Keeping up with the project's production and shipping status is a big part of backing a crowdfunding campaign. When backing as a pre-order/late-backer, it's important to know where to find updates about the project you've backed. Projects will post updates to their Kickstarter and/or Indiegogo campaign page under Updates. You won't be notified when updates are posted on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, so you'll want to check regularly.
The project's Kickstarter or Indiegogo account is linked on the Pre-Order/Late-Backer page.