Getting started

On Heylo, all groups have one default role, Admin.

Admins have ultimate control over the group. They can manage members, group chats, events, and benefits, and collect member payments. They can also grant additional roles in the group.

There are no limits on the number of admins in a group.

Onboarding your members onto Heylo is a breeze. You can invite them by link, email, and QR code. Or, if your members are on another platform, we've got you covered with our free member import tool.

Regardless of method, it is most effective to include a reason for that member to join.

Here are a few reasons you can use with your members to ensure a smooth transition to Heylo:

1. RSVP to an event. For events with limited space or RSVP requirements, ask members to register in advance on Heylo.
2. Sign a waiver. If you have a liability release, upload it to Heylo to collect signatures. No one can join your group or event without signing.
3. Share event photos. Members can save photos from the event, contribute to the event album, and share directly to social media.
4. Incentivize attendance. Celebrate members who reach attendance milestones! Heylo tracks attendance and generates check-in cards automatically.
5. Collect info. Whether you need birthdate, t-shirt size, or emergency contact, Heylo collects it for you.
6. Pay membership dues. If your group has a paid membership, add your membership on Heylo.

Sample member communication

Hey members, exciting news! We’re moving to Heylo. Heylo is the best way to see all our upcoming events and connect with other members. [If membership... you can also directly manage your membership, update payment info, and get invoices.]

Sample FAQs

You can copy and paste these into your communications!

What’s Heylo and why are we moving?

Heylo is a group platform that helps organize our club calendar, communications and benefits. It’s the best way to see our full upcoming events calendar and connect with other members. Heylo is used by the top clubs and communities around the world.

Do I have to download an app?

Nope! You can use Heylo from your computer, mobile app or phone browser. We have our own dedicated space on Heylo, so you’ll only get communications from our group.

How do I join?

In the coming days, you’ll receive an email invitation to join our group on Heylo. It’s a magic link with all info pre-loaded. Just accept the invitation via link, and join our group!

Is Heylo safe?

Yes - our group has a dedicated space on Heylo. It’s just for us - access is controlled and no non-members can join. Plus, there are safety and security features built into Heylo so you can provide feedback or report any issues right away.

What if I already use Heylo?

No problem! If you accept the invitation, you’ll be added to our group. You can use the same existing account without impact to your other groups on Heylo.

What happens to my paid membership?

Your membership renewal date has already been added to Heylo. When your date comes up, you can complete your renewal payment right in the Heylo platform. You can use major credit card or debit card, including Apple or Google Pay, from your phone or computer. Plus, you can get receipts or update your payment info anytime.

What if I have questions or get stuck?

No problem! Every member of our group has a direct line of communication to the Heylo team. You can message a real person directly via supprt chat in Heylo, or email at [email protected].

Does else change?

Nope, that’s it! We’re super excited to build our community further with Heylo.

Testimonial

As a leader recently with personalized onboarding recently said, "You guys are great. My members are loving Heylo. I have not gotten one single complaint, ZERO!"

If you have your member roster or directory with member emails or phone numbers from another platform, Heylo has personalized onboarding for your members! Share your member roster with the Heylo team via support chat or [email protected], and Heylo onboards each member individually and automatically uploads all the applicable existing information from the roster. It's easiest for your members - they only need to accept!

See all member onboarding best practices and sample communications.

How it works:

1. Gather member info. It can include everything from their email, name, attendance, and emergency contact to their membership plan, renewal date, and payment info; however, only name and email are required.
2. Add member info to a Google Sheet or CSV file (see sample - make a copy!)
3. Submit to the Heylo team at [email protected], Heylo Support chat or here and include a launch date. The Heylo team reviews the submission and replies within 24 hours
4. Upon launch, members info is imported and members receive a personalized email. The email contains a custom link unique to that member with all their information from the member roster
5. When members accept the invitation and click the link, the information is automatically added to their account. They can confirm their information is correct when they join. Existing members in the group are automatically matched and require no action.

See a sample member info fields for import.

Benefits:

• Members do not need to complete information when onboarding - their details are already completed!
• Any existing paid membership renewal dates will remain intact
• All members receive announcements and event updates by email, even if they have not yet joined your group on Heylo
• Add or remove any members from your member directory before members accept their invitation
• Export your member roster with all your member info, before members accept their invitation
  
  

When members join Heylo, not only do they confirm their info, but they also see all the group's events, communications, and members! Heylo de-duplicates multiple accounts automatically.

