Capture flow

What is a capture flow?

A capture flow is a short, automated text conversation that collects someone's details after they text a keyword or scan a QR code. It asks one question at a time, checks each answer, delivers what was promised (slides, a handout, a confirmation), and sends the contact to other tools such as an email list. "Capture flow" is the name Textiful uses. The same idea is sometimes called a text-to-join flow or a text sign-up sequence.

A capture flow is the middle of text-to-join: the part between the person sending the first text and their details landing in your list.

How does it work?

On Textiful, a capture flow has three parts.

1. Trigger. How people start. Each flow has one trigger, either a QR code or a keyword on short code 33777 or 55444, so each one reports separately. A QR code and a keyword can each start a copy of the same flow.

2. Capture sequence. What you ask. The steps available are:

• email
• first, last, or full name
• company
• zip, city, state, or location (a zip fills in city and state)
• custom data, under any label you define
• a live poll question

Questions go one at a time. If an answer doesn't look right, such as an email with no @, the person is asked to try again. A flow closes after 36 hours without a reply, or after 3 replies it can't understand. Optional follow-up reminders, off by default, nudge people who stop partway. Replies can include a picture, and each text message is capped at 315 characters.

3. Actions. Where it goes when the flow finishes: send a text, text a handout, send an email, email a handout, email yourself a notification, tag the contact, add to Mailchimp, add to Kit, or send to a webhook as JSON. Zapier's "New Contact" trigger connects to thousands of other apps.

Templates cover common setups: grow my email list, quick email signup, send my slide deck, give away a download, poll the audience, collect session feedback, run a giveaway, and send an offer or info. Each person who starts a flow counts as one conversation, however many questions it has.

Why it matters at live events

At an event, the flow is the whole sign-up, so its length decides how many people finish. Someone texting from row 12 as the room empties will answer one question, maybe two. A speaker giving away slides might ask only for an email. A booth team might add company. A gala might add a poll vote and an email in the same conversation.

Because the flow runs on each person's phone, it handles a whole room at once. Nobody waits in line for a clipboard. For help deciding what to ask, see How many questions should I ask when collecting leads? or browse capture flows.

Key takeaways

• A capture flow is the short text conversation that turns a scan or keyword into a contact.
• It has a trigger, a sequence of one-at-a-time questions, and actions that send the contact on.
• Keep it to the questions you'll use in follow-up.
• Each person who starts a flow counts as one conversation, however many questions it asks.

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