Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page: Setup Guide + What It Won't Do
What is a Kickstarter pre-launch page?
A Kickstarter pre-launch page is a free public page for your upcoming campaign with one job: collect followers. Visitors click "Notify me on launch," and Kickstarter emails them the moment your project goes live. It takes minutes to set up and every serious campaign should have one.
It is also not an email list. You never see your followers' addresses, and you can't message them directly. That difference decides launch days, so let's cover both halves: setting the page up, and covering what it leaves out.
How to set up your pre-launch page
- In your Kickstarter project build, go to the Promotion tab and activate the pre-launch page. If this is your first campaign, you'll need to submit your project for review before you can activate it (review typically takes 3–6 business days). Repeat creators can activate theirs right away, ahead of approval — full steps are in Kickstarter's setup guide.
- Add your project title, subtitle, and image. The newer pre-launch editor also lets you add story sections, so treat it like a mini campaign page: what the product is, who it's for, when you expect to launch.
- Publish and share the URL everywhere your audience already is. Once 10 or more people opt in, your follower count shows publicly on the page. Active pre-launch pages are also listed in Kickstarter's Upcoming Projects section, so you get a bit of free discovery from backers browsing the platform.
- Post pre-launch updates through the page as your launch approaches. That's the built-in way to reach followers before day one.
That's the whole feature. Which is exactly the problem.
The three gaps in the pre-launch page
1. You never get your followers' emails
Followers belong to Kickstarter, not to you. If your campaign is delayed, if you launch a second product, or if you want to reach backers anywhere other than kickstarter.com, those contacts are out of reach. Kickstarter's own creator guides recommend running a separate landing page to collect email addresses alongside the pre-launch page, for precisely this reason.
2. You can't message followers directly
You can post public updates through the page, and followers get notified when you publish one — but that's the extent of it. There's no private email to your followers, no segmenting, no personalization, and no timed sequence. Launch-day momentum usually comes from a warm email drip in the days before, and the pre-launch page has no way to run one. You post when you have news; Kickstarter handles the rest on its terms.
3. Followers can't bring their friends
A follower clicks one button and is done. There's no reason for them to share, nothing to gain, and no way for you to see who your best evangelists are. For a launch where day-one momentum matters this much, that's a lot of free growth left unclaimed.
The fix: run your own waitlist alongside it
The setup that covers all three gaps costs you one extra page.
- Keep the pre-launch page. The launch notification email from Kickstarter converts, and the follower count is social proof. Don't skip it.
- Add your own waitlist page and drive the same traffic to both. Your page collects the email addresses you own. A purpose-built tool like Waitlister gives you a hosted page in minutes, with ready-made templates if you don't want to design one.
- Turn signups into sharing with a referral program: people move up the list by bringing friends, and you can reward your top referrers with launch-day perks like early-bird pricing tiers.
- Warm up the list before launch. A short email sequence in the final week (what the product is, when you go live, what the early-bird deal is) is the single most controllable input to a strong first 48 hours. Building anticipation on purpose helps too; FOMO works.
- On launch day, email your list first. Kickstarter notifies your followers; you notify your subscribers. Two channels firing at once instead of one you don't control.
The same logic applies on Indiegogo: its pre-launch pages collect interest on-platform, and an owned email list fills the same gaps.
FAQ
Do Kickstarter pre-launch page followers share their email with you?
No. Kickstarter notifies followers at launch, but their email addresses are never shared with creators. If you want contacts you own, collect them on your own landing page or waitlist.
Can you message your Kickstarter followers before launch?
Not directly. You can post public pre-launch updates and followers are notified when you publish one, but there's no creator-controlled email — no segmenting, no personalization, no scheduled sequence. A separate email list is the only way to run your own launch drip.
Should I use a landing page or a Kickstarter pre-launch page?
Both. The pre-launch page costs nothing and Kickstarter emails your followers the moment you're live. Your own landing page adds the things it lacks: emails you own, messages you control, and referral mechanics. Send the same traffic to your page first, then link the pre-launch page from your thank-you step.
How early should you start collecting signups before a Kickstarter launch?
Start as soon as the project is real, ideally a couple of months out. Lists need time to grow, and your email sequence needs a warm audience to land on. If you're closer to launch than that, start today; a two-week-old list still beats none.