Onboarding your members is seamless with Heylo. Whether you have a group chat, email list, or another platform, onboarding your members to Heylo is as easy as copying and pasting. Members do not need to download a new app and can sign up with one tap.

Migrating from a group chat with a link

If your members use a group chat like Whatsapp, text, or GroupMe, simply use your link! You can copy your link and paste it into your existing group chat. Members who click the link will be directed to join your group upon signing up.

Onboarding your members from Meetup is seamless! Members do not need to download a new app and can sign up with one tap.

Migrating from Meetup with email import

The easiest way to migrate from Meetup is to import with member emails. Note, member exports are free on Heylo.

With member email info, Heylo can personalize your member onboarding! Share your member roster with the Heylo team via support chat or [email protected], and Heylo onboards each member individually and automatically uploads all the applicable existing information from the roster.

Here's how it works: Heylo sends a personalized email to each member. The email contains a custom link unique to that member with all their information from the member roster. It can include everything from their email, name, attendance, and emergency contact to their membership plan, renewal date, and payment info. When members accept the invitation and click the link, the information is automatically added to their account. They can confirm their information is correct when they join.

Personalized onboarding invite links are one-time use to maintain security. If a member skips the email and signs up directly in Heylo, no problem! Heylo matches their email with the corresponding email in the member roster and automatically adds their info.

As a leader recently with personalized onboarding recently said, "You guys are great. My members are loving Heylo. I have not gotten one single complaint, ZERO!"

Supplement Meetup with communications

Alternatively, an organizer can supplement their Meetup group with Heylo communications. Copy the group link and paste it in multiple places throughout your Meetup group - comments, announcements, event descriptions, and event chat.

In all cases, a Heylo team member is available to assist with migration, and there is no cost to onboard your members to Heylo.

Groups on Heylo are private by default, or “closed.” When getting started, admins can select from a range of privacy controls for their group, including:

• Public. The group is visible on Heylo and search engines, and anyone can join the group without admin approval.
• Closed. The group is visible on Heylo and search engines, and new members can request to join. However, admins must approve all new members.
• Invite-only. The group is not visible to others on Heylo, and only existing admins and members can invite new members to the group.

Learn more about all the variations of visibility and control in Permissions.

Beyond group controls, groups on Heylo also own their own data. The admins are the responsible stewards of that data. Admins can export the group’s data and take the group to another platform anytime, without penalty. Learn more about data privacy under Heylo's privacy policy.

Heylo can help group leaders find new members for their group. An admin can publish the group and make it public, and other members can discover the group through Heylo Discover and search engines like Google.

The more a group uses Heylo, the more visibile the group becomes. More info is provided to search engines like Google, higher member groups with more events are ranked higher in Heylo discover, and more members have the group on their profile.

Heylo Discover

Heylo Discover is a list of groups that can be sorted by search and by location. Public groups are also visible on member's profiles, and other members of their groups can find the group. Group discovery through members is the most common path for new members to discover your group through Heylo.

Search engines like Google

When your group is published set to public, Heylo can publish the group and public events to search engines like Google. Any search on Google or another search engine will display the group profile or event if the key terms match. Events are also integrated with Google Event Search. Only the information designated by the admin or host are displayed.

Best practices for search engines like Google

To maximize the chances of your events appearing on Google, group leaders should:

• Use clear and concise titles for events
• Include detailed descriptions about their group
• Set a precise event location and time

To publish a group:

1. Finish customizing your group branding and preview
2. Navigate to group admin settings, and then "Appearance"
3. Edit Discoverability under "Publish" to "Public"
4. Save changes

To publish an event

1. Confirm the group discoverability setting is "public", per above
2. Create or edit an event
3. Update the event permissions to make the event "public"

Heylo makes it seamless to join a group. When joining a group on Heylo, members are set up for success in seconds. Here is the onboarding experience for new members:

1. [Optional] Sign group waiver
2. Receive a welcome message from the group leader
3. Complete brief profile
   
   
4. Join group chats
   
5. Join events
6. [Optional] If the group collects mandatory membership dues, complete payment

That’s it! New members are automatically added to the member directory and can start to see events, communications, and other members with profiles.

To join a group on Heylo, search by the name of the group. Search is limited to just the group name. Groups can also be listed as private on Heylo. Private groups require a specific invite link to join and cannot be searched.

Members who join a group can see groups that other members belong to. Groups that are not private are also listed on members' profiles. Groups that a member is connected to are listed in “Discover groups” in the top left of Heylo.

