Being able to share your project prior to launching is a vital step when planning your promotion strategy. As a creator you can now set-up a pre-launch page for your project, to share the vital information necessary to start building hype for your campaign and present a direct call-to-action for potential backers to be notified when your project has launched.
Your pre-launch page will automatically include the following information about your project:
- Your project’s title and subtitle
- Your project’s category
- Your creator name* and profile avatar
- Your project’s location
*When a backer clicks on your creator name this will open up your creator bio page. Please note that the number of created projects displayed in your creator bio won’t update until your new project goes live.
After your project has been submitted for review and approved, you can set up your pre-launch page by heading to the Promotion tab of your project editor. You’ll be prompted to activate your pre-launch page after you’ve confirmed your project URL. Your project URL will serve as your pre-launch page URL until you’ve launched your campaign.
Once your pre-launch page is active you can continue to edit your project, provided any changes made are in compliance with our guidelines. When you’re ready to launch, head back to your project editor to prepare for launch.
Please note: Launching a project is a manual process, it isn’t possible to schedule an automatic launch for a predetermined date. After clicking the “Launch project” button your project will go live.
Pre-launch pages will be searchable alongside all other projects when browsing our Discover pages. You can also view all pre-launch pages under the “Upcoming Projects” section. We generally recommend setting up and sharing your pre-launch page at least one week ahead of your intended launch date.
How will potential backers be notified, and as a creator can I contact them directly?
When shared with your community, potential backers will have the option to be notified when your campaign has launched by clicking “Notify me on launch”. Once 10 people or more opt-in to be notified of your launch, we’ll reflect that number on your pre-launch page as well.
It isn’t possible for a creator to directly contact people who opt-in to be notified, however Kickstarter will send a launch notification email to all potential backers when your project goes live.
Will my preview page URL and pre-launch page URL be the same?
The URLs for your project's preview page (when sharing is turned on) and pre-launch page will be different, meaning you'll be able to share both links. For instance, you may wish to share the project preview with a limited group of trusted peers so that they can offer feedback on the project before you launch, and then at the same time share your pre-launch page more publicly to help build excitement. The "Notify me on launch" functionality works the same for both pages, so when someone follows your project from either page, they'll get the launch notification email.
Deactivating your pre-launch page
If you decide that now is not the right time for your campaign, you can deactivate your pre-launch page. To do so, simply head to the Promotion tab of your project editor and click “Deactivate”.