Add a poll question

Add an Ask a poll question step to a flow, type the question and 2 to 8 answers, and people vote by replying with a letter.

A poll is a step in a flow. Add an Ask a poll question step, write the question and 2 to 8 answers, and people vote by replying with the letter of their answer.

Steps

  1. Open your flow under Data Capture Flows.
  2. Click Add a step (or the + between two steps).
  3. Under Audience tools, choose Ask a poll question.
  4. If you already have polls, choose Create new poll, or Use existing poll and pick one from Choose a poll.
  5. Type the Question (up to 200 characters).
  6. Under Answers, type each answer. Click Add answer for more, up to 8. Drag to reorder. Textiful labels them A, B, C, and so on.
  7. Optional: open After someone votes or When the poll closes to change the replies and closing settings.
  8. Click Add & save.

You can also write a poll ahead of time under Audience Tools, then Audience Polls, with New poll, and add it to a flow later with Use existing poll. The Poll the audience template starts a flow with a poll already in it.

What your audience gets

They get the question as a text, with each answer on its own line:

Which topic should we cover next?
A) Topic one
B) Topic two
C) Topic three

They can reply with the letter ("b", "B)", "option b"), the answer itself, or a reply that names one answer ("topic two please"). A small typo still counts when only one answer is that close.

If Textiful can't tell which answer they meant, it sends the question again. After 3 replies it can't understand, the flow closes (see why a flow closes).

What happens after they vote

By default they get a reply confirming the vote, with a link to the live results:

Thanks for voting!
See the live results: {{poll_results_link}}

Then the flow moves on to the next step. To change that reply or turn it off, open After someone votes and edit Reply when someone votes.

Each person gets one answer per poll. To let people change their vote, see Let people change their vote.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask for an email address in the same flow as a poll?
Yes. A poll is a step inside a flow, so you can add an Ask for email step before or after it. People vote and join your list in the same conversation.
Can I change the question after people have voted?
Yes. On the poll's page under Audience Tools, then Audience Polls, click Edit. If the poll has responses, you choose Keep responses or Reset all responses. Votes for an answer you remove or reword stop counting.
Can one poll be used in more than one flow?
Yes. When you add a poll step, choose Use existing poll. Each person still gets one answer per poll, whichever flow they came through.

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