Recommended first-launch path
The fastest first campaign is the one HighAdvocacy already pre-filled for you at the end of onboarding. If you picked one of the three campaign ideas (Volume Sprint, Cross-Platform Coverage, or Always-On Loop), the campaign creation page opens with the name, widget headline, widget subtext, target platforms, brand identity, and reward preset already populated from your workspace profile. You only need to confirm and publish.
If you skipped to Start from scratch during onboarding, or you are creating a second campaign from the Campaigns list, you start with an empty campaign that you walk through in three steps: Strategy & Rewards, Design, and Distribution & Install. Either way, the structure of the rest of this guide is the same; the only difference is whether the fields are pre-filled or empty.
A new campaign defaults to both channels on: the embedded widget and the hosted webpage. You can disable either one before publishing, but at least one channel has to be on when you activate the campaign.
Pick a campaign objective
Open the Strategy & Rewards step. This is where the campaign’s purpose is set. If you came in from a campaign idea, the objective and target platforms are already chosen for you. If you are starting fresh, set a campaign name that your team will recognize in the Campaigns list, and pick the review platforms you want submitters to post on.
The three default objectives mirror the onboarding ideas: a volume goal (a set number of reviews on one platform inside a window), cross-platform coverage (collect across two platforms to build buyer trust), or always-on (steady review volume each month to defend category position). Choose the one that matches what you are trying to do. The objective drives the reward preset on the next field and shapes the campaign idea that powers the widget and webpage copy.
Keep the prompt focused on one action. If you need a second action (for example, a LinkedIn share after a G2 review) create a separate campaign once this one is running cleanly.
Set the channel: widget or hosted webpage
HighAdvocacy campaigns run on two channels: an embedded widget and a hosted webpage. Both channels share the same campaign strategy, branding, and reward setup, so you only configure them once. New campaigns default to both channels on, so the simplest first launch is to leave them as-is.
During campaign creation, the channel toggles live in the final Distribution & Install step. After the campaign is live, the toggles move into the top header area of the campaign so you can flip channels on or off without re-entering the builder. The campaign cannot be activated with both channels off: at least one channel must be on for the campaign to be active.
If you want to keep things narrow on your first campaign, decide based on distribution. Turn the widget on when the campaign will live inside your product or marketing site. Turn the hosted webpage on when you want a link you can paste into an email, a customer success message, or a social post. For a deeper comparison, see widget vs webpage campaigns.
Configure the proof flow
The proof flow is what the submitter actually does: what they are asked to provide and what HighAdvocacy collects from them. In the Design step you set the visible prompts (widget headline and subtext, plus the hosted webpage hero title and hero subtitle), and you confirm the action you are asking for, such as posting a review on a specific platform.
If you came in from onboarding, the headline, subtext, and target platforms are already drafted from the campaign idea you picked. Edit the wording so it sounds like your brand, but keep the call-to-action tight and specific (for example, “Leave a review on G2, it takes about 3 minutes”). The widget and webpage share branding (logo, brand name, primary color from your workspace profile). The hosted webpage adds two additional copy fields: hero title and hero subtitle. Everything else stays consistent across channels so the submitter sees the same experience whether they arrived through the widget or the hosted link.
The submission backend is the same for both channels. Submissions land in a single proof library and run through the same review steps. There is no separate review queue per channel.
Reward setup
The reward field sits inside the Strategy & Rewards step. If you came from a campaign idea, the reward is already filled with the suggested type:
- Volume Sprint → monetary reward (for example, a $20 account credit)
- Cross-Platform Coverage → plan perk (for example, a 14-day premium extension)
- Always-On Loop → non-monetary (spotlight or early access)
Confirm the reward type and the value language, then move on. Avoid changing reward terms after submissions start arriving unless you have a clear reason. Mid-flight reward changes are handled by reward versioning (see reward versioning), but the cleanest approach on your first campaign is to lock the reward before you publish.
If you are starting from scratch (no template), pick the reward type that most reinforces your product. Plan perks are usually the strongest fit for SaaS because they map directly to ongoing value; monetary rewards work when you need a fast push for volume.
Notification check
Before publishing, make sure the notification settings match what you want. Submitters need a confirmation when their proof is received and another message when it is approved or paid out. Teammates need an alert when new submissions land so review does not stall.
Open the notification panel on the campaign and confirm the submitter status emails are enabled and the right teammates are on the new-submission alert list. If you are not sure what each event triggers, see submission status emails and notification integrations.
A quick sanity check: send yourself through the flow once before publishing widely. Submit a test proof using your own email and confirm you receive the submitter confirmation and that a teammate receives the new-submission alert. If either email does not arrive, fix the notification configuration before turning on traffic.
Publish and test
When the strategy, design, reward, and notification setup all look right, open the Distribution & Install step. You will see three setup cards: Widget Install Code for copying the embed snippet, Widget Test Installation for verifying the widget renders on your site, and Webpage Link for copying the hosted URL. The hosted URL is generated once per campaign and stays stable across edits and channel toggles. URL regeneration is not supported, so plan to use the link you get.
Publish the campaign. Then test:
- If the widget is on, paste the install code on the page you want it to appear on, then run Widget Test Installation to confirm HighAdvocacy detects the widget on your site.
- If the hosted webpage is on, open the hosted URL in a private browser window and walk through the proof flow yourself.
- Submit a test proof and confirm it shows up in the proof library, with the source marker showing whether it came from the widget or the webpage.
If the campaign is not behaving the way you expect, pause it from the campaign header, fix the issue, and re-publish.
What to do after the first submission
Once a real submitter arrives, your job shifts from setup to review. Submissions from both channels land in the same proof library. Use the source filter (All, Widget, Webpage) in the submissions view to confirm both channels are pulling traffic if you turned both on. Review the first few submissions yourself so the review bar is set the way you want.
After submissions are flowing, plan two follow-up moves. First, share the hosted webpage link in customer success messages, email signatures, and outreach so the campaign keeps pulling traffic. Second, decide what to do next based on results. If you hit your volume goal early, duplicate the campaign for the next platform. If submissions are stale, edit copy and let new visitors see the new version (people already in flight continue on the version they started on).
For ongoing campaign management (edits, pausing, duplicating, and how mid-flight changes behave) see create and manage campaigns.