Note: This feature is available if you have purchased the Personalization module and are on a Professional or Unlimited plan.
This article provides an overview of personalization forms and form fields. This article is suitable for someone who already has a basic understanding of how to set up Turtl Docs for personalization including the concepts of a personalization token and page rules. If you want to recap on the basics, read our step-by-step guide for setting up a Doc for personalization.
We’ll cover:
What is a personalization form
Basics of creating personalization forms
Introduction to form field types
Input field deep dive
Layout field deep dive
Introduction
What is a personalization form?
A personalization form is an interface that allows Turtl users, and in some cases your readers, to personalize a Doc. Each form is made up of structured form fields which, when completed, dynamically replace any personalization tokens within your Turtl Doc.
A Turtl Doc with its Personalization form
Why are they important?
A personalization form provides a simple way for anyone to effortlessly tailor content without extensive training or technical expertise.
The content creator (let’s say a marketing team) sets the boundaries of what can and can’t be changed, and a team member (let’s say a salesperson) fills in the form to generate personalized content. This keeps things quick and easy for your personalizers and gives content creators the peace of mind that content will always be consistent and on-brand.
Personalization forms also provide a scalable solution. You can easily modify or expand the fields within the form to accommodate new requirements without disrupting your workflows.
Basics of creating personalization forms
How to access the personalization form builder
Open your Doc and click the "Personalization" tab.
Introduction to the form field types
Personalization forms are made up of form fields. Each personalization token in your Doc requires a corresponding form field. This will allow you to replace the placeholder content in your Doc with personalized information.
For example, if you have a personalization token in your Doc for a first name, you’ll need a corresponding form field to insert the customer’s first name. The type of form fields you use will depend on how you’re planning to personalize your Doc.
When you first open a personalization form, you’re presented with various form field options.
Form field options within a personalization form
The table below provides an introduction to the different form fields and their capability. You can learn more about each field later on in this article and use the hyperlinks to skip to more info.
Field name
| Capability |
Input fields (Used to input information into your personalized Doc) |
|
Personalize a short line of text or a single word. | |
Personalize longer paragraphs of information. | |
Upload a file into a personalization. | |
Add a customer’s logo to the cover page of your Doc using either their website URL or by uploading a file. | |
Add a screenshot of your customer's website homepage to the cover page of your Doc using either their website URL or by uploading a file. | |
Embed (or record from scratch) a Vidyard video, layered over an existing background cover image or video | |
Embed (or record from scratch) a video, layered over an existing background cover image or video | |
Enables you to choose one option from a drop-down list. Values within the dropdown are often linked to different pages or chapters in Turtl but can be used in other ways too. | |
Enables you to choose multiple options from a checklist. Values within the dropdown are often linked to different pages or chapters in Turtl but can be used in other ways too. | |
Enables you to choose one or multiple options from a short list. Offers more design flexibility than the Checkboxes field. | |
Layout fields (Used to help organize and structure your form) |
|
Enables you to add Heading text to your form. | |
Enables you to add descriptive text to your form. | |
Enables you to break up the form into separate sections with divider lines and clear titles. | |
Enables you to break up the form into separate pages. |
How to add an Input form field to the form
When you add an Input field to your form (such as the "Single line" form field), you’re typically prompted to connect it to an existing personalization token within your Turtl Doc or create a new one. However, some input fields don’t require a corresponding token such as the Logo, Homepage, Vidyard, and Video fields (see the table above).
In the video below we’re connecting a "Single line" form field with a personalization token for %firstname%
which exists on the cover of the Turtl Doc.
Adding a "Single line" form field
Once you’ve added your input field, explore the Basic and Advanced field settings to complete the setup process. Settings options will differ slightly depending on which form field you’re using.
Form field settings
Setting name | Purpose |
Basic settings |
|
Token | The personalization token that your form field is matched to. |
Label | The description of the field within the form. You’ll want to tidy this up to make it as clear as possible. E.g. change "firstname" to "Add the first name of your customer here". |
Default | The value that will be shown on the master Doc (in place of the token) and on the personalization if the field isn’t completed. E.g. if a reader’s name is not completed, you might want it to default to “you”:
|
Prefill value | You have the option to pre-fill the form field with a value. This is the value that will be used within the personalization form and will pull in on the personalized version if the person completing the form doesn’t overwrite it with something else.
