Add a text-analysis widget to WordPress — tells plugin walkthrough.
tells is a text-first analysis tool for reading the parts of a message that don't sit on the surface — tone, uncertainty, deflection, urgency, the gap between what someone says and what they mean. This plugin lets you embed that tool inside any WordPress page, post, or intake form. Two modes ship in the box: a free public demo and a licensed practitioner embed for coaches, mediators, and communication practices. Five-minute install, zero data sent from WordPress to anywhere.
Why practitioners embed tells on WordPress
The problem isn't that there's no place to do text analysis online. The problem is that asking a client to copy a message, open a separate tab, paste into a third-party tool, and bring the result back to a session is a process no one actually follows. By the time the session starts, the context is lost.
Embedding tells on your own site changes the flow:
- Intake forms. Before a discovery call, the client pastes the message they're stuck on. They arrive having already named the pattern, not needing you to re-create context from scratch.
- Between-session tool. A dedicated page on your site gives clients a structured place to work between appointments. Usage is logged to your dashboard if you're on a licensed plan.
- Content pages for audience education. The free public demo works well on coaching blog posts or landing pages where visitors can try the tool without leaving your site — which keeps them in your funnel.
Two modes, one plugin
Public demo mode
No account required. Loads a sandboxed tells demo iframe on any page. Good for content pages, articles, and audience education. No usage data sent to your dashboard.
Practitioner embed
Paid white-label embed bound to your domain. Carries your branding. Logs usage to your tells dashboard. Available on Practitioner, Practice, and Enterprise plans.
Both modes use the same shortcode and the same Gutenberg block. The only difference is the Settings page: leave it on "public demo" or paste a license JWT from your tells dashboard. You can override per-page: [tells_widget mode="licensed" license="JWT-here"].
Install: under five minutes
From the WordPress plugin directory
- Go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for
tells text analysis. - Click Install Now, then Activate.
- Open Settings → tells. Choose your mode. Save.
- Add the widget to any post or page.
Using the shortcode
[tells_widget] ← uses site-wide settings
[tells_widget mode="public" height="700"] ← force public demo, taller frame
[tells_widget mode="licensed" license="JWT"] ← licensed mode for this page onlyUsing the Gutenberg block
In the block editor, type /tells or search "tells widget" in the block inserter. The block exposes the same three options (plugin settings / public / licensed) as a UI panel on the right sidebar — no shortcode syntax needed.
Three concrete WordPress workflows
Workflow A — pre-session intake
Create a private WordPress page titled "Before Your Session." Embed [tells_widget mode="licensed"]. Add a short prompt above the widget: "Paste the message you're struggling with. Read the analysis before we meet." Send clients the page URL in the calendar invite. When the session starts, you skip the "can you remind me what's going on?" intro and go straight to the pattern tells already named.
Workflow B — landing page demo for coaches
Create a public blog post about a communication technique (e.g., "How to spot deflection in a message"). Halfway through the post, embed [tells_widget mode="public"] with a heading like "Try it on a real message." Visitors paste text, see the analysis, and stay in your funnel. Internal linking from this post to your services page converts readers who find the article through organic search.
Workflow C — between-session practice page
Create a password-protected WordPress page per client group. Embed the licensed widget at full height ([tells_widget mode="licensed" height="800"]). Give clients the page URL and the WordPress password. Each time they use it during the week, your tells dashboard logs it — you can reference actual usage in the next session instead of asking "did you practice?"
What the plugin does NOT do
- It does not process WordPress content. The plugin does not read your posts, pages, comments, users, or options. It only renders an iframe where you place it.
- It does not run analysis locally. Text a visitor submits in the widget is handled by the tells service at
tells.voiddo.com. This is documented in the plugin's External Services disclosure. WordPress content is never involved. - It does not store analysis results in WordPress. Nothing is written to your database. No usermeta, no options rows, no transients from the analysis itself.
- The widget does not auto-embed sitewide. You control exactly where it appears — shortcode in a post, block in a page, or widget in a sidebar. There's no "add to all posts" toggle because that's never the right move.
Privacy and the iframe sandbox
The plugin uses a strict sandbox attribute on the iframe so the widget's JavaScript cannot access your WordPress page's DOM, cookies, or local storage. From the tells privacy side: text entered in the widget is processed in memory and discarded — not stored, not used for training. The plugin's WP.org readme includes a full External Services section describing exactly what data flows, when, and to where.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a tells account for the free mode?
No. The public demo mode renders a shared tells demo widget. No account, no license key, no registration. A paid account is only required for the licensed practitioner mode that carries your branding and logs usage.
Can I use this with Elementor, Divi, or Beaver Builder?
Yes. Any page builder that supports WordPress shortcodes will render [tells_widget] in place. For builders with a dedicated Shortcode element or widget, paste the shortcode there. For Gutenberg, use the tells widget block directly.
The iframe looks short — how do I make it taller?
Pass a height attribute: [tells_widget height="800"]. The default is designed to show the input form. For pages where you want the full result to appear without scrolling, 700–850px works well depending on your theme's content width.
How do I get a license for the practitioner embed?
Open tells.voiddo.com/en/pricing. Choose Practitioner, Practice, or Enterprise. After checkout, go to your dashboard → Embed → add your WordPress domain → issue a license. Copy the JWT and paste it in Settings → tells, or pass it per-shortcode.
What happens if I deactivate the plugin?
The shortcode renders as an empty string and the Gutenberg block becomes unavailable. No data is deleted — tells doesn't write to your database in the first place. Your license in your tells dashboard is unaffected.
tells — Text Analysis Widget for WordPress
Free public demo mode included. Licensed practitioner embed for coaches, mediators, and communication practices. Live on WordPress.org as of 2026-05-16.