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URLs & Trial Version Settings

Setting Key URLs and Trial Version Parameters in Your BuddyPro Instance​

In order for your AI Expert to know where to direct users at various stages (e.g. after the trial version expires or when they want to upgrade their tariff), and how to communicate basic information about pricing and terms, you need to set several important parameters in your BuddyPro instance. You as the instance owner do this setup by sending specific commands to the chat with your BuddyPro instance in Telegram.

All the settings described below can be found in the Dashboard in the Configuration section.

Setting the Subscription Start URL​

This URL will be offered to the user, for example, after their trial period expires, or if they express interest in the paid version of your AI Expert.

  • πŸ”— Parameter explanation
  • How it works: When the user's trial expires and they try to send another message, your AI Expert will display a message you defined (see point 18.4) and it will contain a link to this URL.
  • πŸ†” Automatic addition of parameters to the URL: BuddyPro automatically adds unique parameters at the end of the URL you entered, which help identify the specific user and your instance. For FAPI it's in the format: ?userId={user_ID}, for Stripe in the format ?client_reference_id={user_ID}

Setting the URL for Subscription Upgrade or Extra Message Package Purchase​

This URL will be offered to the user when they exhaust their monthly message limit and want to continue using your AI Expert, or if you have multiple tariff levels and the user wants to move to a higher one.

  • πŸ”— Parameter explanation
  • How it works: When an active paying user exhausts their monthly message limit, the AI will offer them the option to increase and refer them to this URL.
  • πŸ†” Automatic addition of parameters to the URL: Just as with Subscription start URL, BuddyPro automatically adds the userId or client_reference_id parameter for identification here too.

Important Configuration for Parameter Transfer on the Plan Selection Page​

If the URLs you set using Subscription start URL or Upgrade/purchase URL do not lead directly to a specific sales form, but to your website that serves as a "plan selection page" with a choice of multiple tariffs or packages (e.g. buttons "BASIC Tariff", "PRO Tariff", "100 MESSAGES Package", where each button leads to a different form), you must technically ensure the following:

The parameter userId={user_ID} (if you're using FAPI) or client_reference_id={user_ID} (if you're using Stripe), which BuddyPro automatically added to your plan selection page URL, must be "transferred" to the target URL of that final sales form through which the user makes the purchase.

  • Why is this important? If this parameter were lost along the way, BuddyPro would not be able to automatically pair the payment in FAPI (or Stripe) with the specific Telegram user who came from your AI instance after a successful payment. Their access would not be activated automatically and would only be linked if they manually click on the link on the thank you page or in the thank you email, which is inefficient and worsens the user experience.
  • How to technically ensure automatic activation (recommended JavaScript solution):

    1. The most common and reliable solution is to use a simple JavaScript code that you insert into the HTML header (<head>) of your landing page.

    2. This script automatically detects the client_reference_id (or userId) parameter in the URL with which the user came to your plan selection page.

    3. When any button (link) on that page is clicked, the script dynamically adds those parameters to the destination URL of that button (i.e., the link to a specific Stripe or FAPI form).

    4. How to get this JavaScript code? Paste this script inside your web page (in the head or anywhere within the HTML code):

      <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/buddy-fm/buddy-public@latest/userparam.js"></script>

    5. TEST THE FUNCTIONALITY THOROUGHLY! Open the URL of your plan selection page with a test parameter (e.g. https://myweb.com/ai-expert?client_reference_id=12345) and click on the buttons of the individual tariffs. Verify that you still see the added parameter ?client_reference_id=12345 in the browser address bar (after redirecting to the Stripe form) at the end of the URL.

Defining the Message Displayed After Trial Expiration​

This message is automatically displayed to the user when they try to continue communicating with your AI Expert after they have exhausted all their trial messages.

