Note: this feature is currently in beta. Reach out to request access.
Welcome surveys let you collect valuable data about your new subscribers the moment they sign up — right inside your Upscribe widget.
With just a few clicks, you can ask new subscribers for things like their name, age, job role, or anything custom you'd like to know. The data is yours to export, and for supported ESPs, it syncs straight into your custom fields.
What is a Welcome survey?
Welcome survey is a quick survey step shown inside your Upscribe widget, right after a new subscriber signs up. It's a great way to learn more about your audience without the friction of a separate form or a follow-up email.
You can use Welcome surveys to:
Collect basic info like first name, last name, or phone number
Understand your audience's demographics (age, gender, job role)
Ask custom questions tailored to your newsletter
Question types
There are two kinds of questions you can add to a Welcome survey: system questions and custom questions.
System questions
System questions are predefined questions for common data points — name, age, job role, company size, gender, and more. When you use a system question, SparkLoop creates an input field that browsers can pre-fill automatically. This reduces friction for the subscriber and leads to higher completion rates.
Use a system question whenever one fits what you're trying to ask. You'll get better completion rates than with a custom equivalent.
Custom questions
If none of the system questions fit, you can create a custom question in one of three formats:
Short answer — a free-text input
Single choice — pick one option from a list
Multiple choice — pick any number of options from a list
How many questions should you ask?
You can add up to 15 questions to a Welcome survey, but we strongly recommend keeping it to 5 or fewer. Shorter surveys get higher completion rates, and every extra question is a chance for a subscriber to drop off.
How to set up your Welcome survey
You'll build your survey on the Survey page in your SparkLoop dashboard.
Go to the Survey page.
Click + Add Question.
Choose a question type — either a system question or one of the custom types.
Enter your question text and, for choice questions, the answer options.
Toggle Required on if subscribers must answer the question to continue.
(Optional) Choose an ESP custom field to sync responses to.
Click Save.
Repeat for each question you want to add. You can drag and drop questions to reorder them, edit them with the pencil icon, or remove them with the bin icon.
Customising the survey step copy
The copy around the survey — the headline, sub-header, and button text — is managed separately from the questions themselves.
To edit it, go to the Upscribe editor and open the Survey tab. Change the copy to match your newsletter's voice and brand.
Exporting and syncing responses
Survey responses are available to you in two ways:
CSV export: You can export all survey responses as a CSV at any time from the Survey page. This works for everyone, regardless of which ESP you use.
Direct ESP sync: For supported ESPs, responses can sync directly into custom fields you choose — no export needed.
Direct sync is available for:
Kit
Beehiiv
Mailchimp
Campaign Monitor
ActiveCampaign
When you're editing a question, choose the custom field from the Sync to ESP custom field dropdown. Responses will flow into that field automatically.
⚠️ Important: SparkLoop won't create new custom fields in your ESP. Make sure the field you want to sync to already exists on your ESP side before mapping it.
If a sync breaks
If you rename or remove a custom field in your ESP, the sync for that question will fail. When that happens:
A badge appears on the affected question in your dashboard, so you can see at a glance that the sync is broken.
We'll also send you an email letting you know the mapping needs fixing.
You'll have 7 days to fix the mapping — either by restoring the field in your ESP or by mapping the question to a different field.
If it's not fixed within 7 days, the sync for that question will be disabled automatically. Your other questions and the survey itself will keep working as normal.
Tips for getting the most out of Welcome surveys
Keep it short. 3–5 questions is the sweet spot. The longer the survey, the more subscribers will skip it.
Use system questions where you can. Browser pre-fill is a real conversion advantage.
Only ask for data you'll actually use. If you won't segment on it or personalise with it, don't ask.
Sync to your ESP if you can. It's much easier to act on survey data when it's already on the subscriber's record in your ESP.