What's New

The latest updates and improvements to Besto

Person Mode for Award Campaigns

January 10, 2026 • v3.1.0
New Feature
Run campaigns to vote for people instead of businesses!

New "Person Mode" toggle in campaign Advanced settings
Disables Google Places integration for cleaner person nominations
Labels automatically change from "Business" to "Person" throughout the voting experience
Fields adapt to collect: Name, Title/Role, and Description
Perfect for: Employee of the Year, Teacher Awards, Community Leader recognition

Enable Person Mode to create people-focused award campaigns.

Voter Referral System

January 10, 2026 • v3.1.0
New Feature
Voters can now share referral links to invite friends to vote!

Each voter gets a unique referral code they can share
Referrers earn badges: Community Builder (1 referral), Influencer (5 referrals), Ambassador (10 referrals)
Referral stats tracked on the voter leaderboard
Social sharing buttons for easy link distribution
Boosts campaign participation through word-of-mouth

Enable the Voter Leaderboard in your campaign settings to activate referral tracking.

Voter Leaderboard Pro Feature

January 10, 2026 • v3.0.0
New Feature
The Voter Leaderboard is now a Pro Feature! Gamify your voting campaigns with live leaderboards, streak badges, rank celebrations, and prizes for top voters. Configure display modes, toggle badges, and embed leaderboards on external sites.

Kiosk Mode for Events

January 10, 2026 • v3.0.0
New Feature
New Kiosk Mode lets you run voting stations at events! Features include auto-reset sessions after voting, streamlined name and email collection, pattern-based email validation (no 2FA required), and a personalized thank-you screen with countdown timer.

Pro Features System

January 10, 2026 • v3.0.0
Improvement
Introducing Pro Features! Unlock advanced campaign capabilities like Voter Leaderboard and Kiosk Mode with a one-time purchase. Pro features are tied to individual campaigns and never expire.

Voter Referral Rewards

January 9, 2026 • v3.1.0
New Feature
Invite Friends & Earn Badges!
Voters can now share personalized invite links to bring friends into the campaign. When your friends vote using your link, you earn credit and unlock special badges:

🤝 Community Builder - Successfully invited your first friend
📣 Influencer - Invited 5+ friends to vote
👑 Ambassador - Invited 10+ friends to vote

The referral share card appears on the Thank You screen after voting, making it easy to spread the word and climb the leaderboard!

Embeddable Leaderboard Widget

January 8, 2026 • v2.9.0
New Feature
Embed your voter leaderboard on any website! Generate iframe code from the management panel to display live rankings on external pages.

Leaderboard Owner Tools

January 7, 2026 • v2.9.0
Improvement
New management tools for campaign owners: view and fulfill prize claims, export leaderboard data to CSV, generate embed codes for external websites, and announce winners with custom messages.

Prize Claiming System

January 6, 2026 • v2.9.0
New Feature
Campaign owners can now set up prizes for top voters with claim deadlines and instructions. Winners receive notifications and can submit their contact info to claim prizes directly.

Badge Unlock Celebrations

January 5, 2026 • v2.9.0
Improvement
New confetti animations celebrate when voters earn badges! Visual feedback makes achievements more rewarding and encourages continued participation.

Voter Self-Service Tools

January 5, 2026 • v2.9.0
Improvement
Voters can now view their rank, manage their nickname, share their achievements on social media, and opt out of the leaderboard if they prefer privacy.

Voter Leaderboard

December 15, 2025 • v2.8.0
New Feature
Engage your voters with a competitive leaderboard! Track top voters across daily, weekly, and all-time periods. Campaign owners can enable leaderboards, choose display formats (first name + last initial or nicknames), and award badges for achievements like voting streaks and category completions.

Referrals, Rewards & Sharing

November 15, 2025 • v2.20.0
New Feature
Grow your community and earn rewards:

Referral Program - Share your unique link and earn points when friends sign up
Achievement Badges - Unlock badges for milestones like first campaign, 100 votes, and more
Points & Levels - Earn points for activity and level up your account
Leaderboard - See how you rank against other campaign creators
Enhanced Sharing - One-click sharing to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and email

Help & Documentation

October 15, 2025 • v2.19.0
Improvement
More resources to help you succeed:

Updated Help Center - Comprehensive guides for every feature
API Documentation - Technical docs for developers building integrations
Best Practices Guide - Tips for running successful campaigns
Video Tutorials - Step-by-step walkthroughs coming soon
Improved Search - Find answers faster in the help center

Performance & Reliability

September 15, 2025 • v2.18.0
Improvement
A faster, more reliable platform:

Faster Page Loads - Optimized performance across all pages
Better Error Handling - Issues are caught and reported automatically
Improved Uptime - Enhanced monitoring ensures the platform stays available
Memory Optimization - Smoother experience on all devices, including older phones
Real-Time Metrics - We now track performance to continuously improve

