Turtl allows you to upload existing PDF files and publish them as trackable links. This enables you to distribute static content quickly without needing to convert it into the interactive Turtl Doc format. Once published, your PDF lives on a unique URL, collects contact analytics, and can track revenue attribution (if an appropriate revenue integration is in place).
Why publish PDFs in Turtl?
Publishing a PDF in Turtl offers several advantages over sending a standard file attachment:
Analytics: Unlike a downloaded file, a published PDF gets most of the same analytics as a Turtl Doc, including reads, read times, link clicks, and contact and account engagement. See Analytics for published PDFs below.
Contact identification: A reader can show up as a known contact if they've previously submitted a form on other Turtl content and haven't cleared their cookies since, or if they open the PDF through a tracked link (for example, from your email platform). PDFs can't be gated behind a form for now.
Centralization: You can manage your static documents alongside your interactive Turtl Docs in a single dashboard.
Version control: You can update the source PDF file at any time without changing the live URL, ensuring contacts always see the latest version.
Note: Links and CTA buttons in your PDF work as normal, and link clicks are tracked. Interactive widgets, such as Turtl polls or interactive embeds from other apps, aren't supported in a published PDF.
Analytics for published PDFs
A published PDF gets most of the same analytics dashboard as a Turtl Doc, with the same two tabs.
Content tab
Reads, average read time, total read time, and bounce rate
Reads over time
Breakdown by source, with engagement score, average read time, reads, contacts, and bounce rate per source
Filters for date, source, device, country, and all UTM parameters, plus CSV download
Page performance for each page of the PDF: reads, readers, average page time, and click-through rate
Interactions: clicks on each link, with the page it's on and the link URL
Audience tab
Account intent (high, medium, low) and known accounts
Known and unknown contacts
Repeat reads (returning readers and multi-content readers)
Contact engagement over time
Accounts and contacts tables with intent, average engagement, contacts, buying stage, target, and topics
Note: Account intent, buying stage, and target account data depend on your intent data integration (for example, Demandbase).
What a published PDF doesn't include
Widget analytics (such as polls, forms, and video)
Personalization analytics
Lead capture gating
The core reader and account analytics are the same as for a Turtl Doc. A Turtl Doc adds the interactive layer on top.
How to publish a PDF
On the "All content" page, click "Add content" at the top-right corner and select "Import existing content".
In the "Import" window, select "Publish a PDF".
Name the PDF, select a language and then click "Continue".
Upload your PDF by dragging and dropping it into the upload area or selecting it using the file picker. Once uploaded, click "Continue" and your PDF will be loaded.
Publish your PDF by clicking "Publish" in the top-right corner of the Creation Studio.
Turtl will automatically generate the Turtl Doc name and a custom URL, but you can update these manually. You'll also need to add a description for use by search engines and social media.
Click the "Next" button, and you'll be able to set the tags for the Turtl Doc. Find out more about using tags to organize your content here.
Click the "Next" button, and you will see the option to set the Doc access settings. Find out more about the different access settings.
Click "Save and Publish" to finish publishing. Find out how to share your content on social media, by email, and on your website.
PDF navigation settings
By default, PDFs published in Turtl use a vertical scroll navigation. You can optionally change the navigation settings of your PDF to navigate left and right using navigation buttons.
To change the navigation setting of your PDF, click the 3 dots to the top right of the Creation Studio and click "Settings".
Click on the "Navigation" tab and select your preferred navigation option.
Enable PDF download
If you disable this option in your PDF settings, the "Download PDF" option will be hidden when viewing your PDF. This setting is enabled by default.