Anyone can create a group on Heylo. Whether it’s a long-time group or just getting started, Heylo can be the group’s home for organization, communications, and payments.

There are no fees to create a group on Heylo. Heylo is free to use! We make money by helping groups collect payments. If you are a free group, you can use Heylo for free.

To create a group on Heylo:

1. Navigate to create a group
2. Select your group’s name and privacy setting. Don’t worry, you can change either at any time
3. Add a photo. It helps convey what the group is all about
4. Invite a few others to join and help get set up
5. Add your first event

That’s it! In less than a minute, you can have a group up and running on Heylo, for free.

Most of Heylo's communications and leader tools are free to use. There are no limits to the number of members or admins a group can have.

To access more tools, group leaders can select the pricing plan that is best for their group. All subscriptions benefit all admins and members of the group.

Heylo Pro

Heylo Pro unlocks an additional features in Heylo to help leaders organize their group. To access Heylo Pro features, pay the subscription and features will become available immediately.

To learn more about the latest features and pricing for Heylo Pro, please visit: https://heylo.com/pricing

Manage Heylo Pro

Any group admin can manage the Heylo pro subscription. All admins of the group can see who is paying the subscription and the last 4 digits and type of the card.

Payment info is privately linked to individuals on Heylo. Any admin can use their payment info to purchase Heylo Pro. Another admin of the group can take over the payments for Heylo Pro by canceling Heylo Pro and signing up again with a new payment.

Cancel Heylo Pro

Any admin can cancel Heylo Pro at any time. Upon cancellation, the group immediately loses access to the available Heylo Pro features. Any past activity, such as a waiver signature for a prior member, remains, but the feature is not applicable for new members.

Annual subscriptions

Annual subscriptions are not available at this time.

Free Trial or Demo

Heylo may offer a free trial or demo period. Check the website for any current promotional offers, or contact team Heylo.

Heylo Enterprise

Heylo Enterprise is a custom priced subscription for organizations with many groups and chapters. Pricing is customized based on the needs of the group.

To see the latest pricing, please visit the pricing page: https://heylo.com/pricing

To learn the latest features, please visit Heylo Enterprise.

On Heylo, a group has it's own identity. Admins can customize your group's appearance and brand to make it feel like home.

How to customize and brand your group

• Customize the background with brand colors. There is an option for primary and secondary. Heylo creates a gradient for you to use on default images and the group profile.
• Add the group logo. It is displayed on the group tab and in the top left corner to remind all members where they are. It also lives on the top of the group profile.
• Get a custom URL link including the group name.
• Feature your leadership team with roles and group profiles to help new members get acquainted.

Groups mean many people! Invite others to the group, even when getting started. They can see how communications, events, chats, profiles, and waivers work, in real time.

To invite someone to join the group, navigate to the members tab and select the invite action button on the top right. Invites are personalized by group and by the sender. The recipient will see the profile photo of the inviter when joining. Personalization improves onboarding conversion.

There are several ways to invite someone to join a group:

Note, admins of a group can restrict invitations to admin-only in the permissions.

1. Link. Copy the link and paste it into any other messaging tool or social media platform.
2. Email. Recipients receive a personalized email invitation. See a sample in the email invite dialogue box. Also, invite all members by email.
3. Contact book [Mobile only]. Grant access to contacts and select contacts to invite.
4. QR code [Mobile only]. Scan the QR code to join your group
5. Share Sheet [Mobile only]. Invite via another app on your phone
6. Last, just tell them to get Heylo and search for your group (note, your group must be discoverable in permissions.)

Admins can also invite other admins. As an admin, you can toggle the invite to be “member” or “admin” once you select the invite button from the members tab.

If an admin has access to all member emails, use bulk email invites to onboard all members seamlessly. Members invited by email can receive all of the group announcements and upcoming event communications with Heylo’s email integration, even before they sign up for Heylo.

Furthermore, members invited by email will automatically receive a follow-up invitation after 3 days if they do not join from the first invitation.

To invite members by email, navigate to the members tab, select invite, and then select email. Copy all members’ email addresses, and then paste them into Heylo separated by a comma, semicolon, or new line. Heylo will automatically organize them and send each a personalized email invitation from the inviter via the group invite email account.

To preview the email invitation, select the “sample” button from the email invite menu.

Once everyone is invited, admins still have control over who receives email communications from the group. At the bottom of the members tab, admins can see a list of members invited by email under Pending. Admins can select a member and resend an invite, or remove the member from the group. In addition, anyone invited can always opt out by unsubscribing.

