Create and Share Poll Surveys
Sometimes you only need one quick answer. Which date works best for your team event? Did customers find your new service useful? How would participants rate today's training?
Use Polls in Enquete.com to ask one question, share it with your audience and follow the results as votes arrive. People can vote without creating an Enquete account.
1. When to use a poll
A poll asks one question. Use a survey when you need several questions, detailed explanations or a more complete evaluation.
| Poll type | How people answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single choice | Select one answer from 2–10 options. | Which day works best for our team event? |
| Multiple choice | Select several answers, up to the maximum you allow, from 2–10 options. | Which topics should we cover in the next training? |
| Yes / No | Choose between two fixed answers. | Would you attend this workshop again? |
| Rating | Choose a rating from 1 to 5 stars. | How would you rate today's session? |
Some options, including personal invitations, images, branding, AI summaries and data exports, depend on your plan. A lock symbol identifies features that require an upgrade.
2. Step by step: create your poll
In this example, you want your colleagues to choose a day for a team event.
Follow these steps to create a poll, add your question and answers, adjust its appearance and publish it. In this example, we will ask colleagues which day suits them best for a team event.
Step 1: Click Create poll
On your survey overview page, find the MORE WAYS TO COLLECT FEEDBACK section. In the Quick poll card, click Create poll.
The poll builder opens with a new draft called Untitled poll. Your draft is saved automatically as you work.
Step 2: Give your poll a title
At the top left of the builder, click the pencil icon next to Untitled poll to edit its title. Choose a name that helps you recognise the poll, such as Team event date.
If you prefer to start with an example, click Choose a template at the top of the page.
Step 3: Enter your question
In the Question section on the left, click the field under What do you want to ask? and type your question.
Which day suits you best for our team event?
The Live preview on the right updates as you build your poll.
Step 4: Select the type of question
Under Type of question, click one of the four options:
- Single choice: participants select one answer.
- Multiple choice: participants can select more than one answer, up to the limit you set.
- Rating: participants give a star rating.
- Yes / No: participants choose between yes and no.
For the team-event example, click Single choice. The selected type is highlighted in purple.
Step 5: Add your answer options
Under Answer options, click Option 1 and enter your first answer. Do the same for Option 2. Click + Add option to add another answer.
For example, enter:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Friday
You can also:
- Drag the dotted handle to the left of an answer to change its position.
- Click the image icon beside an answer to add an image, where your plan allows it.
- Click the trash icon beside an answer to remove it.
- Paste a list to add several answer options at once.
Step 6: Choose when results are shown and who can vote
Scroll down to the Settings section. Here you can choose when participants see the results and how voting is controlled.
Choose when participants see results
Next to Show results, click one of these options:
- After voting: participants see the current results after submitting their vote.
- After closing: results become available to participants after the poll closes. Set a closing date under Close automatically, or close the poll manually.
- Only me: participants do not see the results. You can still view them in your poll's results dashboard.
Choose how voting is controlled
Under Vote control, click the card for the option you want to use. The selected card is highlighted in purple.
- Unlimited: allows repeated votes. This is useful when several people use the same screen or kiosk.
- 1 vote per device: uses the participant's browser to recognise a previous vote. Clearing browser data can allow another vote. For embedded polls, this limit applies per device per website.
- 1 vote per verified email address: participants confirm their vote using a code sent to their email address. This limits voting by verified address.
- Personal links only: only people with a personal invitation link can vote. After publishing, send invitations from the poll's share page.
For example, choose After voting and 1 vote per device for a quick team poll. Choose Personal links only when participation should be restricted to invited contacts.
Important: check your vote control before sharing. You can't change it after the first vote. Some voting options require an eligible plan.
Step 7: Set when your poll closes automatically
Scroll down to Close automatically. To end voting automatically, you must select a closing date and time.
- Click the date and time field to the right of Close automatically, or click its calendar icon.
- Select the date on which you want voting to end.
- Set the time at which the poll should close.
- Check that the field displays your intended closing date and time before publishing.
For example, if colleagues must choose a team-event date by Friday afternoon, select that Friday and enter 17:00. Once the poll closes, participants can no longer submit votes.
If you leave this field empty, the poll has no scheduled end date. It stays open until you close it manually or it reaches your plan's vote limit.
Step 8: Choose whether participants can change their vote
Scroll down to Allow changing a vote. Switch this toggle on if participants should be able to change their choice before the poll closes. Leave it off if their submitted choice should remain final.
A purple toggle is on. A grey toggle is off.
Step 9: Set whether names are required
Find Fully anonymous. Leave this toggle on if you do not want to ask participants for their names. Switch it off if you want names to be required.
Check this setting before collecting votes. Anonymity cannot be changed after the first vote.
Step 10: Adjust the branding
In the Branding section, click the colour square to choose the colour used on your poll's buttons. Click Default colour to return to the default.
