Sample request form: send samples to people who will use them

A sample costs you product and postage. Sent to the wrong person, it is just a gift. I would rather ask a few questions first, so samples reach people who will use them.

Who you are

Name, email, business and website. The audience question tells you whether this is a shopper, a buyer for a shop or a reviewer, and each one deserves a different reply.

What you want to try

Which samples, what for, and how much they might buy if they like it. The volume answer shows who could become a regular customer.

Where it goes and what comes back

A shipping address, and a tick that they will share feedback. That tick gives you a list of people to ask later.

Who fills it and who reads it

Anyone who finds your link. A visitor's AI may ask "Which samples would you like?" Then "What will you use them for?" Then "Where should we send it?" It shows the answers and sends only after a yes. See agent-fillable forms. You read the CSV and pick who gets a parcel.

A tip

Write your rules in the form description: one sample per person, the countries you ship to, and how long it takes. When a sample arrives, ask for a product review. Out of stock? Offer a waitlist. More ideas are in forms for Ecommerce and Shopify stores.

Questions

How do I stop the same person ordering again and again?

Sort the CSV by email and look for repeats. The form cannot block a second request, so write your rule in the form description.

Can I cap how many samples I give away?

Yes. Set max_responses to the number of samples you can send and close_at to a last date. Close the form when you run out.

How do I follow up after the samples ship?

Use the email in the CSV, note the date you shipped, and write to the person yourself. The form does not send any email to them.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Request a sample",
  "description": "Tell us who you are and what you would like to try. We read every request and send samples while stock lasts.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "requester_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "requester_email",
      "label": "Your email",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "business_name",
      "label": "Business name, if you have one",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "sample_audience",
      "label": "Who is the sample for?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Myself",
        "My shop or business",
        "A project or event",
        "A review or article"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sample_picks",
      "label": "Which samples would you like?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Small trial size",
        "Colour or fabric swatches",
        "Full-size item",
        "Packaging sample"
      ],
      "min": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "sample_purpose",
      "label": "What will you use the sample for?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1000
    },
    {
      "id": "ship_to_address",
      "label": "Where should we send it?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "required": true,
      "help": "Full address including the country.",
      "max_length": 500
    },
    {
      "id": "customer_before",
      "label": "Have you bought from us before?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "likely_volume",
      "label": "If you like it, how much would you buy?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "A single item",
        "A few items",
        "Regular orders",
        "I am not sure yet"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "online_presence",
      "label": "Your website or social page",
      "type": "url"
    },
    {
      "id": "feedback_promise",
      "label": "I will share feedback after I try it",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Request a sample","description":"Tell us who you are and what you would like to try. We read every request and send samples while stock lasts.","fields":[{"id":"requester_name","label":"Your name","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":150},{"id":"requester_email","label":"Your email","type":"email","required":true},{"id":"business_name","label":"Business name, if you have one","type":"short_text","max_length":200},{"id":"sample_audience","label":"Who is the sample for?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Myself","My shop or business","A project or event","A review or article"]},{"id":"sample_picks","label":"Which samples would you like?","type":"multi_choice","required":true,"options":["Small trial size","Colour or fabric swatches","Full-size item","Packaging sample"],"min":1},{"id":"sample_purpose","label":"What will you use the sample for?","type":"long_text","max_length":1000},{"id":"ship_to_address","label":"Where should we send it?","type":"long_text","required":true,"help":"Full address including the country.","max_length":500},{"id":"customer_before","label":"Have you bought from us before?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes","No"]},{"id":"likely_volume","label":"If you like it, how much would you buy?","type":"single_choice","options":["A single item","A few items","Regular orders","I am not sure yet"]},{"id":"online_presence","label":"Your website or social page","type":"url"},{"id":"feedback_promise","label":"I will share feedback after I try it","type":"checkbox"}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "Request a sample",
  "description": "Tell us who you are and what you would like to try. We read every request and send samples while stock lasts.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "requester_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "requester_email",
      "label": "Your email",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "business_name",
      "label": "Business name, if you have one",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "sample_audience",
      "label": "Who is the sample for?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Myself",
        "My shop or business",
        "A project or event",
        "A review or article"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sample_picks",
      "label": "Which samples would you like?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Small trial size",
        "Colour or fabric swatches",
        "Full-size item",
        "Packaging sample"
      ],
      "min": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "sample_purpose",
      "label": "What will you use the sample for?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1000
    },
    {
      "id": "ship_to_address",
      "label": "Where should we send it?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "required": true,
      "help": "Full address including the country.",
      "max_length": 500
    },
    {
      "id": "customer_before",
      "label": "Have you bought from us before?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "likely_volume",
      "label": "If you like it, how much would you buy?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "A single item",
        "A few items",
        "Regular orders",
        "I am not sure yet"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "online_presence",
      "label": "Your website or social page",
      "type": "url"
    },
    {
      "id": "feedback_promise",
      "label": "I will share feedback after I try it",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Sample request form for brands that give things away