Invite Participants
This guide covers the full process of getting participants into a survey and sending them an invitation email.
Prefer to watch? The video above covers the same steps. See all Video Tutorials.
Before starting
Section titled “Before starting”Make sure your survey has at least one active publication. Participants can be added at any time, but they will only receive a working link if a publication is active.
Step 1: Open the Participants tab
Section titled “Step 1: Open the Participants tab”Open your survey and click Participants in the left navigation.
Step 2: Add participants
Section titled “Step 2: Add participants”You can add participants individually or in bulk.
Adding participants individually
Section titled “Adding participants individually”Click Add Participant and fill in the form:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| First Name | Required. |
| Last Name | Required. |
| Required. This is where the invitation will be sent. | |
| Language | The language the survey will be presented in to this participant. |
| Token | Leave blank to auto-generate. The token is the unique identifier in the participant’s survey link. |
Click Save to add the participant to the list.
Importing participants in bulk
Section titled “Importing participants in bulk”Click Import to upload a file containing multiple participants. The system validates the data and reports any errors. Correct the file and re-upload if errors are found.
Step 3: Send invitation emails
Section titled “Step 3: Send invitation emails”Once your participants are added, click Send Invites.
A confirmation dialog asks you to confirm before sending. Click Send Invites to proceed.
A progress dialog shows:
- How many emails have been sent
- How many errors have occurred
- Overall progress
Emails are added to a queue and released in small batches to protect delivery reputation, so a large send is spread over a longer period. A participant whose email is still waiting shows “Queued” in the Send Status and Invite Sent columns. Once the email is dispatched, the Invite Sent column is updated with the timestamp. The summary reports the total queued or sent and any errors.
If some emails failed, the error list shows the email address and the reason for each failure.
Step 4: Send reminders
Section titled “Step 4: Send reminders”If some participants did not respond after receiving their invitation, click Send Reminders. This sends a follow-up email to every invited participant who has not yet completed the survey, including those who started but did not finish. The same progress dialog is shown.
The Reminder Sent column is updated for each participant once their reminder has been sent.
Email eligibility rules
Section titled “Email eligibility rules”Invite and reminder emails always follow the same two rules, regardless of a participant’s current status:
- An invite email is sent only to a participant who has not started the survey.
- A reminder email is sent only to a participant who has not completed the survey.
Resetting a participant’s invite or reminder status does not send an email by itself; it only makes them eligible again. The next Send Invites run still only reaches participants who have not started, and the next Send Reminders run still only reaches participants who have not completed.
Email status reference
Section titled “Email status reference”| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | The address has not been verified. This is the default. |
| Verified | The participant has opened the survey through the link in their invitation email. |
| Invalid | An email to the address bounced, so it is treated as undeliverable. |
Email status is a record of past delivery outcomes, not a setting. Updating a participant’s email address automatically resets the status to Pending, so it can be re-verified.
A status of Verified is set only when the participant follows the link in their invitation email. A delivered invitation that is never opened stays Pending. Invalid means an invitation or reminder to that address bounced, or the recipient marked it as spam.
When a bounce is recorded
Section titled “When a bounce is recorded”A bounce is not recorded immediately. The receiving mail server has to reject the message and return a bounce notice, which VeySur then processes on a short cycle. A change to Invalid normally appears within about 15 minutes of sending. A slow or deferred rejection can take several hours.
Only a hard bounce or a spam complaint sets the status to Invalid. A soft bounce, such as a full mailbox or a temporary server problem, does not change the status.