popup behaves: instead of a simple close button, the visitor submits their email address to dismiss the popup, which turns every view into a potential lead. Collected emails go directly to your UniLink CRM and can sync to connected email platforms like Mailchimp or ConvertKit if those integrations are configured.
The frequency controls are what make the Welcome Message genuinely useful rather than just annoying. You can set the popup to appear on every visit (useful for urgent time-limited announcements), once per session (visitor sees it once per browser session — it comes back if they close and reopen the browser), once per day (middle ground for ongoing campaigns), or once ever (visitor sees it one time, then a browser cookie suppresses it permanently). The "once ever" setting is the right default for most use cases — new visitors see the message, returning visitors are not pestered. The caveat is that the cookie can be cleared: if a visitor clears their browser cookies, resets their device, or opens the page in a private browser window, the popup will appear again as if they are a first-time visitor.
Before you start
- Define the purpose of your popup: Decide what single thing you want the Welcome Message to accomplish — capturing emails, announcing a launch, promoting a limited offer, or sharing time-sensitive news. Popups that try to do three things at once (subscribe AND check out my course AND follow me) convert poorly. Pick one goal, build everything around it.
- Write the copy before opening the editor: The headline and body text are the most important parts of your popup. Draft them outside the editor, read them aloud, and cut anything that is not load-bearing. The headline needs to communicate the value in under eight words. The body needs to tell the visitor what they get and what they need to do — in two to three sentences maximum.
- Prepare your image if you are using one: A good popup image is square or slightly landscape-oriented, at least 800px wide, and immediately communicates what the popup is about — a product photo, event graphic, or announcement visual. Avoid abstract or decorative images that add visual weight without adding meaning.
- Choose your frequency setting in advance: Think about who your audience is. If you publish new content weekly and your visitors return regularly, "once per session" or "once per day" is more appropriate than "every visit." If this popup is a one-time launch announcement you will remove after the event, "every visit" is fine for the short window it is live.
How to add the Welcome Message block to your page
- Open your page in the Dashboard: Log in to UniLink, navigate to My Pages, and click Edit on the page where you want the popup to appear.
- Add the block: Click + Add Block in the editor. In the block picker, find Welcome Message — it may be listed under Marketing or Engagement — and select it. The block appears in your editor, though it renders as a popup on the live page rather than as an inline block within the flow.
- Set your trigger timing: In the block settings, find the trigger option. Choose On load to show the popup immediately, or After delay and enter a delay in seconds. A 1–2 second delay is recommended for most pages — it gives the page time to render visually before the popup interrupts the visitor.
- Configure the frequency: Select how often returning visitors should see the popup: every visit, once per session, once per day, or once ever. For most permanent welcome messages, choose Once ever. For time-limited announcements, consider Every visit or Once per day.
- Write your headline and body text: Enter the popup headline — keep it under eight words, lead with the value. Fill in the body text — two to three sentences explaining what you are offering and what the visitor should do. Read both fields at arm's length and cut any sentence that does not move the visitor toward your goal.
- Add an image (optional): Upload an image through the block's media picker. The image appears at the top or side of the popup depending on the layout. Use a product photo, event graphic, or creator photo that is directly relevant to the popup's message.
- Configure the CTA button (optional): If your goal is to send visitors somewhere — a product page, a registration link, a YouTube video — add a CTA button. Enter the button label (make it specific: "Shop the Drop" beats "Click Here") and the destination URL. The button appears inside the popup above the close control.
- Enable email capture (optional): Toggle on the email capture field if your goal is list building. When enabled, the close button is replaced by an email input and a submit button — the visitor must enter their email to dismiss the popup. Make sure your body text explicitly states what they are signing up for.
- Set overlay appearance: Choose the background color and opacity for the overlay that sits between the popup and your page content. A dark overlay at 60–70% opacity creates enough contrast for the popup to feel intentional without completely hiding the page behind it. Very light or transparent overlays make the popup hard to read.
- Save and publish, then test: Click Save and then Publish Page. Open your live page in an incognito browser tab to test the popup as a new visitor would experience it — verify the timing, check the layout on mobile, and confirm the dismiss behavior works correctly.
