A campaign is either a public link that anyone with the URL can redeem, or invite-only where each recipient gets their own private link. You pick one when you set up the campaign and you can change it later. Here is how each works.
Both types use the same underlying flow — the recipient enters their own shipping address when they claim. The difference is how they reach the link in the first place. See Address on claim for the workflow itself.
#Public link
Anyone with the URL can redeem. You share one link — paste it in Slack, drop it in a welcome email, post it on an internal wiki — and anyone who opens it can place an order.
Best for:
- Open-to-everyone offers (all hands, conference giveaways, customer thank-yous)
- Lists you don't have email addresses for
- Shares that need to spread organically
Watch out for:
- Anyone with the link can redeem, so set Campaign limits to prevent abuse.
- Restrict by email domain if you only want people with a
@yourcompany.comaddress to be able to redeem. - Add password protection if you want a quick lightweight gate.
#Invite-only
Only people you specifically invite can redeem. Each recipient gets their own private link tied to their email. The link only works for them.
Best for:
- New-hire welcome kits and onboarding
- Customer gifting where the list is known
- Anywhere you want one redemption per person, locked to an identity
Watch out for:
- You need email addresses for every recipient.
- Recipients have to actually receive and open your invite. See Invite deliverability if invites aren't landing.
Regardless of which type you pick, you can layer on email-domain restriction, password protection, or a private invite-only gate from the same Sharing & Permissions settings. See Sharing and access controls for the full list.
#Switching between types
You can flip a campaign between public and invite-only from the campaign's settings page. If you switch a public campaign to invite-only, the public URL stops working — only invite links count from that point on.
#Which to pick
- You have everyone's email -> invite-only is cleaner. One link per person.
- You don't have emails or want to share broadly -> public link.
- You want both -> use a public link with the email-domain restriction turned on. People still need to sign in with a recognized address, but you don't have to send individual invites.