Email Surveys

Email surveys allow you to send Formbricks surveys directly via email or embed them in your email campaigns. Recipients can complete surveys without leaving their inbox.

How Email Surveys Work

Email surveys are essentially link surveys packaged for email delivery. They can be:

Embedded in email - Survey rendered directly in the email body (HTML)
Linked from email - Button or link that opens survey in browser
Sent as preview - Test email delivery before full campaign

// Email surveys are link-type surveys
interface TSurvey {
  type: "link"; // Always "link" for email surveys
  metadata?: TSurveyMetadata;
}

interface TSurveyMetadata {
  title?: TI18nString;
  description?: TI18nString;
  ogImage?: string;
}

Setup Email Delivery

Email surveys require email configuration in your Formbricks instance.

Configure email service

Set up SMTP or email service provider in your Formbricks environment variables:

MAIL_FROM=surveys@yourcompany.com
SMTP_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=apikey
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-api-key

Create a link survey

Email surveys must be Link type surveys. Create your survey in the Formbricks dashboard.

Access email options

Navigate to Summary tab and click Share → Email tab.

Email Embed Methods

Method 1: Full HTML Embed

Embed the complete survey directly in your email:

Generate HTML

In the Email tab, click Embed Code to view the full HTML.

Copy HTML

Copy the generated HTML code.

Paste in email editor

Paste into your email service provider’s HTML editor.

<!-- Generated email HTML example -->
<div style="max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;">
  <div style="background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #e5e7eb; border-radius: 8px; padding: 24px;">
    <h2 style="margin: 0 0 16px; font-size: 20px; color: #111827;">
      How was your experience?
    </h2>
    <p style="margin: 0 0 24px; color: #6b7280; font-size: 14px;">
      We'd love to hear your feedback!
    </p>
    
    <!-- Survey questions rendered as interactive HTML -->
    <div class="fb-question">
      <!-- Question content -->
    </div>
    
    <a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id" 
       style="display: inline-block; background: #00C4B8; color: white; padding: 12px 24px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; margin-top: 16px;">
      Complete Survey
    </a>
  </div>
</div>

Email client compatibility: Not all email clients support interactive HTML. Always include a fallback link.

Method 2: CTA Button Link

Add a call-to-action button that opens the survey:

<!-- Simple CTA approach -->
<table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
  <tr>
    <td align="center" style="padding: 20px;">
      <a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?source=email&campaign=nps-q1" 
         style="display: inline-block; background: #00C4B8; color: white; padding: 14px 32px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-family: -apple-system, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px;">
        Share Your Feedback
      </a>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

Method 3: Plain Text Link

For plain text emails:

We'd love to hear from you!

Please take 2 minutes to complete our survey:
https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?source=email

Thank you!
The Team

Send Preview Email

Test email delivery before sending to your full list:

Navigate to Email tab

In the Share modal, select the Email tab.

Review preview

View how the email will appear in the Preview tab.

Send test

Click Send Preview to receive a test email.

The preview email is sent to your Formbricks account email address.

// Preview email implementation
const sendPreviewEmail = async (surveyId: string) => {
  const result = await sendEmbedSurveyPreviewEmailAction({ surveyId });
  
  if (result?.data) {
    toast.success("Email sent successfully");
  } else {
    toast.error("Failed to send email");
  }
};

Email Campaign Integration

Mailchimp

Create campaign

Start a new email campaign in Mailchimp.

Add HTML block

Insert a Code block in your email template.

Paste survey HTML

Copy the Formbricks email HTML and paste it into the code block.

Add merge tags

Personalize with Mailchimp merge tags:

<p>Hi *|FNAME|*,</p>
<a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?email=*|EMAIL|*&subscriber_id=*|UNIQID|*">
  Take Survey
</a>

SendGrid

<!-- SendGrid dynamic template example -->
<div class="survey-container">
  <p>Hello {{firstName}},</p>
  
  <a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?email={{email}}&user_id={{userId}}" 
     class="cta-button">
    Share Your Feedback
  </a>
</div>

Customer.io

<!-- Customer.io liquid template -->
<div>
  <p>Hi {{ customer.first_name }},</p>
  
  <a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?email={{ customer.email }}&cio_id={{ customer.id }}">
    Complete Survey
  </a>
</div>

Personalization with Hidden Fields

Pass user data via URL parameters to personalize surveys:

<a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?email={{email}}&name={{first_name}}&plan={{subscription_plan}}&source=email&campaign=satisfaction-q1">
  Take Survey
</a>

Define these as hidden fields in your survey to capture the data:

const survey = {
  hiddenFields: {
    enabled: true,
    fieldIds: ["email", "name", "plan", "source", "campaign"]
  }
};

Single-Use Email Links

Ensure each recipient can only respond once:

Enable single-use links

In survey settings, enable Single-Use Links.

