--- title: "Publish, schedule, pause and end a campaign" description: "Set the start and end dates, publish, put changes live with Update, and pause, stop or reactivate a campaign." url: https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/publish-and-schedule language: en --- 1. [Help center](https://scratcher.io/help) 2. [Campaigns and the editor](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns) 3. Publish, schedule, pause and end a campaign # Publish, schedule, pause and end a campaign Set the start and end dates, publish, put changes live with Update, and pause, stop or reactivate a campaign. A campaign is a draft until you publish it. You decide when it starts and ends, and you can pause it at any time. ## Publish a campaign 1. Click **Publish** in the top-right corner of the editor (or press Ctrl/Cmd+P). 2. Set the **Start date** and the **End date**. Or switch on **Always on** if the campaign should run until you stop it. 3. Choose the **Promotion method**: - **Landing page** gives you a link to share directly with people. - **Embed** gives you a script to put the campaign inside a page on your website. 4. Read any warnings under "We found some warnings on your campaign". 5. Click **Publish**. If the start date is in the future, the campaign is published but players can't take part until it starts. Use a **Countdown** or **Pre-registration** page to show something before the start. See [Countdowns, pre-registration and other special pages](https://scratcher.io/help/games/special-pages). ## Change a live campaign Edit as usual. Your changes are saved but not live. Click **Update** to put them live. A dot on the button reminds you when you have changes that are not live yet. ## Pause, continue, stop and reactivate Click the arrow next to the publish button: - **Pause**: players can't take part until you click **Continue**. - **Stop**: ends the campaign. Click **End campaign** to confirm. You can bring it back later with **Reactivate**. After the end date, the campaign ends by itself. Players then see your **Campaign ended** page, if you have added one. ## Why can't I publish? - **Errors in the campaign.** Critical errors must be fixed first. Click the error in the dialog to jump to it. See [Editor errors and warnings](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/editor-errors-and-health-check). - **Your plan's limit of live campaigns.** Each plan allows a number of live campaigns at a time. End a campaign you no longer need, or upgrade. - **Your role.** Publishing needs a role that is allowed to activate campaigns. Ask an admin on your account. ## The publish panel at a glance The panel's title tells you what you are about to do: **Publish campaign**, **Update campaign**, **Pause campaign**, **Continue campaign**, **Stop campaign** or **Reactivate campaign**. The arrow next to the button (**More publish options**) has **Pause**, **Continue**, **Stop** and **Settings**. If the campaign has errors that block publishing, a red icon says "This campaign has errors that must be fixed first". Warnings are listed under "We found some warnings on your campaign:", but don't stop you. Every message is explained in [Editor errors and warnings](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/editor-errors-and-health-check). Before you pause, stop or continue, the panel tells you what will happen: - Pause: "The campaign will be paused, and participants won't be able to play until you activate it again." - Stop: "The campaign will be ended. You'll be able to reactivate it later." - Continue: "The campaign will resume, and participants will be able to play again." With **Embed** as the promotion method, the panel shows the script to "Add this script directly where you want the campaign to appear on your site:". See [Embed a campaign on your website](https://scratcher.io/help/sharing/embed-on-your-website). With **Landing page**, the link to "You can change the settings here." opens the campaign's URL settings. When you update a live campaign, you see "Campaign has been saved." Your changes are then live. ## Check before you go live Run the [campaign health check](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/campaign-health-check) before you publish. It tests your website, embed script, integrations, prizes, emails and consent in one go. Then play the campaign yourself, as described in [Preview and test your campaign](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/preview-and-test). On a phone, the **Edit campaign** screen lets you **Choose start date**, **Choose end date**, publish, and copy the **Landing page** link and the **Campaign demo URL** (the preview link). For a landing page, the panel says "Share this URL directly with your participants:" above the link. Campaigns and the editor - [Create a campaign from a template](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/create-a-campaign) - [Get to know the editor](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/editor-overview) - [Add, reorder and manage pages](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/pages-and-flow) - [Add and edit texts, images and other elements](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/add-and-edit-elements) - [Add your brand with the design kit](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/design-kit) - [Animations, confetti and other effects](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/animations-and-effects) - [Personalise texts with dynamic tags](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/dynamic-tags) - [Publish, schedule, pause and end a campaign](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/publish-and-schedule) - [Preview and test your campaign](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/preview-and-test) - [Editor errors and warnings: what they mean and how to fix them](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/editor-errors-and-health-check) - [Run a campaign health check](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/campaign-health-check) - [Run a campaign in several languages](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/languages-and-translation) - [Organise, copy and delete campaigns](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/organise-campaigns) - [Send emails to players](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/send-emails-to-players) - [Plan your year with the Plan calendar](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/plan-your-campaigns) - [Products and product feeds](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/products-and-product-feeds) - [Good to know about the editor](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/editor-good-to-know) ## Related articles - [Share your campaign link and QR codeFind the preview, live, custom and embed links, download a QR code and share the campaign in newsletters, SMS, social media and in store.](https://scratcher.io/help/sharing/share-your-campaign-link) - [Editor errors and warnings: what they mean and how to fix themEvery error and warning the editor can show, what it means and how to fix it, and which ones stop you from publishing.](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/editor-errors-and-health-check) - [Run a campaign health checkLet Scratcher test your live site, embed script, integrations, webhooks, prizes, emails and consent before you launch, and learn what each check means and how to fix it.](https://scratcher.io/help/campaigns/campaign-health-check) ## Still need help? Real people are here to help. If you already use Scratcher, the quickest way is the chat inside the platform. - **[Chat with us](https://platform.scratcher.io/login)** Log in and click the chat button in the bottom-right corner. Rex answers right away, and our team is a click away. - **[Book a meeting](https://scratcher.io/book-a-meeting)** A free 30-minute video call with our team: a tour, campaign ideas or help with your setup. - **[Email us](mailto:contact@scratcher.io)** Write to contact@scratcher.io and we will get back to you.