Something that has become commonplace in our tech-heavy world is making URLs easier to click, read, and navigate. That’s why we turn to places like Bitly and Tiny URL to make URLs shorter and more customizable for blog and social media posts.
We also rely on tech to help give us a hand with other tech. An example of this includes using TweetDeck to schedule Tweets or using a number of platforms to schedule Instagram posts. Anything to make our online lives easier.
Now entering the URL realm is Urlcast.io, which comes equip with scheduling capabilities, donning itself as “the URL scheduler.” It works in 4 simple steps: Have an idea, schedule said idea, share that idea, and finally, play the waiting game.
Here’s how those 4 steps play out: First, find your idea and, when you have an online resource that you’d like to share, you can then set the URL to be scheduled for a release of your choosing. So, you will use the tool to create an online waiting room that people will be able to visit until the time that has been scheduled.
Next, write a catchy title and decide on a publication date. With this information, a new page is generated just for you with the title you have chosen and a countdown until the day you have chosen.
Then, share the new URL with your audience and your waiting room with everyone you want, every time they visit it, they will be able to see how much time is left for the big moment.
Finally, wait for that moment. Everyone who visits the new link will be able to see your waiting page until the date and time you have chosen is reached; when that time arrives, they will be redirected to the original link, leaving it uncovered.
This is a good way to build momentum around a marketing or PR campaign – or would be useful when something is embargoed. This also could be useful for ticket sales and the like.
On Urlcast’s website, an FAQ asks the developer what the future plans are for the tool. The answer? “The countdown page is very simple, currently it consists of a title and a countdown to the date you have selected. In the future we would like to add more features, like being able to change the background colors or add an image, a chat and a place to add posts and notifications to those who are waiting for the release time to arrive.”
Staff Writer, Taylor Leddin is a publicist and freelance writer for a number of national outlets. She was featured on Thrive Global as a successful woman in journalism, and is the editor-in-chief of The Tidbit. Taylor resides in Chicago and has a Bachelor in Communication Studies from Illinois State University.
