To build a Notion client intake form, create a Clients database with one property per intake question, then add a Form view to it and share the link with new clients. Every submission becomes a page in that database, so the intake answers sit next to the projects and notes you’ll create for that client later.
Plan the clients database first
A Notion client intake form is only as good as the database behind it. Notion’s help center says each question in your form is connected to a property in your database, so every property you add becomes a question you can ask.
A schema for a freelancer or small agency:
| Property | Notion type | What it captures |
|---|---|---|
| Client name | Title | Person or company name |
| Main contact address | ||
| Phone | Phone | Optional, for calls |
| Website | URL | Current site or social profile |
| Service | Select | Which offer they want |
| Goals | Text (long answer) | What success looks like |
| Budget | Select | Ranges, not exact numbers |
| Start date | Date | When they want to begin |
| Assets link | URL | Shared folder with briefs and logos |
| Stage | Status | New, Call booked, Proposal, Won, Lost |
Use Select for budget and service. Ranges like “Small”, “Medium” and “Large”, each with its price band written in the option, are easier for clients to answer, and you can filter and group by them later. Keep Stage off the form, because only you should set it.
Choose the client intake questions
Good intake questions fall into four groups. Ask only what you’ll use before the first call.
- Contact details. Name, email, company and website.
- The project. Which service, what problem they’re solving, and what a good result looks like.
- Budget and timing. A budget range and a target start date.
- Assets and access. A link to existing briefs, brand files or accounts you’ll need.
Notion lets you add a Description to each question so people understand what you’re asking. Use it on vague questions like Goals: “Describe the result you’d be happy with in three months.” For the Goals and project questions, turn on Long answer so clients get a bigger text box.
Create the Notion client intake form
The form lives inside the Clients database. Open the Clients database, select + next to your existing views, and choose Form. You can also type /form on an empty page, which creates a new database together with the form. Notion says creating and customizing a form only works on its desktop and web apps, not on mobile.
Then set it up:
- Give the form a title, like “New project inquiry”, and a short description.
- Add questions for each property except Stage.
- Mark Client name, Email and Service as Required, so clients must answer them to submit.
- Turn off Sync with property name if you want friendlier question wording than your property names.
- Under Form settings → Submit screen, write a confirmation message that says what happens next, such as “I’ll reply within two working days.”
- Turn on the email copy of each submission so a new client never sits unseen.
If this is your first Notion form, the step-by-step guide to creating a form in Notion walks through the editor in more detail.
Share the intake form with clients
To let outside clients fill in the form, share it with Anyone on the web with link. Notion says this lets people who aren’t in your workspace, and people who don’t use Notion, fill out the form.
There’s a catch. Respondents on a public link are automatically anonymous, so the Respondent property stays empty. Your own Client name and Email questions are what identify the client. On a paid Notion plan you can also turn off Notion branding on the shared form.
Post the link on your site’s “Work with me” page, in your email signature, or in the reply to a new inquiry. The guide on sharing a Notion form publicly covers each sharing option.
Which intake features need which Notion plan
Notion’s forms work on every plan, but the parts that make intake smarter don’t.
| Feature | Notion plan needed | Why it matters for intake |
|---|---|---|
| Form view, required questions | All plans | The basic form |
| Hiding Notion branding | Paid plans | A cleaner client-facing page |
| Conditional logic | Business and Enterprise | Show web-design questions only to web-design clients |
| Database automations | Paid plans | Notify you or update Stage on new responses |
| File upload question | Not listed on the forms help page | Collect briefs and logos |
Conditional logic only works on multiple-choice questions. For example, if a client picks “Brand identity” as the service, you can send them to a follow-up about their current logo. Without it, every client sees every question, which is why I’d keep a native intake form short.
What to do after a client submits
Start onboarding the moment a response lands. Notion’s database automations can run on a Page added trigger, which fires when a new page is added to the database.
Three automations worth setting up:
- Send notification to you or a teammate, using up to 20 people in your workspace.
- Send mail to the client from your Gmail account. Notion says these emails may take up to two minutes to arrive.
- Edit property to set Stage to “New” on every incoming page.
Database automations need a paid plan. On the Free plan, you can only create Slack notification automations.
For the onboarding page itself, build a database template with a kickoff checklist, a meeting notes section and a deliverables list. Templates can hold images, embeds and sub-pages, and they show up the same on each page you create with them. Notion warns that a relation filled in on a template will link every new page to the same record, so leave relations empty.
Common mistakes with a Notion intake form
Most intake problems are setup mistakes you can catch before a real client sees the link:
- Duplicated templates. If you copied an intake template that already had a form, Notion says to set up a separate version from scratch, so responses go to you and not the original creator.
- Asking for files. Without an upload question, ask for an Assets link to a shared folder instead.
- Too many questions. Every question you add is a property in the database. Cut anything you won’t read before the first call.
- No test run. Submit the form once from a private browser window and confirm the new page shows every answer.
My take: a native Notion form is enough for a freelancer who takes a few clients a month. Once you need branching questions on a Plus plan, or real file uploads, a form builder that writes to Notion is cheaper than upgrading your whole workspace.
How nDBForms handles client intake
nDBForms reads your Notion database properties and builds matching form fields, and each submission creates a new page in that database. It has 17 question types, including file upload and Notion relation, so you can link a new inquiry to an existing Clients record.
Conditional logic is on the Pro plan and works with any Notion plan, so a Plus workspace can still branch by service. File uploads go to your Google Drive, up to 10 MB per file, with the link written to the Notion page. The limitation: the free plan doesn’t include logic or uploads, and caps you at 100 responses a month. You can see how it works on the nDBForms homepage. For a ready-made starting point, browse these Notion form templates.
FAQ
Can clients fill out a Notion intake form without a Notion account?
Yes. If you share the form with anyone on the web with the link, people who don’t use Notion can fill it out. Their responses are recorded as anonymous, so ask for their name and email in the form.
Can a Notion intake form show different questions to different clients?
Only on Notion’s Business and Enterprise plans, where conditional logic works on multiple-choice questions. On other plans, every client sees every question unless you use a separate form builder.
Can clients upload files to a Notion intake form?
Notion’s form help page doesn’t list a file upload question. If you need briefs or brand assets, ask for a shared folder link or use a form builder that supports uploads.
Why do my intake responses go to someone else’s workspace?
You probably duplicated a template that already had a form. Notion advises building a separate version of the form from scratch so responses reach you and not the original creator.