Generate unique IDs

Create a unique ID for each recipient in your email list.

Include in email

Add the unique ID to each survey link:

<a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?suId={{unique_recipient_id}}">
  Take Survey
</a>

Use your email service provider’s unique subscriber ID as the single-use ID for easy tracking.

Email Best Practices

Keep it short

Limit surveys sent via email to 3-5 questions maximum. Longer surveys should use a link to open in browser.

Subject line matters

Use clear, compelling subject lines:

✅ “Quick question about your recent purchase”
✅ “2-minute survey: How are we doing?”
❌ “Survey”
❌ “We need your feedback”

Timing is crucial

Send surveys at optimal times:

B2B: Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-2pm
B2C: Evenings and weekends
Post-purchase: 3-7 days after transaction
Post-support: Within 24 hours of resolution

Mobile-first design

Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices:

Use large, tappable buttons (minimum 44x44px)
Test on multiple email clients
Keep text concise and scannable
Use single-column layout

Include unsubscribe option

Always provide a way to opt-out of survey emails:

<p style="font-size: 12px; color: #6b7280; margin-top: 24px;">
  Don't want to receive surveys? 
  <a href="{{unsubscribe_url}}" style="color: #6b7280;">Unsubscribe</a>
</p>

A/B test send times

Test different send times and subject lines to optimize response rates.

Tracking Email Performance

Monitor your email survey campaigns:

Response Rate

Track responses using hidden fields:

<a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?source=email&campaign_id=spring-nps-2024&send_date=2024-03-15">
  Take Survey
</a>

Analyze in Formbricks:

Filter responses by source=email
Group by campaign_id
Compare response rates across send dates

Email Client Tracking

Identify which email clients your respondents use:

<!-- Add email client as hidden field -->
<a href="https://your-domain.com/s/survey-id?email_client={{client_type}}">
  Take Survey
</a>

Email Client Compatibility

Email Client	HTML Support	Interactive Elements	Recommended Approach
Gmail	✅ Good	⚠️ Limited	Embed with fallback link
Outlook	⚠️ Limited	❌ None	CTA button only
Apple Mail	✅ Excellent	✅ Good	Full embed
Yahoo Mail	✅ Good	⚠️ Limited	Embed with fallback
Mobile Gmail	✅ Good	⚠️ Limited	CTA button recommended
Outlook Mobile	⚠️ Limited	❌ None	CTA button only

Always include a fallback link to ensure all recipients can access the survey regardless of email client.

Automated Email Triggers

Integrate with your backend to send surveys automatically:

// Example: Send NPS survey 7 days after signup
import { sendEmail } from './email-service';

interface User {
  email: string;
  firstName: string;
  signupDate: Date;
}

async function sendNPSSurvey(user: User) {
  const daysSinceSignup = 
    (Date.now() - user.signupDate.getTime()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24);
  
  if (daysSinceSignup >= 7) {
    const surveyUrl = 
      `https://your-domain.com/s/nps-survey?` +
      `email=${encodeURIComponent(user.email)}&` +
      `name=${encodeURIComponent(user.firstName)}&` +
      `source=automated&` +
      `trigger=day7`;
    
    await sendEmail({
      to: user.email,
      subject: `${user.firstName}, how's your experience so far?`,
      html: `
        <p>Hi ${user.firstName},</p>
        <p>You've been using our product for a week now. We'd love to hear your thoughts!</p>
        <a href="${surveyUrl}" style="...">
          Share Your Feedback
        </a>
      `
    });
  }
}

Compliance and Privacy

GDPR Compliance

For EU recipients:

Obtain consent before sending surveys
Include privacy policy link
Allow opt-out from future surveys
Honor data deletion requests

<p style="font-size: 11px; color: #9ca3af;">
  By completing this survey, you agree to our 
  <a href="https://yoursite.com/privacy">Privacy Policy</a>.
</p>

CAN-SPAM Compliance

For US recipients:

Include physical mailing address
Provide clear unsubscribe mechanism
Don’t use deceptive subject lines
Honor opt-out requests within 10 days

CASL Compliance

For Canadian recipients:

Obtain explicit consent
Clearly identify your organization
Provide contact information
Include unsubscribe mechanism

Troubleshooting

Emails not sending

Verify SMTP configuration in environment variables
Check email service provider status
Review sending limits and quotas
Test with a simple email first

Survey not rendering in email

Check HTML validity
Test in multiple email clients
Ensure CSS is inline (not external)
Provide fallback link

