This article is intended for our Supply Partners that are generating and updating entry links via our Entry Link endpoints.
An Entry Link is the URL through which a participant enters the Cint Exchange (formerly Lucid Marketplace) for a survey. Each entry link consists of a base URL and a query string containing various required and optional parameters.
The character limit for an entry link is 1999. It is crucial not to exceed this limit, as surpassing it will result in immediate session termination, where we are unable to return the respondent to your platform.
Composing an Entry Link
An entry link URL should be composed of a base URL (https://www.samplicio.us/s/default.aspx) and the query string parameters outlined in the table below. This table indicates which parameters are optional and which are required. Following the base URL, these parameters can be applied to the URL string in any given order but the hash signature must be appended to the end of the URL string. If you include parameters outside of those listed, our system will not ingest and store this data, nor will we pass this information back on the redirect.
Parameter Name | Required /Optional | Parameter Value Description |
|---|---|---|
SID | Required | The SID value is returned upon the creation of a link for a survey. The SID will be a unique value for the supplier and survey. |
PID | Required | PID is to be generated by the supplier, and is to be a unique identifier for a participant that persists through all their entries into the Cint Exchange. The PID may contain alphanumeric characters only, with no special characters except underscore (_) and dash (-). The PID has a 128-character limit. |
MID | Required | MID is to be generated by the supplier and used as a session identifier. The parameter must pass a value that is unique to a single respondent session. The MID may contain alphanumeric characters only, with no special characters except underscore (_) and dash (-). The MID has a 128-character limit. |
hash | Required | Hashing protects against fraudulent link manipulation and is required on all entry links. Instructions for generating the hash can be found in the Security Documentation section of the Cint Supplier Portal. If you do not have a login, please contact a member of your account team to get this activated. The hash parameter name should be in lowercase. |
MAID | Required | Mobile advertising ID. This identifier enables for better survey targeting, in particular for Media Measurement surveys . If the MAID value is not available for a respondent, the 'MAID' parameter should be omitted from the entry links. GUID format. |
cint_email | Required | Respondent's email address. Only real emails must be used, no dummy emails are permitted. The Email must be hex encoded and then hashed using SHA-256 function. The SHA-256 hash value must be a 64-character hexadecimal string. |
{QuestionID} | Optional | Participant profile data. Passing in profile data allows respondents to bypass the prescreener questions, improving the overall user experience. Please see the section passing in profiling data for more information on how to append and format these parameters. |
Example Entry Link:
In the example the profile data used is: Age(42), Gender(43), Zip(45) and Standard Pets(639)
https://www.samplicio.us/s/default.aspx?SID=d5b9a102-270c-9850-4a1f--43748ff9cccb&PID=1816-8095-4689-835912&MID=342692-4652&MAID=2340-432591-3814368-1214&cint_email=b435e894ba365216b40b06eb7ad8270f4efd33067b5d087a1b685cc0aa4801bf&42=26&43=1&45=19087&639=1&639=3&hash=ODuGPEI51lJC10a5GEwHGgHu1w4Retrieving the Base URL
The Create a Link endpoint should be used to generate an entry link for a survey. In the response of the request we will return a Live and Test Link. The Live link should be used for production, and the Test Link for any user acceptance testing. Suppliers can also retrieve the entry link information via the Show a Link endpoint.
Passing in Participant Profile Data
Sending respondent profiling data via the entry link allows respondents to bypass pre-screener questions, enhancing their user experience. Cint stores responses passed in through entry links, or gathered during the pre-screening process, for 30 days. During this period, we will not re-ask stored qualification questions unless respondents clear their cookies, use a private browser, or the data is passed in again via the entry link.
Best Practices for Selecting, Sending, and Formatting Profile Data
Appending respondents' profiling data related to all qualifications for the targeted survey, along with the pre screener profiler questions, to the entry link will prevent the respondent from having to answer pre screener questions, thus improving their experience.
Cint Exchange Pre screener Profiler Questions: Each Country-Language combination has a set of “Profiler” questions. If a respondent’s entry link or stored profile data doesn’t contain the answers to these questions, they may be asked up to three of these questions in a session. You can find a list of these questions via the Cint Exchange Profiler download file.
Survey Qualifications: There are two primary ways to collect standard qualifications data.
Download the Standard Qualification library for all country-languages.
Utilize the Lookup API suite. Calling the Question Library endpoints will allow your system to programmatically digest qualification information.
Ensure your profiling incorporates the most commonly used qualification questions for the countries you are targeting. Reference our Standard Qualification Tiers spreadsheet which prioritizes the importance of qualifications into Critical, Primary and Secondary for each country language pairing. For the data you capture, append the question ID and values to your entry links, keeping in mind the 1999-character limit. If you are approaching this limit, consider removing any redundant or less common questions.
Avoid appending question IDs with the question type “dummy” to the entry link. Respondents' answers to dummy questions are pre-calculated by Cint upon entry to the Cint Exchange. Ensure matching respondents to dummy qualification and quota criteria to prevent their termination from the survey.
More Info: For more details on handling dummy qualification questions, visit the Profiling Guide.
Append question IDs instead of question names to the entry link to reduce character count and avoid exceeding the 1999-character limit. For example 42=30, instead of AGE=30.
For multi-punch question types, each option should have its own parameter. For example, if a respondent's answer to the STANDARD_PETS question includes both cat(s) (precode=1) and bird(s) (precode=3), the syntax using question ID should be: 639=1&639=3.
More Info: See Profiling Guide for more information on profiling.