# Sending messages to participants

Source: https://participantkit.com/help/courses/how-to/sending-messages

Use this when you want to email one or more participants in a study. For example, to share the details of their session, send a reminder, or ask them to sign a form.

Each person gets a separate email, sent only to them, so nobody's email address is shared with anyone else.

To email a whole panel instead, see [Sending a broadcast to your panel](https://participantkit.com/help/courses/admin/sending-broadcasts).

## 1. Choose who to message

Open the study and go to the **Participants** tab. Tick the people you want to message, then click **Message** in the bar above the table.

![The Participants tab with two people ticked and the Message button in the bar above the table](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/sending-messages/choose-participants.png)

To message one person, open their profile and click **Message**.

A page called **Review email before sending** opens. **To** shows how many people you're sending to.

## 2. Write your message

Add a **Subject** and write your message. **From** shows the name people will see, and you can change it.

Your message saves as you type, so it survives a refresh. If you start a new message, any message you haven't sent is deleted.

![The Review email before sending page with To, From, Reply to, Subject and a message written](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/sending-messages/composer.png)

### Start from a template or an earlier message

Click **Start from**, top right. **Templates** lists your organisation's email templates. Once you've sent messages in this study, **Sent messages** lists the last 10 you sent, so you can reuse one.

Pick one and click **Use this template** or **Use this message**. It replaces the subject and message you've written.

![The Start from menu open, listing templates](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/sending-messages/start-from.png)

### Personalise it

Click the **** button in the toolbar. **Insert a variable** lists what you can add:

- **Participant name**: their first and last name
- **Participant first name**: their first name only
- **Participant greeting name**: the name they asked to be called, or their first name
- **Opt-out link**: a link to opt out of future communications and research

![The Insert a variable menu open in the toolbar](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/sending-messages/variables.png)

### Add a form link

Click **Forms** in the toolbar and choose a form under **Select form**.

Add **Button text** if you want your own words on the button. Leave it blank and the button is named after the type of form. Then click **Insert link**.

What each person gets depends on the form:

- a consent form or agreement, like an NDA: a link that's unique to them, so their e-signature is tied to who they are
- any other form, like a screener: a link that tells the form who they are, so it fills in their name and email address

When you add a consent form or agreement that hasn't been sent before, a warning appears under your message. Sending locks the form, so you can't edit it afterwards. That's for legal reasons: people must sign the version they were sent. Tick the box to confirm you've finished editing the form, and then you can send.

## 3. Preview and test

The preview shows the email as it will arrive. On a wide screen, it's beside your message. On a smaller screen, click **Preview** to see it.

Use the name at the top of the preview to switch between recipients.

![The preview beside the message, with the recipient picker open and Send test](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/sending-messages/preview.png)

Click **Send test** to send a copy to yourself. The test uses placeholder text instead of a real person's details. Use the preview to check names, and the test to see how it looks in your inbox.

## 4. Send it

Click **Send**, under your message. On a smaller screen, go back to **Compose** first.

You're taken back to the study, with a message saying the emails are sending. It can take a few minutes for everyone to get theirs, and you can't undo it.

## Key takeaways

💡 **Remember:** Sending a consent form or agreement locks it. Finish editing the form before you send.

🧪 **Try:** Start your message with **Participant greeting name**, so people are addressed the way they asked to be.

⚠️ **Watch for:** Choosing a template or an earlier message replaces what you've already written.

⚡ **Quick tip:** Reuse a message from **Sent messages** when you're emailing the next group of participants in the same study.