Google Forms Newsletter Setup Guide

Google Forms Newsletter Setup Guide

Why Google Forms?

• ✅ Completely free - unlimited submissions
• ✅ Email notifications - instant alerts to newsletter@status.health
• ✅ Google Sheets - automatic spreadsheet of subscribers
• ✅ No API limits - works forever
• ✅ GDPR compliant - with proper setup

Setup Steps (10 minutes)

1. Create the Google Form

1. Go to forms.google.com
2. Click “Blank form”
3. Name it: “status.health® Blog Newsletter”

2. Add Form Fields

Add these fields in order:

Field 1: Email Address

• Click “Untitled Question”
• Question: “Email Address”
• Type: Short answer
• Click the three dots → “Response validation”
• Choose “Text” → “Email address”
• Toggle “Required” ON

Field 2: Privacy Consent

• Click ”+” to add new question
• Question: “I agree to receive newsletters and accept the Privacy Policy”
• Type: Checkboxes
• Add one option: “Yes, I consent”
• Toggle “Required” ON

Field 3: Timestamp (Hidden)

• Add new question
• Question: “Subscription Time”
• Type: Short answer
• Click three dots → “Description”
• Add: “Automatically filled”
• We’ll pre-fill this with JavaScript

Field 4: Source (Hidden)

• Add new question
• Question: “Source”
• Type: Short answer
• Description: “Where subscriber came from”
• We’ll pre-fill with “blog.status.health”

3. Set Up Email Notifications

1. Click the three dots menu (top right) → “Script editor”
2. Replace the code with:

function onFormSubmit(e) {
  // Get form responses
  var responses = e.response.getItemResponses();
  var email = responses[0].getResponse();
  var consent = responses[1].getResponse();
  var timestamp = new Date().toString();
  var source = responses[3].getResponse() || 'blog.status.health';
  
  // Send email notification
  var subject = 'New Newsletter Subscription - blog.status.health';
  var body = 'New newsletter subscription received:\n\n' +
             'Email: ' + email + '\n' +
             'Consent: ' + consent + '\n' +
             'Time: ' + timestamp + '\n' +
             'Source: ' + source + '\n\n' +
             'View all subscribers: ' + SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getUrl();
  
  MailApp.sendEmail({
    to: 'newsletter@status.health',
    subject: subject,
    body: body
  });
}

1. Click “Save” (name it “Newsletter Notifications”)
2. Click “Triggers” (clock icon)
3. Click “Add Trigger”:
   • Function: onFormSubmit
   • Event type: On form submit
   • Click “Save”
4. Authorize the script when prompted

4. Get Form IDs for Integration

1. Click “Send” button (top right)
2. Click the link icon
3. Copy the form URL (like: https://forms.gle/abc123)
4. Click “Cancel”
5. Now click the three dots → “Get pre-filled link”
6. Fill in dummy data:
   • Email: test@example.com
   • Check the consent box
   • Timestamp: TEST_TIME
   • Source: TEST_SOURCE
7. Click “Get link”
8. Copy the URL - it contains all the entry IDs

The URL will look like:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd.../viewform?usp=pp_url&entry.123456789=test@example.com&entry.987654321=Yes&entry.456789123=TEST_TIME&entry.789456123=TEST_SOURCE

Extract these IDs:

• Form ID: 1FAIpQLSd... (the long string after /e/)
• Email field: entry.123456789
• Consent field: entry.987654321
• Timestamp field: entry.456789123
• Source field: entry.789456123

5. Update the Blog Integration

Update /assets/js/newsletter-google-forms.js:

const GOOGLE_FORM_ACTION = 'https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/YOUR_FORM_ID/formResponse';
const EMAIL_FIELD = 'entry.123456789'; // Your actual email field ID
const CONSENT_FIELD = 'entry.987654321'; // Your actual consent field ID
const TIMESTAMP_FIELD = 'entry.456789123'; // Your actual timestamp field ID
const SOURCE_FIELD = 'entry.789456123'; // Your actual source field ID

6. Link to Google Sheets

1. In your form, click “Responses” tab
2. Click the Sheets icon (Create spreadsheet)
3. Choose “Create a new spreadsheet”
4. Name it: “Blog Newsletter Subscribers”

Now you have:

• Automatic email notifications
• Spreadsheet of all subscribers
• Timestamp tracking
• GDPR consent records

Testing

1. Go to your blog
2. Submit a test email
3. Check:
   • ✅ Email received at newsletter@status.health
   • ✅ Entry appears in Google Sheets
   • ✅ Timestamp is recorded
   • ✅ Consent is marked

GDPR Compliance with Google Forms

Data Storage

• ✅ All data stored in your Google account
• ✅ Consent checkbox required
• ✅ Timestamp automatically recorded
• ✅ Can export/delete data anytime

Privacy Policy Addition

Add to your privacy policy:

Newsletter subscriptions are processed through Google Forms 
and stored in Google Sheets. Data is used solely for sending 
blog updates and is never shared with third parties.

Comparison: Web3Forms vs Google Forms

Quick Decision Guide

Use Web3Forms if:

• You want the simplest setup ✅
• 250 subscribers/month is enough
• You don’t need a spreadsheet

Use Google Forms if:

• You want unlimited submissions ✅
• You like Google Sheets for data
• You want detailed analytics
• You’re already using Google Workspace

Next Steps

Option 1: Stay with Web3Forms (Already configured!)

• Just push your code and it works
• Emails will go to newsletter@status.health

Option 2: Switch to Google Forms

1. Create the form following steps above
2. Send me the entry IDs
3. I’ll update the JavaScript
4. Get unlimited free subscriptions

What would you like to do?