Collect emails before
sharing your file.

SEE IT IN ACTION

Here’s what we’re building.

You may have seen these through my Instagram videos. Each page asks for an email before unlocking the resource.

The same idea works for your own PDF or Word document: introduce it, collect an email, then give access.

STEP 1

Create your folder and add your document

1. Create a folder on your Desktop named My Signup Page.
2. Put a copy of the Word document or PDF you want to share inside it. Use just one document for this exercise.

• Sign into your own GitHub, Vercel and Systeme.io accounts.
• Install Codex or the Claude desktop app and confirm you can open a coding task. Use one app for this workshop.

GitHub stores your website files. Vercel runs the website. Systeme.io saves and tags the email addresses.

STEP 2

Create your GitHub repository

1. Open github.com/new.
2. Give your repository a name, such as my-signup-page, and select Private.
3. Turn on Add a README, then click Create repository.
4. Once the repository opens, click the address bar at the top of your browser and copy the full link. It will look like https://github.com/your-username/my-signup-page.

Save that link in Notes or a document. You’ll paste it into the connection prompt in Step 5. You only need to provide it once. Copy the repository page’s address, not your GitHub profile or the new-repository form. The AI will create the website files later.

STEP 3

Connect GitHub to Vercel

1. Open vercel.com/new and sign in.
2. Connect GitHub and allow Vercel to access the repository you just created.
3. Choose Import beside that repository. For this README-only project, choose Other as the framework and leave the build command empty.
4. Click Deploy to create the project. We’ll add the actual website in Step 6.

There is no homepage yet, so the website address may show “404 / Not Found.” That is expected at this stage. If the import itself fails, pause here so we can check the connection together.

STEP 4

Set up Systeme.io

1. In Systeme.io, go to CRM → Tags. Create a tag named Download (capital D). Everyone will use this exact name in their own account. If it already exists, use it.
2. Open your profile settings, then MCP & API keys → Public API keys. Create a key, or use a valid existing key you already keep securely.
3. In your Vercel project, open Settings → Environment Variables.
4. Add SYSTEME_API_KEY as the name. Paste your key as the value and select Production. Save it.

Enter your key directly in Vercel; do not put it in the AI chat, a GitHub file or a shared document. If you change a setting after a deployment, deploy again for it to take effect.

The AI only needs to know: “My key is saved in Vercel as SYSTEME_API_KEY, and my tag is Download.”

Systeme.io key instructions · Vercel environment variables

STEP 5

Open your AI app and connect your folder

Open the My Signup Page folder you created in Step 1 in one of these apps:

Using Codex

Open your local project’s menu → Edit project → Add folder. Choose My Signup Page, then Save.

Illustrated click guide. Tap to enlarge.

Using Claude Code

Open the Code tab. Select Local, then click Select folder beside it and choose My Signup Page.

Illustrated click guide. If a folder is already selected, click its name to choose a different folder. Tap to enlarge.

Paste this two-sentence prompt

Replace the bracketed link with your repository link.

Check whether you can access my GitHub repository at [PASTE YOUR REPOSITORY LINK], install any missing tools, and guide me through any sign-in I need to complete. Connect this folder to that existing repository, keeping the document already here, and confirm you’re ready to build.

The app handles the technical checks. You complete any sign-in or permission request it opens. Keep using this same folder and chat for the next step.

STEP 6

Create your page

Your document is already in the folder and GitHub is connected. Add your name below and paste the prompt into the same chat.

Copy the prompt Download the prompt

Look at https://drerinjacques.com/blackwell as an example of the email signup and unlock I want. Create a page for the document in this folder using my own information.

My name or business: [YOUR NAME]

People should enter their email to unlock the document. Save them in Systeme.io with the Download tag before unlocking, including existing contacts. My key is already in Vercel as SYSTEME_API_KEY; keep it private and keep the document protected until signup.

Show me a preview so I can see how the page looks.

Look at the preview and ask for any design changes you want.

STEP 7

Publish your page

When you’re ready to put it online, send this in the same chat:

Push the changes to the existing GitHub repository.

Vercel will pick up the push to the connected production branch automatically.

1. Open the live production URL and submit an email address you control.
2. In Systeme.io, find that exact contact and confirm the resource tag is attached. Download and open the file.
3. Repeat with an email already on your list. It should gain the tag without losing other tags.
4. Have the AI test a failed signup and confirm the direct download route stays locked in a fresh private browser before signup.

A page that looks finished is not enough: check the contact, the tag and the download before sharing your signup link.

Saving an email and tag does not automatically send follow-up emails. That is a separate Systeme.io automation. This signup collects the address entered; it does not verify inbox ownership or stop someone sharing a downloaded file.