Click Upload logo to add your logo above the poll, where your plan includes custom branding. Check the result in the live preview on the right.
If your selected colour makes button text difficult to read, the builder displays a message explaining the text-colour adjustment.
Below Branding, use the Show "Powered by Enquete.com" toggle to control the Enquete.com branding, where your plan allows its removal.
Step 11: Select the language for participants
Find Language for participants near the bottom of the settings. Click the language dropdown and select the language your audience should see.
Important: This changes the buttons and messages shown to participants. It does not translate your question or answer options. Write those in your audience's language yourself.
Step 12: Check how your poll looks
In the Live preview panel on the right, click Mobile, Desktop or Embed to inspect the different layouts.
You can also click Preview at the top of the page. Check your question, answer options, language and branding. Votes submitted in preview are not counted.
Step 13: Publish and Distribute your Poll
When everything is ready, click the purple Publish button at the top right. If any required information is missing, correct the highlighted fields.
After publishing, the share page opens. Choose how to distribute your poll, such as a direct link, QR code or website embed.
Step 14: Present your poll live (optional)
For a meeting, training or event, find the Live presenting card on the share page and click Start presenting.
A new tab opens with the question, results, QR code and a six-digit join code. Follow the live presentation steps below to guide participants through voting.
3. Choose your poll settings
When can people see results?
| Setting | What voters see |
|---|---|
| After voting | Results appear after the person submits a vote. |
| After closing | A thank-you message appears after voting. Results become available after the poll closes. |
| Only me | Voters see a thank-you message. Results remain in the control panel for authorised users. The public results page is switched off. |
How often can someone vote?
| Setting | How it works |
|---|---|
| Unlimited | People can cast another vote. Useful for a shared feedback screen or kiosk. |
| 1 vote per device | Uses a code stored in the browser to recognise a previous vote. This is the default. |
| 1 vote per verified email | People confirm their email address with a code before their vote counts. Requires an eligible plan. |
| Personal links only | People need a valid personal invitation link to vote. Requires an eligible plan. |
One vote per device is a browser-based control. It does not verify a person's identity and should not be treated as a guarantee of one vote per person.
Can voters change their answer?
Enable Allow changing a vote if you want people to update their answer. Their new choice replaces the previous vote. This option is unavailable with Unlimited voting. Verified-email voters must verify their address again to change a vote.
Names, language and branding
- Anonymous: on by default. No name is requested. Switch it off to require a name and show it in the voters list.
- Language of the voting page: choose the language your audience should see. It initially follows your language.
- Brand colour and logo: customise the voting page where your plan allows it. Logos can be PNG, JPG or SVG up to 1 MB.
- Powered by Enquete.com: hide this branding where your plan includes branding removal.
After the first vote, the poll type, maximum selections, vote control and anonymity setting are locked. Check them before sharing the poll. You can still correct option text, but avoid changing its meaning after people have voted.
5. Send personal invitations and reminders
Personal invitations require an eligible plan and count against your monthly invitation quota.
- Open the poll's Share page.
- Find Personal invitations.
- Click Choose contacts.
- Search for and select contacts or contact groups.
- Send the invitations.
Invitations are queued for sending approximately one minute later. Contacts already invited to this poll are skipped, and unsubscribed contacts are excluded.
Each invitation contains the question, a Vote now button with a personal link and the closing date when one is set. Opening the email link does not cast a vote; the recipient must submit their answer.
Check invitation status
The invitation table shows the recipient's name, email address, status and last reminder. Statuses include Invited, Opened, Voted and Not delivered.
Opened status relies on email-image tracking. It is not a reliable measure of whether someone read the message.
Send a reminder
Click Send a reminder to contact invited people who have not voted. You can request up to two reminders, at least 24 hours apart. Reminders are sent on request rather than on an automatic schedule.
6. Understand your results
Open a live or closed poll from the Polls overview, or click Results on its share page. While visible, the results page checks for updates approximately every five seconds.
Key figures
- Votes: the vote total, with the number added today.
- Views: recorded visits to the voting page. Views are counted once per device, per day, per sharing channel.
- Vote rate: votes divided by recorded views, displayed up to a maximum of 100%. This is not a verified percentage of unique people who participated.
- Closes in: the time remaining, or an indication that there is no end date or the poll is closed.
Answer results
Choice polls show bars with counts and percentages. You can sort answers by vote count or keep the original order. A leader badge appears when one option has a unique lead.
- Single choice and Yes / No: percentages add up to 100%.
- Multiple choice: each percentage shows the share of voters who selected that option. Totals can exceed 100% because people can choose several answers.
- Rating: results show the average to one decimal place and the distribution of ratings from five stars to one star.
Participation over time and by channel
The time chart shows votes per day for recent dates. Polls running longer than 30 days use weekly totals.
Channel results help you see where votes came from. For embeds, you can expand the channel to see the top five websites bringing in votes.
Voters list
Non-anonymous polls include a searchable list showing names, choices and voting times. Anonymous polls do not display a named voters list.
