> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mention-me.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding Prepare to Launch and Campaign Launch

> Why getting the programme ready and turning on your first campaign are two different steps, and what sits between them.

**Prepare to launch** and **launch** are easy to mix up. The Onboarding Hub keeps them on different stages because they do different jobs.

## Prepare to Launch

**Prepare to launch** gets the programme ready for the last checks. In the hub it is the **Prepare** stage. Nothing customer-facing goes live when you confirm it, and you cannot return to launch prep once you start.

After you prepare to launch, the **Launch checklist** unlocks. That is when you can enable live tracking, upload customers, add voucher codes, and launch the campaign.

## Launch

**Launch** is activating a campaign so referrers can start sharing. In the hub it is **Activate your first campaign**. In the editor it is the **Launch** button on a version.

A new campaign stays a draft until you launch its first version. That first version launch is what takes the campaign live.

## What Sits Between Them

The launch checklist is the gap:

1. [Enable live tracking](/knowledge-app/onboarding/enable-live-tracking) so Mention Me sees live traffic
2. [Upload your customers](/knowledge-app/onboarding/upload-your-customers) so existing buyers are not treated as new referees
3. [Add voucher codes](/knowledge-app/onboarding/add-voucher-codes) so rewards can be fulfilled
4. [Activate your first campaign](/knowledge-app/onboarding/activate-your-first-campaign)

Skip that gap and you can launch a programme that cannot track, reward or share correctly.

## How to Tell Them Apart

|               | Prepare to launch            | Launch                                                                                                  |
| ------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Hub name      | Prepare to launch            | Activate your first campaign                                                                            |
| What changes  | The launch checklist unlocks | A campaign moves from draft to live                                                                     |
| How often     | Once                         | Each time you take a version live                                                                       |
| Can you undo? | No                           | You can [pause the campaign](/knowledge-app/referral/campaigns/common-tasks/pause-or-resume-a-campaign) |

If someone says "we went live", they usually mean launch: customers can share. Prepare to launch only means the programme is ready for those last steps.

## See Also

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Prepare to launch" icon="rocket" href="/knowledge-app/onboarding/prepare-to-launch">
    How to unlock the launch checklist.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Activate your first campaign" icon="flag-checkered" href="/knowledge-app/onboarding/activate-your-first-campaign">
    How to launch.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Understanding setup before launch" icon="list-check" href="/knowledge-app/onboarding/understanding-setup-before-launch">
    What you can do while nothing is live yet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Onboarding" icon="list-check" href="/knowledge-app/onboarding/overview">
    Back to the hub.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>