Sharing your poll
Get a poll to the right people with personal links, an open link and QR code, or access codes, then send reminders without ever learning who has answered.
- Workspace admins
- 5 min read
- Updated Oct 14, 2026
How people reach your poll depends on the access model you picked on the Distribution step. Respondents never need an account; new polls start as Open link (one link and QR code) unless your workspace has a contact list; then they start as Private, with a personal one-use link per person and no public link or QR code at all.
#Pick an access model
| Model | How people get in | One answer per person? |
|---|---|---|
| Private (magic links only) | A personal, one-use link by email or Slack. No public link or QR. | Yes |
| Open link | One shared link and QR code for everyone | No. The same person can answer twice |
| Access codes | A unique single-use code by email or Slack, or printable codes you hand out | Yes, one per code |
| Hybrid | Personal links for invitees, plus an open link for a wider audience | Invitees yes. The open path only if you require codes on it |
On an open link we slow down bursts of submissions from one network, but we don't fingerprint devices, so treat open-link results as directional. Use Private or Access codes when one answer per person matters.
#Personal links stay anonymous
A private invite is a personal, one-use link, but the ballot we sign is blinded in the respondent's browser first. We can see that a link was used. We can't match the answer that comes back to the link that issued it. Access codes work differently: we store only a one-way hash of each code, never which email it went to. More on both: Access codes and anonymity.
#Prerequisites
- The poll is published (see Creating your first poll).
- You can reach at least as many people as the poll's Minimum group size (five by default, never fewer than three), or results never open.
- On the Free plan, after a trial ends, email and Slack delivery need a paid plan. Link and QR stay free, so use Open link.
Treat an open link like a key. Anyone who has it can answer while the poll is open. Don't post it somewhere public if the audience should be limited. If it leaks, close the poll and publish a new one.
- Open the published poll. In Polls, open the poll. The summary at the top shows the access model, the respondent PIN, the expiry and recipient limits, and the Share panel sits below it.
- Private: send the invitations. Addresses you added in the builder are sent when you publish. To add more, use Send magic links in the Share panel: paste addresses or pick a contact list, then Send via email or Send via Slack. The Distribution summary keeps a masked log of what went out.
- Open link: share it. The Public respond link block has Copy link, the QR code (Show QR on a phone), Asset pack for a printable PDF, and Present for showing the QR in a room. You can also email the same link from Email the shared poll link.
- Access codes: send or print them. Add addresses or a number of printable codes, then Send invites / generate codes, or Send codes via Slack DM if Slack is connected.
- Check the settings. Under Advanced options on the Distribution step: an optional respondent PIN, a maximum number of respondents (the poll closes when it's reached), and what the respondent page shows. A respondent PIN is one shared password for everyone. It keeps out people who found the link without the PIN, but it doesn't stop anyone answering twice.
- Remind people. On the dashboard, Active polls shows a Remind button for polls under 70% participation. It can email the poll's email audience (the people you emailed an open link to) or post in a Slack channel. A reminder goes to everyone in that audience, including people who've already answered, because nothing links an answer to a person. One email reminder per poll every 15 minutes, and up to 10 polls an hour per workspace. Private polls and access-code polls can't be reminded by email: we don't keep those addresses.
- Let the automatic reminder go out. If you emailed the poll's link to people, they get one reminder about a day before it closes, worded for people who've already answered too. It's on by default; untick Remind people a day before it closes under Advanced options on the Distribution step, or on the poll's page, to turn it off. Private polls with personal links, access-code polls and polls shared only as a link don't get one: we don't keep those addresses. See Reminders before a poll closes.
- Tell people what's anonymous. They don't need an account. You see totals, and written answers word for word, shuffled and undated. Nobody can tell which answers are theirs.
#Respondent experience
People open their link, enter a PIN if you set one, answer, and submit. Answers are encrypted in the browser before they're sent. Nothing to install.
Continue to Viewing results.
#FAQ
No. Their personal link, or the shared link or code, plus any PIN, is enough.
Nothing opens until the poll reaches its minimum group size. While it's open, the first results wait for three more than that; if it closes with at least the minimum, everything shows at close, and below it results stay locked for good. Plan reminders and the window length together.
Yes, with Open link. It's the quickest path, but it can't stop someone answering twice. For one answer per person, use Private or Access codes. A private poll can be widened later with Change access, which adds an open link alongside the invitations.
Yes. Turn on public results under Advanced options, then publish a signed summary from the results page once results are open. The link shows nothing until you publish. See Public results link.
Demographic filters have their own rules: Demographic cohorts and thresholds.