Add form subscribers to Mailchimp

The problem

WordPress form plugins often treat Mailchimp as a paid add-on, or they only dump the email address with no merge-field mapping.

The solution

Sobi Forms has a native Mailchimp connector on the free plugin. Connect a Marketing API key once, then add a Mailchimp automation on any form: pick an audience, map the email field and merge tags, optionally require double opt-in for new subscribers.

How to configure it

1. In Mailchimp, create a Marketing API key (Account → Extras → API keys). The key includes a datacenter suffix such as -us14.
2. Open Sobi Forms → Settings → Integrations → Mailchimp, paste the key, and click Test connection.
3. Open the form → Automations → Add automation → Mailchimp.
4. Choose an audience, map the email field and member fields.
5. Optionally enable Require double opt-in (Mailchimp confirmation for new subscribers only; existing unsubscribed contacts stay unsubscribed).
6. Click Add test member if you want a dry run, then save the form.

Double opt-in (free)

In the Mailchimp automation, turn on Require double opt-in. New subscribers are added as pending and Mailchimp sends its confirmation email. Existing unsubscribed contacts stay unsubscribed—no confirmation email for them.

Use Add test member in the builder to add yourself as pending when DOI is enabled.

Where to manage it

Sobi Forms → Settings → Mailchimp

• Settings — API key and connection test
• Logs — skipped, warning, and failed runs; Retry on API failures

Tips

• Match phone merge-field format to your audience settings (US vs international). Invalid phones are omitted with a warning rather than blocking the upsert.
• Spam ingest never syncs. Marking a submission as not spam fires the automation once.
• Need Zapier, Make, or a custom API as well? Add a webhook on the same form.
• Pro later can add Only if conditions on automations (e.g. only if a consent checkbox is checked). Field-level conditional logic is already free.