Answers
Straight answers to common questions about text-to-join and live audience capture.
Does text-to-join work in Canada?
Text-to-join works in Canada only on a short code set up for Canadian mobile carriers, because short codes are issued country by country. Textiful's short codes, 33777 and 55444, are US only and don't work in Canada. That includes Textiful QR codes, which open a text addressed to the same short codes.
ReadHow do I collect emails at a live event?
To collect emails at a live event, offer something specific (your slides, a recording, a giveaway entry), then put a QR code and a keyword like DEMO to 33777 on screen and say it out loud. People text in, reply with their email, get what you promised, and land in your email tool. It takes a few texts on their own phone, and you have nothing to type in afterward.
ReadHow do I let people text to join my email list?
To let people text to join your email list, give them a keyword to text to a short code (like JOIN to 33777) or a QR code to scan. A text-to-join tool replies asking for their email address and adds it to your email list. Textiful does this and sends each address to Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Zapier, or a webhook as soon as someone replies.
ReadHow do I run a poll by text?
To run a poll by text, put a question and lettered choices on screen, give people a keyword to text or a QR code to scan, and let them reply with a letter. A text poll tool counts the votes and shows the results live. With Textiful, the poll is a step in a capture flow, so the same conversation can ask for an email after the vote.
ReadHow do I show live poll results on screen?
To show live poll results on screen, open your poll's public results page on the computer connected to the projector. In Textiful, that page updates in real time as people vote by text, shows counts and percentages only (never names or phone numbers), and can display a countdown and a winner banner when the poll closes. People vote by texting your keyword or scanning your QR code, then replying with a letter or the answer.
ReadHow does text-to-join work?
Text-to-join lets someone in your audience join your list from their phone, either by texting a keyword like SLIDES to a short code such as 33777 or by scanning a QR code that opens a pre-filled text. A short automated text conversation then asks for their email or a question or two, sends what you promised, and passes the contact to your email tool. The person starts the conversation themselves, so nobody is added without texting in.
ReadHow many people will text in at my event?
Nobody can give you a reliable number in advance, and Textiful hasn't measured a typical text-in rate, so treat any percentage you see quoted with caution. How many people text in depends most on what you offer, then on whether you say the ask out loud, keep it on screen, show a QR code and a keyword together, and give people time to act. To plan, multiply your expected audience by your own cautious guess and by the number of events.
ReadHow many questions should I ask when collecting leads?
Ask one to three questions. Across Textiful flows over 90 days in 2026, 89.5% of people finished a one-question flow, 83.1% finished two questions, and 85.0% finished three, while completion fell to 66.0% at four questions (a small sample of 247 starts). Start with the email and add a question only if you'll use the answer.
ReadHow much does text-to-join cost?
With Textiful, text-to-join costs a monthly plan priced by conversations, starting at $19/month, with one keyword included and $10/month for each extra keyword; QR codes are free. A conversation is one person texting your keyword or scanning your QR code and starting your flow, and it counts once however many questions you ask. If you go over, additional conversations are added automatically at $15 per 100.
ReadIs text-to-join legal? Consent basics for live events
Text-to-join is built on consent: the person starts the conversation by texting your keyword or scanning your QR code, which is the basis most consent rules for text messages look for. Whether your particular use is legal depends on what you tell people, what you send them, and where they are, so check your plans with a lawyer. The basics are to say clearly what people are signing up for, send only what you promised, and honor STOP and HELP.
ReadShould I use a QR code or a keyword at my event?
Use both when people can see a screen or sign: a QR code is the fastest path for anyone close enough to scan, and a keyword like DEMO to 33777 works from the back row and when you say it out loud. If you can only pick one, use a keyword for anything spoken (podcasts, announcements, a speaker without slides) and a QR code for printed signs people walk up to. On Textiful, QR codes are free and one keyword is included on every plan.
ReadWhat happens when someone texts STOP?
Texting STOP is the standard way for a person to opt out of text messages from a short code. On Textiful, STOP and HELP are handled automatically on every keyword and QR code, so you don't set anything up, and STOP and HELP texts never count as conversations on your plan.
ReadWhat is a short code and how does it work?
A short code is a short phone number, such as 33777 or 55444, that people text to reach a business or organization instead of a regular phone number. On a shared short code, the keyword in the text (for example SLIDES) tells the system which account and which conversation the message belongs to. Textiful runs on the shared short codes 33777 and 55444, and each keyword is unique on its code.
ReadWhat should I offer people for texting in?
Offer something the room wants right now and can only get by texting in: your slides, a recording, a checklist or worksheet from the session, a giveaway entry, or a vote in a live poll. Name it in the ask, as in "Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's deck," and deliver it the moment they finish. How many people respond depends most on what you offer, so a specific, useful thing beats "join my list."
ReadReady for your next event?
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