Heartbeat doesn't have a built-in application form. To vet people before they join, pair a Pre-approved Sign Up Link with a form tool, and let Zapier add approved applicants to the link's invite list.

The flow:

1. Someone fills in your application form.
2. You review the submission and mark it approved.
3. Zapier adds their email to your Pre-approved Sign Up Link and sends them the invitation email.

What you need

• A Pre-approved Sign Up Link in your community
• A form tool that connects to Zapier (Google Forms, Typeform, Tally, Jotform)
• A Zapier account
• The Zapier integration connected to your community

Step 1: Create the Pre-approved Sign Up Link

Go to Settings > People > Sign Up Links and click Create Sign Up Link. Set the Role and the Free access groups new members should get, then under Availability choose 🔒 Pre-approved. Full walkthrough with screenshots: Pre-Approve Members in Your Heartbeat Community.

Give the link at least one access group. Zapier lists your links by their access groups and role, not by the name you gave them, so two links with the same role and no groups both show up as "Role: Member" and you can't tell them apart.

Step 2: Build your application form

Any form tool that connects to Zapier works. Two things the form has to have:

• An email field of its own. That's the value Zapier sends to Heartbeat, and it has to be the address the applicant will sign up with.
• A field you control for the decision, such as an Approved column in the responses sheet. That field is your review step.

Step 3: Connect the Zapier integration

Zapier asks for a key before it can reach your community. Generate one at app.heartbeat.chat/login?ir=/settings/zapier-auth, copy it, and paste it into Zapier when it asks you to connect your Heartbeat account.

The key belongs to the community you generate it in, so if you run more than one community, generate it while logged into the right one. More on the integration: Setting up Zapier.

Step 4: Build the Zap

Start from the Heartbeat integration page in Zapier.

• Trigger: your form tool. For Google Forms, use Google Sheets and New or Updated Spreadsheet Row watching your Approved column. For Typeform and similar, use New Entry.
• Filter: add Zapier's Filter step and set it to only continue when your approval field says Approved. This is the approval gate. Without it, everyone who submits the form gets in.
• Action: Heartbeat > Invite Users.
  • Emails: map the email field from your form.
  • Invitation: pick your Pre-approved Sign Up Link.

Turn the Zap on.

Step 5: Test it

Submit the form yourself with an email you can check, then mark it approved. Two things should happen: the email appears under Manage Invites on the Sign Up Link (3-dot menu > Manage Invites), and the invitation email arrives. Remove your test email from the list afterwards with Remove.

Things to know

• Invite Users always sends the invitation email. There's no silent option in Zapier. To approve someone without emailing them, add them in Heartbeat through Manage Invites and use Add (without sending email).
• Being on the list isn't membership. The applicant still has to open the link and complete sign up. Manage Invites shows who is Invited and who has Joined.
• The email has to match. Someone approved as one address who signs up with another gets "Your email has not been approved to join this community."
• Removing an email from the list doesn't remove the member. If they already joined, remove them from Settings > People > Members.
• A Pre-approved link can still require payment. Set an Offer under Payment on the same link, and approval and checkout stack.
• The key can take admin actions in your community. Only share it with Zapier, and revoke keys you no longer use from the same screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use Zapier?
No. Zapier isn't required, use whichever automation tool you prefer. It has to do the same three things: watch the form, only continue when you've approved the response, and add that email to the Sign Up Link. These steps use Zapier because Heartbeat has a native Zapier integration. Other tools connect through the Heartbeat API instead (Settings > System > API Keys).

Can applicants see the link before they're approved?
Yes. The page loads for anyone with the URL, but sign up fails unless their email is on the list.

Which plans include this?
The Zapier integration is available on every plan.