What Is Bloom, and Why Should WordPress Users Care?
If you’ve been building WordPress sites for any length of time, you already know that growing an email list is one of the smartest long-term investments you can make. The question is which tool you use to capture those subscribers. There are plenty of options out there, but today we’re taking a deep dive into Bloom — the email opt-in plugin built by Elegant Themes, the same team behind the incredibly popular Divi page builder.
This Bloom plugin review covers everything you need to know: the form types available, design flexibility, email provider integrations, trigger options, and how it stacks up against the competition. By the end, you’ll know exactly whether Bloom deserves a place on your WordPress site.
What Does Bloom Actually Do?
Bloom is a dedicated email opt-in plugin for WordPress. Its sole mission is to help you convert website visitors into email subscribers through beautifully designed, strategically timed opt-in forms. It lives inside your WordPress dashboard and gives you full control over how, when, and where your opt-in forms appear — without writing a single line of code.
Unlike some bloated marketing suites, Bloom stays focused. It’s not trying to be a CRM, a landing page builder, or an analytics platform. It does opt-in forms, and it does them very well.
The best part? Bloom is included completely free with every Elegant Themes membership. If you’re already a Divi user, you’re sitting on a powerful list-building tool you might not even be using yet.
The Six Types of Opt-in Forms in Bloom
One of Bloom’s biggest strengths is the variety of form placements it supports. Here’s a breakdown of every opt-in type available:
1. Pop-Up Forms
The classic lightbox pop-up that appears over your page content. Pop-ups get attention — and when paired with smart triggers (more on those in a moment), they convert exceptionally well without feeling intrusive.
2. Fly-In Forms
Fly-ins slide in from the corner of the screen, offering a less aggressive alternative to full pop-ups. They’re great for readers who are already engaged with your content but haven’t quite committed to subscribing yet.
3. Inline Forms
These forms embed directly within your post or page content. You can drop them anywhere using a shortcode, making inline forms ideal for contextual offers — like placing a “Download the Free Checklist” form right inside a related blog post.
4. Below-Post Forms
Automatically appended to the bottom of your blog posts, below-post forms catch readers who’ve just finished your content and are primed to take action. This placement consistently delivers strong conversion rates because the reader is already invested.
5. Widget Area Forms
Bloom integrates with WordPress widget areas, so you can drop an opt-in form into your sidebar, footer, or any other widgetized zone on your site. Perfect for persistent, always-visible list-building.
6. Locked Content Forms
This is arguably Bloom’s most powerful form type. Locked content (or content locking) hides part of your post or page behind an opt-in form. Readers must subscribe to unlock the hidden content — think exclusive tips, downloadable resources, or bonus sections. The perceived value is high, and conversion rates reflect that.
Design and Customization: How Good Does Bloom Look?
Bloom comes loaded with over 100 pre-made templates, and honestly, they look fantastic right out of the box. The designs are modern, clean, and professional — a significant step up from the bland, utilitarian forms you get with many free plugins.
Beyond templates, Bloom’s form builder gives you granular control over:
- Colors and backgrounds — match your brand palette exactly
- Images and patterns — add visual interest with custom imagery
- Border styles and edge shapes — sharp corners, rounded edges, or full circles
- Orientation — horizontal or vertical layouts
- Form fields — choose whether to collect just email, or email plus first/last name
- Custom messaging — headlines, body copy, and button text are all fully editable
The design editor is straightforward, with a live preview that updates in real time. You don’t need design skills to create something polished — though if you have an eye for it, the customization depth is there to make each form truly unique.
Email Provider Integrations
A list-building tool is only as useful as the email platform it feeds into. Bloom connects natively with a wide range of popular email marketing services, including:
- Mailchimp
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
- ConvertKit
- AWeber
- GetResponse
- ActiveCampaign
- Constant Contact
- iContact
- Infusionsoft (Keap)
- Mad Mimi
- Feedblitz
- And more
Connecting your email provider takes just a few minutes via API key, and once connected, new subscribers flow straight into your chosen list or tag group. Most major platforms are covered, so unless you’re using a very niche or enterprise-only tool, you’ll find your provider on the list.
Trigger Options: When Does Your Form Appear?
Smart triggers are what separate a politely effective opt-in strategy from an annoying one. Bloom gives you several solid trigger options to control exactly when your forms fire:
Timed Delay
Set your form to appear after a visitor has spent a certain number of seconds on the page. This ensures readers are actually engaged before they’re asked to subscribe — a much better experience than forms that fire the millisecond someone lands on your site.
