Send Invites Easily with zkipster Email Campaigns
While zkipster's invitation messages are designed to be non-transferable and set to private by default. However, you can opt to create a shareable campaign to allow more people outside your existing guest list to attend the event.
The below article explains how to create sharable invitations using an email campaign. If you plan to send your event invitation via SMS or WhatsApp, we recommend pasting the public form URL in the text message rather than using the form tags. You can find more about setting up SMS/WhatsApp messages here.
There are two different approaches as to how you can set this up sharable email invitations:
Option A: Embedding a Public Form URL inside the RSVP button of an 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 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 email 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 Email 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 email or SMS invitation will be sent to
An Empty Public Form Guest List - this is the list your new guest records will populate into
To set up the invitation for the this approach, you need to create a 'Standalone Email' and standalone 'Responses Form.'
To create a standalone email, choose the Email/Message template that focuses solely on delivering your message.
To create a separate Responses Form/Standalone Form, select the Response Form template dedicated exclusively to gathering responses without any accompanying messaging.
The standalone email will allow you to link the RSVP button to an external website or landing page (which is not possible if you create the Email directly linked to the Responses Form):
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 Forwardable Email
Open your email invitation campaign.
Configure the Email Setup like normal and select your Invitee List in the 'Send To' section (Find in-depth guidance here)
Customize the Email Design as you wish
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 Responses Form as Public Form
Open your registration form
Go to the Form Settings
Click the toggle to switch it from Private to Public
4. 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
6. Customize the design of your form as you wish
IV. Embedding the Public Form URL in the RSVP Button of your Email
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 email 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 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
An Email linked to a registration form
An additional Responses Form or Consent Form for the sharable portion of your event invitation
II. Setting up the Email and Responses Form Email (RSVP Invitation)
Go through the normal steps of setting up a private, non-transferable RSVP email invitation by using the Email/Message + Response Form template which combines messaging and response collection in one.
Keep the Form part of your Email and Responses Form Email switched to 'Private'
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 Public Responses Form
Follow the same instructions as in Option A
IV. Hyperlinking the Public Form URL in the email text of your RSVP Email
Go into your form and copy the Public Form URL
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’
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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