Heylo can help people who know each other connect and find groups on Heylo!

Mutual Contact Consent

Contact relationships on Heylo are mutual, meaning both you and the other person must opt in for the connection to be recognized. This ensures that no one can access your profile or message you unless you both agree to share contact information. 

Benefits of Syncing Contacts

When you sync your phone’s contact list with Heylo, you gain the ability to see who in your contacts is on Heylo. If both you and a contact have each other’s number saved—and both of you have chosen to sync your contacts—Heylo recognizes you as mutual contact. Then, you can:

• See your contacts in your Heylo group in the members directory
• View the profile of mutual contacts, even if they are not in your Heylo group
• Send direct messages to mutual contacts, even if they are not in your Heylo group
• Discover groups that your mutual contacts are in, and allow them to discover your groups too
• Get recommendations of new members to invite to your group based in part on mutual contacts

Opt-in, opt-out

When you use Heylo, by default, you do not have contacts synced. If you opted-in to contact syn and would like to opt back out, no problem! Please get in touch with the Heylo team. Once turned off, mutual contacts lose the ability to see you as a contact and therefore cannot see your profile outside of your group, direct message with you, or see groups you are in. Heylo will never message or spam contacts.

Contact Privacy

Heylo places a high priority on privacy. Your phone number is not visible to mutual contacts. If you choose not to sync your contacts, people outside your group cannot see your profile or any groups you belong to.

Every group on Heylo has a unique link. The group link contains the group profile - everything someone new needs to join the group, such as:

https://heylo.group/sfbv

Admins have full control over group links including their content, URL, and visibility. To edit a group link, navigate to the group tab, and then select “group appearance.”

Groups may only have one link. If a link is edited, the previous link is available for another group to use. If someone clicks on a past link, they land on Heylo group discovery.

Customizing the group link does not impact the group’s permission settings. Admins always control who can join the group, regardless of the link name.

Groups profiles contain everything new members need to join a group. It houses all the group’s key information, including the group name, logo, group reps, links, AND all your upcoming events. Here's an example: https://heylo.group/midnight-runners-sf

No maintenance required

Alternatives require leaders to set reminders and pay constant attention to swap out old links and add new events.

Your new group profile automatically displays all your upcoming events and group information, keeping your group profile fresh and up-to-date without any extra effort from you. New events are automatically added, and past events are archived seamlessly.

Bring forward your group’s brand and vibe

Your group profile is a reflection of your group's identity, and we’ve added more customization options to help you make it uniquely yours:

• Customize the background with your brand colors.
• Display your logo prominently at the top.
• Get a custom URL with your group’s name.
• Feature your leadership team to help new members get acquainted.
• Control event visibility—keep some events private for members, while showcasing others to the public.

Get started with your new group profile

Get your group profile up and running in less than 2 minutes, and it’s for free:

1. Customize your group’s appearance by adding your brand colors and logo to ensure your group profile reflects your identity.
2. Add any links you’d like to include.
3. Copy your customized link and add it to your socials—Facebook, Strava, or Instagram bio.

Group profiles are designed to convert followers into active members who show up. Take advantage of this powerful tool to grow your community today! It’s free to use for all Heylo group leaders.

Your re-designed group profile will help you change followers into active members!

Specifically, group profiles contain

1. Name
2. Logo
3. Description
4. Member count
5. Member requirements
6. Leaders as Group reps
7. Links
8. Upcoming events (attendees not visible)

Any admin of the group can edit the group profile at any time by heading to the group tab, and then “Appearance.”

Group reps are responsible for showcasing the group and welcoming new members. They are listed on the group profile, and prospective members can communicate with them before joining the group.

Group reps are the only people in a group who non-members can interact with. For security, they must “accept” their group rep status.

To add a group rep:

1. Head to the profile of the person
2. Tap the three dots, then “manage member”
3. Toggle “group rep” to nominate the person
4. The person will receive a push notification and banner on the members screen; they must accept the request to be designated a group rep
5. Once accepted, group reps appear on the group profile with a heart icon next to their name and profile

Either members or admins can be nominated group reps. Group reps empower people to help promote the group, onboard new members, and keep the community vibrant.

Heylo sign-ups are flexible and easy for anyone to join. Sign-ups are as quick as one click. They are available from either the mobile app or the web, so no one has to download a new app.

There are three ways to sign up for Heylo.

