Getting Started with Parsley

Paper business cards had a good run. They also get binned, go out of date, and tell you nothing about whether someone actually followed up.

Parsley flips that on its head.

With a single, branded link you can share anywhere, Parsley gives you a digital business card with an AI chatbot that captures prospect questions and intent signals - so you know what people care about before the first call. Every new account starts with a 14-day Business trial - full chatbot, CRM integrations, unlimited analytics, no credit card.

This guide walks you through building your profile, enabling the chatbot, connecting your CRM, sharing your link, and using the data Parsley gives you.

TL;DR setup checklist

1. Sign up and claim your username (14-day Business trial starts automatically).
2. Add a headshot, tagline, and core contact details.
3. Add content sections - links, calendar, socials, gallery.
4. Enable AI chatbot and upload key documents.
5. Connect your CRM (HubSpot, Attio, Salesflare, or Folk).
6. Preview on desktop and mobile.
7. Share via QR code, email signature, and social bios.
8. Review analytics and chatbot conversations weekly.

Why switch to a digital business card?

A Parsley profile is more than a static card - it's a live, trackable profile you control.

Here's what you gain when you move away from paper:

• Always up to date - Change your job title, email, or branding once and your link is instantly current everywhere.
• Easy to share - Send it by QR code, email, text, or drop it into your socials and email signature - no app required for anyone.
• Trackable - See who viewed your profile, which links they clicked, and what questions they asked your chatbot.
• Lead-ready - Your AI chatbot captures leads through conversation, not just forms. Visitors ask questions, the chatbot answers from your documents, and every interaction is logged with topic classification and intent signals.
• CRM-connected - Leads and chatbot conversations auto-sync to HubSpot, Attio, Salesflare, or Folk - no manual entry.
• Better for the planet - Every digital profile replaces stacks of paper cards.

Step 1: Create your Parsley account

Head to parsley.id and click Create Profile to sign up. You can use email or sign in with Google for a faster start. Once you're in, you'll land on your dashboard where you manage profiles, contacts, and analytics.

Good to know:

• Every new account starts with a 14-day Business trial. That gives you full access to the AI chatbot, unlimited analytics history, CRM integrations, and team features - no credit card required. After 14 days you can upgrade to Business or continue on the Free tier.
• There's no app to download and no physical card required - everything runs in the browser.
• The Free tier includes 1 profile with all content section types, custom fonts, and custom button styles. If you need multiple profiles or team features, the Business tier supports unlimited seats.

Step 2: Claim your personal link

Your Parsley username becomes your profile URL:

https://parsley.id/yourname

This is the link you'll share in email signatures, on LinkedIn, at events, and anywhere else you meet people.

Tips for a strong username:

• Keep it short and memorable - ideally your name or brand.
• Avoid random numbers and special characters.
• If your name is common, add a simple differentiator: peterduffy, peterduffy-consulting, peterduffy-london.

Rolling this out for a team? Use the team dashboard to manage profiles under your organisation's branding.

Step 3: Build a clear, professional profile

Next, fill in your core details. Think of this like the "front" of your business card - but smarter.

At a minimum, include:

• Name
• Job title
• Company
• Email
• Phone number (if you're happy to share it)
• Location / time zone
• Short bio

Every account gets access to 16 Google Fonts and 6 button styles - so your profile matches your personal or company brand from day one.

Writing a better bio

Instead of a generic line like "Marketing Professional", use 1-3 sentences that explain:

• What you do
• Who you help
• What problems you solve

For example:

"I help B2B startups turn website visitors into qualified leads using data-driven lifecycle marketing."

Keep it simple, concrete, and written in the first person.

Pro tip: refresh your tagline whenever your role, ICP, or offer changes. Consistency across LinkedIn, Parsley, and your website boosts trust.

For more on getting the most from your profile, see our guide to digital business card best practices.