Public results page
Enable Public results page on the results page and copy its link if you want to share standings outside the control panel.
- With After voting, enabling the public page makes standings available through its link.
- With After closing, the public page becomes available once the poll closes.
- With Only me, public results are unavailable.
The public page shows standings and the vote total. Anyone with an accessible public results link can view it.
7. Close, reopen and manage polls
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Close poll | Stops new votes immediately. |
| Automatic closing | Stops voting after the scheduled closing time or when the plan's per-poll vote limit is reached. Scheduled closing is checked approximately every minute. |
| Reopen | Allows voting again. Replace or remove a closing time in the past first. A poll at the current plan's vote limit cannot be reopened. |
| Duplicate | Creates a new draft with the same content and settings. Features unavailable on the current plan reset to allowed defaults. |
| Delete | Permanently removes the poll and its votes. |
When a poll closes automatically because of its closing time or vote limit, its creator receives an email with the reason, final standings and a results link. An AI summary is included when available. Manually closing a poll does not send this email.
8. Download and share results
Click Export on the results page to see the available formats.
| Format | What it contains | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Image for LinkedIn (PNG) | A shareable image with the question, vote count and up to five answer bars or the rating result. | All plans. |
| Votes as CSV | One row per counted vote. | Requires an eligible data-export plan. |
| Votes as Excel | Vote rows plus a summary sheet with totals and standings. | Requires an eligible data-export plan. |
| PDF report | Key figures, standings, votes over time and channel results. | Requires an eligible data-export plan. |
Vote exports include choices or ratings, voting times and sharing channels. Names appear only for non-anonymous polls. Replaced votes are excluded, so only the current counted vote is exported.
Data and report exports for polls with more than 50,000 votes are currently unavailable.
AI summary
If your plan includes it, an AI summary is generated after the poll closes. It describes the leading answer, participation and notable channel patterns in the poll's language.
The AI receives numerical results rather than names, email addresses or IP information. Check its interpretation against the charts. Use Retry if generation fails, or Regenerate to request a new version, up to three times per day per poll.
9. Explore answers with a follow-up survey
A poll tells you what people chose. A follow-up survey can help you understand their reasons.
For example, after asking which training topic people prefer, you may want to ask what they hope to learn.
- Open the poll's results page.
- Click Create follow-up survey.
- Enquete.com creates a draft containing the poll question and an open question: Can you explain your choice?
- Review and edit the draft in the survey builder. Publish and distribute it when ready.
The follow-up survey uses the poll's language. Creating it does not automatically publish or send it. This option is available on all plans.
10. Privacy and voting limits
Anonymous polls do not ask for a name or include names in vote exports or webhook deliveries. However, personal invitation tracking can still show whether a contact has voted. Do not promise that participation itself is untracked when using personal invitations.
For verified-email voting, the email address used for verification is deleted after confirmation. A one-way code is retained to recognise whether that address has already voted. This does not remove contact records used for personal invitations.
Polls use browser codes and protected IP-derived codes for voting controls and abuse prevention. Anonymous does not mean that no technical voting information is retained.
What verified-email voters do
- Select an answer and enter an email address.
- Click the voting button.
- Retrieve the six-digit code sent by email.
- Enter the code to confirm and count the vote.
Verification expires after 24 hours. Voters can request another code after 60 seconds, with a maximum of three codes per address and poll per hour. After five incorrect attempts, verification must be restarted.
Team access
Owners can manage all polls. Editors can create, edit, publish, share and manage polls, and delete their own polls. Viewers can access results and available exports but cannot edit polls or open their share pages. Plan restrictions still apply.
11. Common questions
Why can someone not vote?
Check whether the poll is closed, has reached its vote limit, requires a personal invitation or already has a vote from that browser or verified email address. A temporary voting limit may also apply after repeated attempts.
Why are results hidden?
Check Show results. Results may be available only after closing or only in the control panel. A separate public results page must also be enabled before its link can show standings.
Why can I not change the poll type or anonymity?
These settings lock after the first vote, together with vote control and maximum selections. Duplicate the poll to create a new draft if you need different settings.
Why does my social post show a general Enquete preview?
Shared poll links currently use the app's general preview rather than a preview showing the individual question. You can write the question in your post or use the exported results image when sharing findings.
Can I present a poll live on a dedicated presentation screen?
Yes. On the share page, find Live presenting and click Start presenting. The presenter screen opens in a new tab with your question, results, a QR code and a six-digit join code. Use Hide results or Show results to control the shared display, and Full screen for presenting. See the step-by-step live presentation instructions.
What should I do if saving shows a version conflict?
Another edit may have been saved since you opened the poll. The builder offers Reload or Keep my version. Review the situation before choosing which version to retain.
Will an empty draft remain in my account?
Empty drafts without a question are automatically removed after 24 hours without changes. Add your question if you want to continue working on the draft later.