Popup Builder

Popup Builder — Targeting

Narrow who sees a popup — device, login state, new vs returning visitor, referral source, and a per-visitor display cap (Show up to N times).

3 min read Updated July 28, 2026

Targeting decides who sees a popup and how often — a layer that sits on top of the pages chosen by the Conditions tab and the moment chosen by the Triggers tab. Use it to narrow the audience by device, login state, whether they’re new or returning, where they came from, and a per-visitor display cap.

Requires: Tiger Elements Pro. In the Free plugin this feature appears as an “Upgrade to Pro” card.

Where: open a popup in the editor and switch to the Targeting tab.

The targeting controls

  • Device Targeting — three checkboxes: Desktop, Tablet, Mobile. Uncheck any device to hide the popup there. With none checked the popup shows everywhere. (Tablet is up to 1024px wide, mobile up to 768px.)
  • User State (Login)All Users, Logged In Users Only, or Logged Out Users Only. This is enforced on the server, so a popup restricted to logged-in users is never even sent to guests.
  • Visitor TypeAll Visitors, New Visitors Only, or Returning Visitors Only. First-time vs. returning is tracked with a browser cookie set on the first visit.
  • Referral Targeting — toggle on, then set Must contain URL string (for example google.com or facebook.com). The popup then only shows visitors whose referring URL contains that text. This is a simple substring match, checked on the server.
  • Display Limitations — toggle on, then set Show up to N times. A per-visitor cap that stops the popup nagging a returning reader. See the Timing & Repeat Limits article for how the cap is stored.

Conditions vs. Targeting

It’s worth being clear on the split, because it’s easy to look for an audience rule in the wrong place:

  1. Conditions answer where — which pages, posts, archives or post types a popup is eligible on, using Include/Exclude rules.
  2. Triggers answer when — page load, scroll, exit intent, and so on.
  3. Targeting answers who and how many times — the controls above.

All three apply together: a popup shows only when its Conditions match, a Trigger fires, and every Targeting rule passes.

Troubleshooting

My popup won’t show even though the trigger works.

Check the Targeting tab. A device you’ve unchecked, a login-state restriction, a “returning visitors only” rule on a fresh browser, or a referral requirement can all quietly exclude you. Test in a normal browser session that matches your rules.

Is there role-based targeting?

No. Tiger targets by login state (logged in vs. logged out), not by specific user role. If you need finer control, combine login state with page Conditions.

Frequently asked questions

No — Conditions picks which pages the popup can appear on; Targeting narrows who (device/login/visitor type/referrer) and how many times.

Yes — set Visitor Type to New Visitors Only.

Turn on Display Limitations and set a display cap, e.g. Show up to 1 time.

Still stuck?

We’re here to help

Can’t find what you’re looking for, or hit something that looks like a bug? Reach the support team or ask the community.