Step 4: Add content sections

Your Parsley profile is built from flexible content sections that you can drag into any order. Start with the ones that matter most for how you work, then add more over time.

Here are the key section types:

Links and social presence

• Social links - LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, and more.
• Custom links - Website, portfolio, Notion hub, booking page, newsletter, podcast.

This turns your Parsley link into a single place where people can find everything important.

Meetings and availability

• Calendar embeds - Connect tools like Calendly, Cal.com, or Google Calendar so people can book time without back-and-forth emails.

Place this higher up the page if booking calls is a key part of your role (sales, consulting, coaching, etc.).

Show, don't tell: media sections

• Photo gallery - Screenshots, design work, event photos, product shots.
• Video - A short intro video, product walk-through, talk recording, or showreel.

This is especially useful if you work in design, content, product, or anything visual.

Text and company info

• Text blocks - Rich text sections for case studies, FAQs, or anything that needs more detail.
• Company section - Company name and website link - useful when your profile represents a wider team.
• Maps - Show your office or event location if in-person meetings matter.

Lead capture

• Contact info - Email, phone, and WhatsApp details with optional vCard download.
• Exchange contact - A lead capture button that lets visitors share their details with you.

You don't have to add everything on day one. Start simple, then build out as you see what people respond to. For layout ideas, check our best practices guide.

Step 5: Enable your AI chatbot

This is where Parsley goes beyond a standard digital business card.

The AI chatbot sits directly on your profile, powered by Google Gemini. It answers visitor questions from your uploaded documents, works 24/7, and captures every conversation with structured data - topic classification, intent signals, and lead quality scoring.

How to set it up

1. Go to the Chatbot section in your dashboard.
2. Upload documents - pricing guides, FAQs, product overviews, case studies, company background.
3. Choose a persona - Professional, Friendly, or Technical - to match how you want the chatbot to communicate.
4. Toggle the chatbot on in your profile editor.

What to upload first

Start with 3-5 documents that cover the questions you hear most often:

• Product or service overview
• Pricing and packaging
• Top 10 FAQs
• A case study or customer story
• Company background

The chatbot answers only from your uploaded documents. If it can't answer a question, it says so - and that unanswered question becomes a knowledge gap signal you can use to improve your content.

Why it matters

Most visitors to your profile won't book a call on the first visit. But they will ask a question if a chatbot is right there. Every conversation is captured with topic classification across 8 categories (Pricing, Features, Technical, Comparison, Contact, Company, Support, Other) and automatic MEDDIC qualification signals. You see exactly what prospects care about - before you ever speak to them.

The chatbot is a Business tier feature, available during your 14-day trial. For a deeper look at how chatbot intelligence works, read our pre-conversation intelligence guide.

Step 6: Connect your CRM

Once your chatbot is capturing conversations, connect your CRM so leads and conversation data flow automatically to your sales workflow.

Supported CRMs: HubSpot, Attio, Salesflare, and Folk.

How to connect

1. Go to Hub in the left sidebar.
2. Click Integrations.
3. Find your CRM card and click Connect.
4. Authorise via the OAuth popup.

That's it. Leads now sync automatically.

What syncs

• Contact details - name, email, phone, company, job title.
• Chatbot conversation summaries - topic classification, intent signals, MEDDIC qualification, knowledge gaps, and lead quality score.

Every contact record in your CRM gets enriched with what the prospect actually asked about - so your first outreach can reference their specific interests.

CRM integrations are a Business tier feature, available during your 14-day trial. For detailed setup guides, see Getting Started with HubSpot and Getting Started with Attio.

Step 7: Share your profile where it counts

Once your profile looks good, it's time to put it to work.

In person: QR codes and the business card scanner

• Show your QR code on your phone for quick scans at events or meetings. No one needs to install anything - they just scan and your profile opens in their browser.
• Use the business card scanner to digitise paper cards you receive. Point your camera at a card, and OCR extracts the details in about 2 seconds - name, email, phone, company - straight into your contacts.

