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Custom metadata lets you attach information to each conversation by adding parameters to your study link. Use it to identify users, track campaign sources, and segment your results. Append query parameters with the meta_ prefix to your study URL. The prefix is stripped automatically — meta_source becomes source in your dashboard. 
https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_source=email&meta_campaign=q1-feedback
You can add as many parameters as you need: 
https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_user_id=usr_123&meta_plan=pro&meta_source=email&meta_campaign=checkout-feedback

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Example use cases

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Track where conversations come from

https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_source=email&meta_campaign=q1-feedback
https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_source=in-app&meta_campaign=feature-launch
https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_source=support&meta_campaign=ticket-followup

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Segment by user attributes

https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_plan=enterprise&meta_role=admin
https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_plan=free&meta_account_age=new

https://pillow.so/abc123?meta_user_id=usr_abc123&meta_org_id=org_xyz789

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What Pillow captures automatically

Every conversation automatically records system metadata — no URL parameters needed:
FieldDescriptionExample
LocaleUser’s detected languageen-US
LocationCountry, region, and city (from IP)US, California, San Francisco
DeviceDevice typedesktop
User-agentBrowser informationChrome 120 on macOS
This appears alongside your custom metadata in the conversation view.

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Viewing metadata

Open a conversation and click the Metadata button in the footer bar. The panel shows:
  • Metadata: Your custom meta_ parameters
  • System: Locale, location, device, and user-agent

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Filtering conversations by metadata

Click the filter icon in the conversation list, then scroll to the Metadata section. Click Add to pick a metadata key, then select specific values to filter by. This is where consistent naming pays off — if all your email campaigns use meta_source=email, you can filter to just those conversations in one click.

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Limits

ConstraintLimit
Max parameters50
Max key length64 characters
Max value length512 characters
Keys can contain letters, numbers, underscores, dots, and dashes. Pillow truncates values that exceed the limit.

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Best practices

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Keep keys short and consistent

Use short, descriptive keys after the prefix:
  • ✅ meta_plan, meta_source, meta_user_id
  • ❌ meta_user_subscription_plan_type, meta_marketing_campaign_source

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Standardize values

Pick a casing convention and stick to it:
  • ✅ meta_plan=pro, meta_plan=free, meta_plan=enterprise
  • ❌ meta_plan=Pro, meta_plan=FREE, meta_plan=Enterprise Plan

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Avoid sensitive data

Never pass sensitive information in URLs. URL parameters are visible in browser history, server logs, and analytics tools.Avoid: passwords, API keys, personal health information, financial data.

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FAQ

No. Metadata is captured when the user first opens the link. You can’t add or modify metadata for existing conversations.
You can add up to 50 parameters per prefix. The total URL should stay under roughly 2,000 characters to avoid issues with email clients and messaging platforms.

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Next steps

Broadcast your study

Put your metadata-tagged links to work.

Review conversations

See metadata in the conversation view.