How many people will text in at my event?

Nobody can tell you in advance how many people will text in, and Textiful hasn't measured a typical text-in rate across events. If you see a percentage quoted for "the average room," ask where it came from. What we can say is what moves the number. The offer matters most, then saying the ask out loud, keeping it on screen, showing a QR code and a keyword together, and giving people a quiet minute to do it. To plan your volume, multiply your expected audience by your own cautious guess, then by the number of events, and adjust after the first one.

Why is there no standard number?

Rooms vary too much for one figure to mean anything. A workshop of 30 people who asked for your worksheet and a convention hall walking past a booth are different situations. So are a keynote where the speaker says the keyword three times and one where it sits in small type in a footer. Any single rate would blend all of those together and fit none of them. Your own first event is a better guide than someone else's average.

What makes more people text in?

These are the levers you control. The offer matters most; how much the rest matter depends on the room.

1. What you offer. "Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's deck" gives people a reason. "Text to join my list" gives them almost none. Slides, a recording, a checklist from the talk, a giveaway entry, or a vote in a live poll all work better than a newsletter. See What should I offer people for texting in?
2. Saying it out loud. Read the keyword and the number aloud, and say what they'll get. People who were taking notes or looking at their phone will hear it.
3. Keeping it on screen. Put the ask on your last slide and leave it up through Q&A. At a booth, put it at eye level where people stand in line.
4. QR code and keyword together. People close to the screen scan; people at the back type the word. Using one alone leaves out part of the room. QR code or keyword? covers when each one works.
5. Timing. Ask when people have their hands free and a reason to act: the end of a talk before the applause, the pause before Q&A, while someone waits at the merch table. Asking while people are filing out leaves them no time to do it.

How do I estimate it for my plan?

Use a simple formula with your own guess in the middle:

Expected conversations = people in the room × your guess at the share who'll text in × number of events

Pick a guess you'd defend after one event, then check it against what really happens. Textiful's dashboard shows text-ins and audience growth, and the keyword activity report gives totals by date range, so after the first event you'll have your own number to plug in.

Two things keep a low guess from hurting. A conversation counts once per person per start, however many questions you ask. Additional conversations are added automatically at $15 per 100, so nobody gets cut off halfway through your talk. The plan finder on the pricing page turns your estimate into a plan.

How many people finish once they start?

This part is measured. Across Textiful flows over 90 days in 2026 (about 33,500 flow starts), completion by number of questions was:

Questions in the flow	Completion
1	89.5%
2	83.1%
3	85.0%
4	66.0% (small sample: 247 starts)

The four-question sample is small, so read it as a warning sign rather than a firm figure. Keeping the flow short protects the people who already chose to text in. How many questions should I ask? goes further.

How does Textiful help?

Textiful gives you a keyword and free QR codes for the same flow, so you can show both, plus reports that tell you how many texted in at each event. The pricing page has a plan finder for your estimate.

Try it at your next event → Start a free trial