Integrations & Automation

August 15, 2025 • v2.17.0
New Feature
Connect your campaigns to your favorite tools:

Webhook Notifications - Get instant updates in Slack, Zapier, or any webhook-enabled app
Vote Alerts - Trigger automations when votes come in or milestones are reached
Nomination Alerts - Know immediately when new businesses are nominated
CRM Integration - Sync voter and business data with your existing systems
Custom Headers - Full control over webhook payloads for advanced integrations

Export & Data Tools

July 15, 2025 • v2.16.0
New Feature
Take your data wherever you need it:

Export to Excel/CSV - Download campaign results, voter data, and business lists
PDF Reports - Generate professional reports to share with stakeholders
Faster Loading - Smart caching means pages load instantly on repeat visits
Offline Access - View your dashboard even without an internet connection
Background Sync - Changes sync automatically when you're back online

Enhanced Form Experience

June 15, 2025 • v2.15.0
New Feature
Forms across the platform are now smarter and easier to use:

Phone Number Formatting - Automatic formatting as you type with country code support
Date Picker - Easy calendar selection for dates with range support
File Uploads - Drag and drop files with image preview and progress indicators
Better Loading States - Smooth skeleton animations while content loads
Improved Error Messages - Clearer guidance when something goes wrong

Accessibility & Mobile Improvements

May 15, 2025 • v2.14.0
Improvement
We've made the platform more accessible and mobile-friendly:

Screen Reader Support - Full compatibility with assistive technologies for visually impaired users
Keyboard Navigation - Navigate the entire platform using just your keyboard
Touch-Friendly Voting - Swipe through categories and tap to vote on mobile devices
Focus Indicators - Clear visual feedback when navigating with a keyboard
Reduced Motion - Respects your device settings for animations

Smoother Voting Experience

March 13, 2025 • v2.13.0
Improvement
We've made voting even easier and more enjoyable:

Better Progress Tracking - See exactly how many categories you've voted on with improved progress bars
Welcome Back Messages - Resume voting right where you left off with helpful status updates
Celebration Animations - Enjoy fun confetti effects when you complete all your votes
Faster Loading - Voting pages now load more quickly on all devices

Stay Updated with Changelog

February 6, 2025 • v2.12.0
New Feature
Never miss an important update! We've added a changelog feature so you can easily see what's new. You'll get a notification badge when there are updates to check out.

Better Team Collaboration

January 9, 2025 • v3.1.0
New Feature
Working with a team? You can now give team members specific access levels for each campaign. Control who can view stats, edit content, manage nominations, and more. Plus, track all team activity with detailed logs.

Easier Campaign Sharing

December 5, 2024 • v2.10.0
New Feature
Finding and sharing campaigns just got easier! Campaigns now have memorable codes like "sunny-pizza-2025" instead of random characters. You can customize your campaign code, and searching is now case-insensitive.

Customizable Email Templates

November 7, 2024 • v2.9.0
New Feature
Take full control of your campaign communications! Customize welcome emails, verification messages, and notifications with your own branding and messaging. Preview exactly how emails will look before sending.

Real-Time Notifications

October 10, 2024 • v2.8.0
New Feature
Stay on top of everything happening with your campaigns! Get instant alerts for access requests, business claims, and when you hit vote milestones. Look for the bell icon in your dashboard.

Smarter Banner Ads

September 12, 2024 • v2.7.0
New Feature
Businesses can now schedule banner ads to run at specific times and target specific categories. Track how many people see and click your ads with detailed analytics in your business dashboard.

Campaign Analytics Dashboard

August 8, 2024 • v2.6.0
New Feature
See how your campaign is performing at a glance! View real-time vote counts, track trends over time, see which businesses are leading, and export reports to share with stakeholders.

Enhanced Security

July 11, 2024 • v2.5.0
Update
We've added stronger protections against vote manipulation and spam. Campaign owners can now block suspicious voters if needed, and all voting activity is monitored for fairness.

Help Center Now Available

June 13, 2024 • v2.4.0
New Feature
Need help? Visit our new Help Center for guides, FAQs, and tips for campaign owners, businesses, and voters. Search for answers or browse by topic.

Improved Nomination Management

May 9, 2024 • v2.3.0
Improvement
Reviewing nominations is now faster! We automatically detect duplicate entries so you can merge them easily. Plus, get daily email summaries of approved nominations instead of individual alerts.

Premium Listings Stand Out

April 11, 2024 • v2.2.0
Improvement
Premium businesses now get more visibility with enhanced display including a featured badge, larger cards, and the ability to show their description. Social sharing is exclusive to premium listings.

Campaign Design Tools

March 14, 2024 • v2.1.0
New Feature
Make your campaign uniquely yours! Preview design changes in real-time, choose from curated font combinations, generate matching color palettes, and get accessibility warnings to ensure everyone can read your content.