Create and send bulk Certificates using Autocrat

This article is a step-by-step guide on creating bulk certificates and sending them automatically to students, quiz participants, workshops, seminars, or webinar attendees via a one-click using Autocrat.

You should create a separate folder for this purpose inside the Google Drive. All certificates and files regarding the certificate will saved here.

Prepare a certificate template

Select a suitable template for your certificate from the Google slides. Include the <<merge tags>> in the certificate for the information that will vary on each certificate, such as name, date, or achievement details. Use unique "tags" like <<Name>>, <<Date>>, etc. Save the template. These tags will fetch the data from the Google spreadsheet.

Prepare a Google spreadsheet 

Create a Google Sheet and add the names of participants and other details in the columns that you want to include in the certificates, such as the participant's name, date, or achievement details. You may keep the first row of the sheet as the column headers.

Install Autocrat

From the same spreadsheet, at the top of the sheet, click on the Extensions then add-ons, and select Get add-ons. (Extensions ➤Add-ons ➤ Get Add-ons)

Search for autocrat and you can find the autocrat add-on icon. click on the icon to install it.

Once Autocrat has been installed, it will be shown in your add-ons under the Extensions menu.

Click on autocrat add-ons to launch/open the autocrat and follow the steps to configure the job to send certificates.

Click on the New Job button to start

1. Enter a name for a new job.

2. Select the slide created for the certificate template from the drive and click on the Next button.

3. From the "Merge tab" Select the sheet that belongs to the participants' details. Map all the necessary fields with the column. For example, map the "Name" column to <<Name>> in the template. Now click on the Next button. 

4. File Setting

a) Enter the file name of the certificate. In order to make the certificate name unique for each participant, you can assign their name tag followed by the Certificate. Copy and paste the following line.

Certificate-<<NAME>>

b) Select PDF type to send a certificate in PDF format.

c) Select "Multiple output mode" so each participant gets their own certificate

c) Click on the Next button.

5. Choose the folder that was created for this purpose. all certificates will be saved in that folder.

6. This is an optional feature you can skip and Click on the next button. 

7. Leave this optional feature and just click on the next button.

8. Email Sending Setting

 a) Tick on yes for share doc & send emails. 

 b) Choose Share doc as pdf.

Create the body for the email.

a) Enter the email tag in "To". <<Email>> It should same as in the spreadsheet to send emails to participants emails.

b) Enter the subject for email e.g. Webinar Certificate.

c) Use the name tag to show the participant's name in each letter. e.g. Dear <<Name>>

d) Save the file.

Setting for trigger email

a) Select yes for a run from the trigger

Run Autocrat: 

a) Click on the "Run/Play" button. Autocrat will start merging the data from the Google Sheet into the certificate template to generate the certificates and send them to participants individually.

Note: There is a limit of sending emails to 50 participants per day. So add 50 participants at once. after sending the certificates to 50 participants, delete the details of the participants and add the next participants to the spreadsheet.  Don't delete the column headers while deleting the details of participants.