  • πŸ”— Parameter explanation
  • Example message text (inspiration): It seems your trial ride with our AI Expert has just come to an end, all free messages have been exhausted. But don't despair! For unlimited access to all his knowledge, personalized advice tailored to you and 24/7 support, you can easily activate full membership. Just click here: <LINK> Looking forward to our next inspiring conversations and discoveries together! ✨
  • Example command usage
  • Default message: If you don't set anything, the English message will be used: Free trial ended. Please activate your subscription: <LINK>. We strongly recommend setting your own message.

Setting the Default Number of Trial Messages for New Users​

This command sets how many trial messages new users get who join your AI instance through "general" invitations from the license owner...

  • πŸ”— Parameter explanation
  • Default value: If you don't use this command, 100 messages is set by default.
  • Example command usage: (New users via general/unspecified invitations will get 50 trial messages.)
  • Important: This setting does not affect the number of messages for invitations that you generate yourself using the /generateBuddyProInvite command -- there you define the number of trial messages for each invitation individually (see the following point).

This is your key tool for controlled acquisition of new users, testing, and tracking the effectiveness of various marketing campaigns or partnership activities.

  • Command:

    /generateBuddyProInvite:{trialMessages}:{code}:{usersLimit}

  • πŸ”— Parameter explanation:

    • {trialMessages}: The number of test messages (total round trip) that a user connected through this particular invitation link will receive. Enter an integer (e.g. 50, 100). If you want the invitation to lead directly to the paid version without any trial, enter 0.
    • {code}: Unique 7-digit invitation code. It should contain only CAPITAL LETTERS of the English alphabet (A-Z) and digits (0-9) for maximum compatibility and readability. The invitation code also allows you to easily identify and track where users came from (e.g., code WEBINAR5 for May webinar attendees, FBADSJUL for the July Facebook campaign).
    • {usersLimit}: Optional parameter. The total number of possible uses (activations) of this particular invitation. Enter an integer (e.g. 1 for a one-time VIP client invitation, 50 for a limited seats campaign). If you omit this parameter or enter 0, the invitation will have an unlimited number of uses.
    • {timeLimit}: Optional parameter. The duration of the trial period (number of days) after activation. If set, the trial ends when either the message limit or the time limit is reached -- whichever comes first. If not set or set to 0, the trial ends only when the message limit is reached.

  • How it works: After entering the command, your BuddyPro instance will generate a unique URL link in a format similar to this: https://t.me/YOUR_BOT_USERNAME?start=YOURINVITATIONCODE. You then use this link in your marketing materials, emails, ads, etc.

  • Command usage examples:

    • /generateBuddyProInvite:100:STARTNOW:0 -- Creates an invitation with 100 trial messages, the code STARTNOW, and unlimited uses.
    • /generateBuddyProInvite:0:VIPONLY:10 -- Generates an invitation without trial messages, leading directly to a payment offer, with the code VIPONLY, for up to 10 users.
    • /generateBuddyProInvite:75::1 -- Creates an invitation with 75 trial messages, BuddyPro generates a random code, for 1 person only.
    • /generateBuddyProInvite:100:ABCDEFG:5:30 -- Creates an invitation with 100 trial messages, the code ABCDEFG, for only 5 users, valid for 30 days from activation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)​

What happens if I don't enter any URL using Subscription start URL and the user's trial expires?

We strongly recommend that you always set this URL.

Can I use the same invitation code ({code}) for multiple different /generateBuddyProInvite settings?

The invitation code should always be unique.

When I set Post-trial message, will it also affect invitations I've already generated with a different number of trial messages?

No, invitations already generated with /generateBuddyProInvite have the number of trial messages fixed at the time of creation. The Post-trial message setting only affects the message text displayed when any user's trial ends, regardless of how the invitation was generated.

What if a customer comes to my multi-tariff plan selection page, but the userId / client_reference_id parameter is lost? Can they still buy and activate?

Yes, even if the userId or client_reference_id is not transferred (e.g. they come to your website directly, not via a link from BuddyPro), they can still purchase the tariff. The user will receive an activation email after successful purchase, which will lead to Telegram to activate the service. However, passing the parameter makes for a smoother and more automated process, especially when the user comes directly from a conversation with an AI Expert.