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How to Create a Polling Agent

1. Introduction: What is a Polling Agent?

A Polling Agent is a specific type of interactive tool you can deploy on your website. It presents users with a poll, allowing them to choose from predefined options. This is an excellent way to gather audience opinions, conduct quick market research, or simply make your content more dynamic and engaging. The results can be gated to capture emails or used to fuel further personalized experiences.

2. Getting to the Right Place

Before you begin, ensure you are logged into your Bridged Admin account.

  1. From the main navigation sidebar on the left, locate and click on the Agents section.

  2. You will be taken to the main Agents dashboard. Here, you can see a list of all your existing agents, folders, and filtering options.

  3. To start the creation process, click the blue + Create Agent button located at the top-left corner of the main content area.

3. Step 1: The Goal - Selecting Your Agent

After clicking "Create Agent," you will be presented with a library of available agent types, organized into packs (like AutoMate Pack, Monetize Pack).

  1. The creation process is guided by four main tabs at the top: Goal, Define, Design, and Publish. You are currently on the "Goal" step.

  2. Browse the available agents. For this guide, we are creating a polling agent.

  3. Locate the Polling Agent card (often found under the "AutoMate Pack") and click on it.

  4. This action will automatically move you to the next phase: Define.

4. Step 2: The Define Phase - Naming & Placement

The "Define" phase is where you tell the system the basic identity of your agent and, crucially, where on your website it is allowed to appear.

4.1. Agent Name

  • At the top of the Define screen, you will see the Agent name field.

  • Enter a unique and descriptive name for your agent. Instead of just "Polling Agent," use something like "Tech Section Reader Poll" or "Q3 Event Feedback Survey" . This will help you manage it later in the list.

4.2. Targeting Rules (Where to Run)

You must specify the web pages where this agent will be active. You have four options, selectable via tabs:

  • Full Domain: The agent will run on every single page of a selected domain.

  • Section of Domain: The agent will run only on a specific subsection.

    • Example: To run a poll only on your tech news section, you would select this option, choose your domain (e.g., bridged.media), and then enter /tech/ in the field and click Add .

  • Single Page: The agent will run on one, specific URL.

  • Regex: For advanced users, this allows you to define complex URL patterns using regular expressions for maximum control.

4.3. Setting Exceptions (Where NOT to Run)

This is an optional but powerful feature. It allows you to create rules that override your targeting, ensuring the agent is not shown on specific URLs, even if they match the rules you set above.

  1. In the Exceptions section, enter a specific URL.

  2. Click the Add button to add it to the exception list.

4.4. Language Selection

  • At the bottom of the Define phase, use the Select language dropdown.

  • Choose the primary language of the website content where this agent will run. This helps with internal organization and any AI-powered features.

Once you are satisfied with the name, targeting rules, and language, click the Next button to proceed to the Design phase.

5. Step 3: The Design Phase - Building the Experience

This is the most detailed and creative part of the process. Here, you will build the actual user experience, from the poll itself to its visual styling and placement on the page.

5.1. Engagement Settings (Manual vs. AI)

First, decide how your poll content will be created. You have two primary choices:

  • Select Manually: You will choose a pre-existing poll or create a new one from scratch.

  • AI Generated: You will provide a topic, and Bridged's AI will generate a poll for you.

If you choose Select Manually:

  1. Click on the ADD Engagement button.

  2. You can then select an existing poll from the library or click Create new to design a poll with your own question and answers.

If you choose AI Generated:

  • AI engagement type: Select the format, such as 4 option poll or Slider Poll.

  • Select engine: Choose the AI "brain" that will generate your poll.

  • AI engagement tone: Define the tone, e.g., "Formal," "Fun," "Thought-provoking."

  • Number of engagements to generate: Specify how many different poll variations you want the AI to create.

  • Avoid list: Enter any keywords, topics, or answer types you want the AI to explicitly avoid.

Refer to the AI Lab - Create Polling Engine document for details on creating AI Engines.

