If you're tired of back-and-forth emails to set up calls and want a simple way to turn interest into real leads, you're in the right place. This guide is for marketers, founders, consultants, or anyone who wants their scheduling tool to do double duty: book meetings and capture qualified leads.
Doodle's a well-known name in scheduling, but it’s not always clear how to make a custom booking page that actually helps fill your pipeline instead of just your calendar. Let's walk through how to do it, where Doodle shines (and where it doesn’t), and how to avoid wasting time on stuff that won’t move the needle.
Why Use Doodle for Lead Generation?
First, let's be honest: Doodle is usually thought of as a way to find meeting times, not land new business. But with a little setup, you can use it to collect leads—especially for consults, demos, or discovery calls.
What works: - Doodle is dead simple for people booking time. - It syncs with most calendars, so you’re not double-booked. - It can handle group meetings or 1:1s.
What doesn’t: - It’s not a full-blown CRM. You won’t get fancy nurturing or automated follow-ups. - Custom branding and question forms are limited compared to higher-end tools. - If you want deep integrations, you’ll hit some walls.
But if you want to get a booking page up quickly and don’t need all the bells and whistles, Doodle keeps things straightforward.
Step 1: Get the Right Doodle Plan
If you’re only using the free version, you’ll hit limits fast. To create custom booking pages and collect useful info, you'll need at least the Pro or Team plan.
What you get with paid plans: - Custom branding (logo, colors) - Booking page links you can share anywhere - Ability to add custom questions (basic, but often enough) - Calendar integrations (Google, Outlook, etc.) - Reminders and notifications
Pro tip: Don’t overbuy. If you’re a solo consultant, you don’t need the Team plan. Upgrade only when you need to add multiple users or want admin control.
Step 2: Set Up Your Custom Booking Page
Once you’re logged in and have the right plan, here’s how to set up a booking page designed for lead gen—not just scheduling.
1. Go to "Booking Page" in the Doodle dashboard
- Click “Create a Booking Page.”
- Give your page a clear, specific name. ("Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation" beats "Meeting with Jane.")
2. Customize Your Availability
- Set the days and times you’re open for bookings.
- Block off lunch, deep work, or anything you don’t want interrupted.
- Sync your work calendar so you’re not accidentally double-booked.
Don’t: Try to be available 24/7. It looks desperate and burns you out.
3. Add a Description That Sets Expectations
- Explain who should book and why.
- Example: “If you’re a SaaS founder looking for a quick website review, grab a slot below.”
- This filters out time-wasters.
4. Add Custom Questions
Here’s where you can actually collect lead info. Doodle lets you add a few basic fields to the booking form:
- Name (default)
- Email (default)
- Custom questions (short answer or dropdown)
What to ask: - “What’s your main goal for this call?” - “Company website (optional)” - “How did you hear about us?”
What to skip: Long forms. If it feels like homework, people won’t book.
5. Branding and Personalization
- Upload your logo.
- Add your colors if you want (keep it simple).
- Double-check what the confirmation email looks like—sometimes the default is pretty generic.
Step 3: Connect Your Calendar and Set Meeting Rules
If you don’t sync your calendar, you’re asking for conflicts. Doodle connects to Google, Outlook, and a few others.
- Set buffer times (e.g., no back-to-back meetings).
- Limit bookings per day if you don’t want to drown in calls.
- Add a minimum scheduling notice so nobody books you for a call in 5 minutes.
Pro tip: Set up automatic reminders. People forget. Reminders = fewer no-shows.
Step 4: Share Your Booking Link in the Right Places
A booking page is only as good as where you put it. Some spots that work:
- On your website, especially your "Contact" or "Book a Demo" page
- In your email signature
- In LinkedIn DMs or messages
- As a CTA on landing pages
What to avoid: Don’t blast your link everywhere. If you gate it (use it only after someone’s shown interest), you’ll get better leads—not just random calendar fillers.
Step 5: Capture and Track Your Leads
Here’s where Doodle starts to show its limits. You’ll get meeting invites and email notifications, but it’s not a CRM.
What you can do: - Export your bookings as a CSV and add them to your CRM manually. - Use Zapier or Make (if you’re technical) to sync new bookings with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Google Sheets. - Set up email filters so lead notifications go into a specific folder.
What won’t work: - Automated nurturing or drip emails—Doodle can’t do this natively. - Deep lead scoring or qualification—stick to simple custom questions.
Pro tip: If you’re running ads or want to track source, add a hidden field or use different booking links for different campaigns. It’s low-tech but works.
Step 6: Follow Up—Don’t Wait for Magic
Even the best booking page won’t turn a meeting into a customer unless you follow up. After someone books:
- Send a quick confirmation (personalized is better, but the default works in a pinch).
- Review their answers before the call, so you’re not going in blind.
- After the meeting, add notes to your CRM or spreadsheet. Don’t rely on memory.
What to ignore: Fancy automations if you’re only getting a handful of leads a week. Manual works fine until it doesn’t.
What Doodle Can’t Do (and What to Watch Out For)
Let’s keep it real. Doodle’s not built for heavy-duty lead capture or inbound marketing. Here’s what to be aware of:
- No real qualification logic: You can’t set up if/then rules or advanced forms.
- Limited integrations: Some tools (like Calendly or SavvyCal) go deeper here.
- No payment collection: You can’t charge for calls through Doodle.
- Branding is basic: If you want a white-label experience, look elsewhere.
If you just need a clean booking page that won’t confuse your prospects, it delivers. If you want a full sales funnel, you’ll need extra tools.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t get stuck chasing perfection. The goal isn’t to have the fanciest booking page—it’s to get qualified leads talking to you, fast. Start with the basics:
- Make booking easy.
- Ask only what you need to pre-qualify.
- Put the link where it matters most.
- Adjust based on what actually happens.
If Doodle’s working for you, great. If you start getting dozens of leads and need more automation, then it might be time to look at bigger tools. But for most, a simple, well-designed Doodle booking page is all you need to start turning interest into real conversations.