|
Placeholder | Optional text to help users of the form understand what kind of content they should include. E.g. if you want them to complete the first name of a reader, you might add a placeholder of "e.g. John" |
Advanced settings |
|
Required | Allows you to set certain fields as always required or when certain conditions are met. E.g. you could require that a field is only required when another field is completed in a certain way. |
Enabled | Allows you to disable certain fields completely or when certain conditions are met. E.g. you could disable certain fields while you’re still working on them.
|
Visible | Allows you to hide certain fields completely or until conditions are met. E.g. you could hide fields related to a particular part of the Doc until a personalizer has chosen to include that section.
|
How to add a Layout form field to the form
Layout fields are very straightforward to add to your personalization form. Choose the field you’d like to add and edit the text as required for the Heading, Text, and Section fields.
In the video below we’re adding Section and Text fields to a personalization form.
Adding Section and Text form fields
Once you’ve added your layout field, explore the Basic and Advanced field settings to complete the setup process. Settings options will differ slightly depending on which form field you’re using.
Setting name | Purpose |
Basic settings |
|
Text | The text that you want to include within your layout field e.g. within your Heading or Section field. If using the Section field, you can control the text for both the Previous and Next buttons. |
Advanced settings |
|
Enabled | Same as on Input fields. |
Visible | Same as on Input fields. |
Input fields
Single line
Single line form field within the personalization form builder
Single line form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Personalize a short line of text or a single word
For a walkthrough of how to add a single line field to a form, watch the video on this article. |
Example use case | Personalize a customer’s name, email address, mobile number, etc. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | Yes |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | No |
Multi line
Multi-line form field within the personalization form builder
Multi-line form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Personalize longer paragraphs of information |
Example use case | Personalize an introduction message for key prospects or add commentary on a pricing page. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | Yes |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? |
|
File upload
File upload form field within the personalization form builder
File upload form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Upload a file into a personalization.
Supported file types:
For a walkthrough of how to add a file upload field to a form, watch the video in this article. |
Example use case |
|
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | Yes |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🔴 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API
It cannot be used for Reader Form personalization (when you’re allowing external readers to personalize content) for security reasons. |
Anything else to consider? | The file upload field allows for a wide range of different file types to be uploaded, from PDFs and Excel sheets to images and videos. Provide clear instructions for your personalizers within the personalization form so they know how to prepare their file to reduce issues. |
Logo
Logo form field within the personalization form builder
Logo form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Example output of logo personalization for Google
Capability | Add a customer’s logo to the cover page of your Doc by either:
For a walkthrough of how to add a logo field to a form, watch the video in this article. |
Example use case | Add a customer’s logo to a Doc for ABM or Sales Enablement, or prepare a Doc for partner marketing. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - the logo will automatically be placed on the front cover of your Turtl Doc. The exact placement will depend on your brand theme and the Surf style you’ve chosen for your Doc. If you want to adjust the default placement of the logo, contact our support team. |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🔴 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API
The file upload method of adding a logo can not be used for Reader Form personalization (when you’re allowing external readers to personalize content) for security reasons. |
Anything else to consider? | You have an added option to set the logo to ‘Whiteout’ mode within the form field settings. This works well on darker backgrounds. |
Homepage
Homepage form field within the personalization form builder
Example output of homepage personalization for Google
Capability | Add a screenshot of your customer's website homepage to the cover page of your Doc using either:
|
Example use case | Add a customer’s homepage graphic to a Doc for ABM or Sales Enablement. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - the homepage graphic will be automatically added to the cover page of your Doc. You can use this template to design your cover page to suit the placement of the homepage graphic. |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🔴 Reader form 🔴 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API
The file upload method of adding a homepage can not be used for Reader Form personalization (when you’re allowing external readers to personalize content) for security reasons. |
Anything else to consider? | No |
Vidyard
Vidyard form field within the personalization form builder
Vidyard form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Embed a Vidyard video onto the cover page of your Doc |
Example use case | A salesperson could add a personalized video introduction to a proposal or product overview. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - the embedded Vidyard video will be automatically added to the cover page of your Doc.
In most cases, we will need to add some custom code to your cover page so the personalized video works with your specific cover design. Contact our support team to get help with this. |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🔴 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API
Vidyard videos can’t be embedded within Reader Form personalization (when you’re allowing external readers to personalize content) for security reasons. |
Anything else to consider? | You must have a paid Vidyard account in order to use this field. The free account only has a limited number of embeds allowed which is prohibitive in this scenario. |
Video
Video form field within the personalization form builder
Video field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | If you don’t have a tool like Vidyard, use this to include a personalized video on the cover page of your Doc by either:
|
Example use case | A salesperson could add a personalized video introduction to a proposal or product overview. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - the video will be automatically added to the cover page of your Doc.
