Pre-Launch Real Estate Marketing: What It Means After RERA and How to Run One

Pre-launch in real estate means the period before a project's public launch, when developers collect interest from early buyers, often through an EOI (Expression of Interest), before full prices and inventory are released. Under the RERA Act, 2016, a project that must be registered cannot be advertised, marketed or booked until it is registered. So a lawful pre-launch today runs from the day the RERA registration arrives to the day prices go public, and the work before registration is preparation, not promotion.

This guide explains what pre-launch means after RERA, what developers can and can't do before registration, how to run a pre-launch campaign step by step, and what buyers should check before paying for a pre-launch offer.

What is pre-launch in real estate?

Before RERA, "pre-launch" usually meant selling flats in a project that hadn't been approved yet, at a lower price, to raise early money. Buyers took the risk that approvals, plans or timelines would change.

Section 3 of the RERA Act ended that model for projects that must be registered. A promoter cannot advertise, market, book, sell or offer for sale, or invite people to buy, any unit before registering the project with the state authority. The penalty is up to 10% of the estimated project cost (Section 59). So when a developer says "pre-launch" today, the honest version is an early-access window for a registered project, before the public launch.

Before RERA registration: prepare, don't promote

The weeks before registration are the best time to get everything ready, so the campaign can start the day the number arrives:

• Creative: hoarding and ad designs, project film, brochure and price sheet, with a space for the RERA number and the authority's website (and the QR code in UP).
• Landing page: built and tested on a private link, with the enquiry form, WhatsApp button and tracking in place. See our landing page conversion guide.
• Follow-up: WhatsApp replies, call scripts and the EOI form ready, and the sales team trained.
• Ad accounts: audiences, budgets and campaigns built but paused.
• Channel partners: agreements drafted and partners' RERA agent numbers checked, ready to sign at launch.

What not to do before registration: run project ads, publish the project page, put up project hoardings, collect EOIs or money, or let channel partners "soft sell" the project. All of these are marketing or booking under Section 3. If you're unsure where the line is for your project, ask a RERA lawyer before anything goes out.

After registration: how a pre-launch (EOI) phase works

Once the project is registered, a short early-access phase before the public price launch is common:

1. Registration arrives. Add the RERA number, website and QR code to every creative, then switch the campaigns on.
2. EOI window. Interested buyers fill an EOI form with their preferred configuration and pay the EOI amount, which gives them priority at allotment. Our guide to EOI in real estate covers how it works.
3. Price release and allotment. EOI holders choose units in the order set out in the EOI terms (first come or by draw).
4. Booking or refund. Buyers who choose a unit move to booking and the agreement for sale. Those who don't get refunds on the terms written in the EOI form.

Section 13 of the Act applies throughout: a promoter cannot take more than 10% of the cost of a unit as an advance or application fee without first signing and registering a written agreement for sale.

A pre-launch marketing plan, week by week

When	What
4–6 weeks before registration	Creative, landing page, WhatsApp flow, CRM and call scripts built; campaigns built and paused
Registration day	RERA details added everywhere; landing page live; ads switched on; CPs signed and briefed
EOI window	Meta ads for awareness and lead forms; Google search for the project and builder name and locality searches; WhatsApp reply to every enquiry within minutes; site office open for visits
Launch day	Allotment for EOI holders; public prices released; ads move from "register interest" to "book a site visit"
After launch	Retargeting of people who enquired but didn't book; construction-progress updates

Measure every week: enquiries, EOIs, site visits and bookings by source (ads, CPs, walk-ins, portals). That tells you where to spend in the next phase.

What to say in pre-launch ads (and what not to)

Good pre-launch messages are specific and true:

• The location and what's near it, with real distances.
• The configurations (2 BHK, 3 BHK) and the price band once it's decided, with the asterisk explained.
• How the EOI works: the amount, what it gives you and when it's refundable.
• The developer's completed projects, with possession dates you can prove.

Avoid "guaranteed appreciation", "lowest price ever", invented scarcity ("only 10 units left" when it isn't true) and any amenity that isn't in the approved plans. Section 12 of the RERA Act makes the promoter liable to compensate buyers who lose money because of false statements in an advertisement, and the ASCI code requires claims to be truthful. Our guide to RERA advertisement rules has a full checklist.

Channel partners in a pre-launch

Channel partners often bring a large share of early buyers, so brief them before the EOI window opens: the project facts, the EOI terms, the commission terms and how to register a buyer so the booking is credited to them. Insist that every CP is RERA-registered and that their ads carry the project's registration details. See channel partner in real estate and broker commission for how CP agreements usually work.

For buyers: checklist before paying for a pre-launch offer

• Does the project have a RERA registration number? Look it up on the state RERA website (how to check a RERA number). If there's no number, the project shouldn't be taking money.
• Are the EOI terms in writing: amount, refund conditions, refund timeline and deductions?
• Is the payment going to the developer's account, by cheque or bank transfer, with a receipt?
• Is the advance within 10% of the unit cost until an agreement for sale is signed and registered?
• Does the possession date in the ads match the RERA filing?

Planning a launch? A free marketing audit will check your landing page, ads and follow-up before the EOI window opens.

This article is general information based on the RERA Act, 2016. It is not legal advice. Check your state's current RERA rules and orders before launch.