Step by step guide to connecting Landbot with Slack for instant lead notifications

If you're collecting leads with Landbot and want those leads to show up instantly in Slack, this guide's for you. No fluff—just a clear walkthrough, a few gotchas, and what to skip if you want to avoid headaches.

Why connect Landbot to Slack?

You’re probably here because you’re tired of missing new leads or having to check another dashboard. The good news: connecting Landbot to Slack means your team sees leads the second they come in, right where you already talk. It’s a solid way to avoid dropped balls and slow follow-ups.

What this guide covers: - Sending lead details from Landbot to a Slack channel or direct message - Using Landbot’s built-in integrations (and what to do if you hit a wall) - Real-world advice, not just the happy path

Who this is not for: If you want a deep-dive on Slack bots, custom code, or advanced API stuff, you’ll want a different guide. This one keeps it practical.

What you’ll need

Before you start, make sure you’ve got: - A Landbot account (any paid plan, or free tier with webhook access) - A Slack workspace, with permission to add apps and post in channels - Admin rights (or someone willing to help) for both services

If you don’t have these, stop here—otherwise you’ll just get frustrated.

Step 1: Get your Landbot ready

First, make sure your Landbot flow is set up to actually collect the info you want. Usually, that means: - A bot that asks for lead details (like name, email, phone) - Variables saved for each answer (e.g., @name, @email)

Pro tip:
Keep your form short. Every field you add drops your completion rate a bit.

If you don’t have a bot yet, build a simple one—Landbot’s templates are fine to start.

Step 2: Set up Slack for incoming messages

You want Slack to receive messages from Landbot. There are two main ways: 1. Slack’s “Incoming Webhooks” app (reliable, built-in, not pretty) 2. Landbot’s Slack integration (easier but less flexible)

I recommend using Slack’s Incoming Webhooks—it’s free, doesn’t need extra permissions, and works every time. Landbot’s prebuilt Slack integration looks nice, but it’s limited (no attachments, less control over formatting).

How to set up a Slack Incoming Webhook

  1. Go to Slack’s Incoming Webhooks page.
  2. Click “Create your Slack app.”
  3. Name your app something like “Landbot Lead Alerts.”
  4. Choose the workspace where leads should show up.
  5. Click “Incoming Webhooks” in the sidebar, then toggle “Activate Incoming Webhooks.”
  6. Click “Add New Webhook to Workspace.”
  7. Pick the channel where you want to post leads.
  8. Copy the webhook URL Slack gives you (you’ll need this in the next step).

Gotcha:
If you want leads to show up in multiple channels, you’ll need to repeat steps 6–8 for each one.

Step 3: Connect Landbot to Slack via webhook

Now that you’ve got your webhook URL, you’ll tell Landbot to send data to it.

  1. In your Landbot dashboard, open your bot.
  2. Go to the flow where you collect lead details.
  3. Add a “Webhooks” block right after your lead collection step.
  4. Paste your Slack webhook URL into the “URL” field.
  5. Set the method to POST.

  6. In the “Body” section, add this JSON (swap out variable names as needed):

    json { "text": "New lead from Landbot:\nName: @name\nEmail: @email\nPhone: @phone" }

    Replace @name, @email, and @phone with your bot’s variable names (no brackets).

  7. Save and connect the Webhooks block in your flow.

Pro tip:
Test your bot in preview mode with fake info. If nothing shows up in Slack, triple-check variable names and the webhook URL.

Step 4: Format your Slack messages (make them readable)

Slack messages can look ugly if you just dump variables. Here’s how to make them readable without getting fancy:

  • Use \n for line breaks, so info doesn’t run together
  • Label each field clearly
  • Keep it short—don’t send every detail, just what your team needs

Example message:

New lead from Landbot: Name: Jane Smith Email: jane@example.com Phone: +1234567890

If you want to get fancier (bold text, links), you can use Slack’s formatting in your JSON. For instance:

json { "text": "New lead from Landbot:\nName: @name\nEmail: @email" }

But honestly, don’t overthink it. You can tweak as you go.

Step 5: Test and troubleshoot

Run through your bot as a user would. Enter fake info. You should see a message pop up in your chosen Slack channel within a couple seconds.

If nothing shows up: - Double-check the webhook URL (a single typo wrecks it) - Make sure your Webhooks block is actually in the bot flow - Check variable names—they’re case-sensitive - Look for errors in Landbot’s webhook response (Landbot will usually show if something failed)

What to ignore:
Don’t bother messing with advanced Slack API features or formatting if you just want basic notifications. That’s a rabbit hole.

What about Landbot’s built-in Slack integration?

Landbot does have a built-in Slack integration. Here’s the honest truth:

  • Good: It’s dead simple to set up. Just connect your Slack account, pick a channel, map your variables, and you’re done.
  • Bad: You get less control over how messages look. If you want to send data to multiple channels, or tweak the format much, you’ll be frustrated.
  • Ugly: Sometimes it glitches or just refuses to send messages. Webhooks are more reliable.

When to use it:
If you’re in a hurry, need only one simple channel, and don’t care about formatting, go for it.

When to skip it:
If you want more control, or need to troubleshoot problems, stick with webhooks.

Optional: Use Zapier or Make if you need more logic

If you need to trigger other actions (like adding leads to Google Sheets, sending emails, or filtering leads before sending to Slack), webhooks alone won’t cut it. That’s when tools like Zapier or Make are worth it.

Summary: - Landbot → Webhook → Zapier/Make → Slack (and whatever else you want)

Downside: More steps, more points of failure, and you’ll need to pay for automation tools if you get lots of leads.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

  • Testing with real leads: Always test with fake data first. Spam your team with test leads, not real prospects.
  • Bot changes break notifications: If you change variable names or move the Webhooks block, your integration might break. Keep notes on your setup.
  • Slack permissions: If you change channels, you might need to redo the webhook setup.
  • Forgetting about GDPR: If you’re handling personal data, make sure you’re allowed to send it to Slack.

Final thoughts: Keep it simple, iterate as you go

Start with the basics—just a webhook and a simple Slack message. See what works for your team, then tweak as needed. Most people overcomplicate this stuff and end up with brittle setups that break with every change.

If you want to get fancy later, you can. But for now, get those leads into Slack, make sure your team sees them, and improve from there. That’s the real win.