How to collect an email before someone views your deck
A forwarded link is a stranger reading your proposal. An email gate asks every viewer for an address before the deck plays, so a count of opens becomes a list of people. Here is how to turn it on for a Keynote deck and what the list can and cannot tell you.
What the gate does
With the gate on, anyone who opens the link sees one screen: 'Enter your email to view this presentation', with the deck's title underneath. After they type an address, the deck plays as normal, animations and audio included. You, signed in as the owner, never see your own gate.
Turning it on
- Export from Keynote: File → Export To → HTML…, into an empty folder.
- Upload the folder (or a .zip of it) to Linkdeck.
- Keep the deck for €9 once, or be on Pro, then open the deck's settings in your dashboard and switch on the email gate.
- Send the link. The gate applies to everyone who opens it from then on.
What you see afterwards
The deck's analytics page lists every address entered, with how many times that person came back and when they first and last opened it. One button copies all the addresses, ready to paste into your mail or CRM. Alongside the list you still get the anonymous figures: views, countries, devices and average time per slide.
What it does not prove
The address is checked for format, not ownership: nobody is sent a confirmation code, so a viewer can type a colleague's address or a made-up one. The gate also remembers an address for the rest of that browser session, so a reload does not ask again. Treat the list as who said they were reading, which is usually who was, and not as proof of identity.
Gate, password, or both
A password decides who can open the deck; the gate records who did. They work together: a viewer enters the password first, then their address. For a pitch that will be forwarded, the gate alone is usually right, because a password stops the forward from working at all.
Questions
Is the email gate on the free plan?
No. It comes with a kept deck (€9 once, for that deck) or Pro (€12 a month, every deck). On the free plan you see how many times the deck was opened.
Do viewers have to create an account?
No. They type an email address and the deck plays. There is no sign-up, password or confirmation email on their side.
Do I need to tell viewers what I do with their address?
The gate is visible, so they know they are giving it to you. If you add them to a mailing list, say so in your own privacy notice as you would for any form.
Upload your Keynote export
Try the upload free, then Keep the deck for €9 to switch on the email gate and see who opened it.
Free for 3 days. €9 once keeps one deck for good; €12 a month keeps every deck. See pricing