Who can use this feature?
🗣️ Researchers with Admin permissions
⭐ Available with all Research Hub plans
We know there are instances where you may want to communicate with your Hub panel outside of the context of a project. For example, you may want to:
- Share project outcomes
- Provide feature updates
- Close the loop on completed studies
- Send newsletters to a research community
These can all be important ways to help participants see the value of their feedback and keep them engaged for future studies.
If you’re an admin, you can send emails to segments of your Hub panel, without needing to create a project. It takes just a few steps, and can be done directly within User Interviews.
✍️ Note: If your team is not using roles, everyone is an admin by default. Learn more about setting up roles and permissions for your team.
How to send a Hub email communication
💌 Send bulk emails to your Hub panel
1. From the main User Interviews page, navigate to your Hub panel database.
2. Select the participants you’d like to send an email to.
3. Select the Bulk actions dropdown and click Compose email.
4. Confirm the list of participants selected, select a Sender profile, and then compose your email message.
5. Click “send bulk email” to send to each user individually.
From the main User Interviews page, navigate to your Hub panel database.
Select which participants you would like to send an email to and click on the Bulk actions dropdown. From there, click the “Compose email” option.
To send a Hub email, select "Compose Email" from the Bulk actions dropdown menu.
Next, you can confirm the list of participants selected, select a Sender profile, and then compose your email message. You’ll be able to use the basic formatting and customization that you’re familiar with for standard project emails, and we will automatically apply the default email theme found in your team settings.
💡 Pro tip: Send yourself a preview email using the “send me preview” link to catch typos and double-check that you’re following best practices for panel comms.
Since these emails are built for communication outside of research projects, we encourage you to use them to send out broader updates or initiatives. For ongoing participant conversations while a study is still in progress, our messaging tool within UI is always available. Opt-in forms or survey links should be sent via the regular workflows, where they will be tracked in Hub (see FAQ in the next section for more details).
Note that only Admin users (org admins and team admins) have the ability to send these Hub emails, to ensure that teams don’t mistakenly message or over-communicate with their panel. Emails will be sent to each participant individually, and will include the option to unsubscribe at any time. Currently, unsubscribing is general and will remove the user from the email communications as well as from Hub overall.
FAQ
What should I use Hub emails for?
Hub emails are a great way to communicate with your Hub population to keep them engaged—without needing to create a new project. They can be used to share project outcomes, provide an update on a feature, or simply to close the loop on a completed study.
💡Please note: If you email an opt-in form to ask that participants update their Hub information, filling out the form will not update their information in Hub. Similarly, if you send a survey link via Hub emails, Hub will not track the activity or incentive payments in the participant’s activity history.
Updating participant records can be done manually or via csv import. For surveys, we encourage you to launch an unmoderated project type and use an integration (if possible)—from there you can select your incentive method as part of the project setup.
What is the difference between Hub emails and the messages tool?
Hub emails can be used to share broader updates to your panel outside the context of a project. Our in app messages tool is located in the left hand menu of a project to provide a simple line of communication with participants, for example to send a study link or provide extra instructions. All message history will be stored in this tool for future reference.
Do custom invite rules apply to these communications?
No, contact limits do not apply to these emails. We suggest being mindful of send volume and frequency to avoid over communicating with your panel (which could cause panel fatigue!).
Can I track Hub email sends and metrics?
After sending a Hub email, you will receive a deliverability update email that shows how many of the Hub emails were sent successfully, how many were delivered successfully, and how many bounced (including a list of which specific emails bounced).
You will also see an in app confirmation of how many emails were sent, which participants it was sent to (check the new “Last bulk email” Hub table column), and we’ll send a copy of the email for your records.
Who will email replies go to?
Replies will be received at the sender profile’s email address, if using a verified sender profile. If you’ve used the default research@userinterviews.com email, replies will be sent to the sender’s email address.
Can participants unsubscribe from these communications?
Yes, the option to unsubscribe will be included in all emails. Please note that currently, unsubscribing from this communication will automatically unsubscribe from Hub overall.
