How to Create a Shareable Invitation

This article explains how to create a zkipster invitation that can be shared with new guests not currently on your list

Petya Filipova avatar
Written by Petya Filipova
Updated over a week ago

While zkipster's invitation emails are designed to be non-transferable and set to private by default. However, you can opt to create a sharable invitation to allow more people outside your existing guest list to attend the event.

There are two different approaches as to how you can set this up:


Option A: Embedding a Public Form URL inside the RSVP button of a Standalone Email


When connecting the RSVP button of a standalone email to a public form via URL, all guests will be registered as new guests into the specified guest list of the public form.

Please note: The initial email invitees will create to a duplicate entry for themselves and remain 'Unconfirmed' in the original guest list you sent the invitation to.

Option B: Using a standard Private Form RSVP invitation and additionally hyperlinking a Public Form URL in the email text


This makes the invitation private and non-transferable for any guest already on your guest list and thus avoid duplicates, as the existing guest record is updated.

However, you are also giving any potential new guests the option to register via a blank public form separately.



Please find step-by-step guidelines for both options below.


Option A: Embedding a Public Form URL inside the RSVP button


I. Creating the Individual Invitation and Guest List Elements

For this option, create the following inside your event:

  • An Invitee List - this list contains your uploaded/ existing guests where your shareable invitation will be sent to

  • An Empty Public Form Guest List - this is the list your new guest records will populate into

as well as

  • One Standalone Email

  • One standalone Responses Form

To set up the invitation for the this approach, you need to choose the 'Standalone Email' and standalone 'Responses Form' options from the template overview:

The standalone email template will allow you link the RSVP button to an external website or landing page (which is not possible if you used the Email and Responses Form template):

Alternatively, you can choose to create a Consent Form instead of a Responses Form in case you need to request consent from your guests. There are two ways you can enable the consent form:

  • via the 'Consent Form' Tab

  • via the 'Edit Event' section under the 'Event Settings' Tab


II. Setting up the Standalone Email

  1. Click on the Standalone Email template

  2. Configure the Email Setup like normal and select your Invitee List in the 'Send To' section (Find in-depth guidance here)

It would be a good idea to mention in the invitation text that this RSVP email is sharable and that guests are welcome to forward it to their colleagues, friends, etc.



III. Setting up the standalone Responses Form (Public Form)

  1. Click on the form template

  2. Go to the Form Settings

  3. Name the form

  4. Click the toggle to switch it from Private to Public

5. Select which list your new guest records should fall into (i.e. 'Public Form Guest List' in this example) and the total number new guests can RSVP for


IV. Embedding the Public Form URL in the RSVP Button of your Standalone Email

  1. On the email composer of your standalone email, go to the 'Button' tab and switch it to 'On'

2. Inside the 'Button' tab, scroll down to the 'Link Button' section

3. Select the 'Web Address (URL)' option

4. Go into your form and copy the Public Form URL

5. Go back into your standalone email and paste the Public Form URL into the 'Web Address (URL)' field

Make sure to save all your changes and send your sharable invitation to your Invitee List when ready!

Again, using this option will create duplicate guest records (the existing ones in your Invitee List and the newly created ones inside your Public Form Guest List) inside your event so if you'd like to stop this from happening please use the alternative option below.



Option B: Using a standard Private Form RSVP Invitation and additionally hyperlinking a Public Form URL in the email text


A private form is only accessible via the unique, personalized form URL that each guest receives through their individual RSVP Invitation email - it is automatically embedded in the RSVP button (i.e. you don't need to do configure anything to set this up).

I. Creating the Individual Invitation and Guest List Elements

For this option, you'd need to create the following:

  • An Invitee List - as above

  • An Empty Public Form Guest List - as above

  • One Email and Responses Form (RSVP Invitation)

  • One Standalone Responses Form or Consent Form if you are using this feature


II. Setting up the Email and Responses Form Email (RSVP Invitation)

  1. Go through the normal steps of setting up a private, non-transferable RSVP invitation via the Email and Responses Form template and select your Invitee List as the recipients in the Email Setup

  2. Keep the Form part of your Email and Responses Form Email switched to 'Private'

  3. Go to the Response Fields tab on your Form Settings and make sure to lock the First Name and Last Name fields

When you send this invitation to your Invitee List, your guests will click on the RSVP button which will take them to their unique private form.
Their response on the form directly updates their existing guest record in zkipster as the unique form URL connects the two. This is also the reason why your guests will be able to see their own details (First Name, Last Name, etc.) pre-populating the response fields.


Please note: If a guest were to forward their own RSVP invitation onto a third person without you as the user locking the First Name and Last Name response fields in zkipster beforehand, that third person would have the power to overwrite your original guest's name and details as they also see the original guest's information reflected back to them as well.

III. Setting up the standalone Responses Form (Public Form)

Follow the same instructions as in Option A



IV. Hyperlinking the Public Form URL in the email text of your RSVP Invitation

  1. Go into your form and copy the Public Form URL

  2. On your RSVP Invitation email text (underneath your RSVP button or in whatever place you wish) write a disclaimer such as ‘If you would like any additional colleagues to attend to this event, please register them via this form here’

  3. Add your Public Form URL as a hyperlink to the 'this form here’ text so that any additional guests you have been forwarded the invitation can register via the blank public form

Save your changes and send your RSVP invitation as normal.

A Word on Email Rendering

Email clients (Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, etc.) may render the HTML code of your email invitation differently. While your original email may look fantastic in one email client, it may appear irregular in another.

If your invitation was forwarded to new recipients, there is a chance it may not look exactly as the original email does.

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