> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.extole.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating a Program

> Create a new program from the Programs page by starting from a template, naming it, and reviewing what it includes before you go live.

# Overview

A program is a set of one or more campaigns targeted to a given audience for a given outcome. When you need a new audience, flow, or reward structure that your existing programs don't cover, you create a new program.

Extole creates a new program from a **template** — an existing program type such as Refer a Friend or Offer. Your new program starts as a copy of that template, so it comes with a working set of campaigns, rewards, and rules that you then tailor to your goal. A new program is created as a draft, so nothing goes live until you review it and launch it.

To decide whether you need a new program or a new campaign, see **[Programs vs. Campaigns](/guides/platform-overview/programs-vs-campaigns)**. If you only want another campaign within an existing program, duplicate a campaign instead — see **[Making Updates to your Campaigns](/guides/programs-and-campaigns/managing-campaigns/making-updates-to-your-campaigns)**.

# How to Create a Program

1. Go to the **[Programs page](https://my.extole.com/programs)** in My Extole.
2. Hit the **+ New Program** button.
3. Choose the **template** for the program type you want to create, such as Refer a Friend or Offer. This template determines the campaigns, rewards, and rules your new program starts with.
4. Enter a **name** for your program. Extole uses the name to set the program label, the short identifier shown next to the name on the Programs page.
5. Confirm to create the program.

Extole creates your new program as a copy of the template and opens it so you can review and configure it.

# What Your New Program Includes

Because a new program is a copy of the template you chose, it inherits that template's setup as a starting point:

* One **campaign** and its flow — each template comes with a single campaign
* The **rewards** that campaign issues and their values
* The **eligibility and quality rules** that govern who gets rewarded

Review these before you launch. The template's reward values and rules reflect the template, not your program's goal, so update the rewards, audience, and rules to match what you intend. To change what a campaign issues, see **[Configuring the Rules of Your Program](/guides/rewards-management/rules-configuration/configuring-the-rules-of-your-program)**.

# Your Program Starts as a Draft

A new program is not live when you create it. It stays in a draft state and does nothing until you launch it, which gives you time to configure and preview it first. When the program is ready, launch it from the Programs page.

Before you go live, work through the **[Go-Live QA Checklist](/guides/platform-overview/go-live-qa-checklist)** to confirm the program is configured the way you intend.

For a tour of where programs, campaigns, and their controls appear, see **[Exploring the Programs Page](/guides/platform-overview/exploring-the-programs-page)**.