In most cases, we will need to add some custom code to your cover page so the personalized video works with your specific cover design. Contact our support team to get help with this. |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🔴 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API
Videos can’t be uploaded within Reader Form personalization (when you’re allowing external readers to personalize content) for security reasons. |
Anything else to consider? | No |
Dropdown
Dropdown form field within the personalization form builder
Dropdown form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Enables you to choose one option from a drop-down list. Values within the dropdown are often linked to different pages or chapters in Turtl but can be used in other ways too.
For a walkthrough of how to add a dropdown field to a form, watch the video on this article. |
Example use case |
|
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | Yes |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | To advance your use of this field, you can populate dropdown options based on a list of data from a .csv file. For example, if you have a list of sales rep information within a file e.g. their name, link to LinkedIn profile image, contact details, etc, you can use some custom code within your personalization form to automatically populate a dropdown field with this information. When a sales rep's name is selected, multiple elements of a Doc could be personalized at once e.g. their name, their image, contact details on the back page, etc.
If you think you might have a use case for this, get in touch with our support team to learn more. |
Checkboxes
Checkbox form field within the personalization form builder
Checkbox form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Enables you to choose multiple options from a checklist. Values within the dropdown are often linked to different pages or chapters in Turtl but can be used in other ways too.
For a walkthrough of how to add a checklist field to a form, watch the video on this article. |
Example use case | The checkbox could hold a list of different problems your product/service solves. The personalizer could select the problems which resonate with them which would then pull in relevant content within the Doc. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | Yes |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | No |
Choice
Choice form field within the personalization form builder
Choice form field from a personalizer’s perspective
Capability | Enables you to choose one or multiple options from a short list. Offers more design flexibility than the Checkboxes field. |
Example use case | The choice boxes could hold three different answers to a question e.g. "What’s your biggest marketing challenge?". The chapters and pages within the Doc could be personalized based on the option chosen. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | Yes |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | No |
Layout fields
Heading
Capability | Enables you to add Heading text to your form. |
Example use case | Add clear headings to your form to make it clear that personalizers have moved on to a new section of the form. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - just add the field to your form |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | You can drag and drop your field to move it around the form. |
Text
Capability | Enables you to add descriptive text to your form. |
Example use case | Add additional text to sections of your form to provide additional instruction. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - just add the field to your form |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | You can drag and drop your field to move it around the form. |
Section
Capability | Enables you to break up the form into separate sections with divider lines and clear titles. |
Example use case | Break up your form into a few clear sections so it’s easier for personalizers to follow e.g. ‘Customer info’, ‘Product preferences’, ‘Pricing’ |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - just add the field to your form |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? | You can drag and drop your field to move it around the form. |
Step
Capability | Enables you to break up the form into separate pages. |
Example use case | If you have a particularly long form, break up your form into separate steps so it’s easier for personalizers to work through. |
Requires a personalization token within the Doc? | No - just add the field to your form |
Works with all personalization methods? | 🟢 Internal form 🟢 Reader form 🟢 File upload 🟢 CRM as a data source 🟢 API |
Anything else to consider? |
|
Build content button
Capability | The final button that personalizers press to submit the form and generate a personalized Doc. |
Anything else to consider? |
|
The Build Content button will appear automatically on your personalization form. Click on the button in the form builder to be able to edit the button text in the basic tab on the right-hand side.
Form field compatibility overview
Field name
| Works with all personalization methods? |
Input fields (Used to input information into your personalized Doc) |
|
Yes | |
Yes | |
No - can not be used for Reader Form personalization | |
No - the file upload method can not be used for Reader Form personalization | |
No - the file upload method can not be used for Reader Form personalization | |
No - can not be used for Reader Form personalization | |
No - can not be used for Reader Form personalization | |
Yes | |
Yes | |
Yes | |
Layout fields (Used to help organize and structure your form) |
|
Yes | |
Yes | |
Yes | |
Yes |
Testing your form
Once you’ve added your form fields to your personalization form, click "Preview Form" to see your finalized form in a new tab. This is a great way to keep checking back on progress as you’re making your form.
#personalisation #personalise
The personalization engine is protected by US patents.