Build gift links in Clay

The template

Clay formulas are JavaScript. A column reference like {{Email}} passes that row's value in; type / in the formula editor to insert one. Add a Formula column named gg_link, paste this, and replace your-link with your own link and the column names with yours:

"https://www.giasgiraffes.com/l/your-link?e=" + ({{Email}} || "") + "&n=" + ({{First Name}} || "") + "&c=Q4%20outbound"

• e fills in the prospect's email. They still confirm it with a 6-digit code before they claim.
• n greets them by first name.
• c is your campaign tag. Only you see it. Spaces are written as %20.
• || "" leaves a part empty when a row has no value, so an empty first name never shows up as "null".

Then, in your sequencer's email step, link to that column's variable, for example:

Hi {{first_name}},

Thanks for taking a look at what we do. As a thank-you for your time,
pick a gift on us from small independent brands. You choose what arrives.

Pick your gift: {{gg_link}}

<your name>

What you need

• A Gia's Giraffes account (Free or Pro) with one active GG Link. To make one, open GG Links → New GG Link, then set the budget, the headline and how many people can claim.
• A Clay table with an email column and, ideally, a first-name column.

Get your link in Gia's Giraffes

1. Open GG Links and find your active link.
2. Click Copy link with merge fields, pick any tool and copy the link. Keep only the part before the ?. That's your link, for example https://www.giasgiraffes.com/l/q4-outbound-k7m3q9xw.
3. Paste it into the formula in place of https://www.giasgiraffes.com/l/your-link.

Check one row

Run the formula on one row and open the result. The claim page should say "For" and the row's first name, with their email filled in. An email with a + in it (like pat+news@acme.com) is the one case the plain formula can't carry, so filter those rows out, or use the CSV route below.

No formulas: the prospect CSV

1. Export the Clay table as a CSV.
2. In Gia's Giraffes, open GG Links and click Personalize a prospect CSV on your link.
3. Upload the file. Gia's Giraffes finds the email, first-name and campaign columns by their headers. Pick a campaign tag for every row if you like.
4. Download the same file back, with a gg_link column filled in for every row and a gg_link_note column for rows without a valid email.
5. Import it back into Clay, or straight into your sequencer.

The file is read in your browser, and nothing is stored or created: no contacts, no extra links.

On Pro: the API from an HTTP API column

Clay's HTTP API column can ask Gia's Giraffes for each row's link. Use a Pro API key with read access (Settings → Developers).

• Method: POST, URL: https://www.giasgiraffes.com/api/v1/gg-links/<link id>/personalize
• Header: Authorization: Bearer <your API key>
• Body:

{ "recipient_email": "{{Email}}", "recipient_name": "{{First Name}}", "campaign": "Q4 outbound" }

The response's data.personalized_url is the row's link, encoded correctly for any email. Nothing is created or stored. The full reference is in the API docs.

See who claimed, by campaign

Every claim lands on the link's card in GG Links, tagged with the campaign you typed:

• The card reads, for example, "12 claims · 3 campaigns". Open it for the count per campaign; claims without a tag are listed as "No campaign".
• See who claimed shows each claimant with a Campaign column and a campaign filter.
• On Pro, the leads CSV has the same Campaign column.

The tag is only for you. Your prospect never sees it.

Free and Pro

• Free: one active GG Link with up to 5 claims. You can still put that one link in a sequence to any number of prospects, personalized for each.
• Pro: unlimited GG Links with up to 500 claims each, the leads CSV, the API and the Zapier app. $19.99 per user per month, with a 14-day free trial.

On either plan you pay only for gifts that are accepted, and the recipient never sees a price.

FAQ

Does a prospect need an account to claim a gift from my Clay email?

No. They open the link, pick a gift, confirm their email with a 6-digit code and enter a shipping address. They never see a price.

What happens if the merge fields don't fill in?

The link still works. An unfilled variable is ignored, so the prospect sees the plain claim page and types their own name and email. Send yourself a test to catch it before the sequence goes out.

Can a prospect change the email in the link?

Yes. The email in the link is only a prefill. Whoever claims confirms the address they type with a code, and your link's rules (one gift per email or company, the claim cap) still apply.

Does putting the link in a sequence count as sending gifts?

No. Personalizing a link creates nothing and costs nothing. A claim counts toward the link's cap, and you're charged only when a gift is accepted.

Does Clay send the email?

No. Clay builds the link; your sequencer or CRM sends it. Push the gg_link column there as a custom field and link to it in the email step.

Do I need encodeURIComponent?

Not for ordinary emails and first names. Only an email with a + changes on the way. For those, use the CSV or the API, which encode every value.