Online: links everywhere

Use your Parsley link anywhere you're already meeting people:

• Email signature
• LinkedIn contact info and About section
• Social media bios
• Zoom/Teams backgrounds and display names
• Slide decks and proposals

One link, consistent branding, everywhere your work shows up.

Launch day checklist

• Add your link to the email signature you use most often
• Update social bios (LinkedIn, Instagram, X)
• Print or save a QR code for upcoming events
• Send the profile to five warm contacts for feedback
• Enable the chatbot and ask it a test question
• Bookmark the Analytics dashboard so you actually review it

Step 8: Capture leads

Parsley gives you two ways to capture leads: contact forms and the AI chatbot.

Contact forms are the quick route. A visitor fills in the exchange form on your profile, and their details are saved to your Contacts dashboard instantly.

Chatbot conversations are the main event. Every conversation is captured with topic classification, intent signals, and automatic lead quality scoring (Hot, Warm, or Cold). A visitor who asks about pricing and timelines is flagged as high-intent. A visitor asking general background questions is tagged as early-stage research. You see the difference at a glance.

From your Contacts dashboard you can:

• Search and filter by name, company, or date
• Tag and organise leads (e.g. "Event - Web Summit", "Warm lead", "Investor")
• Export to CSV or auto-sync to your CRM

No more guessing who you met last week or where that business card went. For more on how topic classification and intent signals work, see the pre-conversation intelligence guide.

Step 9: Use analytics to improve

Once you've been sharing your profile for a few days, head to your Analytics dashboard.

Profile analytics

• Profile views over time
• Which links get the most clicks
• How often people save your contact details

This tells you what's working and what might need tweaking - for example, moving a key link higher up or clarifying your call-to-action.

Chatbot analytics

• Conversations by topic - see which of the 8 topic categories prospects ask about most (Pricing, Features, Technical, Comparison, Contact, Company, Support, Other).
• Intent signals - track how many conversations show high-intent buying signals.
• Knowledge gaps - identify questions your chatbot couldn't answer so you can fill the gaps with new documents.
• Lead quality distribution - see the split between Hot, Warm, and Cold leads over time.

What to do with the data

• Move key links up if analytics show they get the most clicks.
• Fill knowledge gaps by uploading documents that address unanswered questions.
• Check topic distribution - if 40% of questions are about pricing, your pricing page might need work.
• Review high-intent conversations weekly and prioritise follow-up.

Parsley also tracks the environmental impact of going digital - paper cards replaced, water saved, and CO2 avoided - in your analytics dashboard.

For a deeper look at chatbot analytics and how to act on them, see the pre-conversation intelligence guide.

A simple first-week checklist

To get real value from Parsley in your first week, try this:

1. Finish your profile - Add your basics, a clear bio, and 3-5 key links.
2. Enable and train your chatbot - Upload your top 3-5 documents.
3. Share with at least 5 people - Friends, colleagues, or recent contacts.
4. Add your link to your email signature - This alone can drive a steady stream of views.
5. Connect your CRM - If you use HubSpot, Attio, Salesflare, or Folk.
6. Check analytics at the end of the week - Notice which links people click and adjust.
7. Review chatbot conversations - Look for high-intent questions worth following up on.

Where to go next

• Looking for a free solution? Learn about free digital business cards and what's included at no cost.
• Want to go deeper on profile optimisation? Read our guide to digital business card best practices.
• Curious about chatbot intelligence? Read the pre-conversation intelligence guide.
• Setting up HubSpot? Follow the HubSpot integration guide.
• Setting up Attio? Follow the Attio integration guide.
• Comparing options? See our best digital business cards in 2026 roundup.
• Ready to roll this out for your whole team? Explore our Business features to manage branded profiles centrally and track performance per user.

Ready to create your AI-powered digital business card? Start your free 14-day trial and have your first profile live in minutes.