Add a preview audience for a SaaS offer

As you create your software as a service (SaaS) offer in Partner Center, you need to define a preview audience who can review your offer listing before it goes live. This article explains how to configure a preview audience.

Note

If you choose to process transactions independently, you won't see this option. Instead, skip to How to sell your SaaS offer.

Tip

Previews aren't supported by offers configured to be available to the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program.

Define a preview audience

On the Preview audience tab, you can define a limited audience who can review your SaaS offer before you publish it live to the broader marketplace audience. You can send invites to Microsoft Account (MSA) or Microsoft Entra ID email addresses. Add a minimum of one and up to 10 email addresses manually or import up to 20 with a .csv file. You can update the preview audience list at any time. Preview audience users can test these offers in their Default Directory.

Note

A preview audience differs from a private audience. A preview audience is allowed access to your offer before it's published live in the online stores. You might also choose to create a plan and make it available only to a private audience. Private plans are explained in How to create plans for your SaaS offer.

Add email addresses manually

  1. On the Preview Audience page, add a single Microsoft Entra ID or MSA email address and an optional description in the boxes provided.
  2. To add another email address, select the Add another email link.
  3. Select Save draft before continuing to the next tab: Technical configuration.
  4. Continue to How to add technical details for your SaaS offer.

Add email addresses using the CSV file

  1. On the Preview Audience page, select the Export Audience (csv) link.
  2. Open the .CSV file in an application, such as Microsoft Excel.
  3. In the .CSV file, in the ID column, enter the email addresses you want to add to the preview audience.
  4. In the Description column, you can optionally add a description for each email address.
  5. In the Type column, add MixedAadMsaId to each row that has an email address.
  6. Save the file as a .CSV file.
  7. On the Preview Audience page, select the Import Audience (csv) link.
  8. In the Confirm dialog box, select Yes.
  9. Select the .CSV file and then select Open.
  10. Select Save draft before continuing to the next tab: Technical configuration.