What is a waitlist?
In marketing, a waitlist is a list of people who have expressed interest in a product or service before it’s available for purchase. Typically, people on a waitlist are notified via email when the product becomes available.
Why should you create a waitlist for your digital product?
A waitlist can be a helpful tool for launching a product or service.
Waitlists allow creators to gauge interest in a product before they make it. If more people provide their email addresses to join the waitlist, you can feel confident that your audience is interested in your idea.
Since waitlist members have explicitly said they’re interested in your product, you can email them about the product more frequently. A waitlist is separate from your main email list, so you don’t have to worry about annoying subscribers who aren’t interested.
Examples of creators who use waitlists in their businesses
Emily Connors from The Creative Bodega
Em Connors is the founder of The Creative Bodega , where she teaches creators how to use Canva to make social media content for their online businesses. She also teaches courses about building an email list, content batching, and business branding.
Em uses an email waitlist to build excitement before launching new products. This translates to more sales in a short amount of time.
“About a month before launch, I create a waitlist," Em shares. "On Instagram, I start hyping the course up, showing people behind the scenes, and talking about launch emails. I share a link so followers can join my waitlist and get a discount if they sign up during the presale."
With a waitlist, Em can talk to interested customers without overwhelming her whole email list. Em recommends incentivizing people to join your waitlist by offering discounts and special bonuses.
Learn more about Em’s business creator journey and her five-figure launch strategy .
Khe Hy from Supercharge your Productivity
Khe Hy is the founder of Rad Reads and he offers a signature course called Supercharge your Productivity . Khe runs Supercharge your Productivity in live cohorts with three launch cycles per year. In between launches, he has a waitlist so people who interact with his content can sign up once the next round opens.
Learn more about waitlists in marketing
Article: Learn how to pre-launch your course .
Article: What is email segmentation?
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