5.2. Advanced Engagement Options

These options apply whether you choose Manual or AI generation.

  • Gated engagement: Toggle this ON if you want to capture leads. With this enabled, users must enter their email address to see the poll results after they have voted.

  • Auto approval: If this is toggled ON, AI-generated engagements go live immediately. If OFF, they must be manually approved in the "Screens" section of the dashboard before being shown to users.

  • Engagement Mode:

    • A/B Testing: If you have multiple engagements (e.g., 5 AI-generated polls), this mode will show different versions to different user groups to test which one performs best.

    • Engagement Series: If you have multiple engagements, this mode will show them to the same user in a sequence (e.g., Poll 1 slides away, and Poll 2 appears).

5.3. Adding a Call to Action (CTA)

A CTA is an interactive element that appears alongside your poll, such as a form, or a link.

  1. Navigate to the Add CTA section.

  2. Click the Add CTA button.

  3. You can either select from your previous CTAs or Create a new one

  4. If you click on "Create new CTA"You will be taken to a mini "New CTA" wizard. Select the type you need:

    • Email Collection: To capture email addresses.

    • Link: To redirect users to another page or download.

    • Dynamic Form: To collect multiple data points.

  5. Follow the prompts to design and save your CTA. It will then be attached to your polling agent.

5.4. Adding an End Screen

This is an optional final message or screen that appears after the user has completed the poll and interacted with the CTA.

  • Click the Add End Screen button to configure this final touchpoint.

5.5. Placement (Where on the Page)

This crucial section controls the exact location of the poll on your webpage. You can configure Desktop and Mobile placements separately using the tabs.

  1. Insertion method: Select how the poll card will be embedded.

    • Paragraph Number: Insert the card after a specific paragraph number.

    • After a Pattern: Insert the card after a specific word or phrase (e.g., after the first mention of "sponsorship").

    • HTML Element: Insert the card near a specific HTML element ID or class.

    • Popup: The card will appear as a popup. You can then set an Open delay (in seconds) to control when it appears.

    • Disabled: The card will not be automatically placed.

  2. Spotlight Animation: Toggle this ON to make the card gently pulse or highlight when it first loads, drawing the user's eye to it.

5.6. Visualization (Look and Feel)

This section ensures your poll matches your website's branding.

  1. Theme:

    • Select the Template type.

    • Pick a primary color: Select your brand's main color for buttons and accents.

    • Adjust the corner radius, margins, box shadow, or add an animated border to match your site's design language.

  2. Elements:

    • Disclaimer Text: Add any legal or informational text.

    • Enable ratings: If toggled ON, users can rate the poll itself, providing feedback on the AI's or your own work.

  3. Fonts: Choose from standard web fonts (like Google Fonts) or upload a Custom Font to perfectly match your brand typography. Configure separately for Desktop and Mobile.

  4. Logo: Upload your company logo to be displayed on the engagement.

  5. More Settings: Fine-tune advanced options like Z Index (layering) and Background Position .

  6. AI Brand Sync (Optional): A powerful tool that can automate styling.

    • Select your domain from the dropdown.

    • Enter a sample page URL and click Crawl brand info .

    • The AI will analyze the page and attempt to automatically suggest matching colors and fonts.

Once all your design choices are complete, click the Next button to move to the final phase: Publish.

6. Step 4: The Publish Phase - Going Live

You are now ready to launch your agent.

6.1. Smart Scheduling

Control exactly when your agent is active.

  • Go Live Date: Use the date and time picker to set when the agent should start.

  • End Date (Optional): If your poll is for a limited-time event or campaign, set an end date and time here for it to automatically deactivate.

6.2. Final Submission Options

You have two choices for saving your agent:

  • Submit without launching : This saves your agent as a draft. It will not be visible to your visitors. You can find it later in the Draft folder in the main Agents sidebar to edit and launch it later.

  • Submit and launch : This saves your agent and makes it live immediately, or at the specific Go Live Date you scheduled.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a Polling Agent.