Low response rates

Shorten the survey
Improve subject line
Test different send times
Add incentive or urgency
Personalize the message

Hidden fields not capturing

Verify URL parameter names match field IDs
Check for URL encoding issues
Ensure hidden fields are enabled in survey
Test the full URL manually

Example: Complete Email Campaign

Here’s a complete example of an NPS email survey:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>We'd love your feedback</title>
</head>
<body style="margin: 0; padding: 0; background: #f3f4f6; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;">
  <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
    <tr>
      <td align="center" style="padding: 40px 20px;">
        <table width="600" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="background: white; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden;">
          <!-- Header -->
          <tr>
            <td style="padding: 32px 32px 24px; border-bottom: 1px solid #e5e7eb;">
              <img src="https://yoursite.com/logo.png" alt="Company Logo" width="120">
            </td>
          </tr>
          
          <!-- Content -->
          <tr>
            <td style="padding: 32px;">
              <h1 style="margin: 0 0 16px; font-size: 24px; color: #111827;">
                How likely are you to recommend us?
              </h1>
              <p style="margin: 0 0 24px; color: #6b7280; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">
                Hi {{firstName}}, your opinion matters to us. Please take a moment to share your experience.
              </p>
              
              <!-- CTA Button -->
              <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
                <tr>
                  <td align="center" style="border-radius: 6px; background: #00C4B8;">
                    <a href="https://your-domain.com/s/nps-survey?email={{email}}&name={{firstName}}&user_id={{userId}}&source=email&campaign=nps-q1-2024" 
                       style="display: inline-block; padding: 14px 32px; color: white; text-decoration: none; font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px;">
                      Take 1-Minute Survey
                    </a>
                  </td>
                </tr>
              </table>
              
              <p style="margin: 24px 0 0; color: #9ca3af; font-size: 14px;">
                This will only take about 60 seconds of your time.
              </p>
            </td>
          </tr>
          
          <!-- Footer -->
          <tr>
            <td style="padding: 24px 32px; background: #f9fafb; border-top: 1px solid #e5e7eb;">
              <p style="margin: 0 0 8px; color: #6b7280; font-size: 12px;">
                © 2024 Your Company. All rights reserved.
              </p>
              <p style="margin: 0; color: #9ca3af; font-size: 11px;">
                <a href="{{unsubscribe_url}}" style="color: #9ca3af;">Unsubscribe</a> | 
                <a href="https://yoursite.com/privacy" style="color: #9ca3af;">Privacy Policy</a>
              </p>
            </td>
          </tr>
        </table>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</body>
</html>

Link Surveys

Learn more about link survey features

Hidden Fields

Track additional data with hidden fields

Email Configuration

Configure email service for self-hosted instances

Webhooks

Automate actions when responses are received

Survey Types

Question Types

Features

How Email Surveys Work

Setup Email Delivery

Email Embed Methods

Method 1: Full HTML Embed

Method 2: CTA Button Link

Method 3: Plain Text Link

Send Preview Email

Email Campaign Integration

Mailchimp

SendGrid

Customer.io

Personalization with Hidden Fields

Single-Use Email Links

Email Best Practices

Tracking Email Performance

Response Rate

Email Client Tracking

Email Client Compatibility

Automated Email Triggers

Compliance and Privacy

Troubleshooting

Example: Complete Email Campaign

Link Surveys

Hidden Fields

Email Configuration

Webhooks

Survey Types

Question Types

Features

Documentation Index

​How Email Surveys Work

​Setup Email Delivery

​Email Embed Methods

​Method 1: Full HTML Embed

​Method 2: CTA Button Link

​Method 3: Plain Text Link

​Send Preview Email

​Email Campaign Integration

​Mailchimp

​SendGrid

​Customer.io

​Personalization with Hidden Fields

​Single-Use Email Links

​Email Best Practices

​Tracking Email Performance

​Response Rate

​Email Client Tracking

​Email Client Compatibility

​Automated Email Triggers

​Compliance and Privacy

​Troubleshooting

​Example: Complete Email Campaign

​Related Resources

Link Surveys

Hidden Fields

Email Configuration

Webhooks

How Email Surveys Work

Setup Email Delivery

Email Embed Methods

Method 1: Full HTML Embed

Method 2: CTA Button Link

Method 3: Plain Text Link

Send Preview Email

Email Campaign Integration

Mailchimp

SendGrid

Customer.io

Personalization with Hidden Fields

Single-Use Email Links

Email Best Practices

Tracking Email Performance

Response Rate

Email Client Tracking

Email Client Compatibility

Automated Email Triggers

Compliance and Privacy

Troubleshooting

Example: Complete Email Campaign

Related Resources