1. Email. Only a name, email, and password are required to sign up. Passwords must be 7 characters long. If you log in again, use the same sign-up email and password.
2. Google. If you have a Google account, you can sign in with Google by selecting the Google button. Your name will be passed to Heylo and shared with your group.
3. Apple. If you have an Apple account, you can sign in with Apple by selecting the Apple button. Your name will be passed to Heylo and shared with your group.

Everyone only needs to sign-up once to join a group on Heylo. Emails and phone numbers are not visible to other members, which keeps the group secure. Heylo will never spam anyone or sell their data.

To switch a sign-up method, get in touch with the Heylo team.

Once you have signed up with Heylo, you can log in from any device by logging in. Be sure to use your same authentication method. Google Authentication sign-ups, for example, must select the Google option and cannot log in via email.

To log in

1. Visit https://app.heylo.co/login
2. Enter phone number. Or, if you used Email, Google Authentication, or Apple authentication previously, select "Try another way"
   
   
3. Provide your credentials

To prevent duplicative accounts, verify your phone number! Or, to switch a sign-up method, get in touch with the Heylo team.

Heylo is available on all devices - iOS app, Android app, mobile web, iPad browser, and desktop browser. All browser types are supported as well, such as Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Firefox, etc.

All interactions are automatically synced across all platforms. For example, an event created on a computer is immediately editable from the phone app.

The Heylo mobile app for both Android and iPhone is available in over 60 countries, and Heylo can be used on any internet connection unless blocked by local regulation.

There is no limit to the number of groups on Heylo. Anyone can belong to multiple groups, and anyone can create multiple groups.

If there are multiple groups within the same organization, like chapters, get in touch with the Heylo team about our organizational tools. We can help you set up organization-level features such as wwaivers, memberships, and pages to streamline the organization across multiple chapters.

Available Geographies

Heylo is available on the web in all compliant geographies. The Android and Apple mobile app is available in 100+ major countries.

Language Support

To cater to our diverse user base, Heylo is available in three languages with more coming soon:

• English (US)
• Spanish
• Japanese

The language for Heylo will be selected in accordance with the local device language.

We ❤️ leaders. Our team compiled the best resources for leaders to get the most out of their groups:

• Get inspired by stories of leaders on Heylo
• Follow us on Instagram for real-time tips and announcements
• Subscribe to our leader newsletter

Anyone with a Heylo account can share their unique link to refer a new group to Heylo. When a qualified group activates on Heylo, both the person who referred Heylo and the new group will each receive $50.

Terms and Conditions

To qualify, a group or its leader must not have had a previous account on Heylo and must add least 50 members to their group. Recipients choose how payments are delivered — Venmo, Paypal, or as Heylo credit.

Heylo reserves the right to end the referral program at any time. Heylo also reserves the right to withhold the reward on a case-by-case basis (e.g. abuse of the program).

Connecting with groups is our joy. You can reach us anytime in Heylo Support Chat in your Heylo private chats. Or email us at [email protected]. We are also active on Instagram as @heylo_co and you can reach us through direct messages there too. Reach out anytime with your feedback and ideas - we’d love to connect with you!

Furthermore, everyone on Heylo has access to our work to improve Heylo via “What’s New”. See “What's New” from profile settings, or check out more releases on our website.

We’re excited to collaborate with your group on Instagram! Collab posts allow us to share your community’s story while expanding your reach. Here’s everything you need to know to make it happen.

1. Post format

We can collaborate on:

✅ Feed posts (single image or carousel)

✅ Reels (our favorite for reach and high engagement)

2. Content guidelines

Your post should include one or more of the following:

🎉 Your community’s experience—events, traditions, or what makes your group special

🛠️ How you use Heylo—check-ins, event calendar, communication, etc.

📸 Visually engaging content—high-quality, well-lit photos or videos that capture the energy and excitement of your group

Need inspiration? Here are some examples of recent collabs:

Central Park Track Club x Heylo

Vibe Ride x Heylo

Jacksonville Run Club x Heylo

Threshold Trail Series x Heylo

3. How to add Heylo

• Add @heylo_co as a collaborator when posting.
• If Heylo accepts, the post will appear on both accounts.

4. Tag and hashtag

• Tag @heylo_co and include the hashtag #HeyloGroups

5. Approval Process

• Send us a quick DM if you plan to include Heylo in a collab. We’ll do our best to accept it based on our content calendar.
• We can only accept one collab post per group per week.

Ready to collab? Reach out, and let’s showcase your incredible community! 🚀