---
title: Draft a path privately before launch
sidebarTitle: Draft before launch
description: >-
  Build, test and polish a path while it's hidden from your audience, then
  publish when it's ready.
audience: luminary
feature: paths
type: guide
availability: live
last_verified: '2026-10-14'
keywords:
  - draft path
  - test path
  - hidden path
  - publish path
  - preview path
url: >-
  https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/offerings/paths/draft-a-path-before-launch
---

# Draft a path privately before launch

> Build, test and polish a path while it's hidden from your audience, then publish when it's ready.

## When to use this

- You're writing a new path and don't want anyone to see it yet.
- You want to test the messages on yourself first.
- You need to pull a path off your portal for a while to rework it.

## How it works

Every new path starts as a Draft. A draft is hidden from your audience and can't be joined from your portal. You'll see the Draft pill on the path card in [Offerings → Paths](https://portal.bringsoul.life/paths) and next to the path's name on its page.

**Step 1: Create the path**

Go to [Offerings → Paths](https://portal.bringsoul.life/paths) and click Create Path (or Add
Path). It opens as a Draft.

**Step 2: Build the messages**

Add messages on the Schedule tab with Add Schedule or Import CSV. Edit the cover, Path Name and
Description on the left and click Save Changes.

**Step 3: Test on yourself**

On the Subscribers tab, click Add Subscriber and add a test account that's in your audience. You
can add people by hand to a draft. Open their row to see each prompt's status and use Send Now
to receive a message right away.

**Step 4: Publish**

When you're happy, click Publish at the top of the page. You'll see *"Path published. It's now
visible to your audience"*.

To hide a published path again, click Move to draft: _"Path moved to draft. It's now hidden from your audience"_.

## Good to know

- Publish is separate from saving. Save Changes only saves the name and description. It never publishes.
- The share link is for published paths. The quick share button on the path card only appears once the path is published.
- Moving to draft doesn't stop messages for people already on the path. It only hides the path from new visitors. See [Retire a path](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/offerings/paths/retire-a-path) to wind it down.
- Show it on your portal. Publishing doesn't switch on your portal's Soul Paths section. Check it in [My Portal → Design](https://portal.bringsoul.life/portal).

**Warning:** 
Remove your test account from the path before launch (Subscribers tab → open the person → Remove
from Path), so your own numbers stay clean.

## What your members see

Nothing, while it's a draft. Once published, the path appears in your portal's Paths section and its link works for everyone.

## Related

- [Get members to join your path](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/offerings/paths/get-members-to-join)
- [Import messages from a spreadsheet](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/offerings/paths/import-messages-from-a-spreadsheet)
- [Design your portal](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/portal/overview)