Once your event and ticketing are ready, the final step is to publish your event so it becomes visible on Shotgun and your tickets can go live.
Publishing may sound like a big moment and it is, but you stay fully in control every step of the way: immediately, on a specific date, progressively by tiers, or after a pre-registration phase.
Before continuing, keep in mind that publishing an event on Shotgun always follows three simple steps:
Create your event → Read the article
Set up your ticketing → Read the article
Publish your event → (you’re here!)
Each step is independent, and you can take your time. Nothing is visible publicly until you decide to publish.
Let’s walk through it together.
In this article
1. Set up your event publication parameters
From your Event dashboard, click Set up publication to choose how and when your event becomes visible.
You’ll configure three things: visibility, publication date, and your publication strategy.
Visibility: who can see your event?
Before anything goes live, you choose exactly who gets access to your event page.
Public → visible on the Shotgun app & website
Private → only accessible with a direct link
My Page Only → displayed on your organizer page, but not discoverable elsewhere
💡 You can switch visibility at any time even after publishing. If you’re planning specific exclusive announcements or want to test your page before showing it publicly to the world, you might want to start with Private or My Page Only, then switch to Public when you’re ready.
Publication date: when does your event go live?
This is where you choose the exact moment your event becomes visible.
Publish now
If everything is ready and you’re good to go, simply publish now.
Your event will appear instantly on Shotgun
Great for simple setups, last-minute events, or fast releases
💡 You can still edit everything after publishing: images, description, ticketing… nothing is locked.
Publish on a specific date
Sometimes, timing is everything. Maybe you're coordinating an announcement with an artist. Maybe partners are waiting for a specific time. Or maybe you just want your event to appear online while you’re busy with something else.
With scheduled publication:
You choose a date and time
Your event will automatically go live at that moment
Until then, nobody sees it
💡 All details and ticketing remain editable until the publish date.
Publication strategy: how do event publication + ticket sales work together?
Once your event publication parameters are set, you decide what happens with ticket sales.
You have two strategies:
Option 1: Publish your event and open ticket sales at the same time
This is the simpler setup. Your event is live, and fans can buy tickets immediately.
💡 If your goal is to launch fast or keep things simple, start here.
Option 2: Publish your event without opening ticket sales
Here, the event page goes live before tickets are available. This is especially useful when you want to launch a pre-registration phase.
💡 Pre-registration helps you measure interest, notify fans instantly when sales open, and drive more early purchases 👉 Learn how pre-registration can optimise your ticket release
2. Choose when your tickets go on sale
Now that your event publication is set, it’s time to look at your tickets. Each ticket has its own “sales period” meaning you decide exactly when it becomes available.
💡 Even after publishing, you can adjust settings from the ticket editor.
Option 1: Sales period = Now
This is the default option. It simply means: as soon as the event is published, the ticket is available.
💡 Perfect for single-release events or when everything opens at once.
Option 2: Sales period = On a specific date
If you want a bit more control, choose a date and time for that specific ticket. This is great when:
You’re staging your release (e.g. Early Birds on Monday, Regular on Friday)
You want to time sales to a specific moment
1. Select the start date and time
Choose when this ticket should become available for purchase.
💡 You can also set a sales end time (optional). If you:
don’t set one, the ticket stays available until the end of the event
do set one, the ticket will appear as sold out at this time
2. Choose the ticket visibility before sales open
Before the start date, you decide whether the ticket is shown on your event page and how it appears. You have three options:
Visible: The ticket appears on the event page with its start date and its price.
💡 This option is useful when you want to show fans what's coming next and let them plan ahead.
Visible without price: The ticket appears on the event page with its start date, but the price is hidden.
💡 Perfect when you want to tease the next tier without committing to a price yet, or when you want to keep pricing confidential until release.
Not visible until sales start: The ticket remains completely hidden until the sales start time. This option helps keep your page clean or avoid confusion when preparing multiple tiers in advance.
Option 3: Sales period = After this ticket
This mode lets you create a tiered release, where one ticket opens only when another one sells out.
💡 Think of it like a chain: Early Bird → Regular → Late Release → Last Release. Fans only see the current tier.
For each ticket, you’ll define two elements:
1. Choose which ticket unlocks it
Select the ticket that must be sold out before this one becomes available. This creates your tier progression. (ex: Early Bird → Regular → Late Bird).
2. Set the ticket visibility before it opens
Before the start date, you decide whether the ticket is shown on your event page and how it appears. You have three visibility options: Visible, visible without price or not visible until sales start.
3. Review before going live
Before you hit publish, take a moment to review your setup.
This final check helps ensure everything is aligned with your launch strategy: visibility, timing, ticket sequencing, and any scheduled releases. Then click on Publish now 🚀
💡 Once your event is live, you can still edit ticket sales rules at any time from the ticket settings.
