Sell digital products as preorders
Selling a book, course, or album before it is finished lets you fund the work and build an audience. Filemonk holds the files back until your launch date, then emails every preorder buyer that their download is ready.
Before you begin
- Set the launch date and time in your own timezone. Filemonk uses that.
- The files can be added later, but the product needs its preorder configured before you start selling.
- Buyers pay at checkout as normal. This controls delivery, not payment terms.
Set it up
- Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.
- Click Digital products in the app's menu and open the product.
- Choose Set up preorder, or Edit preorder if one exists.
- Tick Enable preorder for this product.
- Set the Launch date, with Date and Time.
- Under Email content, write the Subject, Heading, and Description for the release email. It uses the same template as your normal download email. Use the available variables rather than typing them: order name, order ID, store name, customer name.
- Write the Download blocking message, shown to customers who try to download before launch.
- Save.
The product then shows that files are withheld until the launch date, and when they unlock.
What customers will see
Buying works normally. Before launch, their download page shows your blocking message instead of files, so they know it is coming rather than broken. On the launch date they get the release email and their files unlock.
Filemonk does not change your product page or add a preorder button at checkout. If you want the storefront to say Preorder instead of Add to cart, that is a separate app.
Check your setup
Place a test order and confirm the download page shows your blocking message rather than files. Then set the launch date to a couple of minutes ahead and confirm the release email arrives and the files unlock. See Create a test order.
Troubleshooting
Customers downloaded before the launch date
Preorder was not enabled on the variant they bought, or it was turned on after they ordered. Check the configuration for that specific variant.
The launch date passed and nothing was sent
Confirm the date and time, remembering it is in your timezone, and that the product actually has files linked. A preorder with no files has nothing to release.
Customers think their order is broken
Your blocking message is missing or too vague. Write one that names the launch date, so the page explains itself.
A mixed order is only partly available
Orders containing both preorder and ready items show as mixed. The ready files are available immediately and the preorder ones follow at launch, which is expected.
I need to move the launch date
Edit the preorder and change it. Moving it later means customers who were expecting the original date should hear from you directly.
FAQ
Can I add the files after taking preorders?
Yes, and it is the normal way to work. Link the files any time before launch.
Do preorder customers get a normal download email too?
They get the release email at launch. Before that there is nothing to send them.
Can I release early?
Bring the launch date forward to now, and the release runs from there.
Does this show a Preorder button on my product page?
No. Filemonk controls delivery after checkout. A storefront preorder button is a separate app's job.
What if I cancel the product entirely?
Refund the orders in Shopify. If you have automatic disabling on, access is cut off with the refund. See Disable access for refunded or cancelled orders.
Related guides
- Create a digital product, the setup this builds on.
- Customize the download page, where the blocking message appears.
- Send new download links after updating a product, for updates after launch.
