How to collect user media in the bot? – Fastory

When you add a conversational bot to a Fastory experience, you can enable the Media upload feature. It lets your participants send a photo, video, or audio file directly in the conversation, which you can then retrieve from your account.

What is it for?

Media upload lets you collect files uploaded by participants during their journey in the bot. It is especially useful when you need proof to validate an entry in a contest, such as a receipt to confirm a purchase.

Before setting up this option, if you want to review the basics of creating a bot, check out our article How to create and set up my bot?

Set up media upload

To ask your users to send a media file, add the corresponding message in your bot settings:

Click Add a message.

In the dropdown menu, select Media upload.

Customize the message that is displayed as well as the instant reply sent to the user, just like for any other bot message.

What participants see

When the user reaches the message asking them to send a media file, whether it is a proof of purchase or another file, they can upload it as follows:

They click the Photo button.

They can then take a photo with their mobile camera by clicking the left button, or upload a photo from their gallery by clicking the right button.

Supported formats and sizes

Allowed media types:

images: JPEG, PNG, animated GIF

videos: mp4, webm

audio: mp3, wav, x-wave, mpeg

Zip files are not allowed.

Maximum weight and size:

images: 8 MB and 2000 px in width and height

videos: 25 MB

audio: 25 MB

Retrieve uploaded media

Once participants have uploaded their files, you can retrieve them from your Fastory account:

From your workspace, go to the Audience page.

Select the relevant bot in the Bots filter.

Click Export.

Export the CSV file.

Once the export is complete, you can view the uploaded media directly in your CSV file.

Best practices

Clearly state in the message what you expect from the participant (for example, a readable photo of the receipt) to limit unusable submissions.

Remind them of the expected media type, photo, video, or audio, to avoid format errors.

Check that the requested file fits within the weight and size limits before launching your experience.

Customize the instant reply to reassure the user once their media has been sent.

Concrete use cases

If you want to validate a purchase

Ask for a photo of the receipt via media upload, then retrieve all the proofs from the Audience page to validate the entries in your contest.

If you want to collect creative content

Invite your participants to send a photo or video as part of a creative contest, then export the files to pick your winners or reuse the content.

If you want to gather an audio testimonial

Enable media upload to let participants record an audio message, up to 25 MB, and find it in your CSV export.

FAQ

Is the ZIP format accepted for media upload in the Fastory bot?

No. Zip files are not allowed. Only the listed image, video, and audio formats are supported.

What is the maximum weight of an image uploaded to a Fastory bot?

An image can weigh up to 8 MB, with a maximum size of 2000 px in width and height.

How does a participant send a photo in the bot?

They click the Photo button, then take a photo with their mobile camera or upload an image from their gallery.

Where can I retrieve the media collected by my Fastory bot?

Go to the Audience page of your workspace, select the relevant bot in the Bots filter, then click Export to download the CSV file containing the media.

Can I collect a proof of purchase via the bot?

Yes. Media upload is designed precisely to collect proofs such as a receipt, in order to validate entries in a Fastory contest.

Does the Fastory bot accept videos and audio files?

Yes. Videos are accepted in mp4 and webm, and audio files in mp3, wav, x-wave, and mpeg, up to 25 MB each.