Scroll Trigger
Trigger your form once a visitor has scrolled to a specific percentage down the page. This is one of the most effective triggers available, because reaching, say, 60% of an article is a reliable signal that someone is genuinely interested in what you’re writing.
Exit Intent
Bloom detects when a visitor’s mouse moves toward the browser’s close button or address bar and fires your pop-up as a final retention attempt. Exit-intent triggers are a proven tactic for recovering visitors who would otherwise leave without subscribing.
After Comment
Show your opt-in form after a visitor leaves a comment on your post. Someone who just took the time to engage with your content is already warm — hitting them with a subscribe prompt at this moment is perfectly timed.
After Purchase
If you’re running a WooCommerce store, Bloom can trigger an opt-in form following a completed purchase. This is a golden opportunity to add buyers to a dedicated customer email list.
Inactivity Trigger
Target passive readers who haven’t interacted with your page for a set period of time. A gentle nudge in the form of a fly-in can re-engage them before they drift away.
Bloom vs. OptinMonster vs. Sumo
No Bloom plugin review would be complete without an honest comparison to the competition.
Bloom vs. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is the industry-leading opt-in tool, and it’s genuinely powerful — but it comes at a cost. Plans start at $9/month and scale significantly for access to features like A/B testing, advanced analytics, and behavioral targeting rules. Bloom covers the fundamentals very well but doesn’t quite match OptinMonster’s depth when it comes to complex multi-step triggers, onsite retargeting, or detailed campaign analytics. If you’re running a high-volume site where marginal conversion lifts translate to serious revenue, OptinMonster’s extra power may be worth the investment. For the vast majority of bloggers and small business owners, though, Bloom does everything you actually need.
Bloom vs. Sumo
Sumo offers a free tier, which makes it attractive to absolute beginners. However, Sumo’s free version is limited, and its paid plans aren’t particularly cheap. Design-wise, Bloom’s templates are significantly more attractive, and the overall user experience inside the WordPress dashboard feels more polished and intuitive than Sumo’s interface.
The bottom line: if you’re already an Elegant Themes member, Bloom wins on pure value — it’s included in your membership at no extra cost. Join Elegant Themes today and you get Bloom, Divi, Divi AI, and Monarch all under one roof.
Bloom Pros and Cons
Pros
- Completely free with Elegant Themes membership — no separate subscription needed
- Six form placement types covering every major use case
- Beautiful, professional templates that look great without extra design work
- Wide email provider support including all the major platforms
- Smart triggers including exit intent, scroll depth, and after-comment
- Content locking — a high-converting feature many competitors charge extra for
- Lives entirely in your WordPress dashboard — no external app to manage
Cons
- Fewer advanced triggers than OptinMonster — no complex behavioral targeting chains
- A/B testing is basic compared to dedicated CRO tools
- Analytics are functional but not deep — you won’t get granular conversion funnel data
- Requires an Elegant Themes membership — it’s not available as a standalone free plugin
Is Bloom Worth It? The Verdict
For the right user, Bloom is an outstanding tool. If you’re already using Divi to build your WordPress site, adding Bloom to your list-building arsenal is an absolute no-brainer — it costs you nothing extra and delivers professional-grade opt-in forms with minimal setup time.
Even if you’re not a Divi user yet, the value proposition of an Elegant Themes membership is hard to argue with. For a single annual fee (or a one-time Lifetime license), you get access to Divi, Bloom, Monarch, and Divi AI. That’s an entire ecosystem of premium WordPress tools for less than what many single-plugin subscriptions cost. Grab the Lifetime license here and never worry about renewal fees again.
Is Bloom the most powerful opt-in plugin on the market? No — OptinMonster still holds that crown for users who need enterprise-level behavioral targeting. But for bloggers, small businesses, course creators, and anyone already in the Elegant Themes ecosystem, Bloom delivers everything you need to build a thriving email list with beautiful, conversion-focused forms.
Ready to Start Growing Your Email List with Bloom?
If you’re serious about building an email list — and you should be — Bloom gives you a polished, reliable, and genuinely attractive tool to make it happen. Stop leaving subscribers on the table and start capturing the audience you’ve already worked so hard to attract. Try Divi free for 30 days through Elegant Themes and get instant access to Bloom, Divi, and the full suite of ET products. Your future email list will thank you.