Key settings explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | When the popup appears — immediately on page load or after a defined delay in seconds | Always use a 1–2 second delay; triggering at zero feels like the page ambushed the visitor before they had a chance to orient themselves |
| Show frequency | How often the popup appears to returning visitors — every visit, once per session, once per day, or once ever | Default to "once ever" for evergreen popups; use "every visit" or "once per day" only for time-limited campaigns where urgency justifies the repetition |
| Headline | The large, bold text at the top of the popup — the first thing the visitor reads | Lead with the value, not the brand — "Get 20% off your first order" outperforms "Welcome to [Brand Name]" every time |
| Body text | Supporting text below the headline that explains the offer or message in more detail | Two to three sentences maximum; answer "what do I get" and "what do I need to do" — visitors do not read long popup copy |
| CTA button | An optional button inside the popup linking to a destination URL with a custom label | Use action-specific labels that name the destination — "Watch the Trailer," "Join the Waitlist," "Shop New Arrivals" — not generic labels like "Learn More" or "Click Here" |
| Email capture | Replaces the close button with an email input field — visitor must submit email to dismiss the popup | Only enable if your body copy clearly states what the visitor is subscribing to; deploying email capture without a clear value offer feels deceptive and generates poor-quality leads |
| Overlay color and opacity | The background layer between the popup and your page — color and transparency level | Dark overlays at 60–70% opacity give the popup visual separation from the page content; very low opacity makes the popup feel like clutter on top of the page rather than a focused message |
| Animation | How the popup enters — fade in or slide in from a direction | Fade is subtler and works on all layouts; slide animations can feel dynamic but may feel abrupt on mobile where there is less visual space for the motion to land |
How to make your Welcome Message actually work
The single most predictable failure mode for Welcome Message popups is treating them as billboards rather than conversations. A billboard broadcasts. A conversation addresses a specific person about a specific thing that is relevant to them right now. The difference shows up in copy: "Welcome to my page! Check out all my amazing content below" is a billboard. "New episode just dropped — listen to my conversation with [Guest] about X" is a conversation. The second version tells the visitor something they did not know before the popup appeared, and it is specific enough that they can immediately decide whether they care. That specificity is what drives engagement.
Timing is the second lever that most creators underuse. The default "on load" trigger fires the popup before the page has rendered visually in the visitor's mind — they arrive, the popup blocks them before they have seen anything, and their first instinct is to close it. A 1.5 to 2 second delay changes this meaningfully. The visitor sees your page briefly, starts to orient, and then the popup arrives as a continuation of the experience rather than an interruption of it. The content behind the overlay gives the popup context — the visitor can see they have arrived somewhere worth being, and the popup message lands differently because of it.
Email capture popups deserve their own approach. They work best when the value offer is unmistakable and the ask is low-friction. The value offer needs to be named specifically in the body copy — not "subscribe for updates" but "get my free weekly content calendar template, delivered every Monday." The ask needs to be a single field (email only) with a submit button that confirms the action in the same specific terms as the offer. Every additional field — name, phone, preferences — cuts conversion rates. If you are launching a new email capture popup and the first-week conversion rate is below 10% of popup views, revisit the headline and the value offer before adjusting anything else. The copy is almost always the variable that matters most.
Know when to turn the Welcome Message off. A launch popup that is still running three months after the launch is actively hurting your credibility with returning visitors — they see a "just launched" announcement for something that has clearly been live for months. Remove the block or update the content as soon as the campaign it was built for ends. The Welcome Message is not evergreen furniture for your page. It is a campaign tool, and like any campaign tool, it has a lifespan.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Popup does not appear when visiting the live page | Page not published after saving changes, or the popup was already seen and the frequency cookie is suppressing it | Click Publish Page in the Dashboard — saves only update the draft version; to test as a new visitor, open the live page in an incognito tab or clear your browser cookies |
| Popup appears immediately with no delay despite setting a delay | Delay value saved as zero, or changes not published | Re-open block settings, confirm the delay field contains the correct number (1 or 2), save, and republish; retest in a fresh incognito tab |
| Email capture form does not collect emails | Email integration not connected, or no list selected in the block settings | Go to UniLink Settings → Integrations to confirm your email provider is connected; if you are relying on UniLink's built-in CRM (no third-party platform), check the CRM contacts section after a test submission to confirm emails are arriving |
| Popup appears on every visit despite frequency set to "once ever" | Browser is set to clear cookies on close, or visitor is using private/incognito mode | This is expected behavior — the "once ever" setting relies on a browser cookie that does not persist in private browsing sessions or when cookies are cleared; it is working correctly |
| Popup overlay is so dark the page behind is not visible | Overlay opacity set too high (near 100%) | Open block settings and reduce the overlay opacity to 60–70%; this maintains contrast for the popup content while keeping the page partially visible in the background |
