When creating automations that use webhooks, especially in tools like Zapier, you often need test data to complete the setup. This allows the automation to map data fields correctly and understand what information to expect.
Usually you can just create your own test data, however, sometimes it is easier to create a POST request using free tools such as Postman.
For the purpose of this example we will be sending a POST request to Zapier, but the instructions are also applicable to any platform that uses webhooks.
Why do we need to send a POST request?
Say, for instance, you’re creating an automation that uses a webhook to create a new contact in Superchat. If you don't have any test data, you will run into an issue when you are trying to map the contact fields.
Zapier requires test data to display these fields. If your webhook trigger hasn’t been set up or hasn’t received any data yet, the fields won’t appear, and you’ll be prompted to complete the trigger step first so Zapier can load and map the data correctly.
How to create a POST request
Copy the URL generated by Zapier in the Webhooks trigger.
In Postman, click Create new request (the + symbol at the top).
For the request type, select POST and then add your URL from Zapier into the text box.
Then select the Body tab and choose the form-data option in the dropdown menu.
Now we need to enter the appropriate test data for the fields we are trying to map in the automation.
Let's say we wanted the automation to save the contact's name, number, email address and whether or not they have consented to be contacted via text, we could create the following fields and add in some test data:
First name - John
Last name - Smith
Email - johnsmithtest@gmail.com
Number - +417664942567
Sms consent - yes
Then we can send the test data to Zapier by pressing Send. This will throw the data out that the webhook will catch.
At this point, we can go back to Zapier and press Test step in the node where we want to map the data fields (in our case, the Superchat node). This will effectively catch the information we have just thrown out via the POST request.
If the POST request is successful, you’ll see 200 OK underneath the Body you just entered in Postman.
Back in Zapier, the request we just caught should now appear in the Webhook trigger node, which we can then use in the following step (by pressing Continue with selected record).
Now, finally, in the Superchat node, we will have data that we can use in order to map our data fields. You can set these up in the Zapier node relative to what you need, making sure to map each value individually in the corresponding box.