| CTA button in popup links to wrong destination | URL entered incorrectly or saved before the full URL was typed | Re-open block settings, delete the URL field, re-enter the full destination URL including https://, save, and republish; test the button on the live page in an incognito tab |
| Popup layout breaks on mobile — text overflows or button is cut off | Headline or body text too long for mobile popup width, or image dimensions cause layout reflow | Shorten the headline to under eight words and body text to two sentences; use a square or 4:3 image rather than a wide landscape image; preview on a mobile viewport before publishing |
Best fit for
- Creators announcing a new product launch, album drop, content release, or event to visitors who may not be following them closely enough to have seen the announcement elsewhere
- Businesses running a time-limited offer (sale, early-bird discount, limited availability) who want the offer visible before visitors get distracted by other content on the page
- Anyone building an email list who wants to capture subscriber emails from page traffic without building a separate landing page for that purpose
- Event organizers sharing urgent logistical updates (venue change, time shift, RSVP deadline) to an audience who regularly visits the page
Not the right tool if
- You want to gate access to your page entirely — the Welcome Message is a popup overlay, not a page gate; visitors can close it and access everything; use the Splash Screen block if you need a full-screen entry point
- You have multiple simultaneous announcements — one Welcome Message with one focused message works; trying to pack multiple offers or updates into a single popup produces cluttered copy and low engagement on all of them
- Your audience is entirely returning visitors who have already seen your content — a popup they have already dismissed (and will dismiss again immediately) adds friction without value; consider an inline announcement block instead
- Your message is permanent and evergreen — if the content of your popup would be equally valid in six months, an inline block or pinned section on the page is a less disruptive way to surface it
Frequently asked questions
Can I have more than one Welcome Message block on the same page?
You can add multiple Welcome Message blocks to a page, but only one popup will appear per visit — UniLink shows the first one that meets the trigger conditions. If you have two Welcome Message blocks configured, the second one will not appear on the same visit as the first. If you need to show different messages to different audiences, the better approach is to use one Welcome Message block per page and create separate pages for different campaigns or audience segments.
Does the email capture in the popup connect to my existing email list?
Yes, if you have an email provider connected in UniLink Settings → Integrations (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and other supported platforms), the Welcome Message email capture will add subscribers to the list you specify in the block settings. If you do not have a third-party integration, UniLink's built-in CRM captures the emails automatically — you can view and export them from the CRM contacts section in your Dashboard. Both routes work; the integration route is useful if you already manage a list outside UniLink and want all subscribers in one place.
What is the difference between the Welcome Message block and the Splash Screen block?
The Welcome Message is a popup overlay that appears on top of your page — visitors can see your page behind it and access it immediately after closing the popup. The Splash Screen is a full-screen page that appears before your bio page loads — visitors must actively click through the splash to reach your main content. Welcome Message is lower friction and better for announcements and email capture. Splash Screen is higher friction and better for situations where a gate or branded intro is intentionally part of the experience, like a launch day or an age-verification prompt.
Can visitors who closed the popup see it again if they want to?
Not through a button or link on the page — once dismissed, the popup is gone for the session or longer depending on your frequency setting. If a visitor accidentally closed the popup before reading the CTA, they cannot re-open it without clearing their cookies or visiting in a different browser. This is worth accounting for when designing the popup: make sure the most important information is in the headline, which is visible for a split second even during a fast dismiss, and consider repeating the key offer as an inline block or pinned link elsewhere on the page so it is accessible after the popup closes.
Will the popup slow down my page load time?
The Welcome Message block does not meaningfully affect page load time when configured without an image. If you add an image to the popup, the image file is loaded as part of the page assets. Keep popup images under 200KB (use a compressed JPEG at 80% quality) to avoid adding visible load time. The popup animation and overlay rendering are handled entirely in CSS and do not require additional scripts. Overall, a well-configured Welcome Message block has negligible performance impact on your UniLink page.
- The Welcome Message block shows a popup overlay on arrival — it sits on top of your page content and can be dismissed with the X button or Escape key, making it lower friction than a full-screen gate.
- Set a 1–2 second trigger delay so the page has time to render before the popup appears — triggering at zero seconds feels like an ambush and trains visitors to dismiss immediately without reading.
- Frequency settings control how often returning visitors see the popup — "once ever" is the right default for most messages; every visit is only appropriate for urgent, time-limited campaigns.
- Email capture replaces the close button with an email input — only enable it when your body copy clearly names what the visitor is subscribing to, or conversion rates and lead quality will both suffer.
- Treat the Welcome Message as a campaign tool, not permanent page furniture — remove or update it when the campaign it was built for ends, especially if it references a launch, offer, or event that has passed.
Ready to greet your visitors with purpose? Create your free UniLink page and add a Welcome Message block to turn every new visitor arrival into an opportunity — announce your launch, grow your list, or share what matters most before they scroll past.